RV season’s picking up, and that’s prime time for retailers like Moxie Scooters in Grapevine.

Owner John Raimondi counts, as a big segment of customers, people who were born in other countries and are used to alternative modes of transportation like scooters. Additionally, many of his customers like to buy scooters so they’ll have something to motor around on when they hit the road in their RVs and fifth wheels.

Moxie sells seven brands in mostly gas-powered models, which can go as high as 80 miles per hour compared to the 45 for electric. “Americans have a need for speed,” he said.

Raimondi opened Moxie in December 2004 in Colleyville and moved the store last year to Grapevine. The shop, at 503 W. Northwest Highway north of downtown Grapevine, sells Vespa, Piaggio, Kymco, Genuine, SYM, Lance and NIU scooters.

The Italian Vespas are the shop’s bestsellers. Moxie’s Vespas sell for $4,000-$10,000, with engine size the chief determinant of price.

The Vespa Primavera 150 scooter is one of Moxie’s top sellers, at $5,799. Its 150 cc engine requires users to have a motorcycle license.

The most popular features of scooters are under-seat storage, step-through design (the placement of the engine and gas tank on a motorcycle require riders to lift a leg over the saddle), and automatic transmission.

Scooters weigh substantially less than motorbikes, too. Industry-wide, about 60% of scooter buyers are men, but Raimondi says his are 50% men and 50% women.

Besides the popular features, Moxie’s Vespa Primavera 150, which has a 1.5-gallon gas tank and range of 85 miles per gallon, is popular for its traditional styling, Raimondi said.

“It looks a lot like it did 20-30 years ago,” he said.