Idea to save fuel costs for Van Dwellers in the city... - Scooter.

[One Awesome Inch]

I thought of a way to save some cash on fuel costs. Buy a scooter/vespa type vehicle and drive it for longer distances using the van for only shorter trips. In my situation I would be parking the van within 2km of where I work so I could either just walk or take the van in pouring rain etc I would be based out in the suburbs but often (about 6 times per month) I need to take extended trips averaging about 60km return. I am assuming that would add up quickly in terms of fuel costs for a large van.

I used to own a scooter and drove it all year round. I drove quite a bit yet never spent more than $5 to $10 in gas costs. Where I live if you insure two vehicles the second one only costs 50%. So to insure the scooter would be around $150 per year. The only concern I would have is leaving it for days parked on the street without it getting stolen. I would definitely buy a motorcycle lock for the front wheel or something. I think if I parked it in a busy area with lots of foot traffic with the a beefy lock it would be less likely to get ripped off.

Anyway... still thinking this over. It would cost a minimum of $1000 for initial price of the scooter.

I owned a Honda Ruckus and liked it alot:

 

[wagoneer]

electric bike with a solar charger inside the van no smelly gas fumes. These days you can get up to 30 miles on one charge

 

[minimotos95]

my current "scooter"

yes I look like a monkey on a grape but I am having great fun for $.04 a mile.
125lbs wet, $75 a year to insure, $6 every 3 years for a colorado scooter sticker, I have only put about 300 miles on it since I upgraded from my honda 120cc. so far my average is only 84mpg which isn't much, if any better than a 250cc. with a best tank of 102 when there was snow on the ground and I wasn't full throttle all the time, otherwise I have been riding it full throttle or offroad all the time so I don't expect it to do that good. the kenda 760 DOT knobbies I put on it are great in snow and not that bad in rain. it's currently my only transport so it gets ridden regardless of weather which isn't too bad if you wear your safety gear.
my plan is to weld up a steel front bumper for the van with a built in carrier. sure you can bring the bike/scoot inside but then you either lose a lot of floor space or have to put it outside when you are at your spot.

I have ridden the ruckus, they are great but street prices are a bit high for a clean unmodified one, I prefer the yamaha c3, it's fuel injected, a little more comfortable and feels a little faster. both are way better then the $150 honda spree I rode when I was working full time.

as for security I would use a cable lock or chain to lock it to the vans trailer hitch chain loop or tow hook.

oops big picture, time to resize

 

[wagoneer]

what bike is that Mr Monkey

 

[user 423]

@minimo95: 125 lbs? That is really light and would be much easier to load than my 200lb CT90.

 

[MrNoodly]

One of the guys at RTR this year had a very clean Honda CT70 he was putting around on. I like how the handle bars fold down.

 

[minimotos95]

they don't weigh much because they are tiny, it's a yamaha ttr50e that i modded a little to make street legal, not the most practical thing, top speed is only 30-34mph depending on the day. no built in storage, 2 up riding is just plain unsafe and stupid to attempt, but the bike sure is fun. i have around $700-750 total in it not counting insurance. it gets lot's of compliments too from all sorts of riders and non riders. even at 6 feet tall i am comfy enough to spend 5 hours in the saddle though i still need to add taller bars to avoid knee-bar contact
i wouldn't recommend a street converted ttr50 or xr50 for anybody unless they know what they were getting into with both mini bikes and street riding, you are 100% invisible to cars(which you should assume no matter what you are on), a pothole can swallow the 10" tire and the geometry and size of the bike makes it very sensitive to rider inputs.
just to give you an idea of the size:

i have always wanted a CT70. i still haven't even rode one but from what i gather they are great, bulletproof horizontal cylinder 4 stroke, street legal from the factory. decent seat, lot's of options when it comes to mounting luggage. and endless possible mods.

 

[MrNoodly]

The trouble with CT70s, though, is that they're collector items. They ain't cheap.

 

[SoulRaven]

Greetings!

My vote goes for an electric rechargeable bike. Legal anywhere, as far as I know, no license or insurance required, and it will fold to fit under my bed.

Optional 12v charger, 18 speed, suspension, says 25mph but I think it's faster, says 30 mile range, not sure, 25 for sure.

What's even better is it's a nice riding bike. I added flat proof tubes, and I have saddle bags for 4 big grocery bags. Add an old newspaper boys over the shoulders delivery bag for another 4 bags of groceries or goodies.

Plug it into a lighter socket the night before, and it'll be ready to go.

I do miss my Vespa's, but I don't miss getting them stolen, and I think considering today's aggressive drivers, I feel safer on this bike where I can ride farther away from the cars. Plus it does double duty for exercise purposes too.

Cheers!

The CamperVan_Man

 

[One Awesome Inch]

If I did not have to travel longer distances, often 50km and above, I would definitely consider an electric bike or even just a regular pedal bike would work. I also have to often carry a 25LB speaker cabinet on the back (I'm a musician) and the Honda Ruckus works well for this. When I had one before I used the tubular frame and some beefy hose clamps to build a rack in which I could carry heavier loads... around 25LBS.

