Note there is no single fixed definition of a scooter (also known by the full name motor-scooter), but generally a smaller motorcycle with a step-through frame is considered a scooter, especially if it has a floor for the rider's feet (as opposed to straddling the vehicle like a conventional motorcycle). Other common traits of scooters can include: bodywork (so the mechanicals are not exposed like a conventional motorcycle), motors combined with the suspension or wheel (rather than attached to the frame like a conventional motorcycle), leg shields, smaller wheels than a conventional motorcycle, and an alternative to a chain drive. [1]
Scooters share traits with mopeds (some models could even be considered both a moped and a scooter). Adding to the confusion between them, in many jurisdictions smaller engined scooters (e.g. 50cc) are road registered in the same legal category as mopeds (often named "Moped" class), leading to scooters being casually referred to as "mopeds" in such areas. [2] Underbones also share traits with scooters (e.g. small and step-through design), but they are generally not strictly considered scooters in the purest sense as they do not have a floor, but they are often casually referred to as scooters (especially ones with leg shields).
Manufacturer / brand | Nationality | Group / notes |
---|---|---|
AS Motors | Algeria | |
Adiva | Italy/Taiwan | ADIVA S.r.l. - Maxiscooters (200–400) with a foldable roof; initial scoters in 2000 were collaborations with Benelli. [3] Largely Taiwanese built range. |
Adly | Taiwan | Her Chee Industrial Co Ltd; previously US market brands included AMS, Jui Li, and Grycner (using German supplied Sachs 505 engines). Currently Taiwanese built range. |
Aeon | Taiwan | Aeon Motor |
AJS | United Kingdom | Manufactured in China (from 2002) [4] [5] |
Aprilia | Italy | Piaggio & C. SpA. |
Askoll | Italy | Askoll Group; all electric range [6] |
Avangan | Iran | Manufacturer of electric scooters |
Bajaj | India | Bajaj Auto Ltd; Licensed manufacturer of Vespa scooters (sold as Vespa 150) in the 1960s. Production continued after the license expired in the 1970s (sold as Bajaj); models included the Chetak (until 2006), and the Priya (subcontracted to Maharashtra Scooters Ltd to manufacture [7] [ user-generated source ]). From 2019 electric models also named Chetak, but as its own marque [8] |
Baotian | China | Baotian Motorcycle Industrial Co. Ltd, or Jiangmen Sino-HongKong Baotian Motorcycle Industrial Co. Ltd. |
Benelli (1995 relaunch) | Italy | Qianjiang Motorcycle (Geely Holding Group) |
Beta | Italy | |
BMW | Germany | BMW Motorrad |
Čezeta (2018 relaunch) | Czech Republic | Project by DEVS that was operated in the now liquidated company Čezeta Motors s.r.o. |
CFMoto | China | Partners with KTM |
Chetak | India | Electric models built by Bajaj [8] |
Chicago Scooter Company | United States | Genuine Scooter Company; US brand of Chinese manufactured scooters |
Dafra | Brazil | Itavema Group; assembler of various Asian manufactured scooters |
Daelim / DNA Motors | South Korea | Formerly named Daelim Motor Company and Daelim Motorcycle, renamed DNA Motors in 2021; however the Daelim brand name is still used in some markets (e.g. UK). |
Derbi | Spain | Piaggio & C. SpA. |
Di Blasi Industriale | Italy | Range of folding mopeds [9] |
Garelli (relaunched) | Italy | All electric; produced by Baotian [10] |
Geely / Jiming | China | Geely Motorcycle/Jiming, a subsidiary of Geely Holding Group |
Genuine | United States | Genuine Scooter Company; US brand selling Asian manufactured scooters. Initially with Indian LML Vespa style metal bodied scooters (as the Genuine Stella), moving on to Taiwanese PGO Scooters; includes the Buddy model range. |
GOVECS | Germany/Poland | All electric range; based in Germany, manufactured in Poland |
Gilera | Italy | Piaggio & C. SpA. |
Gogoro | Taiwan | Gogoro Inc. |
Hero | India | Hero MotoCorp (formerly Hero Honda). Models include Hero Pleasure and Hero Maestro |
Honda | Japan | Honda Motor Co., Ltd.; manufactured in various plants including in Japan and Thailand |
Italjet | Italy | Italjet Dragster (1998–2003). A rebooted Dragster was put in production in 2022. |
Junak | Poland | |
Kawasaki | Japan | Kawasaki Heavy Industries |
KR Motors (Hyosung) | South Korea | KR Motors Co. Ltd, formerly a division of the Hyosung Group and manufactured products sold as Hyosung brand, part of LVMC Holdings (2014). |
