Scooter as first bike

[Zerosum]

If you live in an area with rough roads the tiny wheels are a huge liability IMHO.   It's very exciting in a bad way when the front wheel falls into a pothole.

Piaggio makes one with large, narrow wheels... that's what I'd get if I needed a scooter.

Yeah, the streets in Baltimore are slightly better than streets you might find in a third world country.  That's a big reason why I chose a V-Strom as my commuter bike.