I have a big decision to make.

I ride so often and enjoy it so much I am considering what was once unthinkable. I am considering selling my scooter.

I love scooters and by extension motorcycles. I love the style and beauty of the machines, the culture surrounding them (particularly scooters), the practicality and fuel efficiency of this mode of transportation and perhaps most importantly the sense of freedom that riding provides.

There are a lot of parallels between the two. One might be surprised to know that statistically riding a bicycle and riding a small displacement motorcycle or scooter carries the same risk. This is something my wife will never understand. She sees motorcycles as dangerous (something I should stay away from), scooters as somewhat less dangerous (and okay for me to ride) and bicycles as significantly safer (something she encourages me to do). The fact is that the risks are relatively small for riding all three, though they increase exponentially for motorcycles if one chooses to ride a 1 liter bike, ride drunk, ride with another rider and ride at night.

I think it's pretty easy even for non riders to understand that the sense of freedom and fun is also similar for both bicycles and motorcycles. What they might be surprised to learn is that it's a lot scarier to fling yourself down a hill at 30 miles an hour on a bicycle than it is to ride 70 miles an hour on the freeway on a larger motorcycle.

The one issue I find hard to get around is the gas savings motorcycles provide over cars. My scooter gets 72 miles to the gallon. My car south of 20 miles per gallon. It cost me $7 to fill my scooter's tank, while the Ford sets me back $70. All other things being equal that $70 tank of gas gets me about as far as $14 on the scooter. As a result, I like to commute to school and work on my scooter, though since my illness I have not done so. This summer gas is going to hit a record high, and I'll want to save as much gas as possible.

That means I have to substitute riding the bike for riding the scooter. School, which is two days a week, is about 12 miles away. That's at my limit of what I'd want to do. Work is too far away for the bike and not safely reached from home - too many freeways to cross. It could be done, but with the kind of work I do it would make for a long, long day.

Of course where I probably burn the most gas is going from home to the grocery store QuickTrip, to the sub shop or (I'll admit it, McDonald's). That can be done by bicycle very easily.

Notably missing from this equation is taking the kids to daycare. That's not going to happen on the scooter, though technically I could do this by bike with a trailer. I think Amy would even let me get away with that once in a while. (Oh, a challenge)!

I could easily buy a nice touring bike for what I could sell the scooter on Craigslist.

Then there's the missed opportunities for future motorcycle/scooter fun. The rallies. The light touring. The dream of motorcycle camping. The sheer awesomeness of Vespa ownership.

Ah, that's what really gets me. The idea of owning a Vespa. A GTS 300 Super...I have to stop.

Of course, I could do a lot of Katy Trail rides, adventure cycling trips, gran fondos, etc., with the money I save from the purchase, maintenance and fueling of a Vespa.

If I only can get my head around riding my bike everywhere.