HURRICANE, W.Va. -- When Mark Moye got his 250-cubic centimeter scooter a year ago, his friends laughed.

They've stopped laughing, Moye said - and a few are in the market for their own.

"It's the gas," he said.

Moye commutes about 25 miles a day from Hurricane to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant in Buffalo. He said he can easily get 70 to 80 miles out of just one gallon of gas.

Tim McCormick, manager of Power Sports Center in Cross Lanes, said the store has seen an across-the-board increase in motorcycle sales, but the most significant increase has been in the scooter department.

This year, the store, fondly known as Scooter Town, has sold three times more scooters than it did last year, said Doug Craigo, manager of West Virginia Used Auto Trailer and RV Sales, which owns the store.

McCormick said the Power Sports Center brought in scooters about three years ago, with the idea that gas prices would drive demand.

Still, it wasn't until gas hit $3.60 in April that demand really began to take off, he said.

Scooters range in price from about $1,000 to $6,000, but it "costs $12 to fill up and you can go 300 miles," he said.

"It's an investment that pays for itself," Moye said.

McCormick said scooters "still have the moped stigma" and there are some people that wouldn't be caught dead on one.

"Until they find out what you're paying in gas," he said.

HURRICANE, W.Va. -- When Mark Moye got his 250-cubic centimeter scooter a year ago, his friends laughed.

They've stopped laughing, Moye said - and a few are in the market for their own.

"It's the gas," he said.

Moye commutes about 25 miles a day from Hurricane to the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant in Buffalo. He said he can easily get 70 to 80 miles out of just one gallon of gas.

Tim McCormick, manager of Power Sports Center in Cross Lanes, said the store has seen an across-the-board increase in motorcycle sales, but the most significant increase has been in the scooter department.

This year, the store, fondly known as Scooter Town, has sold three times more scooters than it did last year, said Doug Craigo, manager of West Virginia Used Auto Trailer and RV Sales, which owns the store.

McCormick said the Power Sports Center brought in scooters about three years ago, with the idea that gas prices would drive demand.

Still, it wasn't until gas hit $3.60 in April that demand really began to take off, he said.

Scooters range in price from about $1,000 to $6,000, but it "costs $12 to fill up and you can go 300 miles," he said.

"It's an investment that pays for itself," Moye said.

McCormick said scooters "still have the moped stigma" and there are some people that wouldn't be caught dead on one.

"Until they find out what you're paying in gas," he said.

McCormick said scooters generally get better gas mileage than motorcycles, and scooters also have more storage space.

"If you want to grab a gallon of milk on your home from work, you can just store it in the back," Chuck Sweigert, a frequent customer of the Power Sports Center, said.

The general image of a scooter is that of a traditional moped, but "you can get them in any style," he said.

He pointed to his scooter, which looks like a traditional motorcycle.

The main difference between a motorcycle and a scooter, he said, is the clutch. Scooters are automatic and do not require the driver to shift.

"It's the two-wheel experience without all the stress," McCormick said. "You twist and go."

To ride a scooter, customers need to have a motorcycle endorsement from the Division of Motor Vehicles, he said: "As far as the state is concerned, a scooter is a motorcycle."

And with a motorcycle, the same dangers apply to a scooter, he said. Depending on the engine size, scooters can hit and maintain 70 to 75 mph.

"If you're brave, you can take it out on the highway," he said.

Most customers get a scooter with the intention of using it for fairly short commutes, and go with an engine size that will hit a maximum of 60 mph, McCormick said.

Reach Veronica Nett at veroni...@wvgazette.com or 348-5113.