Are Scooters Safe to travel with?

Question

Because paying $4.30 per gallon for a car is unappealing, I believe my first vehicle won't be a automobile, but rather a Vespa scooter (150cc). Compare 100 miles/gallon to 25-30 miles/gallon and cheaper insurance. I am also prepared to drive in all weather. However, I want to be safe. Two things scare me:

1.) Scooter being stolen

2.) Not being seen on the road

Should I buy a scooter?

Answer 1

1.) Scooter being stolen

Using a top quality chain and padlock combination and securing the scooter to a fixed object is the most economical way to secure your ride.

2.) Not being seen on the road

Welcome to the life of a two wheel rider! Always ride with the headlight on. Wear bright colours, even though you may look like a lollipop. I wear my work HiVis vest over my jacket when riding at night. Pride vs safety...pride won when I was first riding, safety wins now that I am older and wiser.

Should I buy a scooter?

Yes. BUT be prepared to give riding a fair go. If it doesn't work for you after 12 months in all weather look for other forms of transport. Riding takes effort to get the enjoyment.

Answer 2

It's hard to get good insurance that covers medical bills if you have an accident.  The most my insurance company offered was $5,000.  I didn't know it at the time and $5,000 did not even cover the emergency room bill.

Answer 3

These are not insurmountable problem.  You can get a chain and padlock and run it through your wheels, and maybe lock it to a sign, or other fixed object. (see below for refernce for anti-theft.)

Now Driving in all weather conditions.  And wanting to be seen, so that some one will not run you down.  That is almost certain to be needed.  and you need warm clothing, moving along at 60-70 mph.  If you need purpose built clothing and you want to wear it in the dead of winter when road conditions are poor, then get a first class piece of gear.

Some of the best on the road and expensive but well worth it Aerostitch, Riders Wear House. (both organisations are the same people, but Aerostich makes and customized the gear and Rider Wearhouse sells it, there is a website, but I happen to have a couple of catalogs, from them. There is a Darien Suit that is two pieces, and come in BRIGHT EYESEARING YELLOW, and red or blue.  GET THE YELLOW if you want to be seen.  They also provide pockets in these suits that can carry armor along so that you won't get totally ruined by a wreck.  Shoulder, elbow, knee/shin, and feet and back protection. these thing are expensive but they last for as much as twenty years, or more. By the aerorstitch CE or CE2 armor. The European common Market has armor standards for impact resistance and coverage. CE2 is better than CE. Don't get some no-name brand, and remember because you have not heard of them is no reason to think they do not have street cred.

By a good pair of boots that at least cover your ankles. And the rest of your feet. (Ankles are exposed, vulnerable, and the usual way of repairing them is a big chumk of metal stitched in to your joint that may lock the joint so you can't more your feet. but at least your feet didn't get ripped off.) There are different theories of foot wear, buy something special but heavy and spend your time like Frankensteins Monster, clumping from place to place, in safety, or buy light, highquality footwear that will look good and not attract attention.

in any case TIE YOUR D*MNED SHOES.  If they come off they will not do you any good.  So we have you in a retinasearing suit, and wearing  lightweight high topped Crosstrainers.  For another style, I suggest the bates chukka boots that have a strap to put them on.

It is not a requirement for a vespa, but maybe someone else reading thinks it might apply to them. If you tie your shoes on every occasion, sooner or later they seem to be untied.  Now whipping doen the road is not the time to worry about your shoes being untied.  So you can't stop, but a light changes ahead and you need to put your foot down but your string is tangled in the rear brake lever or the shift pedal or both and you drop the bike. So get more secure methods  of retaining your shoes, like side zip boots or the straps and buckles.  For strings get a cord-lock device.

