Scooters

A scooter is a style of two wheeled motor vehicle with certain design characteristics such as a step-through frame, small wheels, automatic transmission and small engine. The general definition of a scooter is evolving as motorcycle designs have changed over time. more...

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Historically, a scooter was noted for a small engine, small wheels, a step-through design, a forward fairing with floorboards, and possibly under-seat storage. Modern scooters cover a broad spectrum of cycle design: step-through design or step-over design, small or large wheels, front fairings or floor boards, under-seat storage or not, and manual or automatic transmissions. Most scooters today feature automatic transmissions.

At one end of the current market, the Vespa LX series reflects the scooters' historical antecedents: small-wheeled, floor boards, front fairing, inner fairing storage. At the other end of the spectrum, the Honda Big Ruckus featured no bodywork, floorboards and no hallmark \"step-through\" -- though still was classified as a scooter. The Piaggio MP3, with two front wheels (three wheels total) reflects the fluid nature of the scooter classification. Modern scooters have a wide range of engine displacements from under 50cc to over 799cc, and some have engine locations in stark contrast to classic scooter design (e.g. Yamaha T-Max 500, Suzuki Burgman 650, Gilera GP800).

Generally the term \"scooter\" is not defined in law, as scooters are a style of motorcycle and laws are based on characteristics such as engine size and power, and maximum speed. The United States Department of Transportation defines a scooter as having a platform for the operator's feet or has integrated footrests, and has a step-through architecture.

Description

The classic scooter design features a step-through frame and a flat floorboard for the rider's feet. This design is possible because the scooter engine and drive system, transferring power to the rear wheel, is either attached to the rear axle or under the seat. In contrast to a frame mounted motorcycle engine, this front-hinged arrangement allows the engine to swing vertically in conjunction with the motion of the rear wheel. Older Vespas, most vintage scooters, and some newer retro models have axle mounted engines with a manual transmission with the gear shift and clutch controls built into the left handlebar. Most newer scooters use a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

In contrast to most motorcycles, scooters generally feature bodywork, including a front leg shield and body that conceals all or most of the mechanicals. There is often some integral storage space, either under the seat, built into the front leg shield, or both. Most modern motor scooters have smaller wheels than motorcycles, between eight and 12 inches (20-28 cm) in diameter (though maxi- and big-wheel scooters may have larger wheels). Most scooters have smaller engines than motorcycles (between 30 cc and 250 cc with a single cylinder, though larger models have twin cylinder 400 to 650 cc. motors).

Read more at Wikipedia.org