Motor scooters

[namingallthestars]

Does anyone know what the laws are about driving a 50cc motor scooter in Tulsa? Do I need a driver's license? Do I need tags or something? Can I only drive it on sidewalks, or also on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or less?

[Breadburner]

Yes you need a DL...Call one of the scooter dealers.....

[namingallthestars]

Aw, really? D: That sucks.

[Ed W]

If I recall right, 50cc and up requires a license.  But there are alternatives like a motor-assisted bicycle, either gas or electric, and limited to no more than 25mph.  Helmets are required for those under 16, and they can be ridden anywhere it's legal to ride a bicycle.

[jne]

So slap a sticker on that sucker that reads 45cc.

[tulsascoot]

The laws on any scooter, 500cc or bigger are exactly the same as a Harley-Davidson, including motorcycle endorsement for your license. You must obey all traffics laws than any other car does. And if you are under 18, a helmet is required.

That said, please do not go out and buy a $800 scooter from a tool or furniture store. It will be a waste of money. You could just flush it down the toilet. Generic Chinese scooters are big piles of trash. Buy from a reputable dealer selling scooters made in Japan, Italy , Korea, or Taiwan,

[Conan71]

I think the $800 scooters ARE built in Taiwan.

[namingallthestars]

I'm not sure where my scooter was made, but I'll find out when I have a chance. I got it second hand from my mom's friend, who had used it for awhile, and it worked well for him.

[nathanm]

Try not to ride it on ozone alert days, eh?

[namingallthestars]

Ah, why?

[nathanm]

Ah, why?

Two stroke engines release a lot of unburned fuel in the exhaust, which turns into ozone with help from the sun.

[Red Arrow]

Anyone have some numbers on mass of pollution per mile on scooters.  The engines are certainly not as clean as automobile engines but they are a lot smaller and emit less exhaust volume.  Twice as dirty per volume but only 1/8 the volume could still be a winner.  This is essentially the same question as automobile engines in the early 70s.  A 6 liter engine needs to be a lot cleaner relatively speaking than a 1.5 or 2.0 liter engine to emit the same amount of grams of selected pollutant per mile.

[namingallthestars]

Oh. Um, I don't know that much about engines. My scooter just runs on electricity, I think. I plug it into the wall. What effect does that kind of scooter have on the environment?

[Red Arrow]

Oh. Um, I don't know that much about engines. My scooter just runs on electricity, I think. I plug it into the wall. What effect does that kind of scooter have on the environment?

None what-so-ever.  Electric plants do not produce any pollution, especially the coal fired ones.  Natural gas fired plants do not emit any CO2.  Hydro-electric does not flood any land that could have other uses or support things like snail darters. If the electric plant is more than 15 miles from your home, you are entitled to feel guilt-free.

/sarcasm

Actually, any energy use at all will affect the earth. It's only a matter of how much.

[nathanm]

Oh. Um, I don't know that much about engines. My scooter just runs on electricity, I think. I plug it into the wall. What effect does that kind of scooter have on the environment?

None that you can have any effect on other than pressuring AEP to buy/build more renewable and/or nuclear energy. Getting grid power is generally less polluting than having a gas engine. The incremental increase in plant emissions for the one scooter/car/whatever is very low, plus the conversion of heat into useful energy is more efficient in a big power plant than it is in your personal vehicle.

That's not to say there aren't problem. Coal fired plants dump radioactive particles into the atmosphere (all rocks, including coal have some amount of radioactive particles randomly distributed throughout them) and generate rather toxic ash, but they're still better on balance than an oil fired plant, for example.

Red Arrow, the small engines without catalytic converters spew a whole lot more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, unburned fuel and carbon monoxide than just about any passenger car or light truck engine made in the last 20 years. That's because the catalytic converter converts it all into carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water. Scooter/motorcycle engines, being much smaller, produce much less carbon dioxide, though. (and even less still because the catalytic converter isn't turning the other pollutants into carbon dioxide)