Two-wheeled Conveyence Saves Fuel? What a Concept!

While motorcyclists everywhere are discriminated against, bullied, scoffed at, and treated basically like a pariah, the on-going energy crisis is pushing more and more Americans to buy scooters. Not of the Harley variety, mind you, but of the Vespa kind.

An online Missoula, MT newspaper implies new scooter converts to be energy-conscious citizens. I guess that doesn't apply to those of us who ride "energy efficient" motorcycles of the expensive kind. We just prefer to ride something more flashy or unique, but we are no different really.

One such convert proclaimed that buying a candy-apple red scooter would make him visible to other drivers. Another proudly stated she wore an orange helmet for visibility, and she said, "People respect us." This just about made me choke on my coffee.

Are you getting the theme here? What we are going to see is a sharp rise in deaths as those who learn the hard and irreversible way that cage drivers don't see us, in spite of an orange helmet or a candy-apple red scooter. Add to that all the people riding scooters that don't require a motorcycle endorsement, and thus no rider course.

Of course, one of them had to make the comment that they ALWAYS wore their helmet. I'm guessing they have no clue that their helmet protects their head at speeds UP to 20 mph only? And should a cage mow them down at speeds above that, well, they'll be "Moped Roadkill" anyway.

And Montana only requires those over 18 to wear a helmet. Do you really think all Moped riders are going to wear one?

And what I also see happening is the statistics from the deaths of all these Moped fools will add to the fuel that our government ignites in favor of universal helmet laws, and the growing number of discriminatory laws aimed at motorcyclists.

God help us all. Either the general public is going to learn sooner than later that America's drivers have no respect for two-wheeled vehicles, or our lifestyle is going to become so regulated we'll all have to fore-go the Harleys in favor of a Moped.

Not likely, and over my dead body.

I guess I'll have to stop calling my ride a "scooter" now.