How much horsepower does a typical around-town scooter (i.e. vespa, ruckus, razz, etc)? ?

With the rising costs of gas all over the world, buying a cheap electric motor scooter could be a great way to save money on your transportation.
But finding a good motor scooter takes some investigation and research first. The engines are rated by the output of watts. How your scooter will handle certain loads and terrain will depend on the rating.
The electric scooters are belt or chain driven, unless they are direct drive.
They are battery powered and many scooter brands come with two or three batteries. For the most part, the power rating of an electric motor scooter is determined by the power and by the quality of the batteries that are used. Factors such as rough road or terrain, tire pressure and heavy riders or loads can cause the battery charge to be drained more quickly.
Finding a good quality electric motor scooter that fits into your budget should not be too hard. With that said, you should expect to spend at least $500 to $700 or $800 on a good scooter. This may sound like a lot of money but you will also be saving a lot of money on fuel with your electric scooter.
You can also check the auctions and local papers and places like craigslist for scooters being sold online locally.
You may just get lucky and find a scooter being sold by someone who just can't make the payments or for some other reason, needs to sell it.
Also try to find out as much as you possibly can about the used scooters history. If it has been repaired and what was the extent of the repairs or if parts have been replaced over the years. Just like buying an automobile, make sure you check out the history of the scooter and find out as much as possible about any prior damage or repairs.