Majesty's Exhaust Emissions

I would say that the Majesty and most other modern scooters and motorcycles meet current emissions standards but are no better or worse than cars. They do get far better gas mileage than most larger vehicles, but cars such as the Toyota Yaris, Toyota Prius and other hybrids, Volkswagens TDI diesels, Smart TwoFour and such can come very close or better in efficiency and 'green' when driven properly (I can easily squeeze 60mpg out of my Jetta diesel). The big benefits come when you compare them to SUV's and other cars that are far too big for most people's needs on a day to day basis. They also take up less space on roads and in parking lots which helps ease congestion. Less congestion equals less time sitting in grid lock which equals less polutants spewed into the atmosphere.
These machines do make a difference but it is not just a simple single answer, there are many facets as to why and how they help ease pollution.

Air injection is quite a common method of reducing emissions, but it is also quite often disabled in the search for better running machines. You can buy air injection removal kits for many bikes (I was looking at one for the Triumph Bonneville yeterday).

My honest opinion is if you are going to crusade for the use of scooters in your city do so on the reduced congestion and higher fuel mileage fronts and leave the lid on the whole emissions can of worms.

Dave

The Majesty isn't as clean as a hybrid (wife has a Honda Civic Hybrid) but it IS cleaner than most motorcycles for the following reasons:
Most 49 state bikes (excluding California) do NOT have catalytic converters which GREATLY reduce pollution. Only BMW's come with them stock. The Majesty has a catalytic converter. The air pump is just to make the catalytic converter more efficient. Also, most motorcycles do NOT have a charcoal cannister fuel vapor collector. For example my '87 CBR1000F just has a rubber hose connected to an outlet to the top of the fuel tank to the atmosphere. This means a lot of evaporated gasoline goes straight into the air. In the Majesty it is collected in the charcoal cannister and used by the engine when you fire up the scooter.
Since all automobiles are now required to have catalytic convertors, air pumps and charcoal cannister fuel vapour collection systems this means the Majesty is similar to a regular car in terms of how much pollution it puts out - regular motorcycles are much worse. Where you might get maxi scooters counted as green vehicles is in their much better gas mileage than the average automobile or SUV.

teascycleusa - I agree with your comments BUT - you need to have a talk with my wife - she wouldn't ride a motorcycle or scooter if she were given one. I have tried.
The Civic gets between 45-51mpg regular gas.
I agree - for single riders without pouring rain or snow scooters would be by far the best solution. On the other hand my family of 3 went 86 miles round trip to a party Sunday in the Civic - no way 3 Majestys could beat that in mpg/person even if my 9 year old daughter could ride one :wink:
And I agree about the traffic congestion also.
I believe the manufacturers of hybrids are ready to go with recycling batteries - the materials are expensive and it will be cheaper to make batteries from recycled ones than fresh materials.
Around last December my wife and I both decided to do something about our dependence on oil, the rising cost of gas and the number of friends and relatives we have had our do have in the military in Iraq. My wife needed a new car so we got the Civic. I "needed" a new bike - I was driving a Toyota Sienna that got about 21mpg so I got the Majesty.
Our gas bills are at least 50% less now, even with the increased cost.
If you want to learn more about the Civic go to www.greenhybrid.com
the Civic hybrid owner's bulletin board.

I think there is one aspect of this whole argument that needs to be addressed that both of you have overlooked and that is the total cost per mile of operation. The cost of operation is dependent on a lot more than just better fuel mileage...based on my calculations, you should be able to run a bike for about 1/2 the cost of a car. This makes enormous sense for people trying to live on a fixed income or just a low income. Or if you just want to save some money and have some fun doing it. The way I figure it, I put about 90% of the miles I travel on the bike and not the car. That makes my car last a heck of a lot longer. The car is a major expense that requires usually a large loan to buy and several painful years of payments to pay for. I tend to drive anything I own until it is worn out. My Subaru is a 1991 model worth maybe $3000 to the right buyer. It wont depreciate much more no matter how long I keep it. It has about 156,000 miles on it and still runs well, the body is in decent shape and the paint is ok, mechanically it is reasonably sound...at roughly 1,000 miles/year, that car should last me another 40-50 years. During that time, I'll probably buy 5-10 motorcycle/scooter type vehicles at a much lower cost than a car plus the cost of operation is so much lower...I win all the way around. Even the wife is coming around to see the advantages of being on two wheels and is starting to suggest road trips together... so, it saves me money, I have fun, and gets the wife out of the house with me doing something we both enjoy...that is a plan with no downside!!!!

In the state of WA I got into a rather heated E-mail exchange on this issue. I wanted perks for Scooter and Bikes that are "green". It is not just an issue of CO2 output. An even bigger issues is solid waste. 500 lbs vs at least 2000lbs. 4 tires instead of 2. Less damage to roads, NY did a study last year by Vespa I believe , on traffic reduction. The new EU2 and 3 scoots and bikes are very good, and the ones we get in the USA and Canada are made to conform to the standard ( Not enough scoots are not sold in N America to make a special version) My complaint was in Seattle ( I am in sales and scoot in urban areas) there around a 100 spots for bikes to park and I can fit in small spots of course,about 4 scoots fit in 1 for a car. I just wanted the state to consider sharing the space ( It is now one bike one space ) and a couple designated parking areas in each lot for bikes. Granted they are not as good as Green Hybrids, but good enough to be considered green, The state sent me a "study " that was dated ( 2 cycle) vs late 90's cars. as "evidence" as to the poor performance. I have been going back and forth for a few months as I believe that scoots are a viable alternative and green form of transportation.