The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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    Good for gas

May 16, 2007

Rising gas prices help scooter sales

Scoot and save

By Shane Frederick

MANKATO — Transportation is changing, thanks to the rapid rise in gas prices, and Colin Brodhead has jumped on the bandwagon.

A bandwagon powered by scooters.

“I might be the only person in town who’s happy for the high gas prices,” the North Mankato resident said.

Brodhead recently opened Cyclepathic Scooter Company, a motorized scooter dealership on South Front Street.

He hails his store’s line of Twist N’ Go (TNG) scooters as “transportation for the 21st century.” And with a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline already at $3.15 here and seemingly shooting toward $4, Brodhead expects the popularity of the 85-miles-per-gallon machines to keep growing.

Scooters are no longer just novelties or toys, he said, and indeed, some motorbikes are loaded with storage space and travel at speeds up to 65 mph. Smaller ones, which often feature retro, European design can reach 45 mph.

“By the time we reach $4 per gallon, we’re going to have a class of Americans who can’t really afford a car or afford to use a car the way they’re being used now,” Brodhead said.

Star Cycle Yamaha in North Mankato has been pushing its lines of Yamaha and Genuine scooters for the same reason, and Vetter Sales & Service in Kasota is now selling Italian Vespa scooters.

“There are lots of choices now,” said Vespa owner Eric Lennartson, an Eagle Lake resident and a member of a Mankato-based scooter club called The Substitutes. “You’re seeing what started happening in the Twin Cities five years ago.”

Lennartson said rising gas prices are just one reason for their popularity.

“Overall, they’re just a blast,” he said, “but people are getting them for both reasons.”

Star Cycle price manager Trish Moran said her store has sold 20 scooters already this spring. Its biggest groups of scooter customers are college students and commuters in the 40- to 50-year-old age range.

“Everybody’s worried about gas prices,” Moran said. “We want to let people know there’s a better way to get around. It can cost 60 bucks to fill up your tank. There’s a cheaper alternative.”

Brodhead’s sales pitch is simple: A $1,600 scooter will pay for itself in saved gas money in just a couple of years.

“You can drive around town and use 18 gallons in your SUV,” he said. “Or you can save 18 gallons driving around on a scooter.”

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