Scooters

[R K]

I'm considering buying a scooter.

I've never riden one, or a motorbike. I've no interest in bikes or the bike scene or anything like that, but having a scooter for zooming around locally seems to have suddenly gripped me, so I thought I'd turn to the fount of all knowledge, HPC, for opinions, experiences and so on.

What are the do's and dont's?

I'm not ar5ed about 'power' so is a Honda 50 ok? Or will a middle aged bloke look a right p1llock on one?

Must I wear a parka with a target on the back and start playing the Who on my ipod? (see middle age reference above)

Which helmet is de riguer? An open face Vespa original or will any bog standard job do?

I'm sure there must be some HPC scooterists lurking behind their mirrors bubbling over with advice so here's your opportunity.

[WorkingForTheMan]

I rode a bike when i was 17. Like you had no real interest in bikes/biking, was just a cheap easy way to get about. Would never, ever go back though. Cars are too warm and comfortable...

Pro's:

It's cheap (can probably fill up a 50cc for about a tenner these days), tax used to be £12.50 - don't think it's gone up much - maintenance is cheap too - most of it can be done yourself

It's fun! (in the summer - see below)

Con's:

It's f****g freezing in the winter (especially if you don't have full leathers (which would look a bit daft on a scooter)). And I don't just mean a bit chilly. I mean the coldest cold I have ever experienced

They are dangerous because a) people pull out on you all the time/don't see you b ) they aren't fast enough to accelerate into/out of dangerous situations

Thing that just about covers it

edit to add - don't even think about an open face helmet. You won't be able to feel your face in the winter, and in the summer your eyes will be filled with every flying creature in the vicinity

[stormymonday_2011]

I'm considering buying a scooter.

I've never riden one, or a motorbike. I've no interest in bikes or the bike scene or anything like that, but having a scooter for zooming around locally seems to have suddenly gripped me, so I thought I'd turn to the fount of all knowledge, HPC, for opinions, experiences and so on.

What are the do's and dont's?

I'm not ar5ed about 'power' so is a Honda 50 ok? Or will a middle aged bloke look a right p1llock on one?

Must I wear a parka with a target on the back and start playing the Who on my ipod? (see middle age reference above)

Which helmet is de riguer? An open face Vespa original or will any bog standard job do?

I'm sure there must be some HPC scooterists lurking behind their mirrors bubbling over with advice so here's your opportunity.

I used to ride a little Honda 50 many years ago.

Best thing about it was that it had a 4 stroke engine so despite the lack of grunt it still sounded ok compared to all those wretched 2 strokes that make a noise like a demented hair dryer. Hard to believe but people actually drove vast distances on those little bikes. I treated mine atrociously for years, left it to stand in the garage unattended for 18 months but when I came to sell it the bloody thing started first kick

The problem with scooters and other small bikes is that they are dangerous because you are vulnerable and the roads are full of f*ckwits driving much larger vehicles who really don't care if you die under their wheels. I gave up riding my bike because I had too many close calls on the road.

Scooters and mopeds are also not much fun to ride when the weather is crap which unfortunately is a good portion of the year in the UK. Get some decent gloves and protective clothing as well as a good helmet because believe me you will need them

[swissy_fit]

I'm considering buying a scooter.

I've never riden one, or a motorbike. I've no interest in bikes or the bike scene or anything like that, but having a scooter for zooming around locally seems to have suddenly gripped me, so I thought I'd turn to the fount of all knowledge, HPC, for opinions, experiences and so on.

What are the do's and dont's?

I'm not ar5ed about 'power' so is a Honda 50 ok? Or will a middle aged bloke look a right p1llock on one?

Must I wear a parka with a target on the back and start playing the Who on my ipod? (see middle age reference above)

Which helmet is de riguer? An open face Vespa original or will any bog standard job do?

I'm sure there must be some HPC scooterists lurking behind their mirrors bubbling over with advice so here's your opportunity.

Fine but get at least a 100cc, good life and disability insurance, and lock it up between November and March.

You have no idea how cold you will be if you ride it in winter.

There are some nifty electric bikes around now as well.

[R K]

Excellent feedback fellas. I knew there'd be some experts out there.

So far it looks like I'll either freeze to death or be mown down by some ar5ehole footballer in a Cayenne. Hmmmm........it's rapidly losing it's fun appeal.

Yes, I've had a look at some of the newer electric bikes, but they're the thick end of £1500 so I started wondering about scooters instead (similar cost but on the fqce of it better value). It would definately only be for good weather, so I'm realy in my 'research' phase at the moment.......

Keep it coming HPC mods.......

[Gone baby gone]

Do's:

Get some proper training, even if you hold a car license that means you can ride straight away, book some basic training first.

Buy a decent helmet (make sure it fits - the shop can help with this) and ride with gloves + boots as a minimum.

