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KELLY SKINNER
27,
one else. Brian and Niki changed their minds
when they realized that they were losing more
of their paychecks on gas than they wanted to,
and marched back to the new owner of their old
Vespa with Niki's car in tow. After they traded
Niki's car for the Vespa, the car proceeded to
explode the moment that the couple had made
the trade.
The Smiths still own a car. but rely on their
scooter to get to work at the Go Bar and to run
other errands close to home. The scooter breaks
frequently, but that's mainly because it was in
bad shape to start out with. Brian claims that
I can stop wherever I want to in order to take
photos."
fyaMUA &
Whereas some people like Thornsberry and
the Smiths relish breezy afternoon rides through
quaint neighborhoods, other scooter enthusiasts
have created a sport in scooter racing. Racing
season starts in late summer and is still a largely
underground sport which is practiced mainly by
shop owners.
More proud new scooter owners. “They got rid of the Jeep," scooter seller
Leon Ward says. “They sold it and got the scooter to save money.”
m ention the word "Lambretta" to the
average person walking down the street
in Athens and they'll probably try to figure out
which band you're talking about. Largely un
known in some parts of the country, the under
ground scooter culture is slowly on the rise in
cities across the United States. Residents in big
cities are finding the small, fuel-efficient scoot
ers to be not only hip, but largely affordable,
attractive, environmentally friendly and pleasur
able. The scooters typically have tanks that can
hold from just under two to 3.5 gallons of gas,
and generally get about 65 miles to the gallon.
"A hybrid car is a gas hog compared to a
scooter," says Leon Ward, owner of the recently
opened Recycle Scooter shop in Athens. An en
gine that requires a once a week fill-up for S6 or
less encourages riders to save their cars for road
trips or interstate driving. "Scooters are pretty
much anti-urban sprawl. If it's a good walking
community, it's a good scooter community," says
Ward. That ought to make Athens an ideal loca
tion for scooters, with its short winters, walker-
engine or bigger is classified as a motorcycle and
requires a motorcycle license, tags and insurance.
"The test is super easy, because the cones you
have to ride around are made for motorcycles,
which are much bigger and harder to maneuver
around turns. [Less than 50ccs] are classified
as mopeds and don't require tags or motorcycle
licenses, but you can't ride them on the inter
state or anything," says Floyd Grimm of the store
Vespa Atlanta.
But the perks to smaller engines may not be
as great as they sound, according to Hawkins,
as many of the 5Qcc scooters are poor in quality.
"Cheap scooters will kill you in maintenance ex
penses. They'll kill you the second you get them
out of the box," he says. That's why Hawkips
says he chooses to sell 150cc scooters of "excel
lent quality," auto-rickshaws and three-wheeled
scooters instead of the dirt-cheap 50cc scooters
that a lot of folks are demanding. After 20-plus
years of working on scooters (as well as cars,
motorcycles and airplanes), Hawkins is still
drawn to these vehicles above the rest.
Ward says doing a moderately fast speed like
45 mph can be a lot more fun on a scooter than
on a motorcycle. Not only is the vehicle smaller,
but its wheels are too, making it more respon
sive, he says. "It has a lower center of gravity...
it's like riding in a Mini Cooper compared to an
SUV." According to the website of Scenic City
Scooters in Chattanooga, engines sized at 50ccs
go 40-45 mph, 125ccs go 50-55 mph, 150ccs
can move at speeds of 60-65 mph and 250cc
sized engines can reach speeds up to 85 mph.
Aside from the racing scene, scooterists have
also found a common bond in the development
of scooter clubs, which in turn put on scooter
rallies. Fist City, which started in Atlanta, is the
scooter club in Athens and currently has about
10 regular riders, according to Ward. Brittney
Stewart, a Pensacola, FL, native who goes by
the name "Saddletramp" on MySpace, has gotten
hooked on scooter rallies. "The scooter culture is
growing pretty large now," says Stewart. "There
are clubs in every state in the U.S. and some
where around 100 rallies taking place every year
nationally."
The rallies are complete with group rides,
obstacle courses, camping, raffles, races, food,
awards, concerts, all-day partying and friends.
Rallies are also affordable: $20-525 covers all of
your food, beer and camping. "I have two favor
ite things about rallies: going on large rides with
many scooters and meeting so many like-minded
people," says Christina Sacco, a Vespa owner in
Atlanta. "I'm not quite sure how scooters bring
us together, bu*. I always seem to have more
than just scooters in common with other scoot
erists, including musical and cultural preferences,
political views, and backgrounds."
Kelly Skinner
Brian and Niki Smith have found true happiness... with a 1979 Vespa.
friendly streets, and environmentally conscious
inhabitants. But if Athens is so perfect for scoot
erists, why doesn't everyone own one by now?
Catching X)n?
According to Java Cycles owner Rick Hawkins,
there are a few reasons for the delay. For start
ers, most people already own cars or motorcycles
and aren't looking to spend $3,000 on a scooter
that won't take them far outside of the city.
Also, due to low wages in Athens, many people
feel that they can't afford a new vehicle. Hawkins
sees this reflected often by the number of people
wanting to buy mopeds or scooters with 50cc
engines. "Most of the college kids and people
around Athens want the cheapest scooter that
they can buy without considering the quality,"
says Hawkins.
In the state of Georgia, anything with a 50cc
He snickers as he says, half-joking, that the
reason why he loves scooters isn't because of
their maneuverability, low gas emissions, or
affordability. He loves them strictly because
"they're cute." With local scooter retailers—rang
ing from Ward's new shop and a new Ducati store
in Watkinsville to westside motorcycle showrooms
like Top Gear Motorsports and Cycle World, and
the bike shop Georgia Cycle Sport—all garnering
some attention in town, and with gas prices on
a steady rise, more and more people may find
themselves victim to the charm of the Vespa or
Bajaj.
tfltuu (Deuotut
Brian and Niki Smith can attest to their own
allegiance to the scooter. After putting together
the parts of a 1979 Vespa, Brian deeded he no
longer had use for a scooter and sold it to some
if you are willing to
put down the money
on a more expensive
$3,000-plus scooter, it
will last you a good 40
years. He didn't have
the money for that, but
even with the constant
need for new parts, the
Smiths still claim that
the money they spend
fixing their scooter
doesn't even compare
with the expenses of
owning a car.
"I was just tired of
losing a third of my
paycheck every month
on gas," says Brian. "It feels good to fill up next
to an SUV at the gas station and pay only three
dollars to fill my tank while they're paying $60."
Brian is also very happy that he can continue his
nicotine addiction without suffering the conse
quences while walking up the Jackson Street hi*.L
"I'd feel like I was going to die walking up that
hill; now I can just hop on the scooter," he says.
Aside from general laziness and the desire to
save money on gas, Brian and Niki enjoy their
scooter for its ability to provide them with a new
way of seeing the community. They name the
Boulevard area as a favorite spot for pleasure
rides. So, too, does Vernon Thornsberry, who gets
to and from work at the Grit and the Jittery Joe's
Roasting Company on his scooter, and often rides
through Boulevard for the sheer joy of it. "I was
having a hard time getting around on my bike,"
says Thornsberry, a painter who often takes pic
tures on his scooter rides for artistic inspiration.
"It's a lot better on my knees, and on a scooter,
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