Brent Reaney
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 31/05) - Not interested in walking or biking around town to combat high gas prices?

If you don't mind a little wind in your face, the answer to the worldwide crude crunch may come in the form of a scooter.

Tracy St. Denis puts about $4 worth of gas a week into her 1960s styled, 125-cc Yamaha Vino two-wheeler.

She bought it this spring because she always wanted one, but says the lack of gas guzzling is nice. "Most of my friends want to drive it, because they think it looks like so much fun," she says.

Shoppers can expect to pay upwards of $2,300 for a new vehicle with a 50 cc engine, which will hold about 12 litres of gas and can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour.

Larger engines like St. Denis' can travel faster, and are legal to drive on highways.

More people seem to be scooting around Yellowknife streets this summer, but retailers are not reporting a spike in sales. "They sell in spurts, at least that's been my experience," says Doug Witty, general manager of Force One.

The smaller models are even more economical on gas.

"Most guys might put $10 in all summer," said Adrien Saulis, general manager of Polar Tech, which sells Honda scooters.

According to the department of transportation, a motorcycle licence is required to drive any vehicle with an engine larger than 90 cc.

Despite their small stature, scooters require their own lane on the road, similar to a car or a motorcycle.

Art Young, former president of the NWT Riders Association, says his group welcomes all two-wheeled motorized vehicles, no matter what size.

Safety-wise, aside from the required safety gear of a helmet, Young recommends leather gloves and some heavy clothing - in case of a spill.

"Even at 30 km/h, if you go down and you're wearing a pair of shorts, you're going to get some pretty good road rash," he says.

And never pass on the right hand side of a moving vehicle. "We call that 'the suicide'."