If you are used to a motorcycle a scooter may seem strange until you get used to it. For someone who has no motorcycle experience a scooter will be much easier to ride. I am used to both scooters and motorcycles and switch between them all the time. A small scooter is much easier to ride especially in low speed situations.
Small wheels tend to make a scooter seem twitchy although some scooters have up to 16" wheels and will feel more like a motorcycle. It's the low weight' low CG and auto tranny that makes scooter so easy to handle. On the other hand, Scooters generally don't have really low seats while some small motorcycles do. For someone with a short inseam a small cruiser like a Virago 250 or Rebel 300 might be the ideal bike to start on.
