| The first patents for scooters go back as far | | | | first to install electric starters. These |
| as 1921. The Razor scooter was later | | | | larger versions were great for traveling, |
| developed by Gino Tsai in Shanghai, Taiwan | | | | touring and even racing, but were not as |
| and became an instant hit with the public. It | | | | popular as the smaller, cheaper, more |
| didn't take long for motor scooter popularity | | | | efficient models used for traveling shorter |
| to expand all over the globe.Even before 1950 | | | | distances around town.Vespa began marketing a |
| there were as many as 110,000 scooters on the | | | | couple of very popular gas powered scooters |
| road in Italy alone. It has been just a | | | | from Piaggio, the GS 125cc and the GS 150cc. |
| little over 50 years since the Vespa-Douglas | | | | These were improved versions of the earlier |
| Corporation in the UK sold their first gas | | | | models for several reasons. The biggest |
| scooters. The Douglas corporation was on the | | | | reason is probably because the heavy gear |
| verge of bankruptcy when they first began | | | | mechanism rods were replaced by smaller and |
| selling their gas scooters. It was a big hit | | | | lighter cables.France's Roussey Scooters |
| at the 1950 Motorcycle Show and saved the | | | | tried to one-up the Italian competition by |
| company from possible financial ruin.From | | | | coming out with a 175cc model. These were |
| 1950 to 1958 Vespa sold over 125,000 of their | | | | very nice vehicles and included the first |
| gas powered scooters in the UK. Why the great | | | | water-cooled engines along with other new |
| success? During this period the European | | | | features, but because it had a pull-start it |
| countries didn't have a great deal of money | | | | could not compete with the newer models from |
| and there was not much gas available to the | | | | Italy that were already offering versions |
| public. Due to the scarcity of gasoline and | | | | with electric starts.As these wonderful |
| the high gas mileage of the gas motor scooter | | | | vehicles have evolved over the years they |
| it's popularity quickly escalated.It didn't | | | | have become increasingly more popular all |
| take long for the Italian models (the Piaggio | | | | over the world. Today they are everywhere. |
| from Vespa and the Lambretta from Innocenti) | | | | They are cheap to purchase, economical to |
| to branch out to other countries. In France | | | | operate, and are very handy and functional. |
| they became so popular the French tried to | | | | These are not toys and are genuinely a lot of |
| get in on the boom by manufacturing their | | | | fun to ride. There are electric, gas powered, |
| own. By the early to mid 1950s the sale of | | | | foldable, mobility and utility scooters.The |
| gas scooters climbed to about 1 million a | | | | electric types are often used by kids and |
| year in France alone.Other countries wanted | | | | teens, but are also popular with the elderly |
| to profit from the newest craze and tried to | | | | and handicapped. Models for the handicapped |
| climb on the band wagon. While some were | | | | are usually called mobility scooters. Folding |
| successful others were not. Germany began to | | | | varieties can be folded up and conveniently |
| manufacture larger touring models, but this | | | | stored under desks, in closets or in other |
| did not satisfy the public in the way the | | | | tiny areas and utility types are used for |
| smaller, cheaper and more fuel-efficient | | | | many different purposes. They are more |
| models from Italy and France did. These | | | | popular than go karts, mini bikes or go |
| smaller models were extremely popular in the | | | | carts. Scooters, sometimes called mopeds or |
| European market.Tourist Scooters | | | | go peds, are very functional, convenient and |
| Manufacturers in Germany built some very | | | | are here to stay. |
| strong and powerful versions and were the | | | | |