Two-Wheel Chic : Scooters Taking Young Designs for a Ride

The scooter--that youth conveyance seen everywhere these days, usually with a California Venus or Adonis at the wheel--might remind you of wild times from foreign films like “Quadrophenia” or “Diva.”

Or maybe it takes you back to Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” and Jean Seberg in “Breathless.” If you tend to mix your machines, you may think of James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” or Marlon Brando as “The Wild One.”

But the ‘80s scooter set sees it differently. For them, the cute little vehicles are mainly a convenient, inexpensive way to get around. In some cases, the only way to get around. And some say scooters even make certain fashions easier to wear.

At UCLA, for example, where scooters whisk riders to, from and around the campus, co-eds with mini-wheels and a penchant for high heels have no problem. They ride in style instead of hiking on spikes.

Just about any outfit will do, most riders claim, although females suggest a few fashion precautions. Erica Horstmeyer, a political science major and owner of a Honda Spree, explains that it’s a mistake to get on board too quickly in something slimly tailored: “I’ve ripped too many clothes that way,” she says.

Horstmeyer adds that full skirts need to be strategically tucked under the body. But Audra Roche, a freshman, shies away from them altogether because no matter how you tuck them, “they tend to blow in the wind.”

Ultra-short skirts, not surprisingly, are out of favor with most female riders, and swimsuits are considered too revealing for the streets.

But the combination of shorts plus a scooter (or any of its relatives, such as mopeds and motorcycles) is “very UCLA,” swim-team member Diane Ganer states.

Leather jackets, denim jackets, jeans and--above all--helmets are “advantageous” protective coatings, according to Sgt. Eugene Christensen of the campus police.

“Any time you get on a scooter and start it up, you should have a helmet on,” he says. Denim jeans, Christensen adds, could mean the difference between minor injuries and deep abrasions in case of an accident.

The recommended protective gear is frequently worn by riders but not always for safety’s sake. Music major Tony Cervantes, who traded in his motorcycle for a Yamaha scooter (“it’s cleaner and quieter”), wears a helmet only when its raining to help keep him dry. His safety standards are definitely on the low side, but his estimation of women on scooters is decidedly high: “They look feminine, playful, outdoorsy, healthy.”

College student Diane Tanabe, owner of a fancy Honda Elite 80 adds: “Girls look cool, guys look even better.”