Scooters - how difficult?

[Halmyre]

An idle thought. On holiday in Lake Garda and a local business is renting Vespa scooters. Never having ridden any sort of powered two wheel device, how difficult or easy is it to ride a scooter?

[trickywoo]

If you can ride a push bike you can ride a scooter.

[s p a c e m a n]

It's like riding a bike

If you rode a push bike in your youth then you'll be able to ride a scooter as well as anyone else within 10 minutes if being on it.

[Donbot]

Riding the thing is easy. Using it in traffic, with unfamiliar traffic laws, on the other side of the road, not knowing how the locals drive etc. is the problem. Just take it easy.

[nordboy]

Make sure you ride up Mt Baldo, I hired a scooter while I was there years ago, and Mt Baldo was an experience!!!

Twist and go, left hand is brake, not clutch. And don't try and ride it like a motorbike, performance wise.

They're great fun though, so much fun I have one in my garage here now.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Halmyre said:

An idle thought. On holiday in Lake Garda and a local business is renting Vespa scooters. Never having ridden any sort of powered two wheel device, how difficult or easy is it to ride a scooter?

Personally I wouldn't. The key is you say you have never ridden a powered two wheeler. Plus.


In holiday on the wrong side?

How's your travel insurance terms?

[croyde]

And don't forget, no helmet, gloves or jacket. T shirt optional, short shorts and flipflops

[Drawweight]

Just take it easy. And go solo, don’t be tempted to carry a passenger. That’s a step up in difficulty you could do without.

[croyde]

That reminds me of when I had a T Max. Took my eldest for a lift.

Even back then he was taller and much heavier than me, plus not a biker. He was like a huge sack of spuds on the back.

Handling was abysmal and the front end so light, I could barely steer.

We made it to his destination and as he handed me his helmet he asked if I was ok?

I'm good...I smiled....why?

Because all I could hear you yelling was......


........Farkin Hell! we are going to die!!

[rodericb]

Assuming it's an auto, the brakes are like a pushbike - left is rear brake and right is the front brake. On your first try, keep your fingers over the rear brake lever so you remember that's the "easiest" brake to use and you're ready to apply that brake. Be gentle on the throttle, don't rush the learning. Feel how the bike starts to move as you apply more throttle. Get used to how the throttle works and the scooter builds up speed and how the rear brake slows it down. Then start learning to use the front brake in conjunction with the rear brake (i.e. squeeze both levers at the same time). Most people will have worked it out in about twenty minutes.

[KTMsm]

It's dead easy - just don't do it in flip flops

Remember how much it hurts when you stub your toe ?

Suddenly 30mph isn't so slow

[Halmyre]

Thanks chaps, have to confess I was asking out of idle curiosity, had absolutely no intention of riding one in Italian traffic!

[Chris Stott]

If the way the Spanish ride scooters & mopeds is anything to go by I wouldn’t worry…. They somehow give the rider a shield of invincibility enabling them to ride like s everywhere with seemingly no care for their own life.

[Bob_Defly]

My mate rented one on holiday, never ridden before. Went helmetless into a tree. Was in hospital for a while.

[the-norseman]

I ride a 1200 motorbike at home, I've ridden scooters in Italy, Turkey and Spain. I however didn't bother recently in Bali as they are absolutely nuts out there.