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Post by moofus02 on May 27, 2014 2:40:00 GMT -5
Goes without saying but DO NOT RIDE IMPAIRED drugs alcohol or sick can make you less alert slower reactions and poor judgements will make the odds of getting hurt go way up
Sent from my SPH-L720 using proboards
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Post by scooterpimp on May 27, 2014 4:29:49 GMT -5
Don't Ride if Your Fried!!!
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Post by tomcatsdb on Jun 1, 2014 21:41:46 GMT -5
Lot's of good stuff mentioned here. I'm still fairly new to scooting (less than a year in), so I don't have much to add. The one thing I do want to add though is with the 50cc machines road speed and planning your route ahead of time is pretty helpful IMO. If you can take back-roads / side streets then doing so will help you out because there's generally less traffic and there's a big difference in riding on a 30 to 35 MPH road and 40 or above. In general, I try to minimize my time on the faster roads. In the cases where I do have to ride on them, I've found that changing lanes is pretty much a no go if there's traffic. The cars are just much faster and most people get impatient so they'll be looking to pass around you. So if you can, plan ahead. The scenery is generally better anyway  |
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Post by craisin on Jun 7, 2014 6:37:49 GMT -5
yes so its winter down here and my left leg had 2 screws in my knee and a car hit my left leg while I was on a motorbike so i have circulation problems so i have to wear a stocking to help blood circulate in my leg in the cold
So if you have old injuries you have to take care of them
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Post by dan50 on Jun 7, 2014 17:57:46 GMT -5
Ditto on the old injuries. I had a bad concussion when I was 15 and racing motocross. now that is causing me to have seizures and I am developing the shakes.
The stuff I used to do 30 years ago, I don't even try to attempt anymore.
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Post by craisin on Jun 7, 2014 18:40:27 GMT -5
yes i had a parachute accident 27 years ago had seisures after i got out of hospital. I gave up drinking and the seisures stopped. Stopping drinking meant more money for better food  Staying away from stressful situations helps too Despite what went wrong we have to focus on things that can do better cause we came out of it with more knowledge. |
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Post by dan50 on Jun 8, 2014 0:10:20 GMT -5
The only stupidity I believe in is not learning from your mistakes.
This is why I have a pristine drivers license (no tickets in 37 years, 5mph over was the only one). I am a speed Demon, but I don't drive stupid (or drunk).
Paying attention, learning and using common sense is the way to survive through life.
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Post by honda4stroke on Jun 18, 2014 22:18:31 GMT -5
I got this new little 50cc scooter last week, and my parents think that I'm going to end up crashing and killing myself one day. Now that I think about it I'm convinced that they're right. So I'm asking you, how do you guys ride safely? Is there anything that you can do to make a scooter almost as safe as a car? Any tips on the subject would be appreciated There are two kinds of riders: (1) those who have gone down, and (2) those who are going to go down. There is no way to make it as safe as a car. there are motorcycle safety courses you can pay for and take. they're likely not required for a scooter but the information is invaluable. statistically, 2 wheeled drivers are in less wrecks than cars, but the wrecks cause way more casualties. a few thoughts - i started out on dirtbikes at 8 years old, i'm pushing 40 now i never stopped riding. by some streak of luck and grace i have never met with a car in an accident, just a few ditches, gravel roads, etc: *Always watch ahead. every car pulling up toward the road youre on. Every car in a parking lot about to pull up. Every car approaching that has a stop sign. Learn to automatically make a plan for every single one of them just in case. With time, it'll come automatic. Practice it when you ride. You see the car coming up to a stop waiting to