If you are the kind of person who has a lot of "little accidents" (or big ones!) on a car, don't bother with biking.

If however you aren't accident prone on 4 wheels and have a reasonable awareness of hazards on the road, you should be OK (with training and experience).

Personally, I would steer clear of the cheap Chinese bikes / scooters because I can imagine them being a pain in the bum to get spares for. Probably better off with a 2nd hand European or Japanese machine.

[stormymonday_2011]

Glad everyone remembers how cold these bikes could be.

I used to ride my little Honda 25 miles to and from work very day (ie about 125 miles a week) and in my opinion that was way too far to avoid getting hypothermia in the winter even when dressed up like a Michelin man in many layers of clothing. Unfortunately, the bike was too slow to get to the destination quickly but plenty fast enough to generate a 35-40 mph wind chill that would freeze you to the marrow. These scooters mopeds, and small bikes are better suited to journeys of no more than 5-6 miles where you at least have a chance of reaching your destination before dying of exposure.

[longtomsilver]

Do's:

Get some proper training, even if you hold a car license that means you can ride straight away, book some basic training first.

Buy a decent helmet (make sure it fits - the shop can help with this) and ride with gloves + boots as a minimum.

If you are the kind of person who has a lot of "little accidents" (or big ones!) on a car, don't bother with biking.

If however you aren't accident prone on 4 wheels and have a reasonable awareness of hazards on the road, you should be OK (with training and experience).

Personally, I would steer clear of the cheap Chinese bikes / scooters because I can imagine them being a pain in the bum to get spares for. Probably better off with a 2nd hand European or Japanese machine.

There's a saying in the motorcycle world and it's 'if you've got a £50 head wear a £50 helmet'.

Everything critical I would want to say has already been answered so I have no practical advice to impart. That is all!

edit: what would Ken say, anybody?

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

Blimey, you're going all southern european.

You've never wished you've scratched your eyes out until you've seen your aging father in law ride his scooter whilst wearing only his speedos.

[R K]

Blimey, you're going all southern european.

You've never wished you've scratched your eyes out until you've seen your aging father in law ride his scooter whilst wearing only his speedos.

I realise I'm running an almost guaranteed risk of being that f*cking middle aged kn*b on the Honda 50/100. I'll need to give this serious thought.........

(as opposed to simply that f*cking kn*b )

I have a bicycle but I never really ride it anywhere 'cause it's hard work turning the peddles. I'm thinking having an engine do that for you will be more pleasurable.

edit: what would Ken say, anybody?

I'm sure he'd call me a p*ssy and tell me to man up and buy a Kawasaki 1000 or summat. But I don't a bike, I just want a local run around for pootling purposes. This 'death' thing is worrying me though, I have to admit.

[R K]

Glad everyone remembers how cold these bikes could be.

I used to ride little Honda 25 miles to and from work very day (ie about 125 miles a week) and in my opinion that was way too far to avoid getting hypothermia in the winter even when dressed up like a Michelin man in many layers of clothing. Unfortunately, the bike was too slow to get to the destination quickly but plenty fast enough to generate a 35-40 mph wind chill that would freeze you to the marrow. These scooters mopeds, and small bikes are better suited to journeys of no more than 5-6 miles where you at least have a chance of reaching your destination before dying of exposure.

It's about 1/2 mile to the pub. Wasn't planning on going much further than that on a regular basis to be honest.

[R K]

Funny you should say this but it had crossed my mind re those French motorised pedal bikes that do about a million miles to the gallon. For old uncool blokes like us. :-)

Anyone recommend a make of them?

Edit: see site poweredbicycles.co.uk

Exactly! Started there and ended up on the Honda website, and then some retro scooter apparell sites.

Perhaps I'm having another mid-life crisis.

[The Masked Tulip]

The market is so poor at the moment that lots of firms regularly offer deals such as throwing in full courses, etc. Such deals negate going for second-hand. You need to ask around in the dealerships though as many deals are not openly advertised.

Get a full face helmet as you will come off - especially in winter when the roads are wet or icy or some bus drives past you about 6 inches from your shoulder... or you get distracted, brake late and go into the back of that car in front. Open faced helmets look cool but are for summer and experienced only. Full face for winter or you will have a frozen face - best and safest for all the time IMPO.

Wind/Rain-shield makes a huge difference in winter.

As others have commented, you look a plonker in full leathers on a scooter - but it doesn't matter whether it is a scooter or a harley when you come off at 10 mph or higher. You can still rip your skin off and be scarred for life... or worse... so you need to wear good overall protection.

Gloves - always wear gloves.

Scooters look sexy and fun in the warm southern med climates with everyone driving around in shorts and t-shirts - UK weather and UK traffic makes things completely different here.

