Scooter sales surge as petrol bills start biting

Motorists in Wairarapa are forsaking four wheels for two in a rush to tame rising petrol prices that has seen a Masterton motorcycle business rocket to the top of scooter sales in the country.
Langlands Honda salesman Mark McManaway said the 50cc Honda Today machines are now sprinting out the door at the rate of up to two a week after average sales earlier this year of a single similar bike every four months.
"It's definitely a backlash against petrol prices and as far as a type of buyer - it's right across the board."
He said the Masterton business last month sold the highest number of scooters in the country among Honda dealers and he also believes the Wairarapa sales rush now bucking seasonal trends is partly due to "our relatively flat land".
He said a buyer could have a Today scooter on the road for a shade over $2000 with a full tank costing about $10 and gas consumption averaging about 30km a litre.
The machine also benefits the rider, he said, with cheaper registration and its classification as a moped that allows it to be legally ridden under a car licence.
Dave Anderson, of Dave Anderson Motorcycles, said his business has had a similar run on scooters through autumn that has paced the rising of petrol costs at the pump.
He said the Motor Trade Association market results for May were published this week and show a 60 per cent increase over the previous month in sales of 60cc motorcycles and "a staggering" 83 per cent increase in sales for under 60cc machines across all brands.
"We've most definitely seen an increase here as well. I'd say conservatively that we're up 25 per cent for the month on scooter sales and inquiries are coming in all day long," he said.
"We have a special shipment being flown in that we expect on the floor late this week or early next week and for us it's now a matter of keeping up with demand."
Mr Anderson said a similar rush was made on scooters about two years ago when fuel prices last started heading steadily upward.
He said the majority of scooter buyers through his doors are purchasing the petrol-saving machines to use as transport to and from work.
According to Land Transport New Zealand statistics motorcycle registrations from January to April this year were up 14 per cent on the same period in 2007, while car registrations were down 3 per cent.