2008 Woodie Awards
Opting for sleeker transportation
Nick Tabor
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Focus
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When the computer technician tinkered over the professor's computer, his gaze would often shift toward the man's motor scooter.
This past spring, the technician heard that the Assistant Professor of English, Andrew Cuneo, was re-locating to England.
"When I knew he was moving, I asked if he was going to be interested in selling," said Jim Bowen, technical support specialist for Information Technology Services.
By July, Bowen was zipping back and forth between the office and his home.
"It's definitely not a highway machine," Bowen said. "But for around town, it's a lot of fun…Pretty much anywhere I go by myself, I will take [the scooter.]"
The blue and white scooter is a Honda Metropolitan, with bulging headlights, a leather seat and chrome lining.
Freshman Joe Vear, another scooter owner, didn't wait nearly as long for his bright yellow moped; his parents helped him buy it when he was 15.
"We just thought it would be a good idea to have a little transportation device for me without having to drive the car," he said.
A Hillsdale native, Vear said he uses the moped to drive between his parents' house, campus, to classes and football practice.
"Just [for] gettin' around town," he said. "Hillsdale's not very big."
Vear said he can push his vehicle to 50 miles per hour. Bowen's maxes out around 35, and that's when it's moving downhill.
"Someone shorter and lighter would probably go faster," he said.
With an average of 80-100 miles per gallon, Vear said his moped only needs gas once every other week, and fill-ups only cost about $2.50.
Amanda Kookoothe is an employee of Vespa of Toledo, one of few dealers in the area.
She said the fuel efficiency of scooters is the main reason the vehicles' popularity rose so dramatically in the United States during the past five years.
"It has that sleek, vintage style," she said.
Most scooters are priced anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000.
This past spring, the technician heard that the Assistant Professor of English, Andrew Cuneo, was re-locating to England.
"When I knew he was moving, I asked if he was going to be interested in selling," said Jim Bowen, technical support specialist for Information Technology Services.
By July, Bowen was zipping back and forth between the office and his home.
"It's definitely not a highway machine," Bowen said. "But for around town, it's a lot of fun…Pretty much anywhere I go by myself, I will take [the scooter.]"
The blue and white scooter is a Honda Metropolitan, with bulging headlights, a leather seat and chrome lining.
Freshman Joe Vear, another scooter owner, didn't wait nearly as long for his bright yellow moped; his parents helped him buy it when he was 15.
"We just thought it would be a good idea to have a little transportation device for me without having to drive the car," he said.
A Hillsdale native, Vear said he uses the moped to drive between his parents' house, campus, to classes and football practice.
"Just [for] gettin' around town," he said. "Hillsdale's not very big."
Vear said he can push his vehicle to 50 miles per hour. Bowen's maxes out around 35, and that's when it's moving downhill.
"Someone shorter and lighter would probably go faster," he said.
With an average of 80-100 miles per gallon, Vear said his moped only needs gas once every other week, and fill-ups only cost about $2.50.
Amanda Kookoothe is an employee of Vespa of Toledo, one of few dealers in the area.
She said the fuel efficiency of scooters is the main reason the vehicles' popularity rose so dramatically in the United States during the past five years.
"It has that sleek, vintage style," she said.
Most scooters are priced anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000.
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