You need to think long and hard about what you wish to carry on it - how much. Lots of people think they will be able to do their weekly shop and then discover that they can fit a container of milk under the seat or whatever compartment system it has. If you want a bigger box on the rear then bear that in mind when buying as you will need something powerful enough to pull the box and you let alone you and a full box.

You will come off.

[R K]

The market is so poor at the moment that lots of firms regularly offer deals such as throwing in full courses, etc. Such deals negate going for second-hand. You need to ask around in the dealerships though as many deals are not openly advertised.

Get a full face helmet as you will come off - especially in winter when the roads are wet or icy or some bus drives past you about 6 inches from your shoulder... or you get distracted, brake late and go into the back of that car in front. Open faced helmets look cool but are for summer and experienced only. Full face for winter or you will have a frozen face - best and safest for all the time IMPO.

Wind/Rain-shield makes a huge difference in winter.

As others have commented, you look a plonker in full leathers on a scooter - but it doesn't matter whether it is a scooter or a harley when you come off at 10 mph or higher. You can still rip your skin off and be scarred for life... or worse... so you need to wear good overall protection.

Gloves - always wear gloves.

Scooters look sexy and fun in the warm southern med climates with everyone driving around in shorts and t-shirts - UK weather and UK traffic makes things completely different here.

You need to think long and hard about what you wish to carry on it - how much. Lots of people think they will be able to do their weekly shop and then discover that they can fit a container of milk under the seat or whatever compartment system it has. If you want a bigger box on the rear then bear that in mind when buying as you will need something powerful enough to pull the box and you let alone you and a full box.

You will come off.

'Kin 'ell. I've gone from full on enthusiast to vowing never to even look at anything more powerful than a tricycle ever again in my entire life. Which obviously won't be very long if I DO actually buy one.

So in summary then, people in the UK only buy a scooter to have their skin/arms/legs/head ripped off/damaged beyond repair and because they can't afford a car? Is that the best spin one can put on it?

[stormymonday_2011]

You will come off.

Guaranteed.

Though to be fair I think braking systems and tires have come on a bit from when I rode my Honda 50. It had a very decent and reliable engine but the rest of the bike was rather less than brilliant. You also have to learn that braking a small light bike requires a bit of skill if you want to avoid slides. Fortunately , most now have linked braking systems (ie that coordinate the engagement of front and back brakes) as well as a separate front brakes. Back in the day I was riding engaging the back brake in anything other than bone dry conditions on the Honda's less than fantastic tires was always a bit of a gamble

[The Masked Tulip]

'Kin 'ell. I've gone from full on enthusiast to vowing never to even look at anything more powerful than a tricycle ever again in my entire life. Which obviously won't be very long if I DO actually buy one.

So in summary then, people in the UK only buy a scooter to have their skin/arms/legs/head ripped off/damaged beyond repair and because they can't afford a car? Is that the best spin one can put on it?

We have, in the Summer, big scooter meets in the Mumbles. Some pretty amazing scooters - but 99% of the riders only use them in the Summer months on clear, dry days. In the winter they use much bigger bikes if they use bikes at all - cars are much safer.

If you want a bike and want something a tad more safe or stable you need a trike - but they cost a small fortune and you may as well buy a car. If it is some kind of hippy experience you want then buy a surfie van. If you want economy then buy one of those motorised pensioner carts.

To be frank, the roads are now so dangerous that scooters are, IMPO, scary in this country. You rely on all the bus, lorry and car drivers seeing you... and then you take pot luck whether some of the feckers actually want you off - and, believe me, there are plenty of them who do. Loads of van and car drivers will not think twice about knocking you off - and if they do they are 99% certain to be a mile away before you have picked your bloodied and broken self up off the road.

I honestly would not recommend anyone buying a scooter in this country.

[thecrashingisles]

Have you considered a Pokemon?

[hirop]

'Kin 'ell. I've gone from full on enthusiast to vowing never to even look at anything more powerful than a tricycle ever again in my entire life. Which obviously won't be very long if I DO actually buy one.

So in summary then, people in the UK only buy a scooter to have their skin/arms/legs/head ripped off/damaged beyond repair and because they can't afford a car? Is that the best spin one can put on it?

I had a vespa et4 for 3 years, loved it, and when I eventually buy a house with a garage, I've got some space marked out for a nice classic vespa for shits and giggles. twist and go 125cc scooters are serious fun in and around the city. I agree with the helmet advice, go full face\flip face until you have some 2-wheeled road sense, open face is fine for 20/30 mph city stuff when you are ready for it and the weather is good, but it should not be the only option when you start. I had one half-scary thing happen in the 3 years, luckily I seen it coming and dealt with it. Beyond that it was great. £5 to fill the tank. Easy to maintain also.

