The Men with the Door

The way I see it, there are three reasons to ride a scooter. It's fun - that almost goes without saying; it's an efficient, economical means of urban transportation; and it's a beast of burden.

Beast of Burden? When you hear those words you probably think more of this:

Donkeys in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya used to carry needed loads of firewood.

                                                                                                  Photo: Debi Goodwin

Donkeys, horses, elephants: they are the beasts that save people's backs in much of the world. In North America, cars and trucks have become the beasts of burden for most of us. They're how we get our lumber, our food, our patio furniture to our homes. And in countries where scooters and small motorcycles outnumber cars it's astonishing to see the extent to which they are used as beasts of burden.

In Vietnam, watching riders pass by, loaded down with everything from toilet paper to trees to - yes - flat-screen TVs, I was impressed by just how much they could load on their vehicles and how ingeniously they managed to strap their loads down.

                                                              

                                                       

              
                                                                                                    All photos: Debi Goodwin

I've been thinking a lot about how to use my scooter since I came back from Vietnam. Being a practical person, I like the things I own to be useful. So now that I don't ride my scooter for my daily commute, I'm looking for different ways to use it and justification for owning it beyond the fun rides. More and more I am taking my scooter for errands that I used to use the car for. With a backpack, a bag between my legs and storage under the seat I am now able to carry home a week's worth of groceries.

However, I still have a far way to go to match the riders in Vietnam. Sometimes, I think about the men with the door. I saw them on a busy street in Ho Chi Minh City and had to laugh - I just couldn't imagine anyone trying to carry a door through a busy North American city on a small motorcycle, but there they were. Who knows how far they had to go with the passenger sitting on the very back of the bike - the equivalent part of my scooter says: "do not sit"  - holding tight to the door squeezed between them.

                                                                                                   Photo: Debi Goodwin

Not that I plan to try carry doors. But I would like to figure out a way to carry odd-shaped things: strips of lumber and flats of plants and that sort of thing. Yesterday, I thought I'd give it a go. I had a coupon that was running out for the expensive furnace filters we like. I thought I'd try to find a way to bring a package of them home on my scooter. I had bungee cords and some rope, but when I tried to lash down a similar filter I had at home onto my scooter, I couldn't seem to keep it from sticking out too far on one side, or too far off the back of the scooter. It was also too high to stick between my legs and two wide for a backpack. In the end, as rain threatened, I just got in my car. But I've been puzzling over it since and realized I was thinking of the scooter with my North American brain. As soon as I thought of the seat as part of a transportation platform, I had the filters on in no time. Strips of lumber: I still have to think about them.

                                                                                                    Photo: Debi Goodwin

Scooting into the Future

There's no surer sign that scooters are becoming essential all over the world than the number of businesses jumping at getting into the scooter market. And there's no surer sign that those businesses believe scooters are here to stay than the innovative features, like built-in GPS, they're coming up with, and engines they're redesigning for the green market.

We're not just seeing more "super" or "hyper'' scooters that are powerful enough to cut into the motorcycle market, and more three-wheeled scooters for riders who want an even greater sense of balance. We're seeing products designed for the future like BMW's new electric scooter. This is not the electric scooter we're used to, the one that can only piddle along in bicycle lanes, confusing drivers and causing lawmakers to scratch their heads over how to licence them. No. This is a real scooter that just happens to be electrically powered. A scooter that can go up to 75 miles an hour. A real vehicle that one can keep up with urban traffic and, therefore, follow the laws of the roads. Sure you have to charge it after 62 miles but you can get around a lot of city and suburbia on that. And it's clean.

Perhaps more intriguing is a scooter coming out of China. It's a hydrogen-powered scooter that promises to be more than two times more efficient than gasoline models. We've been talking about hydrogen-powered vehicles for years in Canada. I remember doing a story a long time back on the prototype hydrogen-powered buses that came out of Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver. Ballard was working on the fuel cells; for the fuel itself we went to a company in Toronto. Everyone we met there talked of a great hydrogen future.  As I remember, the expense of the cells as well as the difficulty of creating a network of "stations" for hydrogen fuel were obstacles back then; obstacles that are still far from being overcome. It seems we're still stuck in the "demonstation" stage in Canada. Hydrogen anything seems a long way off.

In a country like China, however, with its billion plus people and its mega industrial complexes, hydrogen scooters are becoming a reality. They will cost a lot at first but with the speedy rate of Chinese production, prices are expected to drop in the next ten years which will make them an attractive option throughout Asia.

Here's a link that explains how real they are becoming:

http://www.h2journal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=702
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And, here's an another interesting international story that shows countries like Great Britain are catching on to what urban dwellers in much of Asia and Africa have understood for years: small motorcyles and scooters of 125 cc are great city vehicles.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9444621/125cc-scooters-and-motorcycle-buck-the-sales-trend.html

Mobile mobile scooters

I have been too busy to write here or even ride my scooter much lately. I will get to another post shortly, but, in the meantime, here's an interesting advance in scooter technology from Piaggio. I'm not sure how I feel about the need to be connected everywhere - especially during a scooter ride when distractions should be kept to a minimum. But in a crunch, this could be a handy device for commuters who go some distance.

http://www.multimediaplatform.piaggio.com/eng/come_funziona.htm

Have No Helmet. Will Travel.

