Yamaha Vino 125 -- less fuel, more fun

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Yamaha Vino 125 -- less fuel, more fun

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Yamaha Vino 125 -- less fuel, more fun
By Sarah Filus - Beacon Journal business writer - ohio.com




She bought a Yamaha Vino 125 motorized scooter last month from State 8 Motorcycle and ATV in Peninsula because she wanted to save money at the gas pump.

Until recently, Huynh, 22, of Akron drove an Acura Integra for all of her transportation needs. She filled up with gas twice a week. Now, she fills her scooter just once a week.

The scooter is about 125 cc short of being highway legal, so Huynh takes city streets to commute from her home to Nails 2001 on Wooster Avenue in Akron, where she does manicures and pedicures.

``It's kind of like something to cruise around and go to work with because the gas prices are high,'' she said.

Motorcycle and scooter sales rose nationwide in the first half of this year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a nonprofit national trade association. Compared to the first two quarters of 2005, on-highway motorcycle sales rose 11 percent in the same period this year. Scooter sales jumped 19.7 percent.

Recent increases can be attributed to a number of factors including rising gas prices, said Mike Mount, spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council.

``We hear more and more dealers reporting that their customers are coming in and asking about the fuel economy of vehicles,'' he said.

Motorcycle sales have risen each year for 13 years, and 2006 is more than on target to becoming year 14, Mount said.

Ohio trails only California, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania in motorcycle sales.

Local dealers say that gas prices have most acutely affected the sale of small to mid-sized bikes.

``Most motorcycles are going to get much better gas mileage than whatever car people are driving, but smaller bikes with lower displacement engines are extremely fuel efficient.'' Scooters, for instance, get 60 to 80 miles per gallon.

At Midway Yamaha in Akron small bikes are quickly disappearing from the floor, said Jon Eichelberger, store manager.

``Probably (sales of) small bikes are up because people want to save a little money and be cost-effective,'' he said. ``They are interested in conservation.''

The sale of larger, more expensive bikes is more steady, local dealers said. They are not affected as much by the fluctuation of gas prices.

At Hudson Liberty Harley Davidson sales don't change much from one year to the next, said Brad Bacon, general manager of sales. ``There might be some people who, if they are looking to save a buck or two, might consider a $3,000 bike, but we are more of a Cadillac of motorcycles,'' Bacon said.

``When (a customer) has the disposable income to buy a Harley, they are going to do it whether there is a foot of snow on the ground or whether gas prices are $5 a gallon.''

Beyond high fuel costs, factors that might contribute to sales increases in the motorcycle and scooter industry include a re-entry of baby boomer riders, Mount said.

``Some may have ridden 20 or 25 years ago and got past riding. They had a career, started a family,'' he said. ``Now they have more disposable income, more free time; the kids are out of the house, so they are coming back into motorcycling.''

There has also been a rise in the number of women owning bikes. In 2003, one in 10 bikers were women. That number continues to rise, Mount said.

The media is also fueling the increase, he said. Motorcycles have had more exposure in product advertising, print and broadcast media, and on the big and small screens in recent years. ``There is more of a general acceptance of motorcycles in the media,'' Mount said.

Huynh, who uses her new scooter to stop by the ice cream parlor, visit friends and go shopping, giggled when she admitted that beyond being economical, ``It's just fun!''

U.S. New Unit Motorcycle Sales:<p> 1995: 309,000
2002: 936,000

2003: 1,001,000

2004: 1,063,000

2005: 1,116,000

First half of 2006 over same period last year:

11 percent sales increase for on-highway bikes

19.7 percent sales increase for scooters

Source: Motorcycle Industry council
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