From a midlife crisis point of view, I'm just getting back on two wheels and using my A1 license to circumvent the cbt requirments and learn geared bikes with a view to getting a custom cruiser of some kind early next year via DAS.

[R K]

Have you considered a Pokemon?

Kind of you to offer..........play your cards right you never know

In my mind I see this

But in reality I'm thinking I'll probably end up more like this

[R K]

I had a vespa et4 for 3 years, loved it, and when I eventually buy a house with a garage, I've got some space marked out for a nice classic vespa for shits and giggles. twist and go 125cc scooters are serious fun in and around the city. I agree with the helmet advice, go full face\flip face until you have some 2-wheeled road sense, open face is fine for 20/30 mph city stuff when you are ready for it and the weather is good, but it should not be the only option when you start. I had one half-scary thing happen in the 3 years, luckily I seen it coming and dealt with it. Beyond that it was great. £5 to fill the tank. Easy to maintain also.

From a midlife crisis point of view, I'm just getting back on two wheels and using my A1 license to circumvent the cbt requirments and learn geared bikes with a view to getting a custom cruiser of some kind early next year via DAS.

Ooo we're getting more into the positives territory. Sh1ts and giggles sounds good!

Yep, I'm def taking this piece of advice on board. That's come across loud and clear. I'm ugly enough as it is. I don't want to be testing the skills of our maxillo-facial community to breaking point if it can be at all avoided and at my stage in life why bother. The young ladies won't give a f*ck anyway.

So in Honda terminology (don't think I'm ready for the full on Vespa experience just yet) would you say the bigger 110 (I think it is) over the 50?

http://www.honda.co....rs/#!/vision50/

I'm a bit puzzled why the 110cc engine is only £200 more than the basic 50cc?

[funinhounslow]

I ran a Piaggio Liberty 125 for a couple of years about five years ago.

The good points - it has big wheels so it didn't feel too skittish on poorly paved roads. The downside to that is that there isn't much room under the saddle for storage. It was very quick away trom the lights and was quite happy (and felt stable) at 50mph. It's quite conservatively styled so you won't look out of place on it. (I'm a 6' tall bloke in his 40s). It is very cheap to buy, run, insure and maintain.

I bought it because I was sick of the bus for my six mile commute to work and was seduced by the image of Italians in sharp suits pulling up outside a coffee shop for a quick expresso. As I quickly discovered, grinding up and down the A4 is a completely different kettle of fish…

The number of days when the weather made scootering a pleasure were few and far between. As noted above it's impossible to get warm in winter. More of a problem for me though were the summer months. It gets hot inside a full face helmet and leather jacket. When it rains the visor steams up and the road gets slippy. I got dazzled riding towards the low sun in autumn.

Even with hi vis clothing, and the headlight always running cars pulled out in front of me on an almost daily basis. I think they saw me but just misjudged my speed.

In the end I got sick of dressing up like an astronaut to pop out somewhere. And it was a pain lugging my helmet and jacket around at my destination. (And I wouldn't even consider riding one without proper protective gear.)

Worst of all I noticed that I had really piled on the pounds after a couple of years - I walked and cycled a lot less. And in some ways I missed public transport - I don't actually mind sitting on the bus or train reading or playing Angry Birds.

To combat my expanding gut I bought an exercise bike. The absurdity of scootering back from work then sitting on the exercise bike hit me, and I bought a decent push bike a couple of years ago. I really don't regret the change.

I really think the scooter was more trouble than it was worth. but I'm glad I gave it a go…

I would say though that I never came off or had an accident in the two years I had it. As a long time cyclist I think you develop a "sixth sense" about when cars are going to do something stupid. I was also very careful filtering and always rode cautiously.

[Byron]

Perhaps Uncle Ron can help you!

[Jason]

Why not get a 125cc bike, as this would command the road more. Also you can do 60-70mph too. Oh, and some 125's don't look like 125's at all.

[Frank Hovis]

I wanted to throw in have you considered a 125 bike such as the Honda CG125:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CG125

This has obvious disdavantages over the scooter (less storage, no fairing to keep your legs dry) but is much more stable because of the bigger wheels.

The other big advantage is that it is a proper bike - four stroke, foot operated gears and back brake) so if you do get bitten by the bike bug then you're ready to move up. You ride it on a CBT for two years, CBT taken about a day (longer if you're an ape like me). I never progressed beyond the 125 - that was great fun and plenty of power within town.

Get a scooter if that's what you fancy though; I can certainly see the appeal and as Ogri says - any bike is good.

Actually I'm tempted to get a CG125 again mainly for tinkering - too many reads of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

[council dweller]

This has subtitles.

This is what I would go for. Four speed, no clutch. Good for those who have never ridden. Fuel injection....incredible mpg.

1,800 new.

I was also brought up with these things.