I got on my scooter the other morning, rolled it down the driveway to the street and was about to start up the engine when I realized something was wrong: I'd forgotten my helmet and was about to take off without it. I remembered it because I felt surprising light on the scooter and could even feel a bit of breeze in my hair. But helmets are mandatory where I live and besides that I like my chances better with a helmet. I'd give up that carefree feeling for the knowledge my brain's a little safer. I like having my head on straight and want to keep it that way.

That's why it drives me crazy when I hear news about American states - Michigan most recently - repealing their helmet laws. If I feel safer on a scooter with a helmet, I can't imagine going on a highway on a motorcycle without one, but that's exactly what some biker clubs are cheering about in Michigan. Even though all the evidence shows helmets can reduce fatalities and brain injuries, there are still states with no laws, more states with laws that only require minors to wear helmets, and other states repealing laws that were proven to save money and lives.

The World Health Organization says wearing a helmet can reduce motorcycle deaths by 40 per cent and reduce the risk of severe injury by more than 70 per cent. That's why it watches with concern as scooters and motorcycles become increasingly popular in places like Vietnam, India and China while helmet use remains low.

Vietnam is often sited as an example of a model for helmet law in Asia. Recognizing that it had a major problem with traffic fatalities, the Vietnamese government made helmets mandatory in 2007 for all riders and passengers on two-wheeled vehicles. But since no child under 14 can be given a sanction, few riders bother to buy helmets for children. That means it's common - the norm from my experience - to see families with parents wearing helmets and as many as three children with no head protection stuffed in between them, including soft-headed infants who hang precariously from mothers' arms.

There seems no hard and fast way to make helmet laws stick. In India, the Transport Department has said that starting July 23rd it will not register a two-wheeled vehicle unless there's an invoice for a helmet attached to the document. There's been a rule about wearing helmets since 2006, but, as The Hindu reports, it "got diluted over the years." The Transport Department doesn't want to harass people, according to a deputy transport commissioner but it hopes the use of helmet will have an added benefit: preventing riders from using mobile phones while driving!

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/article3657339.ece  (Take note of the picture.)

The WHO reports that although helmets are required in China, only 16 per cent of riders wear them and there is "no consensus" on how to enforce the law. This video of a woman rider escaping a run-in with a truck in China will probably not do the campaign for helmet use any good.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/video-watch-truck-obliterate-scooter-1150909


Finally, here's a report from Road Safety Fund on the low use of helmets in Asia and Africa and some of the attempts to change that.

http://www.roadsafetyfund.org/activities/investments/Pages/PromotingHelmetVaccines.aspx

A Scooter By Any Other Name

Although I love my scooter, I confess that I sometimes feel envy when I am stuck in my car on the highway and the boys of summer whizz by on their big motorbikes. I'm sure some Freudian could have some fun analysing that, but what I envy, why I wanted to learn a motorcycle in the first place was to get that feeling of speeding along roads in the open air.

However, I do still know that the scooter is the best choice for me. Not having to worry about the gears - which never came naturally to me - means I can concentrate on the road, the vehicles around me and whatever environment I'm riding through, even if it means I can't do the big highways. Nonetheless, I still have that envy and I still feel sensitive to the idea that scooters are second-class two-wheeled vehicles. In India, for example, gearless scooters are seen as "sissy." That's why they're marketed to girls and women. Scooters with gears, however, like the original Vespas, are somehow seen as all right. Gears then seem to be the dividing line between macho and sissy, at least in that part of the world.

And yet, there are so many ways to look at two-wheeled vehicles, so many new models out there, and so many ways to make judgements. When I was shopping for a motorcycle and eyeing the beautiful blue Suzuki Marauder I eventually bought, the salesman came up to me and told me it was a fine "lady's bike." It's 250cc-engine earned it that title. In North American terms, it's a small bike, suitable for first-time bikers, especially "ladies." Engine size seems to be the dividing line here.

The male rider in India, China or Vietnam on his 100cc motorcycle may think he's riding a macho bike because it has gears, but in North America young males who want to take to the super highways would scoff at the light bikes. And what do we make of a German rider who takes a 600cc scooter, a super scooter, on the autobahn? Would anybody dare call him a sissy?

On a site called www.rubberontheroad.com  - a site devoted to motorcycles - a guest writer extols the virtues of the "super scooter," which are easier on the back and simpler to use while going just as fast as motorcycles. He writes that "the word 'scooter' has been for a long time shunned by many and some motorcycle fans would rather walk than hop on a scooter. They recognise scooters as simple fun toys to have but to consider owning one is not an option for most." Now with super scooters, he writes, "scooters have shifted from the fun item to the cool ride on the block."

