The Natchez Democrat

photo by Hannah Reel

Owner of J&R Motor Scooters Jerry Yonkman sits on the SYM Fiddle II that is for sale at his store on Commerce Street. Yonkman sells and rents motor scooters from his store that he opened two weeks ago.

By Jennifer Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Sunday, October 4, 2009

NATCHEZ — Green isn’t just the color of a scooter for Jerry Yunkman, it is a state of mind.

With the opening of his new business on North Commerce Street in Natchez, Yunkman is hoping to get more people on board with the “it’s good to go green” mindset.

Yunkman is the owner of J&R Motor Scooters, LLC, located at 105 N. Commerce St.

The business opened its doors two weeks ago and sales, rents and services motor scooters. Yunkman is new in the business, but he’s a bit of expert when it comes to scooters.

“I’ve driven a scooter for four years,” Yunkman said. “I don’t even own a car.

“When it rains, I wear rain gear; when it’s cold I just wear layers of clothes. Really, the only time you don’t want to be on a scooter is during a hurricane.”

Photo by Hannah Reel

Photo by Hannah Reel

Motor scooters are on display both inside and outside the store located at 105 N. Commerce St. in downtown Natchez.

Scooters, Yunkman said, are one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transportation, often getting well over 100 miles per the gallon of gasoline.

J&R Motor Scooters stocks Sanyang Motors scooters in sizes ranging from 50 cc scooters to 300 cc scooters.

And though he rides a Vespa scooter, Yunkman said SYM scooters are superior in quality. He said the company has been around since 1954, but only started marketing its products in the United States in 2006.

“These are the same people that made Honda Civics and Honda Accords,” he said. “Honda wanted to buy them out because of the quality of their products but they chose to stay private.”

SYM has a company-wide mission to create fuel-efficient eco-friendly products with ultra-low emissions and made of lightweight recyclable materials.

“These are firs- class scooters,” he said. “I’d trade my Vespa in for one any day.”

Yunkman and his Vespa moved to Natchez from Washington, where he was a music professor at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., to be closer to family that lives in Natchez.

Yunkman admits that he has entered a tough market when it comes to marketing his scooters, but he said along with starting a successful business, he’s hoping to start a movement among locals of being more eco-conscious.

“The environment is a big deal, and its time to start being more aware of it,” he said. “Scooters are every bit as comfortable and easy to drive as cars and much more green.”

The scooters range in price from under $2,400 to just under $5,500.

“I have a scooter for any size and price range,” he said.

Yunkman isn’t putting all his interest in sales though. He also rents the small scooters for one-hour, two-hour, four-hour and eight-hour time periods.

Rentals are available to any licensed driver over the age of 18.

“Mississippi law says as long as the scooters are under 50cc, no motorcycle endorsement is needed,” Yunkman said. “The companies know these laws, so the scooters are actually 49.5 cc.”

Before anyone hits the streets on the scooter, Yunkman provides lessons to make sure the driver understands how to operate the scooter safely. He also provides helmets.

The lessons usually last about an hour, he said.

“I’ll go out driving with them and if after that hour, they seem really comfortable I’ll say ‘Go ahead, have fun,’” he said. “My insurance requires that I do the lessons, but I’d do it anyway to make sure people are safely enjoying scooting.”

Rentals are $18 for one hour, $32 for two hours, $55 for four hours and $90 for eight hours. The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday rentals are available through reservations only.

For more information call 601-445-0300.

Yunkman hopes the tourist market in Natchez picks up on the idea of scooter tours, because he said scooting is a one-of-a-kind way to see the city.

“Right now, the only real way to see the city is in a car because things are spread out,” he said. “But on a scooter, it’s a whole different experience. It’s a way to tour the city but maybe get a little off the beaten path.”

So far, Yunkman hasn’t sold a scooter but has had a few rentals and a number of people come in to the shop and browse.

“Surprisingly, all the rentals have been to local folks, but they have enjoyed themselves,” he said.