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There are several important caveats, of course, about riding motor scooters: They're no-go in snow or ice, they can legally carry only two people or an equivalent load (in the United States), and defensive driving is the name of the game.

What makes scooters such excellent "second cars" is fantastic fuel economy, great visibility from the driver's seat, adequate power and brakes, and they are just plain fun to drive.

My love affair with scooters started when my grandpa had a Cushman scooter with a sidecar for a few months shortly after World War II. My rides in that sidecar were a thrill to a small boy and carried over into later life.

1. Buy from a licensed DMV dealer who will register the scooter for you. Beware of buying from a shop that says they can't register the scooter for you.

2. Beware of buying a scooter online. Scooters from out of state may not meet California's smog requirements.

If the scooter has more than 50 cubic centimeters engine displacement, it is defined by state law as a motorcycle. The rider must follow the rules for motorcycles, including a driver license motorcycle authorization.

To be street legal, a scooter with less than 50 cubic centimeters engine displacement must be equipped with automatic transmission, headlight, taillight, turn signals, brakes and brake lights. It does not have to be licensed, registered or insured. However, the rider must have a driver license, but is not required to have motorcycle authorization. Although state law does not require a helmet for scooter operators, the California City Ordinances require street legal scooter riders to wear helmets. Unless a scooter is built for two people with footrests and handholds (and it is unlikely any 50 cc or less scooter is so equipped) only one person should ride it.

All of the rules of the road must be obeyed and scooters are not to be driven on sidewalks or bike lanes.

If you can't legally drive a car, you can't drive a scooter or motorized bicycle on the road.

Armstrong, 83, has ridden the compact, gas-efficient two-wheeler since 1946. His reason: "They were inexpensive."

Bonnette, 34, like many Americans, is in the market for a scooter to fray the rising cost of gas, which, currently, is a fact of life.

Statewide averages for regular hovered at $3.87 as of Friday with medium-grade going for $4.12, premium for $4.32 and diesel at $4.65, according to www.fuelgaugereport.com. All prices were down by at least 30 cents a month ago. And with the threat of $4 dollar a gallon for regular looming, Bonnette said he's looking to park his Ford F-150, which gets 11 miles per gallon, and begin put-put-putting 120 mpg on a scooter. He was checking out his options Thursday afternoon at Loewer Powersports, 5909 Coliseum Blvd.

Scott Courville, Loewer's general sales manager, said Bonnette's scooter interest is not unique.

"We've seen a tremendous increase in the first quarter," Courville said.

General Motors electric car champion Bob Lutz has upped his personal commitment to battery-powered transportation with the purchase of an electric scooter.

The GM vice chairman has bought a Vectrix scooter that uses a nickel metal hydride battery pack to give it a range of 45-60 miles and a top speed of about 60 mph. Watch the video of Lutz taking delivery of the scooter.

But then I actually rode it, and things went wrong right from the start. Kick-starting a scooter without scuffing the suede of your desert boots was once part of the national curriculum in Italian schools, but on the new Vespa that mechanical pleasure has gone, replaced by a button. Pressing it reveals that the eager little two-stroke engine has been swapped for a thudding great four-stroke with – I’d soon find out – too much power for the puny chassis, undersized wheels and limp suspension.

No, we're not talking about a rental car business or a new brand of cars and trucks. We're talking about a completely different method of transportation -- motorcycles and scooters.

"We listened to our customers," said Bob Hayden, vice president of Jordan Automotive and president of the newly created Jordan Powersports.

More and more people are having a difficult time dealing with gas prices that have approached $4 a gallon without a blush.

So why not just get more of the higher mile-per-gallon vehicles produced by one of the car brands -- Toyota, Scion, Ford and Volvo -- already sold by the dealership?

But as consumers endure record-high prices at the pump, some businesses -- such as comfort shoe shops and motorcycle dealerships -- are enjoying increased sales.

"Instead of just enthusiasts, we have people coming in specifically because of gas prices," said Randy Felice, sales manager of Vespa Roseville. The dealership has sold four more scooters in April and May, compared to the same period last year.

Dealers here in the Northwest confirm the trend. But what some new moped owners may not know is you need a motorcycle license to drive many of these two-wheelers.

Alex Mutnick of Olympia fires up his brand new moped. Mutnick says when gas hit the $4 a gallon mark he decided to park his Volvo and switch to two-wheels.

Alex Mutnick: “My wife’s vehicle gets 11 miles to the gallon, mine gets 18 to 20. 21 gallon gas tanks. We’re paying about $500 month in gas.”

Mutnick says he knew before he bought that he’d have to get a special motorcycle license called an endorsement.

Alex Mutnick: “I knew because I did a little research and any motor vehicle over 50 ccs require a motorcycle endorsement.”

Many people have the good intention of riding their bikes or taking the bus, but there is another option that is growing in popularity - the personal scooter.

Local scooter retailers are noticing the increase in interest - Small Planet "E" Vehicles in Longmont and Sportique in Boulder are getting busier.

"There has been a gradual sales increase over three years, but the last month there has been a significant increase," said Tom Wilson, owner of Small Planet. "Over the past month sales have increased 25 to 30 percent from last summer."

Wilson attributes the growth to the price of gas.

"When gasoline gets to certain plateaus, sales will go up. When it went up to $3, sales went up, and now that it's almost $4, sales are going up."

Frank Cheyney, sales manager at Dollar Car Lot, is spending more time inside than out these days as he sells more Vespa scooters imported from Italy than cars out on the lot.

"It's gangbusters," he said. "Our traffic is four to one scooters over vehicles."

With the different scooter sizes come different levels of performance. For example, a 50 cc scooter gives you about 30 miles an hour, 80 miles a gallon and a $3,800 price tag. You need a special license to drive a scooter over 50 cc's.

A 150 cc scooter will travel up to 65 miles an hour, gets up to 75 miles to the gallon and will cost anywhere between $1,800 and $4,500 depending on the make and model.

The 110-cc engine Honda Beat, as its name, is expected to become the main weapon to beat Yamaha in the country's growing scooter market.

Until April this year, Honda's share in the scooter market was 26.3 percent, well below Yamaha, who grabbed over a half of the total scooter market.

With a price tag of 12 million rupiah (1,288 U.S. dollars), Honda Beat may help boost the share to at least 45 percent, Astra marketing director Johannes Loman told reporters here.

As gas prices hover around $4 a gallon, drivers are looking for alternative transportation, and scooters are one of the ways people are trying to save money.

Moto Italia in Edwardsville started seeing an increased customer interest in scooters when gas hit $3.50 a gallon, according to manager Judy Conner.

"We are probably 40 percent higher in sales than last year," Conner said. She wasn't able to provide any further details.

The rally started Friday and will end Sunday evening. Deb Watts is participating in this weekend's event and says that while scooter riding is fun, there is an additional benefit.

"It costs a lot less to ride a scooter than it does to drive a vehicle, said Watts. "Most scooters get anywhere from 80 miles per gallon all the way up to 120 miles per gallon. So with the gas prices right now, it's a great way to get out and hang out with your friends but at the same time save some money."