News-Record.com

Greensboro blogger and scooter owner David Wharton wrote he's also noticing more scooters out and about.

So have I. David has a Kymco ZX50, the same model I noticed parked in front of a Food Lion in Greensboro last week.

So is it a deal?

Wendy Eglinger, who works at Max Speed Cycles in Kernersville, where David bought his scooter, thinks so of course. And she's seen an increase in sales too.

She said she occassionally sells used scooters for $1,000 to $1,300.

A new ZX50, one of the more popular models, sells for $1,799, she said today by phone. A customer told her he gets 122 mpg (correction - not mph - now that would be something!), but expect to get at least 110 mpg.

You don't need to get it insured, you don't need tags or registration and you don't even need a driver's license. That's because the size of the engine is 50 CCs (if it was bigger you'd need all that).

You'll be able to cruise up to 35 mph (David modified his to go faster).

And you should get a helmet.

There are drawbacks. You can't drive it anywhere, including the interstate and some major highways. That would include Bryan Boulevard in Greensboro, I believe. That's because you can't ride a bicycle on Bryan, and I believe the bicycle rules would apply to scooter rules, at least for scooters that don't require emissions, registration, etc., but I'm no expert.