Kymco | Taiwan | Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd |
Lambretta (2018 relaunch) | Switzerland | Lambretta GmbH (joint venture of the Swiss Lambretta Consortium/Innocenti SA. and the Austrian KSR Group); V models designed by Austrian firm Kiska, and produced in Asia based on SYM mechanicals. Later models include the G350, a monocoque steel chassis design. [11] |
Lifan | China | Lifan Industry (Group) Co., Ltd.; production facilities in various countries |
Loncin | China | Manufactured by Longxin Motorcycle Industry Co., Ltd a subsidiary of Loncin Holdings; uses brand names Italika (Mexico), AKT (Colombia), Viper (Ukraine), Minsk (Russia & Belarus), and Zanella (Argentina) |
Mahindra | India | Mahindra Two Wheelers, a division of Mahindra & Mahindra |
Malaguti | Italy | KSR Group GmbH (Austria); relaunched 2018 after a 2011 bankruptcy [12] |
MBK (formerly Motobécane) | France | Yamaha |
Modenas | Malaysia | Began production in 1996. Kawasaki has a 30% ownership, but Modenas also has commercial relationships with many other Asian brands. [13] |
MZ | Germany | |
NIU | China | All electric [14] range by Niu Technologies. Early adopters of lithium-ion batteries. |
Peugeot | France | Joint venture between Mahindra and Mahindra and PSA |
PGO Scooters | Taiwan | Motive Power Industry; originally in collaboration with Piaggio until 1982. Models include Bubu, G-Max, and PMX. Manufacturers of Genuine Scooters's Buddy and Roughhouse models. |
Piaggio | Italy | Piaggio & C. SpA.; Production facilities in Italy and China |
Rex | Germany/China | German brand of Asian sourced scooters made by Baotian and Jinan Qingqi [15] |
QJMotor | China | Made by Qianjiang Motorcycle, a subsidiary of Geely Holding Group |
Rieju | Spain | |
Qianjiang | China | Qianjiang Motorcycle |
Qingqi | China | Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co., Ltd |
SFM (formerly Sachs) | Germany | |
Scarabeo | Italy | Produced by Aprilia. Initially an Aprilia model introduced in 1993, Scarabeo is now brand in its own right within the Piaggio group. Range has included 50 to 500cc models. |
Scomadi | United Kingdom | Scomadi Worldwide Ltd; UK designed, assembled in Thailand with Asian components [16] |
SEAT | Spain | All electric range. [17] SEAT MO 125, white-label product for Silence S01 |
Singer | Bangladesh | Singer Corporation. Chinese made scooters for the Bangladeshi market, from 2012 |
Super Soco | China | Vmoto Soco group, all electric range. |
Sinnis | China | Jinan Qingqi Motorcycle Co., Ltd |
Solifer | Finland | Solifer Oy; once a manufacturer (1950s-1980s), scooters are now all Chinese imports |
SYM | Taiwan | |
Suzuki | Japan | Suzuki Motor Corporation; manufactured in various plants including in Japan, China (including Jincheng Group), and India [18] |
Tell | Switzerland | Brand of supermarket chain Landi; scooters are Chinese sourced |
Taiwan Golden Bee (TGB) | Taiwan | Originally produced Vespa components, TGB now also manufactures CVTs for Piaggio, Rotax, Peugeot Motocycles, Minarelli, Morini, Polaris and SYM. |
TVS | India | Sundaram - Clayton Limited; models include the TVS Scooty |
Unu | Germany | All electric range |
Vectrix | USA/Poland | USA made electric scooters (2006–2013). Relocated to Poland and back in production in 2015 under GOVECS ownership. |
VMS Industries | Algeria | Algerian company specializing in the distribution, sales, and potentially manufacturing of motorcycles, scooters, |
Vespa | Italy | Piaggio & C. SpA.; engine plant in Italy; [19] bodies built in various locations including Italy and Vietnam |
Viar | Indonesia | |
Yamaha | Japan | Yamaha Motor Company; Originally made in Japan, but various models are also made or assembled in Yamaha plants in other countries like Indonesia, Singapore or Vietnam, Taiwan, and Philippines. |
Zongshen | China | Chongqing Zongshen Power Machinery Company; has a relationship with Piaggio through Zongshen Piaggio Foshan Motorcycle Co., Ltd [20] |
Znen / Zhongneng | China | Zhongneng Vehicle Group Co., Ltd.; petrol and electric scooters. Sold under numerous brands including Qianxifeng, [21] Jinlun (worldwide), Lexmoto (UK), Tamoretti (UK, Netherlands), Dorton (Spain), Mondial (Turkey), and in the USA Paparazzi's, Flyscooters, Lance, and BMS. Owners of Moto Morini. |
Z Electric Vehicle | USA | All electric range |
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy, to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.
