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History Of Scooters: Gas, Electric, Razor & Kick
By:
Published: November 5, 2006
Scooters remain fixtures on the streets of almost any country. Their compact size and affordability continues to attract consumers. So how did this technological marvel, a motorized cousin of the bicycle, come into being?
Scooter history began in the 19th Century, as inventors tinkered with the bicycle. In 1868, a Frenchman named Michaux-Perraux managed to marry the bicycle with the steam engine. Gottlieb Daimler produced a similar hybrid, only this time using a gas engine. Yet little came of the new vehicles in terms of popularity, at least not right away. After World War II, however, the scooter finally became popular.
In Italy, a manufacturing company named Piaggio was a leader in the aircraft industry. Naturally, its production of fighter planes posed a threat during the war and opposing forces destroyed the factory.
Enrico Piaggio, son of Piaggio's original creator, came up with a clever idea to rebuild the company. As Arden Mellor writes in “The History of Scooters—Zipping through the Years” Piaggio recognized the drastic need for an affordable transportation method for the Italian people, something that could be easily maneuvered around the war-torn streets and roads. Enter Corradino D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer who developed a two-wheeled vehicle with a steel frame shielding the rider from road debris. Upon first setting eyes on the vehicle, Piaggio famously exclaimed, “Sembra una vespa!,” meaning, “It looks like a wasp!” The name struck and the Vespa was born.
In 1946, the first year of Vespa production, the Vespa sold incredibly well, reaching sales of 35,000 scooters in only three years. The beauty of the Vespa remains in its ability to afford riders a sense of freedom and independence. This sense of autonomy still makes scooters popular with teenagers and young adults.
By the 1970s, the scooter market had exploded. Customers could choose from hundreds of models. And choose they did; worldwide sales were in the millions. Come the 1980s, Asian manufacturers decided to join the scooter market. Companies like Honda and Yamaha developed new designs, ones distinct from their Italian counterparts. In 1983, Honda introduced the Aero 50, the first modern scooter.
As pollution concerns came to the forefront of legislative consciousness, Japanese scooter makers responded with environmentally-conscious engine models. In 2000, Taiwan joined the scooter market with its Kymco model, as did China with the TN'G model.
These days, scooter makers must take even greater care to produce fuel-efficient models which minimize pollution in a world of increasingly pressing environmental concerns. Yet the scooter still thrives, writing its own history, as millions hit the streets worldwide in their sleek, compact vehicle of choice.
Sources:
Mellor, Arden. The History of Scooters—Zipping Through the Years. The-History-of.net. 2004. Net Guides Publishing, Inc. 12 Oct 2006 .
Moped History. 2006. Toronto Mopeds. 12 Oct 2006 .
Scooter history began in the 19th Century, as inventors tinkered with the bicycle. In 1868, a Frenchman named Michaux-Perraux managed to marry the bicycle with the steam engine. Gottlieb Daimler produced a similar hybrid, only this time using a gas engine. Yet little came of the new vehicles in terms of popularity, at least not right away. After World War II, however, the scooter finally became popular.
In Italy, a manufacturing company named Piaggio was a leader in the aircraft industry. Naturally, its production of fighter planes posed a threat during the war and opposing forces destroyed the factory.
Enrico Piaggio, son of Piaggio's original creator, came up with a clever idea to rebuild the company. As Arden Mellor writes in “The History of Scooters—Zipping through the Years” Piaggio recognized the drastic need for an affordable transportation method for the Italian people, something that could be easily maneuvered around the war-torn streets and roads. Enter Corradino D'Ascanio, an aeronautical engineer who developed a two-wheeled vehicle with a steel frame shielding the rider from road debris. Upon first setting eyes on the vehicle, Piaggio famously exclaimed, “Sembra una vespa!,” meaning, “It looks like a wasp!” The name struck and the Vespa was born.
In 1946, the first year of Vespa production, the Vespa sold incredibly well, reaching sales of 35,000 scooters in only three years. The beauty of the Vespa remains in its ability to afford riders a sense of freedom and independence. This sense of autonomy still makes scooters popular with teenagers and young adults.
By the 1970s, the scooter market had exploded. Customers could choose from hundreds of models. And choose they did; worldwide sales were in the millions. Come the 1980s, Asian manufacturers decided to join the scooter market. Companies like Honda and Yamaha developed new designs, ones distinct from their Italian counterparts. In 1983, Honda introduced the Aero 50, the first modern scooter.
As pollution concerns came to the forefront of legislative consciousness, Japanese scooter makers responded with environmentally-conscious engine models. In 2000, Taiwan joined the scooter market with its Kymco model, as did China with the TN'G model.
These days, scooter makers must take even greater care to produce fuel-efficient models which minimize pollution in a world of increasingly pressing environmental concerns. Yet the scooter still thrives, writing its own history, as millions hit the streets worldwide in their sleek, compact vehicle of choice.
Sources:
Mellor, Arden. The History of Scooters—Zipping Through the Years. The-History-of.net. 2004. Net Guides Publishing, Inc. 12 Oct 2006 .
Moped History. 2006. Toronto Mopeds. 12 Oct 2006 .
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