So for me a gas powered scooter is the only way I could go.

 

[user 423]

I have only put about 300 miles on it since I upgraded from my honda 120cc.

You UPgraded from 120cc to 50cc?

 

[Lucky mike]

I've been looking at the same here....would like a 50cc so I dont have to go thru all the lic. crap.. it falls under the moped law in NH and there pretty cheap to operate just for store runs!!

 

[GrayWhale]

I have this cargo carrier: http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-deluxe-cargo-carrier-66983.html

Think a 49cc moped can just sit on it and bungeed tight together?

 

[minimotos95]

yes if it's long enough but it looks like about 60" diagonally, i know my spree didn't fit on the one my father had and was about the same size. do not use bungees pick up some cheap ratchet straps

You UPgraded from 120cc to 50cc?

and before that i upgraded from a 400cc to the 120cc. upgrade is really subjective, to me it's based on the fun to dollar ratio
50cc is the way to go if you can put up with sticking to side roads, cutting through parking lots and avoiding steep hills. here in CO you don't need a MC endorsment and registration costs are next to nothing. plus you can use the bike lane when available.
just doing errands i have ridden a couple 50-60 mile rides without even realizing i rode that much and i have a couple of 100-150 miles ride days planned, so there's no way i could do electric at least until batteries get better. plus there's something to be said about being able to fuel up from a jerry can, 1 liter fuel bottle or even borrowing gas from a fellow rider after you over estimate your range. of course with an e-bike you aren't stuck pushing it when you run out of "fuel"

thinking about this my opinion is as follows
the e-bike is great for short range but you might be stuck pedaling after only half of your errands are done. 50cc a little more practical when you are on it but a bigger inconvenience when at the van/RV/camper.
the electric bike is better for most people, unless you:
need more range
need to ride 2 up
can't pedal a bike but can man handle a heavier scooter

 

[Belinda2]

What about a small car?
Has anyone considered getting a small car and towing it behind their vehicle rotating it from parking spot to parking spot? It's expensive, but it sure would be secure, allowed on any road, and stealth. The trunk could be used for additional storage. No gas smell in your vehicle, charging it up, pedaling, and you could use it in the cold weather of NH for Lucky Mike or Minimotos95 in CO.

 

[akrvbob]

Camper-van-man, what brand is that? I'm curious about a full suspension 18 speed folding bike. How much was it and do you have a link? thanks!
Bob

 

[One Awesome Inch]

What about a small car?
Has anyone considered getting a small car and towing it behind their vehicle rotating it from parking spot to parking spot? It's expensive, but it sure would be secure, allowed on any road, and stealth. The trunk could be used for additional storage. No gas smell in your vehicle, charging it up, pedaling, and you could use it in the cold weather of NH for Lucky Mike or Minimotos95 in CO.

I thought of the second car idea too. In fact instead of renting a storage locker one could just get a car with a large trunk and stick with that.... depending on how much stuff you need to store of course. Unfortunately paying car insurance is significantly more expensive than it is for a scooter and it becomes less viable. However, if you need to rent a storage space, a car with a large trunk may work and may be cost effective.

 

[Van-Tramp]

If you spend $1000 initial cost to purchase a scooter (minimum, I usually see them higher than that). you would have to NOT rive your van for about 3300 miles (5300 km) just to break even.

If you saved yourself of those "6 times a month" of 60km trips in the van, it will take you 9 months just to save enough gas to make up for that initial $1000 investment. This is NOT including the gas you would use in the scooter, maintenance, storage, licensing, registration, etc. If you then move your camping location, you have to haul that scooter in/on the van which has additional fuel cost for your van.

It is a great idea of course, but you have to be pretty well committed to staying put for a year or more, but after that you are in tip-top shape an saving a lot of money (about $100 per month in your case).

 

[Belinda2]

I would be boondocking fulltime, so the scooter would be in my van and I'd be smelling fumes without a vent for stealth. I use beltways most of the time, travel at night about half of the time and there is icy weather in Maryland. I'm not so sure I shouldn't just get a minivan and have less space for overall better fuel economy.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Belinda, have you thought of venturing out to the wide open spaces of the Southwest and our neighboring states to the north?? Drifting from free place to free place is easy out here. And...the bucks seem to stretch further.

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I've had a 49cc scooter and it was fun and useful in the fishing village where I lived at the time. It was easy to get the girls at the bar to go for a sightseeing ride :angel:
My buddy was a dealer and I got a nice last years model for cheap. At the time I had a sailboat and it lived under a cover on the dock for when I was in town.
I think they're cool for a townie grocery getter, but suck for the boonies and aren't made for that abuse. You'd be better off with a small Enduro for boondocking/combo use IMO.

Its more than saving a buck...its a fun way to get around and a convenience toy.

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We get lots of use from our bicycles.
Also, we have never had a problem catching a ride into town with a neighbor when parked in the boonies.