Well, it’s a 500cc scooter I have. Can’t say I was thinking about a scooter back when I was looking but living next door to a Vespa dealership certainly influenced my decision. I was looking for a 2008 Ninja 250 but they were impossible to come by last summer. Having the big scooter has been fun though. It is my only means of transport so having a large underseat storage plus a topbox gives me plenty of room to store stuff.
I have also lucked out in that it has allowed me to ride with a local scooter group who are the most fun group I have ridden with yet. They have spirited rides on the best routes around. They kick off folks who are not ATGATT or who have poor control. It is run by a local online bike magazine and they have contacts with all the local businesses and they helped promote Proficient Motorcycling back when it was launched. David Hough writes articles for the mag and I even got to meet him on a group ride. So having a scooter as my first ride has been a great introduction into the biking scene for me.
As far as licensing goes, I think it’s pretty common that anything above 50cc or 35mph is regarded as a motorcycle. Don’t think there is such a thing as a “scooter” as far as the DOL is concerned. It is either a motorcycle or a moped (motor powered bicycle).
And parking for a TMAX would be the same as for a bike. It is the same size as a regular bike. Law enforcement may look the other way for cute little Vespa’s but I would not expect that for a full size bike/scooter.