pull out from a parking lot, you go "OK WTF would i do if they kept coming" and so on. *Dont ride next to cars, or just ahead of, or just behind them in the lane next to them. Just dont. Either gas it and get on up ahead of em, or let em go on ahead. Don't tailgate cars. Some old man will flip it around on you and next thing you know you'll have the front bumper of a volvo 240 about 4 inches from your a__. *Learn how to stop on a dime. Front brake is 90 percent of braking. If you lock up a rear tire, you're likely to go down. You can squeeze the heck out of a front brake you just can't grab it all at once, sort of like rolling on the brake. *Learn how to pull your front end up over an obstacle in a road, like a 2x4, etc. Pretty much a stand up, gas it, and pull back on the bars right when you're gonna go over it. Going just off to one side of said object and deflecting it with a foot flat out can be good too. Picture a pallet in the road. This is another reason to not ride next to cars on the road, always choose the option of having options aka a way around/a way out. Can practice stopping, and obstacles, in a big parking lot. Probably dont wanna run over parking blocks with a scooter, liable to tear up a tire/rim. *If you make a habit of planning ahead, add this in: if you ever have the choice of eating a ditch full of grass, cactus, and beer bottles, or faceplanting into / under a car or truck, and your gut says that's what's gonna happen if you dont throw it in a ditch, trust your gut and THROW THAT SUCKER in a ditch. grass and dirt is forgiving. pavement is a bit of a skin irritant. cars and trucks are deadly. at best, they often cause titanium replacement parts. *Best to expect people don't see you. Many will, but theres no way to know who won't. Safer to assume nobody sees you, and just let the planning become an automatic habit. Wear a helmet. Wear boots if you can stand it. I don't always anymore but I'm become careless with age and comfort too. First time you kick a piece of pallet out of your way going up a road youll be glad you had boots on and wont have a wrapped ankle for a month. Gloves are an easy protection against road rash... its instinct to put hands down when wrecking, 100 foot of road can hamburger the palm of a hand. If you ever get a big bike, do the math on interstates, and consider state highways instead. On a state hwy you can chunk it in a ditch or yard at 55 and probably walk away. Doing 80 on an interstate trapped between a semi full of gas and a concrete divider wall - ehhh. . f__k that i take the back highways any time i can. Respect what can happen, learn to plan for it, and have fun.Long winded post. Take it for what it's worth. Take care. That is really well said. Practice makes perfect. Ya I almost got ran off the road. I let a guy pass me up hill and a car came so he swerved back into my lane. I slammed on the breaks so he would pass me. |
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Post by niz76 on Jun 21, 2014 23:47:34 GMT -5
These guys all have it right- and eloquently written too.. Plan, plan, plan!
Only thing I have to add is watch out for sand, loose gravel, etc. I had a Honda Spree when I was 15 yrs. old (those were the days!) and bit it doing 30+ top speed downhill.. I went through a bunch of loose sand in the road. I have never forgotten that lesson- unfortunately loose sand/gravel gathers in the worst spots- usually at the intersection of streets just where you are turning and relying most on the rubber gripping the road to hold you up. Try to manuever your scoot in such a way as your scoot is standing as straight up as possible when going through the loose stuff- this could keep you out from under the Buick of the guy tailgating behind you.
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Post by moofus02 on Jun 24, 2014 8:09:55 GMT -5
Practice emergency breaking in an empty parking lot. That and lean angle. A lot of street bikes can bs leaned over until they scrape hard parts and still have tire grip yet people run off the outside of turns all the time for a combination of reasons. Afraid to brake really hard while upright and then afraid to lean the bike over hard.
I would rather brake to the limit and then lean the bike over and risk a low side than just drive off the road with a sure crash.
