If California’s real estate industry hadn’t tanked so badly in recent years, Irvine resident Bentley Kerr probably wouldn’t be talking about self-propelled scooters.

As it is, an adult version of a traditional child’s riding toy consumes Kerr’s waking hours and fills his midnight dreams.

“Initially we didn’t think of this as a business, but (after two years) it has evolved from a part-time planning exercise to a full-time venture,” said Kerr, who remains a principal in the Southern California land development firm Bluestone Communities. “I’ll probably always be involved in real estate, but it became clear to me that real estate wouldn’t have a soft landing in the recession.”

Many Orange County real estate and mortgage veterans lost longtime jobs and, like Kerr, have found ways to transfer their business experiences and skills to other industries.

In 2010 Kerr and a friend, Erik Smith, brainstormed “something fun” they could start as a business. Out of 50 “crazy ideas” came the concept of Razor-like scooters for adults. They attended the 2010 Interbike, a big bicycle convention in Las Vegas, and found nothing like the vehicle they envisioned.

“I made as many contacts as I could at the show, made friends at bike shops in the area and spent a lot of time researching online,” Kerr said. “I found a few others, including a prehistoric version made by the Amish. They were functional but missed from a design standpoint.”

Kerr learned that the size of the bike market is a hint that an adult-sized, quality scooter could be marketable. Americans bought 11 million adult-sized bicycles (20-inch wheels), accounting for 70 percent of all bike sales in 2011, according to the National Bicycle Dealers Association.

Through friends, Kerr found an Irvine engineer, who had built prototypes for the auto industry, to build three Coaster prototypes. Kerr took the prototypes to Tustin Market Place and offered passersby free movie passes for trying the scooters and answering some questions about themselves and what they thought of the product.

He also sought feedback at the 2011 Interbike and from bike shop owners on everything from how low to the ground the Coaster should be to the location of the brakes.

Joe Heskith, manager of Let It Roll bike shop in Costa Mesa, said new bike models come out almost as often as new computers, “but I haven’t seen anybody coming out with anything like this in a long time.”

“I spent considerable time doing my own market research through informal surveys and more structured focus groups,” Kerr explained. “These efforts helped me assess demand, peg prices and consumer preferences. It turned out to also be a good way to source our early adopters/buyers.”

Kerr wanted to build Current Coasters in the United States, even though the bicycle dealers association said 99 percent of U.S.-sold bikes are made in China or Taiwan. He issued a request for proposals to manufacturers in the U.S. Mexico and China. He got no takers in Mexico, and the U.S. quotes were double the price of those from China.

Kerr picked a private manufacturer in China and made three trips to the factory to oversee tooling and production. It took 60 days to tweak and edit the design to get it correct for production, he estimated.

At the same time, he researched whether the Coaster is street legal (police said riders would be considered pedestrians) and if the U.S. Product Safety Commission had any safety restrictions for the Coaster, “but they didn’t even have a category for it. They said use common sense, like no sharp edges,” he said.

He had equal difficulty finding out what tariffs would be on such a product. “There are thousands of variations of scooters, and this isn’t in the same category as a Razor.”

At the 2012 Interbike show, the Current Coasters team paid for a booth to take preorders and to sign up bike shops as dealers. Twelve people applied to be dealers, and six of those contracts are now signed, Kerr said.

Consumers also can buy Coasters online at ridecurrent.com. The company is developing a line of accessories including a bell, cup holder and front basket to boost revenues.

The first shipment of Current Coasters from China may be shipped to independent bike shops and customers this week. Kerr has preorders for 75 Coasters.

Heskith of Let It Roll said, “It’s bigger than a Razor, rides smoother and seems safer. There were scooters a few years back, but they had a limited market because they were small, for 6- to 10-year-olds. I’m 26 and I can hop on (a Coaster) now. Because the hardware is put together with bike parts you could adapt (a Coaster) to taller people.

“It definitely has a certain market, probably closed to serious mountain bikers, but we’re close to the beach where I think it will be popular,” he added.

Kerr worked hard to set the Coaster’s price, which had to be more than the cost to make the vehicle but no more than customers were willing to pay. About half those questioned at the 2012 Interbike thought the $350 suggested retail price was correct, and many were surprised the product didn’t cost more, Kerr said.

Kerr estimates he has invested more than $30,000 before making his first sale. He anticipates going as long as two years before turning a real profit. “My cost goes beyond the financial commitment,” he said. “The time commitment has been unbelievable.”

There’s another cost that Kerr, as an economics major in college, considered. “We always talk about opportunity costs: What else could I do with my time that would have a greater return. Real estate is starting to come back, especially apartments. Is that a better return for me?” he said. “Every so often I questioned what I was doing.”

Kerr said one reaction from acquaintances has surprised him. “I’ve talked to so many people who can’t believe I actually followed through with this,” he said. “So many people have ideas about businesses to start but they never do it.”

His advice to those who want to try is to build a dream team of experts to do the tasks the founder can’t, to expect everything to take longer than planned, and to prepare to hear a lot of no’s.

“You have to be realistic about whether your idea will work, but you also need conviction,” he added. “You have to believe before anyone else will.”

Contact the writer: 714-796-7927 or jnorman@ocregister.com