Meter readers and scooter

The latest news on scooter from Justin Dawes, who is Associate Edito on motorcycle-usa.com.

This morning on the way into work I came across a group of dudes on scooters kicking back at the local gas station. At first glance I didn’t notice the flo-yellow safety vests, but I did notice the metal pipes affixed to the side of their machines. I was thinking could this be some hardcore scooter gang roaming the streets of Orange County wielding metal pipes and throwing down with rival scooter gangs? My imagination went into overdrive with scenes of two riders squaring off in a joust in the back alleys of the local industrial area. Turns out it was a scene much less sinister. One rider turned around and the words “WATER METER READER” were printed in big, black block letters across the back of his yellow safety vest.

With no worries of being bludgeoned with a four-foot long pipe, I approached the gang to snap a photo with my phone and get the scoop. Come to find the scooters are the tools of the trade, as the local water district furnishes the rides for this “gang” to canvas the town and get the meter readings. The fleet was a mix of Kymco Likes, Yamaha Vinos and a few other random machines, and you could tell they had been used hard but were still running strong. It just confirms what I’ve come to learn about the small wheeled motorcycle cousin in the past year or so; scooters really are some of the most functional and convenient rides around.

(Resource: motorcycle-use.com, and reprinted by www.thepandacover.com who call for scooter protection by scooter covers. And it is speicalized to supply quality scooter cover.)