Hail to You, Oh Majestic Scooter!

Last May, I bought a Yamaha scooter. (Yeah, that's me at left.) A scooter differs from a motorcycle by having a "step-through" frame design and automatic transmission. Scooters also have relatively smaller engines than most motorcyles - click the link above for some pix. The specific model I purchased is named a "Majesty." I find this more than a little ironic. Do the words "scooter" and "majestic" belong next to each other?

Maybe Yamaha thinks the name will be a great marketing ploy, a way to appeal to an elevated demographic. I can hear the marketing guys gushing as they make their pitch to corporate: "Can you imagine the royals sniffing in disdain as they pass the Bentley show room, eyes fixed on a vision of transport fit for a king? If you're a reigning monarch, you want to be seen by the teeming masses. You want (hold breath here for effect) . . .  a Majesty!" (Crank up the music, pull back the curtain, and start the laser light show.)

Hate to tell you guys, but I'm not feelin' the regal magic. A scooter named "Majesty" is still just ... a scooter. So, let's cut the pretentiousness and simply celebrate its scooteriness! I think there's a lot to celebrate. For one, it's fun to drive (except in the rain). It's well thought out with lots of storage compartments - the trunk under the seat will hold 2 helmets or 4 bags of groceries. Very practical!

My favorite feature, though, shows itself when it's time to refuel. Trips to the gas station have been transformed from somber moments of hand-wringing to spontaneous parties of joy. My Toyota Tundra (there's another marketing mystery - but don't get me started) gets about 18 mpg around town - the Majesty does 60-65 mpg. This means that the Tundra uses about 55 gallons of gas to go 1,000 miles while the Majesty uses 16. Every time I top off the tank and see a total under $10, I chuckle in smug satisfaction. (Not too loudly, of course, so I don't disturb my fellow gas-pump patrons in their moments of somber hand-wringing.) Hail to you, oh majestic scooter, champion of conservation, gleaming herald of cost-conscious living, great leader in the fight against global warming! Oh my - did I just just ascribe virtue to a SCOOTER using regal language?

Comments

[Dave B.]

Now you have answered my own question that I was asking myself at Church on Sunday of who road the cool looking scooter. I am hoping we will have cars in the next year or two that will get 60-65MPG or more. I didn't like getting wet on my motorcycle either when it rained.

[Yak]

Well my two wheel machine is not called Majesty but I too get the same chuckle, it is a glorious thing to fill the tank for a fraction of what the guy next to you is.
Example: Just last week on the way to work I had to stop for gas. I waited in line and gave the attendant a $20 bill and said I wanted $10 on pump 7. He looked perplexed but gave me my change and I was off to fill my tank. He looked even more perplexed when I came back about 3 minutes later and asked for my change back. As he looked at me confused the conversation went something like this:
Attendant: You only gave me $10
Me: Yup It only took $8.50 to fill up
Attendant: You filled up before you got here huh!
Me: Nope, I was on empty!
Attendant: No way, that's not possible..
Me: slight chuckle....see you in 150 miles

On average I save about $34.19 a week by just riding my motorcycle to and from work. That is $136 a month or $1,641 a year (provided that I could ride all 52 weeks) the bike pays for itself by the end of the 2nd year.

[Eilish]

All scooters are good and made even better with a few choice accessories. A passenger backrest and rear luggage case are oh so handy once you get confident and want to take passengers along. Most of all, enjoy!