It's a scooter (not a moped).

"Did you ride your moped to work today?"

"No."

Silence.

I look up to see the quizzical look. "I don't own a moped."

Silence.

Sigh. "I have a motor scooter. There are no pedals. 'mo-ped'. Ped is for pedals."


In my preliminary survey for scooter riders, I purposefully left a few questions vague because I wanted to see if other people were having the same conversations that I have with non-riders. The question is very poor for a proper survey, but it is helpful in determining some of the choices I will use for the formal survey in the next year or so. As of June 5, 2013; about a third of the respondents mentioned or vehemently complained about non-riders' insistence of calling scooters "moped".'

Pop star Zayn Malik, from the top 40 band One Direction, wrecked a Vespa when he wiped out on some gravel. Another member of the band, Liam Payne, said that Malik had "never ridden a moped before" the video shoot. One of the preliminary survey respondents clearly expressed the scooterist sentiment well, "Ughhhh, I HATE when they call it a moped."

Scooterists tightly mingle with moped riders and often own mopeds themselves. The frustration is not a disdain for mopeds but the frustration that non-riders seem unable to follow verbal cues offered by scooterists. Using the wrong term is like Endora on Bewitched always calling Darrin by assorted similar, yet incorrect names. To scooter riders, calling a scooter a moped is a matter of disrespect. Riders feel like the wrong terminology is dismissive of their lifestlyle and the machine. For vintage riders, the machines represent the perfect blend of modernization and style. For riders of modern scooters; scooters are powerful machines that are cross-country highway machines that often serve as our primary commute. Even in Roman Holiday, the classic scooter zipped and sang through the city streets. I do not recall a disappointing sputtering crawl through Rome.

So how do you respond when someone calls your scooter a "moped"?

Scooter rider survey - May to July 2013

Preliminary Survey for Scooter Riders:

The survey is very basic; however it will serve to get a feel for the direction I will take in developing a more formal, research survey. Please take a few minutes and fill it out. The formal survey will be developed by myself, an author trained in social science, and a public relations/marketing professional. Your participation will provide valuable information for my team.

Thank you very much!
PRELIMINARY SCOOTER SURVEY
or copy and paste URL: [LINK REMOVED 7/22 - SURVEY ENDED]

Update May 28, 2013: Wow, the survey already has had about 40 60 80 84 85 (3:50am 7/22) respondents! Submissions are already proving to be very helpful in planning the formal survey.

I appreciate the absolute honesty of my fellow scooter riders. You are bold, colorful, interesting, and each one of you have unique stories to share. The critiques are extremely valuable and aid in honing the quality of the formal survey in development.

This preliminary survey will stay active for about half of the Summer 2013. Reminder that your personal information will remain private

I genuinely appreciate your participation. Scoot Happy!
The Scootorian

FINAL UPDATE
Survey Test #1 successful. I will be running various test surveys in the future to work out the quirks, problems, and successes.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and ride!
The Scootorian