More New Riders

I thought i'd been seeing more people on two wheels for months now and
now i know i'm not crazy. this is good, the more riders the better.
makes more people aware of us on the roads.

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By William M. Welch, USA TODAY
Tue Jun 6, 7:29 AM ET

High gasoline prices are helping boost nationwide sales of motorcycles
as commuters look for a fuel-saving alternative to four-wheeled travel.

The Motorcycle Industry Council, a manufacturers' trade group
headquartered here, reports that sales of motorcycles and scooters rose
8% in the first three months of this year compared with 2005. Council
spokesman Ty van Hooydonk and other industry leaders expect
second-quarter reports, due in July, to show another jump in sales.

Vincent Stone, 36, of Los Angeles, shopping at L.A. Cycle Sports in
Inglewood, is among those switching. He garaged his van and bought a
25-year-old motorcycle. "It cost me $85 to fill up the van. Man, it's
been killing me," he says. "My motorcycle only costs $13 to fill up."

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation says 350,000 people will take its
new-rider course this year, up 10% in a year. There are so many
newcomers the foundation can't find spots for 40% of applicants.

"The wait time in some states can be months," says Tim Buche, president
of the foundation.

At Coleman Powersports in Falls Church, Va., general sales manager Greg
Keoho says the store sold 109 motorcycles last month, up from 76 in May
2005. Scooter sales were up to 44 from 35 a year ago.

Vento Motorcycles, makers of entry-level scooters and motorcycles with
250cc and smaller engines, saw a 33% jump in orders in April and May,
says Henry Lonski, vice president of sales: "There are a lot of new
faces coming into the dealerships, and I believe a lot of that is
because of the gas prices."

Tom Lindsay, spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association, says a
survey his group took of riders found 35% planned to ride more this year
because of fuel prices.

Gas prices may be just the nudge some are looking for.

"A motorcycle is not a need, it's a want," says Kevin Foster, sales
manager at L.A. Cycle Sports. "People are looking for reasons to justify
that want, and gas prices do that."

Hugh Hurt Jr., emeritus professor of safety science at the University of
Southern California and leading accident researcher, says new
motorcyclists should learn safe practices. But he says new riders may
not pose a greater risk than others: "The current problem is older
riders, bigger bikes and alcohol."