It seems to me some of the distinctions that pit scooter versus motorcycle out there are silly. This summer, I've seem more and more riders on three-wheeled motorcycles. A recent news story reported that they are becoming more popular with ageing bikers who are finding it harder to balance heavy motorcycles as their knees start to weaken. Even tough guy, Harley Davidson, has a model. But tell me how something called a "trike" couldn't be called "sissy," by some?

Not to be outdone, Piaggio and others have come up with three-wheeled scooters that come in engine sizes up to 500 cc. Can anyone call them "sissy," when there are pictures of George Clooney driving a beautiful woman on one around his Italian home turf of Lake Cuomo?

http://www.okmagazine.com/photos/hot-shots/george-clooney-takes-stacy-keibler-romantic-scooter-ride-switzerland

Think of these three things together: George Clooney, Italy, scooter, and try to work "sissy" into the same sentence. Just as Gregory Peck's ride with Audrey Hepburn through ancient streets in Roman Holiday pushed Vespa sales sky high, George Clooney could make the three-wheeled scooter sexy.

What we all share - riders of scooters and motorcycles, big and small - is the understanding that two-wheeled vehicles are economical and fun. Why can't we just go with that?


P.S. I know I'll remain a scooter rider...but, maybe, just maybe, I'll become a super scooter rider and give the boys of summer a run for their money.

Bollywood and Scooters

Yesterday, I went for a scooter ride through one of Toronto's leafier neighbourhoods, through streets with mansions I could never afford. On a quiet Saturday afternoon, I encountered the occasional car, but no other scooter. It was a tranquil ride and I must say I missed the buzz of scooters and motorcycles that exist in so many other cities in the world.

Back at home, as I cruised through articles and websites for news about scooters in those busier cities, I came across yet another story about the competition among scooter manufacturers in India. It seems a day doesn`t go by when there aren`t stories in The Times of India or The Economic Times about some new deal or some new product. No wonder. Recently, a European consultant said that any international maker of two-wheeled vehicles had to have a serious focus on India. It represents the second largest market after China. With 1.22-billion people and just millions of motorcycles and scooters on the roads there`s still lots of room for growth.

Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India (HMSI), with the biggest market share, announced last week that it has reach the 10-million milestone in sales of two-wheelers. But it never rests on its laurels. The company is expanding into ``far-flung towns," to penetrate deeper into the country.

And the Indian company, TVS, is partnering with BMW, hoping to catch up to the gains made by Honda, Baja and Hero.

In the eternal motorcycle/ scooter debate,  Indians are leaning more and more toward scooters. The Times of India reported last week that scooter sales were up 34% in May while motorcycles sales only grew 7%. Women riders are credited for that leap. And the paper doesn't ignore the social reasons behind this. I couldn't do their words justice so here's an excerpt from the article:

At its core, more women scooter drivers criss-crossing the country indicate far greater independent mobility for women, easily able to drive lightweight vehicles to required destinations. This highlights two valuable developments - first, the growth of a liberal mindset across India, with women independently travelling to college, work or the shops without empty-headed machismo or narrow-minded conservatism barring their way. Secondly, it shows a social scenario where civic authorities will have to walk the talk about ensuring decent public safety, essential with more citizens, male and female, going about their regular tasks. There's also an economic green light here - a surge in women driving scooters shows the possibilities of an economy vitalised by strong female participation in all sectors, from education to employment, entrepreneurship to recreation. In this light, we appear closer to our East Asian neighbours who have successfully integrated women into their economies, with women on scooters rushing to big offices, small businesses, colourful stores or families a common sight across South Korea, Vietnam and similar nations. That's a joyride that benefits all.

The Times of India, July 4

So with the stakes high, it's no wonder that companies are looking to popular Bollywood stars to push scooters and no wonder that most of the "ambassadors" for scooters are actresses. The commercials are energetic, sexy and sound like they should all have "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" as their sound tracks. I've gathered some together here. Have fun watching them.

1/Hero MotoCorp's ambassador is Bollywood star, Priyanka Chopra.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugKIZNEx9rQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9vHdRNgB-g&feature=related

2/In an appeal to young women, TVS Motors chose Bollywood star Anushka Sharma for their "Scooty Range" campaign because "she is seen by young women as one who is living her goals of being vivacious, independent and successful."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs7CS4-BfcI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-dtO_-d2Rk&feature=related

3/ Actress Kareena Kapoor is the ambassador for Mahindra Two Wheelers. Like the other commercials there's a sense here that women are smarter than the men around them, certainly smarter than the men around them think they are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icx6aOonkkc

4/ And finally a Bollywood male star gets into the action in this beautiful spot for Honda Scooters and Motorcyles India. Celebrity Aksay Kumar does the voice-over for this commercial that shows how Honda products reflect the Indian dream.

http://www.campaignindia.in/Video/306471,akshay-kumar-reflects-on-the-power-of-dreams-for-honda.aspx

They all make me want to go back to India and try out a "Scooty Range."

Riding a Scooter in Vietnam

Riding a scooter in  the traffic mayhem of Vietnam was intimidating but also envigorating. Here's a story I wrote about my ride for Perceptive Travel Magazine.

http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/0712/vietnam.html