Now we have you clothed. We need to get a helmet, faceshield (or goggles). Okay you will hear argument about SNELL testing and DOT testing.  DOT is a more generous test, Ie the materials are not pushed as hard so you get softer impacts from a DOT helmet. If you are young your arteries have not hardened and are flexible so an impact probably will not tear your vena cava artery when tou impact your helmet on the ground. BUt as you age, it may boit protect you as much as it did. IT is STILL causing your head to sustain 200 Gs of SHOCK, and yor brain may be damaged insisde your skull.  So I suggest you buy a DOT approved helmet.  There are competing articles on the subject, one by a snell fan, and the other by MOTORCYCLE magazine for the DOT standard.  What they say is that SNELL foundation is banging your head too hard for non-racing types of accidents. The US government has helmet standards for young healthy fliers of 18-21, and they say that the snell standardis 50Gs beyond the reccommended "hit"  that is the snell helmets yield an effective hit of 200 Gs and the feds suggest 150 Gs max for a young man in perfect condition.  Now I am not in perfect condition, anymore. I got off my motorcycle at 40 mph a couple of decades ago, and I have bone spurs in my shoilder and capsulitis in other joints. I have had 4 strokes in the last 5 years, was that because of my old snell standard helmet? I don't know but I know I want some thing softer.  If ypou ate racing at 200 mph, you may need a snell helmet, but I amd riding 70-75 mph max and accidents usuallu happen wher you slow down at an intersection, so the impact is eless and your brain inside your skull gets battered less.  Anyone recall TROY AIKMAN?  An exNFL quarterback, who took some amazing impacts, and the cumulative damage meant he had to quit. it was not the force that broke his neck it was the impact of his brain within his skull that put him out for the count.

So I wear a Nolan N-102. It is a first line helmet sold by NOLAN an italian company I think.  DOT approved only.  It has to be DOT appoved for use on US highways. This is a flip-front design, NOT a full face helmet. I used to wear a Bell TourStar back when BELL made Leading Edge helmets.  But the flip front is superior in every way to my old Bell TourStar.  For one thing it has vents that WORK, and the front flips up so i can put my glasses on and leave then on instead of taking them off,  to take my helmet off (One-handed? because i have my glasses in the other hand). When i want to talk to someone, gas station, a p*ssed off cop or a disgruntled motorist mad about my 60mpg. The latches give a metal to metal fit and it is quite quick to remove it with one hand, but NOW I have two. Joy!

The face shield can be lifted a notch or two, for more airflow it comes with an ANTI_FOG shield as well, and if you ride a motorcyle you are always coming home into the evening sun and going in to the Morning sun blinded by the rays. So they put a little half visor on that is independent of the  faceshield, and provided sun glasses for your helmet.

Feel free to ask about summer gear if you like. and about other ways of making sure that they see you. Continued on NEXT ROCK.

Answer 4

Id buy a 250cc motorcycle

Scooters dont handle well on the road as bikes.

Go look at a Untied Motors (Hyosung) 250

They get 80 plus mpg and girls wont laugh at you went you put by.

Answer 5

Make sure of your insurance and lock or chain down or to something , Remember if they want it they will get it one way or the other just do not make it easy for them   Wear clothing that is  safe and increase your visibly starting with a good full coverage helmet ,If you have the money a open face for the hot  weather. I see lots of people wearing a vest like  highway works wear. Oh and  ninja 250 is about the last thing you need in bad weather on slick roads. Leave them to the squids to get hurt on. I know a lady that had a Agility 50 KYMCO that road year around full leathers in the winter and more appropriate in the summer. And that was her first scooter or motorcycle. You really should look at the KYMCO line, I think they might be better for year round use due to the body design.

Answer 6

Personally I would get a small motorcycle instead of a scooter. I'm thinking about getting a Kawasaki Ninja (250cc). Allmost 70mpg and tons of power whenever you need it. scooters just seem idk "cheap" Like it feels like if you get going too fast they might fall apart. Motorcyles just have a lot better "feel" to them. Good luck in your decision.

Answer 7

Yes. They are safe. When I am, they come with road tax, insurance and you must have a motorbike's license after an exam. Drive safely and most of the times, nothing will happen.

Answer 8

Both of those are risks.  Get insurance to cover your scooter for damage or theft.  Wear bright clothing or consider extra led lights/reflectors, etc.  Always wear your helmet.

Answer 9

Maybe. Remember those times you will be delayed because of rain or wind. Don't forget winter. I'd look at a 250cc rather than the smaller one. I really like the Burgmann (Suzuki) line esp. the 400cc.

Answer 10

The 'new' vespa is not the old vespa. Piaggio, an Italian motorcycle conglomerate, bought the vespa name. Then they restyled a piaggio scooter to look like a vespa. That is not a bad thing, but you are paying extra for a name.

A 150 can keep up with highway traffic. Shop and compare with other brands before you buy.

Also, a motorbike does get good mileage; unfortunately, your ownership costs are quite high. You won't save any money when all the expenses have been totalled up.