Scooters sales are undergoing unprecedented sales growth . Many people attribute this to Jamie Oliver zipping around England on his favorite Mojito scooter. High petrol prices and increase in traffic means scooters offer a real alternative to the old automobile.

The real world is a bit different to TV however forget any ideas of buzzing around city or country in T-shirt and shorts that is  Unless you want to risk some ugly injuries, you need to make the ultimate sacrifice and  reduce the style element .This involves  boots, gloves, a full faced Australian Standards approved helmet (look for the AS1698 sticker) and sturdy, long-sleeved pants and jacket. ( Dont worry you can still put a funky logo on the back of the jacket)

Scooters generally have less power and acceleration than their two-wheeled cousins. There are however some mean scooters with a decent engine size. Warning: The Paddington crowd may not accept you if you buy a mean Suzuki with  a 6500cc engine.

Scooters are usually fully automatic, which means you can turn on the ignition and go: no clutch pedal and no gear changes.

Scooters sold in Australia mostly range from little 50cc models up to 500cc “sports” scooters

Value and convenience

The scooter industry argues that the boom has been driven by value rather than style.

Hollie Black, Chair of the Australian Scooter Federation and General Manager of Select Scoota, says the small tank of her 200cc scooter lasts for 150 to 200 km.

There is a huge variety of reasonably priced scooters available in Australia – some starting as cheap as $2000.

Apart from price, Hollie argues that other scooter positives are convenience in negotiating city congestion and ease in finding a park (although motorcycle parks can get snapped up early on a normal city working day).

check out their websiste @ http://www.scoota.com.au/

Safety

Its not the safest mode of transport; but heck you are seen by everyone.

Scooter riders, like all motorcyclists, are vulnerable on the road. If you get into trouble, there’s not much between you and the cold, hard reality of the bitumen.

Scooters are not necessarily more stable than motorbikes. They have small wheels, which makes them vulnerable to changes in the road surface including water, oil, loose gravel and holes.

Like motorcycles, scooters are difficult for other drivers to see. So you’ve got to be extra careful, especially at intersections, and position yourself on the road so you’re visible to other drivers.

You should want to be seen Hello people.

Licensing

To get a motor scooter licence in NSW you need to go through the same process as a motorcycle riders. Here’s the step-by-step guide.

1. Pass the pre-learner course (practical).
2. Pass the rider knowledge test (computer) – and progress to a learner rider licence.
3. Take the six-hour pre-provisional course.
4. Pass the Motorcycle operator Skills Test (practical) – and progress to the provisional rider licence.
5. Hold your provisional licence for 36 months – then you can go to a motor registry and upgrade to a full licence. There isn’t a test at this final stage.

There is one more option however

You can get a license which restricts you to under 160cc you need to complete all the tests but importantly you miss out on the pre-provisional course

Full details of all the steps are available at www.rta.nsw.gov.au (go to Licensing and follow the links to motorcycles).