Does
the sound of gas moped scooters bother you? It drives me
nuts; let me explain. I recently moved to Spain from the
UK and after getting my bearings one of the first things
I noticed was the difference in the amount of cars on the
road; now you would think that fewer cars would be a good
thing, however I have reservations. You see there is a fundamental
difference here - the weather is better - some 300 days
of sunshine a year, which means that there is a huge proportion
of the traveling public using motorcycles, mopeds and scooters.
Again I hear you say that must be a good thing as it has
to be good for the environment, I agree, however during
the summer the noise pollution which occurs at peak times
of the day and well into the night can be unbearable. There
is also the issue of two stroke engines pumping pollutants
into the atmosphere.
That got me thinking about how the scooter manufacturers
should be introducing alternative methods of powering these
machines. I started to search the big ones such as Honda,
Yamaha, Suzuki etc as they seem to be the main culprits
for the noise on the streets around my house. I was amazed
at the work that had been done in finding an alternative
mode of power, such as Yamaha's range of hybrid motorcycles
which were launched at motor shows in 2005. The problem
is they don't seem to have been brought to market.
It appears that most of the big manufacturers have built
concept models and showed them at the major motor shows
but few have been have made it to the street.
Honda have been a notable exception to that rule with the
stunning Vectrix and have produced a good looking electric
motorcycle which is packed with technology and is capable
of giving a traditional city bike a run for it's money.
Compare them like for like, and it is hard to tell the difference
between it and a petrol scooter, however when you open up
the throttle the lack of engine noise gives it away.
Plug it in at night and it will return over 70 miles on
a two our charge, It has a top speed of around 65 mph and
is extremely comfortable. One of the cleverest things about
the Honda Vectrix is it's "regenerative braking" unlike
a gas scooter when you ease off the throttle the scooter
does not slow, however you twist it past it's resting point
and the brakes kick in - the further it is twisted the more
it brakes, and whilst it does so it turns the motor into
a dynamo which tops up the battery charge.
The down side of this fabulous bike is the price, bearing
in mind the age group of the average rider is probably between
seventeen and thirty years old, I think $12000 which is
about 8000 Euro could be be prohibitive and will take take
time for them to enter the pr-owned after market.
In the winter when the tourists go home and the town returns
to normal the noise subsides and you can hear the birds
singing, I only hope that in the coming year the big scooter
manufacturers can break down the technology barriers which
restrict the development of alternatively fueled bikes and
scooters so that we may live in peace.
You
can read more about motorcycles and scooters together with
interesting reviews at Mopeds-Scooter-Bike-Cruisin
or why not visit Gas
Moped Scooter online
