BIKE VS. SCOOTER

I've had a a scooter for about 6 years and use it all the time.  Currently there is a hole in the muffler and it's really loud.  Embarrassingly loud.  People stare when I drive by...so I stopped riding it a few weeks ago.  I had planned to get the muffler fixed but just haven't done it.  I was trying to ride my regular bike instead but I got lazy and started driving my car more lately.  Pretty wasteful for the short trips that make up the majority of my driving. 

So now that I've relied solely on the electric bike for 11 days, I've realized some things.  I actually get places quicker on the bike eventhough it only goes 20 MPH vs. the scooter which goes 35.   In a lot of ways, the bike is better than the scooter.

PARKING.  I can park the bike almost anywhere I go.  If there are no bike racks around, I can chain it to a tree, parking meter or light pole.  I've been parking right in front of my office door...no more looking to find a place to squeeze the scooter in.  And no more parking tickets.

TRAFFIC.  Although the bike is slower than the scooter, it's also smaller and more manueverable.  I can zip around cars stuck in traffic and cut through parking lots.  I can legally ride the electric bike anywhere a regular bike can go.  The scooter is motorized and you have to follow traffic laws.  I know...I've gotten a ticket on the scooter for doing things that are normal on a bike - like going around the drawbridge arm once the bridge is closed....

COOL FACTOR.  This bike is cool.  People notice it everywhere I go and actually come up to say how cool they think it is.  It's a great way to meet people - everyone talks to me when I'm on the bike.  I know it's only a matter of time before I find a real estate client this way!

IT'S GREEN.  No gas, no smoke, no noise.  Even though riding a scooter is way more efficient than driving a car, it still uses gas, spews smoke and makes noise.  LOTS of noise in my case.  The bike uses a tiny bit of electricity to charge - and if when you are pedaling without the motor, none at all.  You only use the motor when you need it, not when idling, gliding or braking.

FUN.  The scooter is fun but the bike is even more fun.  Going fast, silently, is really awesome.  I enjoy getting on it every time (except when it's raining!).  And everyone who rides it comes back with a smile.