Piaggio Group is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under five brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Derbi. Its corporate headquarters are located in Pontedera, Italy. The company was founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, initially producing locomotives and railway carriages.
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production.
Puch is a manufacturing company located in Graz, Styria, Austria. The company was founded in 1899 by the industrialist Johann Puch and produced automobiles, bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles. It was a subsidiary of the large Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate.
Innocenti was an Italian machinery works, originally established by Ferdinando Innocenti in 1933 in Lambrate, a neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Milan. Over the years, they produced Lambretta scooters as well as a range of automobiles, mainly of British Leyland origins. The brand was retired in 1996, six years after being acquired by Fiat.
Malaguti is an Italian bicycle, scooter and motorcycle company based in San Lazzaro di Savena, founded by Antonino Malaguti in 1930. Producing bicycles until 1958, they then entered the motorcycle market. Noted for their use of small engines in their bikes. In October 2011, Malaguti laid off its remaining employees in Bologna, Italy as the company eventually folded.
This timeline of motorized bicycle history is a summary of the major events in the development and use of motorized bicycles and tricycles, which are defined as pedal cycles with motor assistance but which can be powered by pedals alone.
Polini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of tuning parts for motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters. Among other products, they produce cylinders and variators for both racing and road use. They also produce pocket bikes with 50cc up to 15 hp.
Allstate was an American brand of vehicles marketed by Sears. Scooters, motorcycles, and cars were sourced from several manufacturers and re-badged with the Sears "Allstate" brand. Piaggio and Cushman were major suppliers of scooters, while Puch and Gilera supplied mopeds and motorcycles, and cars at different times were supplied by the Lincoln Motor Car Works and Kaiser-Frazer.
Genuine, or The Genuine Scooter Company is a Chicago-based manufacturer of motorscooters, notably the Stella and Buddy models. The company markets scooters and accessories through a network of over 240 dealers in the United States. In 2018 it began selling a 400cc air-cooled, single-cylinder motorcycle, under a sister brand 'Genuine Motorcycles'.
General Corradino D'Ascanio was an Italian aeronautical engineer. D'Ascanio designed the first production helicopter, for Agusta, and designed the first motor scooter for Ferdinando Innocenti. After the two fell out, D'Ascanio helped Enrico Piaggio produce the original Vespa.
The Heinkel Tourist is a motor scooter that was made by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke from 1953 to 1965. More than 100,000 were manufactured and sold.
A scooter is a motorcycle with an underbone or step-through frame, a seat, a transmission that shifts without the operator having to operate a clutch lever, a platform for their feet, and with a method of operation that emphasizes comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motor scooters have been made since at least 1914. More recently, scooters have evolved to include scooters exceeding 250cc classified as Maxi-scooters.
Lambretta is a brand of motor scooters, manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti.
Brumana Pugliese S.A. was a Brazilian motorcycle and scooter manufacturer that ceased trading in 1982. Its predecessor companies were Lambretta do Brasil and Pasco Lambretta.
Zhongneng Vehicle Group, is a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer founded by Chen Huaneng in June 1988, in Taizhou, Zhejiang. It was not until 1996 that ZNEN manufactured its first petrol mopeds. After twenty years in the motor vehicle industry, Zhongneng Industry Group develops three main products: petrol mopeds, electric mopeds, and motorcycles.
Malanca was an Italian motorcycle maker. The company's founder, Mario Malanca, started the venture by building mechanical parts and hubs for motorcycle wheels before producing his first complete motorcycle in 1956.
Avello was a Spanish manufacturer of machine tools, motorcycles and scooters, famous for its MV Agusta and Puch brand machines. It was founded by Alfredo Avello in 1940 and closed in March 2013. The factory was in the city of Gijón in Asturias, northern Spain.
Itom was a motorcycle factory founded in Turin, in 1944, and transferred to Sant'Ambrogio di Torino in 1957/58 where it produced motorcycles until the close of 1975. The owner was the lawyer Corrado Corradi.