Sales sizzle on scooters and bikes

Utah shops prosper as riders try to beat high cost of gasoline

The rising cost of gasoline is not putting a crimp in everyone's pocketbook.

Local motorcycle, scooter and bicycle shops have no complaints. As gas prices go up, so do sales. People are turning more to machines that can get 50 to 110 miles per gallon — or use no gas at all.

One scooter user reported saving $50 per week on gasoline, said Robert Barton, of Barton's Scooters in West Bountiful.

Barton has been in business for 10 years and said he noticed a change in sales as long as six years ago. This year "has just gone crazy," he said. The scooters he sells vary in speeds from 30 mph to 75 mph. One of his top requests, however, is for anything that gets high gas mileage.

As people make the switch to scooting around town, Barton warns people that Utah is a buyer-beware state and scooter buyers should shop carefully.

"You can be deceived by the cool designs," he said. "You really need to buy a scooter from a full-service scooter shop."

He offers three steps for every buyer: Compare, ride, then buy.

"If they won't let you ride it, don't buy it," he said. "Every scooter rides differently."

Scooters are not the only place sales have picked up, reports Paul Burningham, manager of Honda of Salt Lake City.

He noticed an unusual climb in motorcycle sales about a month and a half ago. Many baby boomers are using the gas price increase as a reason to get into, or back into, being a biker.

"It's kind of strange, once a biker, always a biker," Burningham said. "It's always in their blood."

Another trend: As people search for different modes of transportation, more women are buying motorbikes.

Women are the fastest-growing demographic of those purchasing Harley Davidsons, said Brian Brown, director of marketing in Salt Lake City. From 1992-2004 more than 800,000 women purchased a Harley.

With the rising cost of gas, younger riders are also justifying the purchase of a motor bike.

They are using them to commute, and gas mileage is definitely a big factor in their choice, Brown said.

Some riders are looking to save even more money and possibly not spend money on gas at all. VROOM Bicycles of Salt Lake City sells electric bikes that can run for as little as 5 cents per day.

"So many people are looking for that alternate form of transportation," Nell Raymond of VROOM Bicycles said.

An electric bike can travel 15-18 miles before it needs to be recharged. To charge it, people only need to plug in the AC adapter, similar to a cell phone.

Dave Saenz, manager of Guthrie Bicycles on 200 South, said sales of conventional recreational all-purpose bikes have definitely gone up as well.

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