Mike Eaton bought his used 1995 Yamaha Seca as a way to cope with the surge in gas prices. "I decided to buy the motorcycle because I was spending 40-50 dollars to fill up the tank of my car and it got to the point where I was just putting enough to get where I needed to go."
Eaton is part of a growing number of people who are switching out their gas guzzlers in favor of two wheel, money savers. Clawson Honda's Larry Harris says sales of motorcycles and scooters are up more than 25 percent this year compared to the same time last year. "It's an economical thing, some of my motorcycles and the big motorcycles get upwards of 40 miles per gallon," said Harris.
Some of these scooters on the dealership's floor can travel more than a 100 miles a gallon. With Friday marking the 17th consecutive day of gas price increases, consumers are saying every gallon counts.
Steven's Bicycles store manager, Chris Fleming, says more people are choosing not to fill up. Fleming says customers are now buying more bikes to commute to work, and business at the store's repairs department is booming. "Most people are getting a bike fixed that they already have if they are trying to save money on gas, getting tune ups or maybe tires of tubes changed."
Store owners are now considering selling previously owned bicycles. Experts predict customers will line up to save up.
"I think you're probably going to see what I call the Ebay effect where people are going to be selling old stuff and bicycles have been sitting around for a while, for a couple of years," said Fresno State professor Dr. Bill Rice.