I ran off the outside of a curve at 100 mph once . I was topped out on a big v4 cruised when I realized I was running out of road. Used all the road available. Both tires were sliding but still turning and dragging hard parts. Stood the bike up as I left the road. I lost it and went down on the wet grass I ran off into but was unhurt and burned off all the speed possible before I left the road
Sent from my SPH-L720 using proboards
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Post by rickeroo on May 26, 2016 0:08:10 GMT -5
Things I learned, sometimes the hard way---  Remember that to the guys on the road rockets, you as a scooter rider are definitely not "cool". However, being limited to about 40 mph will go a long way in avoiding serious harm should things go wrong. At intersections, if there is any doubt as to who is supposed to go next, be the nice guy and wave him on ahead of you. Avoid fast two-lane roads if possible unless there is no one around. If your slow speed is holding things up, then signal a right turn and pull over and let everyone pass. Always use your turn signals and blink the brake lights a few times before the turn to get everyones attention. Speaking of getting attention, always wear a clean BRIGHT YELLOW safety vest. Being easily seen is the best way to avoid problems. Don't daydream or multi-task. Keep your focus only on your driving and the surroundings. Err on the side of taking a turn too slow rather than too fast. Braking in a turn should be minimal. Do most of it beforehand. Drivers of LARGE cars, trucks, and SUVs tend to be oblivious to everyone else on the road. Watch them like a hawk. Hope this helps Alpine white 2009 Yamaha Vino Classic |
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Post by eclark5483 on May 26, 2016 2:48:16 GMT -5
My daughter has Autism so her critical thinking might not be as quick as other kids her age (15). I worry about her CONSTANTLY. She has told me she is afraid of dumping her bike... well, about a week and a half ago... she did. Scraped up her hand and knee, and her arm hurt for a little while. She ended up busting her tail light lens on her brand new TaoTao ATM50-A1.  Luckily that only cost me $20 plus shipping to get a new one. She was shook up pretty bad. What she did was try cornering way too fast. She was actually kind of showing off to her older brother who also has Autism. Actually, here is a video of them both riding probably 3 minutes before the crash: It was my son's very first time and I had finally got him to try it on the day before I started to dismantle the Spree for it's renovation. She was so proud of herself that she was able to give her scooter more gas and go while my son was just learning and taking it slow. You'll notice she was wearing a helmet.. ALWAYS wear a helmet!! Here in Iowa, helmets are not required. But I make her drive with one anyway. Had she not been wearing one, this may have been her face:  $12 to replace that helmet lens is way cheaper then dental work. But anyway, when she first started learning, she told me she was scared.. What I told her was... That's OK, I want you to be scared, you'll drive safer. After the crash, I asked her what she learned... she said she learned not to try taking a corner fast, and that it's better to be scared instead of brave. I told her that was absolutely right. Especially when it comes to driving in traffic!! I also told her to always remember, just because you see a car, does not mean they see you. If you see a car coming, slow down and let them go first, just to be safe. Another thing I did before she took the moped safety course, is I made her read over and over the MOTORCYCLE drivers exam booklet, and I also made her take several free MOTORCYCLE DRIVER quizzes from: driving-tests.org/When she did finally take the MOPED course.. she ACED it simply because she studied the more advanced motorcycle training. |
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Post by ThomasTPFL on May 29, 2016 0:03:43 GMT -5
Almost every time my son goes out on his scooter I tell him that cars don't see him and the ones that do want to kill him.
So far his only scrape has been hitting a speed bump too fast, panicking, and locking up the brakes. Laid it down at around thirty. He was so embarrassed he wrecked he didn't even admit to me he was hurt or the handlebars were wonky until we got home. He could have bloody wrecked again due to the handlebars being loose!
I've had three two wheeled accidents. One, years ago, a car pulled out in front of me as I was going too fast through a parking lot. I slid my Honda C100 under the car. Young and dumb.
Laid my Triumph down in a ditch once as I was getting used to it and took a turn too wide. Luckily it was very low speed and I just burnt myself on the pipes. Simple inexperience. Had little experience on full sized motorcycle and none on a raked out chopper. Choppers turn stupid.
More recently I endoed my China bike blasting the dirt alleys in town. Came up on the road too fast and went into a slide. Had that under control but when I hit the pavement I went up and over. I'm super lucky there wasn't a car coming. Got some good scrapes and a rib that's just now healing out of that. At one point I had time to think to myself, wow, I'm sliding on my face. I'm so glad I have a full face helmet. That was just pure stupid on my part.
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Post by 'O'Verse on May 29, 2016 11:57:13 GMT -5
Wear bright colors. Have a loud exhaust and carburetor. Stay away from cars period. Oh yeah and working tail lights.....
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Post by derbiman on Jun 1, 2016 20:31:12 GMT -5
All of my scooters that I have restored are painted using bright colors such as lime green and orange.I took my orange Derbi to Florida recently and was wearing an orange shirt while riding and a gentleman pulled up beside me at a traffic light. I noticed that he was kind of staring at me. He wound down the window and made mention that my shirt matched my scooter. I told him that I like to be visible while riding and apparently it worked.
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