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Nationally, new scooter sales have been increasing steadily, particularly since gas prices spiked in the summer of 2005, according to the nonprofit Motorcycle Industry Council, an industry group based in Irvine, Calif.

N.C. registration of motor bikes with engines larger than 150 cc, which includes many scooter models, have been climbing, up 46 percent in five years and reaching nearly 200,000 last year, according to the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Vespas scoot to sales high

07:53 AM CDT on Monday, June 30, 2008 The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA – When Bill Schwab rides his Vespa, car drivers chuckle and motorcycle riders snicker.

"I'm a big guy. I got a bunch of tattoos. When people see me on my little scooter, they smirk," said the Peco Energy Co. lineman.

But Mr. Schwab, 46, gets the last laugh. "I get 70 miles per gallon," he said.

Mr. Schwab owns a Harley-Davidson, a Corvette and a pickup truck. But they've remained locked in his South Jersey garage since he bought his scooter.

Gas prices have been very, very good to scooter makers. Americans bought 1,300 Vespas in May 2007. Last month, sales topped 2,700 for its Italian owner, Piaggio & C. SpA.

Vespa, with models ranging from $3,300 to $6,000, leads the pack.

"Across the board, sales of scooters are up 24 percent this past quarter," said Ty Van Hooydonk, a spokesman for the Motorcycle Industry Council.

Vespas have also become must-have toys for celebrities. Julia Roberts was photographed riding a Vespa in Rome with her husband. Tiger Woods and Jerry Seinfeld have two apiece. "

In the past, the Vespa was more of a toy. Now it's more of a car replacer," said Ginger Knight, who manages a Vespa dealership in Philadelphia.

Former Lindenwold, N.J., police detective Tom Marano bought his Vespa 250IE last summer after gas reached $3. "

It cost me $6.98 to fill it up this morning, compared with $70 for my Ford Explorer," he said. 2 of 2 6/30/08 9:21 PM

"This is really the Mercedes of the scooter world," he said. "If you can ride a bicycle, you can ride one of these."