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Ryan Bragg works on a 1985 Honda motorcycle at All Pro Motorsports in Waukesha, Wisc. As people seek ways to save money on gas, "we are definitely getting some higher mileage bikes that are from the 1970s and 1980s," says the shop manager, Paul Konieczny.
McClatchy newspapers
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Local Angle
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Local angle
Some local motorcycle dealers are seeing more interest in commuter bikes and scooters as gas prices surge.
"There's been quite a boom," said Jim Scully, senior salesman at Tucson Motorsports, 7075 E. 22nd St.
"Part of it has to do with gas prices — it makes it more affordable to drive back and forth to work," Scully said.
He estimated that foot traffic and phone sales inquiries are up by 25 percent over the past six months. Sales are up, too, Scully said, though exact figures weren't immediately available and he declined to estimate the increase.
Renaissance Motorcycles, at 4411 E. Speedway Blvd., which specializes in Italian motorcycles and scooters, has seen some uptick in sales from consumers interested in fuel economy, particularly for the dealership's Vespa brand scooters, said manager Bill Cundiff.
The scooters, which range in price from about $2,900 to $7,000, typically get around 70 mpg, Cundiff said. Sales for the scooters are up about 20 percent compared to last year, "and climbing daily," he said.
"I'm seeing a lot of interest in these," Cundiff said.
Fuel economy isn't the major motivation for some bike buyers.
At All-American Motorcycles, at 523 W. Grant Road, customers generally are more interested in performance than fuel economy, owner Joe Haber said.
The dealership sells only higher-end bikes priced from about $20,000 to $45,000.
But Haber said some customers deciding between a high-end motorcycle and a sports car sometimes opt for the bike because of its better mileage. The fuel economy for his motorcycles averages about 45 miles per gallon, he said.
Jack Dillon, owner of Eastside Cycle Inc., 4940 E. 22nd St., said he sees a "moderate" increase in customer traffic when gas prices are up.
"These things are still toys — people buy them for fun more than anything else," Dillon said.
— Star staff

Business

how to beat the gas demon

Time is here to haul out your old motorcyles, even scooters

By Rick Barrett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.26.2007
MILWAUKEE — As gasoline prices rise to record highs, more people are rescuing old motorcycles and scooters from garages and yard sales, putting them back on the road after years of gathering dust and rust.
Some of the bikes are from the 1970s and haven't been started for 30 years. Given some cleaning, a tuneup, fresh gasoline and oil, they can be brought to life again and get about 45 miles a gallon or better.
"These are commuter machines, not collectibles. People want them for basic transportation," said Robert Hintz, owner of Engelhart Center, a Madison, Wis., motorcycle shop.
Many of the bikes have been parked uncovered in garages and sheds. Hintz recalled one old motorcycle that was covered with about a quarter-inch of dust, had a fuel tank full of rust and looked as if it had been stored in a barn.
It cost almost $2,000 to get that bike running again, and then the clutch burned out after a few miles.
"The owner of that bike spent far too much on it," Hintz said.
But, in many cases, an old motorcycle can be put back on the road for only a few hundred dollars — provided the tires haven't rotted and the engine hasn't seized up.
John Nieznanski recently paid $500 for a 1982-vintage, 500cc Honda that needed only $150 in parts and service work to get it running again.
"It was in good shape, other than a few maintenance items," he said.
The Honda gets about 55 mpg, which has motivated Nieznan- ski to park his car and use the bike for running errands and daily transportation.
"Honestly, if I can get around all day on 2 gallons of gas, it saves me a lot of money," he said. "There's more maintenance with a bike, but if you learn how to do it yourself, it's cheaper and easier than a car."
All Pro MotorSports in Waukesha, Wis., recently fixed up a 1975 Kawasaki 1000cc bike that hadn't been started in 25 years. The fuel system was a gummy mess from old gasoline, and parts of the bike were corroded, but it ran fine after $550 in work.
"We are definitely getting some higher mileage bikes that are from the 1970s and 1980s," said Paul Konieczny, manager at All Pro MotorSports.
Some old bikes shouldn't be put back into service without a complete overhaul of their suspension and brake systems.
"Sometimes it costs more than it's worth," Konieczny said. "For a little over the price of the repairs, you can buy other used bikes that are much better."
For liability reasons, some motorcycle shops are reluctant to work on old bikes. They would rather focus on newer motorcycles that are easier to get parts for and are less trouble.
"Buying that old motorcycle in a garage sale is not the end of the story. You might spend $100 for something that needs $1,500 in repairs," Hintz said.
Engelhart takes old motorcycles as trade-ins for new bikes and sells some of the old ones on eBay for parts.
"As a business, it makes more sense to sell them for parts," Hintz said. "I don't have to worry about the safety issue of putting an old bike on the road or having an upset customer if there's a problem with an old bike."
As an alternative, many people are buying inexpensive new and late-model scooters.
Scooter sales are up about 20 percent at Reina International Auto, a Vespa dealership in Brookfield, Wis.
"People are more serious about using scooters for commuting," especially after filling the fuel tanks of their sport utility vehicles, said manager Filippo Reina.
In Wisconsin, a motorcycle license is required to operate mopeds with engines 50cc and larger.
Many of the motorized bikes get about 75 mpg fuel mileage, and some of the smallest ones can be legally parked on sidewalks.
"So there's a huge savings not only in gas but in parking," Reina said.
Joe Mirasola recently parked his GMC pickup, which gets about 17 mpg, and commutes 5 miles to work on a motor scooter.
"I have used the truck once in the last two weeks," he said. "It just kills me. … I put gas in the scooter the other day, and it cost me about $3."
Kait Krueger uses a scooter to commute 10 miles to work at a hospital where she is a registered nurse. Her other vehicle is a 2001 Ford Taurus that gets about 21 mpg.
"Once I get used to the scooter, I will take a trek across town, to Greenfield, to visit my mom," she said.
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