Tri-Parish Scooter Boogie

Since the price of gas has reached an all-time high, businesses such as Cycle World in Houma have seen a dramatic increase in business by customers looking for alternatives to save gas.

One of the biggest increases Cycle World has experienced is a significant increase in scooter sales, which are up 100 percent over the last year, according to Glenn Diedrich, shop owner. The trend is something that he has never seen happen.

Cycle World currently sells an average of five scooters a month, often having a difficult time keeping them on the floor.

“Scooters have always been toward the bottom in things we sell,” Diedrich said. “People were always buying street bikes, dirt bikes and four wheelers. Scooters were in the background. Now suddenly, these models are still increasing but scooters have shot up.”

With a scooter, the miles per gallon can range anywhere from 50 on smaller scooters to 125 on the larger scooters. In fact, the gas mileage is so good Diedrich said people can virtually get a free scooter.

“The savings on gas could save enough money to pay for the scooter, so it’s like a free scooter almost,” he said. “The tanks on those things can range anywhere from one to five gallons, so you’re spending hardly anything on gas.”

Diedrich and one of his workers got together and calculated the amount of money saved by buying a Vino 125 Yamaha scooter compared to a mid-sized truck. According to Diedrich, his employee discovered that buying a scooter could indeed save him nearly $300 a month.

“He can go from 18 miles per gallon to 116 miles a gallon and save $63 a week. Which is $280 a month. The scooter itself cost only $2,800, so within a year, it is paid off.”

Chase Clement will leave Thibodaux and head off to LSU next week to begin football training. He recently purchased a scooter that he intends to use to help him get around the massive Baton Rouge campus.

“I don’t want to use my truck to go all over the place, so the scooter is going to be more convenient,” Clement said. “I heard it gets really good gas mileage and it’s real safe. Plus the whole team has them; it’s pretty much a requirement.”

Clement added, “I talked to a bunch of the people on the team and some of the people that live with me and they said they were going to get them one too.”

Just because he bought it for the campus, doesn’t mean he hasn’t used it yet.

“I’ve been using it to ride to the workout room and around my subdivision and to the track to go run,” Clement said. “This is going to be a great investment for you in the long run. It is going to be a lot easier than taking my truck everywhere.”

The prices of scooters range anywhere from $1,900-$6,000 depending on the size of the scooter, but small street bikes from the 250 cubic centimeters to 600 cubic centimeters are also a hot commodity during the recent gas increase. The bikes generally get 50 to 75 miles per gallon.

Although scooter and bike sales have increased, Cycle World has also experienced a decrease in other areas.

For instance, customers who generally race motor cross don’t race as much and therefore don’t come in to the store as often for products. Diedrich stated that the whole process comes with the territory of rising gas prices and if the fuel costs do drop, the sales will probably be reversed.

Right now however, Diedrich and the rest of the employees at Cycle World are taking things as they come, and encourage people to consider alternatives to vehicles.

“We get lots of phone calls and lots of people coming in,” he said. “I believe a lot of people are starting to get the awareness of other alternatives out there. Very few people will ride a scooter or motorcycle everyday because of weather conditions and things like that, but it’s something that is convenient for them.”

With area gas prices as high as $3.89, motorists are seeking alternative modes of transportation. Cycle Shop staffer Blair Boudreaux shows Tommy Authment a Vino scooter. The scooter gets up to 116 miles to the gallon, and has been a hot seller. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER