| The humble motor scooter has long been the choice | | | | corner, pun intended, with new improved versions of |
| of transport for people on over crowded cities where | | | | the earlier models hitting the stores and these became |
| road space and certainly parking space is at a | | | | very popular particularly in Japan and east Asia. The |
| premium. Also the current price of gas coupled with | | | | scooter was taken from just bare bones basic |
| concerns for the environment have seen a dramatic | | | | transport to designs and featured that mimicked their |
| increase in scooter sales. | | | | larger motorcycle cousins. |
| Research suggests that scooters where invented in | | | | The comfort and convenience features of these |
| Germany around 1817 and where originally designed as | | | | 'latest' scooters had vastly improved their appeal. |
| low powered personal transport. Design elements of | | | | Instead of just sticking to the basics, these scooters |
| scooters were also seen in motorcycles that where | | | | started featuring things like larger engines and larger |
| made around 1914 and earlier. In the 1950's scooters | | | | tires, cast aluminum frames and hydraulically operated |
| saw their first jump in popularity when it was | | | | brakes. Rider comforts were also introduced and |
| considered to be trendy to motor around on a scooter. | | | | included things like windscreens, full instrumentation, |
| This popularity continued off and on until the early | | | | heated hand grips, electric start, an alarm system and |
| 1980's when skateboards became the next latest and | | | | even a radio! |
| greatest thing. | | | | Unlike in the original scooter design they also started to |
| Probably the most well known scooter is the Italian | | | | feature engines that were mounted in the frame rather |
| made Vespa, which continues to be copied in basic | | | | than on the rear swing arm which provided increased |
| design even to this day. If you can manage to track | | | | space for a more powerful engine. So what started |
| down an original Vespa these days you will pay a | | | | off as a complete bare bones simple design |
| handsome price for it as they are considered to be | | | | progressed into a feature laden machine once people |
| collector's items. Who would have thought that a very | | | | all around the world realized how useful they were. If |
| basic motor scooter would one day be worth a lot of | | | | you want further proof of their popularity, it is even |
| money? | | | | rumored that Prince Harry uses a scooter to negotiate |
| In the 1980's the humble scooter started to turn the | | | | his way around the long halls of the royal palaces! |