I plan to buy a scooter next summer to zip around the countryside on ... there are two 49cc choices offered by the Japanese for tough guys like me: the Yamaha Vino and the Honda Metropolitan.

From an aesthetic viewpoint, I prefer the Vino: two-tone paint and sharper wheels. Not sure how much they differ in price. Would be nice to take the kids to school on a scooter instead of firing up the CR-Vibrator for a five minute trip twice a day. Wonder how well a 49cc machine can handle the hills of Ithaca, especially while hauling my Falstaffian bulk.