Scooter

A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through architecture and either a platform for the operator’s feet or footrests integral with the bodywork. Elements of scooter design have been noted in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier. Regional developments were made in Europe and the United States between the World Wars. The global popularity of scooters dates from the post-World War II introductions of the Vespa and the Lambretta. Economic and political factors, including competition from other vehicles, have shaped the evolution of scooters and have caused the development of different variations of scooter.

Underbones are often sold in the the West as scooters. Underbones, based on the 1958 Honda Super Cub, have step-through architecture but feature footpegs similar to those used on conventional motorcycles.

Scooters were originally intended for low-power personal transportation with engines between 50 and 250 cc. It is still very widely used for this application. However, maxi-scooters, with engines from 250 to 800 cc, have been developed for Western markets.

The popularity of scooters as a form of personal motor transport is partly based on their low cost of purchase and operation and their convenience in parking and storage. Licensing, registration, and insurance requirements for scooters have been made easier and less expensive than those for cars in many parts of the world.

Regulatory classification

Scooters worldwide meet highly varied regulatory climates, since the classifications vary from country to country. For example, France, Italy and Spain allow drivers with an automobile driver’s licence to operate motorcycles up to 125 cc. In order to ride larger motorcycles in those countries a rider would need an additional motorcycle licence. In most other E.U. countries, as well as in Japan, one can only ride motorcycles up to 50 cc with a automobile drivers license.

Most jurisdictions have no legal definition for scooters, and instead classify scooters with engines smaller than 50 cc as mopeds, and subject them to lower safety restrictions and licensing fees. Scooters above 50 cc are usually legally considered motorcycles, although some jurisdictions have an in-between definition for motorized bike for scooters and motorcycles between 50 and 150 cc. In the E.U. all two-wheeled motor vehicles above 50 cc are classified as motorcycles.

In the United States the term “scooter” is rarely stipulated as a motor vehicle classification — which usually are based on characteristics such as number of wheels, sitting configuration, engine size, power, and maximum speed. In the U.S. and Europe, scooters fall into either motorcycle or moped category depending on their engine characteristics and sitting configuration, and each subject to laws for their respective category.

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.

The term scooter and motor scooter lead to much confusion. For all legal purposes in the United States of America, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends using the term motorcycle for all of these vehicles. However, while NHTSA excludes the term motor scooter from legal definition, it proceeds, in the same document, to give detailed instructions on how to import a small motor scooter.

In Victoria and New South Wales in Australia, scooters are classified as motorcycles and a rider would need the appropriate motorcycle permit in order to ride one.

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