They're seen lined up in front of Grainger Hall, in slews parked in front of College Library, and buzzing down the streets. From Honda to Yamaha, mopeds of all shapes, sizes and colors are everywhere on the University of Wisconsin campus.

Randy Knudson, owner of Scooter Therapy on Ingersoll Street, said currently the most popular brand is the Kymco, a brand from Taiwan that features models like the ZX50.

"[Kymco] is the best quality by far," Knudson said.

Students looking to snag one of these can expect to pay as much as $2,600, which includes the tags and license plate. Cheaper Kymco models cost around $1,900, according to Knudson.

Brian Raupp, a UW junior majoring in economics, said he got his moped during his sophomore year to save time while getting to classes.

"It was the fact that I had to walk from Langdon [Street] to Engineering [Hall] every day," Raupp said. He drives a used 1988 silver Honda Passport scooter, which he bought in his hometown in Illinois for $600.

Avoiding a long walk to class is reason enough for Anne Toman to look into owning a moped some day. Toman, a freshman majoring in history, said she would consider buying one for time and travel convenience.

"Classes can get far away and I don't want to be outside in the frigid air for too long," Toman said.

Some students, however, still prefer to make the trek to class.

Myles Nelson, a freshman majoring in agronomy, either bikes or walks to class. He said he thinks mopeds are unnecessary for students.

"Everything on campus is accessible by walking," Nelson said.

Knudson said student sales of mopeds remain high during the school year, a fact he said he attributes to the spread-out layout of campus.

"I think they're really important for students, with only 15 minutes in between classes," he said.

One thing Knudson said might affect moped sales is if parking laws around the city and campus are changed. A lack of available parking is an issue students who own mopeds face every day, he added.

Raupp said it is becoming increasingly difficult to find parking in front of Grainger Hall and the Social Science building.

"I think there are problems with sufficient parking," Raupp said.

Raupp received one parking citation in Madison, which cost him $40. He also has received warning tickets.

Nelson said there are too many mopeds on campus and their noise isn't music to everyone's ears.

"Certain mopeds that are extremely loud wake you up in the morning," Nelson said.

Toman, who said she wants to own a pink moped someday, said there are certain disadvantages to mopeds.

"I think that people can get kind of dangerous when going to class when there are tons of people in the street," Toman said.

Toman, who feels moped drivers don't pay enough attention to pedestrians, said she thinks moped popularity will not decrease soon.

"We're just going to get more [mopeds], so we can't do anything about it," she said.