By Cindy V. Culp

Tribune-Herald staff writer

During his 25 years in the motorcycle business, Chet Barger has never made service appointments for his customers. They would just drop off their bikes when they needed work and be content to pick them up whenever they were ready. At most, they’d ask if their motorcycles could be ready for a weekend ride.

Recently, though, Barger has had to start penciling in appointment times. High gas prices have caused an increasing number of people to use two-wheelers as their main mode of transportation, he said, and customers get antsy about how long theirs will be out of commission.

“Now they come in and say, ‘I’ve got to have it today,’ ” said Barger, who co-owns Barger’s Allsports in Waco.

Another sign pump prices are causing a switch to scooters and motorcycles: Participation in local rider training classes hasn’t dropped off despite the heat. Typically, the prospect of wearing long pants, long sleeves and a helmet on sun-basked asphalt causes people to spurn summer sessions, said Chris Litfin, owner of Motorcycle Training Center, which offers classes in Waco.

But so far this summer, all of the classes have been full, Litfin said. The Carrollton-based center has added more weekday instruction to keep up with demand, he said.

“Men and women are trying to get on two-wheelers to save money,” he said.

Those stories are backed up by sales figures. Waco Motorsports was recently taken over by new owners and the business is still waiting on its dealer license. But once that comes through, the shop expects to sell much of its stock. Eager buyers already have put down deposits on about 25 scooters, said co-owner Jason Jobe.

The models he sells cost $2,800 to $9,000 and get 60 to 100 miles per gallon. His biggest customers so far have 35- to 60-year-old men, he said.

“It’s mainly them getting them to go back and forth to work,” Jobe said.

Sales are also strong at Harley-Davidson of Waco, said sales employee Brandon Jackson. People who previously might have bought a bike just for recreation aren’t coming in as much because of the economy. But that dip has been countered by people wanting a motorcycle to save on gas, he said.

The dealership’s smaller models have been the most popular, Jackson said. A few months ago, for example, the shop had 40 Sportsters. Now it has none.

Harley’s bikes tend to be more expensive and less fuel-efficient than scooters and some other motorcycles, Jackson acknowledged. Most models get between 50 to 55 mpg on the highway and 35 to 45 mpg in the city. But people who commute long distances prefer them for safety and speed reasons, he said.

“They want something to compete with traffic,” he said.

At Barger’s, motorcycle and scooter sales have been up about 25 percent over the past three months, Barger said. Scooter sales have been the briskest, with the shop selling about 40 to 50 during that period. Before gas prices started creeping up, it sold only about 10 per year, he said.

Medium-sized scooters and small to medium motorcycles have been the biggest sellers, Barger said. The scooters get close to 100 mpg, and the motorcycles get about 75 mpg, he said.

In the past, customers were sometimes reluctant to buy scooters because of the geek factor, Barger said. But as soon as gas prices spiked, vanity hasn’t been as big a concern, he said.

“A lot of them say they don’t care,” Barger said. “They just want something that gets good gas mileage.”

His most popular scooter model sells for $2,399, Barger said. It gets 100 mpg and can go 55 mph. Many customers have told him they can justify the upfront cost because of the fuel savings they expect to get from zipping around town on the scooter rather than a in gas-guzzling vehicle.

Wacoan Michael Flores recently made the switch from four to two wheels for fuel efficiency. The 39-year-old sold his Toyota Corolla and got a Honda scooter last month. It gets 100 mpg, he said.

The scooter is perfect for his 2.5 mile commute to the office, where does photography and graphic design, Flores said. Right now, he carries his camera gear in a backpack, but he plans to attach a storage case to the back of the scooter soon.

The main caveat with the scooter is that its top speed is only 40 mph, Flores said. That forces him to mainly use residential streets and back roads. But he has braved Hewitt Drive a few times, he said, and so far the experience has been fine.

“The other drivers have given me some room,” he said,

Richard Leslie, 54, also is enjoying his two-wheeler. He bought a Kawasaki motorcycle about a year and a half ago when gas prices started to increase. Now he’s glad he made the investment, he said.

“Certainly by the end of next year, it will have paid for itself,” he said, alluding to his fuel savings.

Leslie, an instructor at McLennan Community College, lives about 10 minutes from campus. He drives his motorcycle to and from work most days, he said, plus he does quite a bit of driving around town. His fuel expenditure? About $30 per month — a figure that make his friends and co-workers jealous.

“You have to be careful not to rub it in,” he quipped.

cculp@wacotrib.com

757-5744

—— Tips for motorcycles, scooters ——

Q: Do I have to have a special license to ride a motorcycle or scooter?

A: Yes, except for all but the smallest scooters. You also have to get them registered, inspected and insured just like any other vehicle.

Q: Do two-wheelers come with any storage room? What if I want to ride one to the store and bring items home?

A: All but the smallest models usually have some storage. With the typical scooter, for example, riders could fit one or two bags of groceries into the storage compartment. Some models have even more space.

Q: Can any adult learn to ride a scooter or motorcycle?

A: Perhaps, but people need to be aware that driving a 2-wheeler is more physically demanding than driving a car or truck. A certain amount of muscle strength is needed.

Q: What about the safety aspect? I’m afraid of getting into a wreck and being seriously injured.

A: Training professionals say people need to realize that driving a scooter or motorcycle is inherenty more dangerous than other vehicles. However, proper training and defensive driving can help minimize those risks.

Q: Are all scooters designed so that the rider is seated?

A: No, there are some small models that are made for the rider to be standing. However, most of them cannnot go normal speeds.

Source: Tribune-Herald interviews