Gas-stressed motorists shift from 4 wheels to 2
Cynthia H. Cho
Los Angeles Times
Jun. 2, 2006 11:13 AM
Praktan Kokila and record high gasoline prices arrived in California about the same time this spring.
That's why the Redlands resident was navigating through hundreds of motorcycles in the San Bernardino showroom of Chaparral Motorsports. Fed up with spending $60 a week to fill his Infinity G35 with premium gasoline, Kokila was ready to move from four wheels to two.
Kokila was following friend Mike Devi, who put away his BMW 330i -- now reserved for weekends -- in favor of a black Yamaha sport bike. After four hours of shopping, Kokila rolled out with a blue version of the same cycle, which gets 40 mpg and holds $15 worth of premium fuel at current prices. advertisement
"I've wanted one for a while," Kokila, 27, said of the $9,200 motorcycle. "And with the high gas prices, now's a good time."
Steep pump prices are driving motorists to transportation that sips or eschews gasoline, and retailers of motorcycles, scooters and bicycles report that sales are revving up. Although buyers, including Kokila and Devi, aren't ready to dump their cars, many are complaining about fuel bills as they make their purchases, retailers say.
When fuel prices spiked in the third quarter of last year, motorcycle sales jumped 16 percent compared with the same period in 2004, said Motorcycle Industry Council spokesman Mike Mount. . Third-quarter sales of scooters soared 65 percent.
"We can't say for sure that fuel prices were driving that," Mount said. "But it would appear that with the amount of activity and media attention on fuel prices, that it has had some effect."
In the first three months of 2006, motorcycle sales rose 8.6 percent and scooter sales inched up about 2 percent from the year-earlier period. Those numbers show a "strong start to the year," he said, because sales are highest during spring and summer.
At Chaparral Motorsports, whose showroom has row after row of shiny and colorful Hondas, Suzukis, Kawasakis and other makes, sales manager Jon Gerwin said cycles were zooming out the door at a 30 percent faster pace than at this time last year. Motorcycles that get good mileage are the most popular, he said, and many customers say that they're afraid gas will hit $4 a gallon.
Chaparral salesman Eddy Raisch said scooters are popular among young people, especially college students, who leave their cars parked when traveling short distances.
For the maker of Vespa, the iconic retro-chic scooter from Italy, it has been pedal to the metal since last fall, said Paolo Timoni of Piaggio Group Americas, the New York-based subsidiary. .
"Since September 2005, when gas prices first hit $3 a gallon, we have seen acceleration in the market," Timoni said.
Last year, the company sold 10,000 scooters in the U.S. It expects to exceed that by 25 percent to 30 percent this year, he said.
Even the Segway, the battery-powered "human transporter" that was dismissed when it debuted in 2001, has received a boost.
Klee Kleber of Bedford, N.H.-based Segway Inc. said sales through mid-May had doubled from the same period last year. He declined to give sales figures.
"I think a lot of it has to do with gas prices," Kleber said, adding that other factors, such as environmental issues, also influence sales.
Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong Coalition, a national group of bicycle suppliers and retailers, said members were seeing customerswho are frustrated over pump prices and looking for alternative transportation, especially for short trips. The coalition plans to launch a marketing campaign in June to encourage people to ride bicycles for trips shorter than two miles.
At Beverly Hills Bike Shop, manager Eric Romney said there had been a "huge increase" in people wanting to buy bicycles to commute to work.
"Once a day, we have someone coming in wanting a bike to ride to work," he said.
Fred Clements of the National Bicycle Dealers Association said gas prices were just one "piece of the puzzle" when it came to sales. But Clements also said his members had reported that more people were bringing in their bicycles for repair.
That is what's happening at nonprofit Bicycle Kitchen in Hollywood where people can rent space to repair their bicycles. Volunteers are on hand to offer guidance and assistance. Although spring weather brings more people to the spot, volunteer Thomas Gotschi said they had been "super busy" lately.
Not everyone is convinced that gas prices are fueling a business bonanza.
Jay Wolff of the six Helen's Cycles locations in Southern California, said he hadn't noticed a change in sales.
"I think that there are just a lot of complaints about gas prices," he said. "I don't think that anybody is replacing their car with a bicycle."
Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships in Southern California don't appear to be benefiting from increasing gas prices. Harleys are more expensive than other brands and they don't draw first-time motorcyclists, dealers said.
"This month, I have heard two or three people ask what kind of mileage bikes get," said Jerry Johnsonat Orange County Harley-Davidson. "But that's not your typical question at a Harley shop. They're not looking for an economy vehicle; they're looking for a toy."
Jim Roberts is looking for relief.
The 50-year-old senior account manager for Midwest Airlines travels about 600 miles a week for his job. He drove a Nissan Maxima but switched to his Harley-Davidson Road King Classic to save money on gasoline.
The 750-pound motorcycle was too heavy for everyday use, so he put it up for sale on eBayand began shopping for a Vespa. The high price of fuel is the fundamental reason behind his decision to pilot something more frugal a few days a week, Roberts said. The Vespa he was eyeing at the dealership in Newport Beach has a 3.5-gallon gas tank and gets about 60 mpg, about 10 mpg more than the motorcycle."If gas prices weren't so high, I wouldn't have started driving my motorcycle as much in the first place," Roberts said. "And then I wouldn't be looking at buying a Vespa."
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