# Help me name my scooter! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 11, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799 "2010-10-11T16:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/1 "2010-10-11T16:34:22Z")
Okay, so I got a new scooter this weekend. I love it! It’s a Yamaha TMax, 500cc, and I realized how much I’ve missed having a maxi-scooter around. But I have a problem–he hasn’t told me his name yet! Usually when I get a vehicle, it’s not very long before it suggests a name to me, but so far I’m drawing a blank. So I’m tossing it out to the Dope to see what they come up with. He looks like [this](http://www.scooteringusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/yamaha-tmax1.jpg). The sorts of names that always stick for my vehicles are either short and simple, or else longer but can be abbreviated to short and simple. They’re usually just a little bit cute, but not too cutesy (“Smurf” is right out). Examples of names I’ve had for vehicles in the past: Spike, Zaphod, Kronk (my last scooter), Kuzco, Squeak, and Boo. Probably two syllables max (or a longer name that can be cut down to two.) My scoot’s a boy, so no girl names. And I don’t want to call him “Max” because that’s way too obvious. Cartoon character names are good (“Hobbes” is a possibility), something from World of Warcraft, video games in general, or Hitchhiker’s Guide, silly “tough” names (like “Riff”), and that sort of thing are what I’m looking for. Bonus if it has some reason (no matter how tenous) behind it. For example, Boo was a blue truck, and Zaphod was a convertible, so he looked like he had two heads sticking up when the top was down. Any ideas? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/2 "2010-10-11T16:37:12Z")
uh…Scooter? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/3 "2010-10-11T16:39:39Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > uh…Scooter? “This is my scooter…Scooter.” Uh…I think I want to be a little more original than that. 😃 Thanks for the suggestion, though! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/4 "2010-10-11T16:41:20Z")
How about _ **Jimmy** _, after the [scooter-riding protaganist](http://www.scooterswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/JimmysScooter2.jpg)in Quadrophenia? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/5 "2010-10-11T16:46:45Z")
Minja. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/6 "2010-10-11T16:49:34Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > > > uh…Scooter? > > “This is my scooter…Scooter.” > > Uh…I think I want to be a little more original than that. 😃 > > Thanks for the suggestion, though! Dude, it’s all in the delivery. If you can get the eyebrow waggle right, the world would be your oyster. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/7 "2010-10-11T17:24:11Z")
If you want to play off the Max theme without using Max, some suggestions: Smart Wojo Headroom The pic looks like something Batman would ride, but I’m not getting a wealth of catchy names there – maybe D.K. (for Dark Knight) I’m also partial to the name Mojo for no reason whatsoever. My guess is that he will reveal his name in due time, and it won’t be a name you got here. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/8 "2010-10-11T17:51:54Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > If you want to play off the Max theme without using Max, some suggestions: > > Smart > Wojo > Headroom > > The pic looks like something Batman would ride, but I’m not getting a wealth of catchy names there – maybe D.K. (for Dark Knight) > > I’m also partial to the name Mojo for no reason whatsoever. > > My guess is that he will reveal his name in due time, and it won’t be a name you got here. Batman. 🙂 I kind of like that, actually. DK would be funny because one of my two main characters in World of Warcraft is a Death Knight, and everybody always calls them DKs. Hmm…or “Bats?” Mojo is nice too. I don’t care for Wojo because I remember him in Barney Miller, and he always seemed kind of big and stupid. I want a name that’s more swoopy and cool. I think you’re right about him giving me his name over time. Just hoping some of the suggestions will twig me in the right direction (like yours did). One of my tests for whether a name is a good one is how natural it sounds in the sentence, “I think I’ll take \_\_\_\_ out for a ride today.” Anything too long or pretentious sounds bad. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/9 "2010-10-11T20:05:29Z")
> [@](#): > > One of my tests for whether a name is a good one is how natural it sounds in the sentence, “I think I’ll take \_\_\_\_ out for a ride today.” Anything too long or pretentious sounds bad. Call it your favorite Hollywood star, in that case! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/10 "2010-10-11T20:17:31Z")
Sleestak. He also has a “V” vibe about him. How about Vijay or Valdis? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/11 "2010-10-11T20:26:55Z")
**Urr,** after a drummer in one of the incarnations of the band Moby Grape. **Hack.** Among other things, hack means a small carriage. **Gimlet** is a sharp, tough name. It is also a bitey little cocktail made from gin and lime juice. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/12 "2010-10-11T20:59:25Z")
Trigger. Trusty Steed. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/13 "2010-10-11T21:11:27Z")
You could go obscure and name it [Richard Hunt](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0402611/) who voiced Scooter in several of the Muppet Movies. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/14 "2010-10-11T21:16:35Z")
PWNer or Choppa come to mind from WoW… Or Baron. I think Von Richtofen had a brother, also a fighter ace, that preferred a blue color scheme on his plane… ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/15 "2010-10-11T21:49:11Z")
Scooty Puff Jr ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/16 "2010-10-11T21:55:20Z")
Arcee aka “R.C.” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/17 "2010-10-11T21:55:50Z")
Thanks for the suggestions, everybody! It’s interesting how many different directions folks went in. So far, I think the frontrunners are Mojo and Bats (for Batman), but they’re all great! Keep 'em coming! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/18 "2010-10-12T01:00:59Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > Dude, it’s all in the delivery. If you can get the eyebrow waggle right, the world would be your oyster. In that case, you must name him Goodboy Bindle Featherstone of Quirm but call him Errol. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/19 "2010-10-12T04:29:50Z")
Boot. Boot Scooter. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799/20 "2010-10-12T12:24:34Z")
Libby, as in Scooter Libby. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-name-my-scooter/556799.md?page=2)