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...With six kids and a house in the country, Greg Woods, a Rock Run, Ala., resident, is always looking for ways to save money.
The former military man is a longtime motorcyclist — he has ridden since age 14 (he’s now 45). After Hurricane Katrina, gas spiked to $3, and Woods said he faced a financial challenge.
“I had to do something to keep the most potential money in my pocket at the end of the week and as little to the gas man as possible,” said Woods, who has worked at Easy Living Yamaha in Armuchee for the past 18 years. “So I did several things.”
He said he got a scooter because his bike was getting 34 miles per gallon, the same as an economy car. The scooter, a Yamaha Majesty, gets, on average, 64 mpg and is comfortable to ride, Woods said.
“It’s a pleasant ride. It cruises at 70 mph smoothly and goes to higher speeds easily (up to 100 mph),” he said, “and it’s comfortable with big seats.”
Woods
Greg Woods displays the storage spaces on his scooter. (William T. Martin / Rome News-Tribune) |
rides his scooter year-round — except when roads are icy — to and from work.
“I committed to riding this year-round,” he said. “I wish my motives were more noble — pollution or weaning our dependence on oil, but I’m just a working guy with six kids and need to keep as much money as I can in my pocket.”
To that end, a truck was traded for a four-cylinder that gets 24 mpg instead of 10 mpg, and a large van that got 22 mpg was replaced with a smaller one that gets 34 mpg.
“We did it all the way across the board and got a gas credit card that give me 15 cents off,” said Woods.
He says he bought the scooter in late 2005, after Katrina, and has cut his consumption in half, adding he heard if national demand went down 10 percent, gas would drop by a dollar. He said the savings are tremendous.
“In the new truck, it’s about $6 to $7 a day (for the 80-mile trip to work), and about $24 a day in the old truck,” he said, adding the savings allows him to do more with his family. “With the scooter, it’s $4, so I save about $100 a week.”
Rain, shine or 12-degree weather, Woods rides that scooter to work. He says insulated waterproof gear is key, adding he stays dry because of the gear. He also has heated handlebar grips and a heated vest to throw on if needed.
“Most of the time, it’s very peaceful and quiet and is a chance to unwind,” he says, adding it could cost about $7,000 for the scooter and gear. “I would recommend to anyone wanting to do this, to get the proper training and gear and then have fun and save gas.”
But Woods isn’t the only one taking off on a scooter.
The Georgia Office of Highway Safety is leading a motor-scooter convoy to the state Capitol today for Atlanta’s first “Scooter Commuter Day.”
GOHS director Bob Dallas has been riding a borrowed red Vespa as part of GOHS’ Share the Road Campaign. The event is to officially recognize motor scooters as an eco-friendly, in-town alternative to clogged commuter routes, climbing fuel costs and downtown parking problems. It’s also to alert Georgia drivers to share the road with the scooter.
“It’s every driver’s job to pay attention and share the road,” said Dallas. “Just like the growing popularity of motorcycles in Georgia and across the country, we’re going to see a trend of more scooters on our streets and highways. It’s a trend that will demand all our attention as safe responsible drivers.”
