Another Candian News Story, Worth a Read Especially for New Scooterists

I know I have been posting a lot of Canadian stories after saying that I usually only post about US scooter things. In order to dispel rumors: I am not Canadian, lets get that out of the way. Not that there is anything wrong with that. A person's national preferences are their own private matter and should be treated as such. It's just that all of my clever 'bots that search the internet news sites keep pulling up these interesting stories from Canada. And this story is no exception:

Can a devoted automobile enthusiast trade his four wheels for two this summer? The second in a continuing series.

I say bravo to the National Post for doing something more than a fluff piece on scootering. I mean, it’s great to read a few stories on “hey people are finally noticing scooters/aren’t they neat”, but to actually write about the daily life of a scooterist is fantastic. This gives newcomers an idea of what to expect. I do have a few issues with the way the author goes about making the switchover.

#1: He did not take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course or any other similar safety course before riding. This is a BAD thing. Also he did not have to take a road test in Canada which is rather disturbing. I am pretty sure that in all 50 states you need to take a road test before getting your license, and the BEST way to pass that road test AND become a better driver is to take the MSF course.

#2: He is riding a clutch bike as opposed to a twist & go. I am not sure the age of the bike either, as this story did not list make/model. My advice to all new riders is to get the twist & go, they are easier to ride, and smoother for a new rider, plus almost all new bikes are T&G now. The difference: when you get on a T&G, you simply use a throttle for acceleration, and brakes to stop. With the clutch bikes you are using a throttle, clutch, shifting up and down, and using brakes. This can be daunting for a new user. Also, new T&Gs are reliable, whereas older “classic” bikes (which often look wonderful & I greatly admire) are NOT good bikes to make a daily commute with, as they tend not to be reliable.

#3: (Not a complaint) Kudos for writing about parking being an issue. It is an issue, and cities need to accommodate scooters. I firmly believe that we will change the landscape of the American cities in the next 5 years. The cities need to take notice and begin to accommodate. For instance, where I live it is mandatory to have a parking sticker in a window to park on the street. What do you do if you have no window? The city has not bothered to make accommodations. Also, I have encountered at least one traffic light that is activated only when a car pulls up to it, otherwise it never changes. What is a scooter rider supposed to do in that case?

Anyway, I can write a lot on this subject, having only converted to riding a Vespa ET4 2 years ago. I have put 7000 miles on my bike in that time, and have learned the ins and outs very quickly.

Read the National Post story here. Congrats to Canada for taking such notice of scooters in the past month.

Comments

[P200Eric]

Quibble RE: No. 2 --
Although you (and others) may prefer a twist-n-go bike with its belt-driven variable transmission due to its ease of operation (the appeal is obvious, especially for beginners), I believe that the control over the bike afforded by the older Vespas with their manual transmissions outweighs the ease of operation of twist-n-gos.

Learning the operation and capabilities of your bike's engine by having to interact with it more than just twisting the throttle and pulling the brake is essential to becoming a safe and efficient rider. Knowing where the power bands start and end, being able to start on a hill, and being able to know when you cables have stretched or your carburetor is acting up is all part of becoming one with the bike.

Besides, the MSF course doesn't let you use twist-n-gos for class does it? When I took it years ago, all the bikes used in the course were small displacement motorcycles. If the rules have changed, that's too bad, since motorcycles nearly all have manual transmissions, and one could pass the beginning MSF course withouth knowing the first thing abot handling a bike with a clutch.

My advice - learn how to use the clutch regardless of what kind of bike you plan on buying/riding. Odds are that your enthusiasm for riding will increase with each ride you take on your bike, and you will eventually want to try the old bikes - especially if you like to turn a wrench (the old 2-stroke bikes are great to work on), or even a motorcycle in the future.

JMHO

P200Eric

[Neil Barton]

I agree that everyone should learn to use a clutch. You are correct: the MSF course teaches you on a clutch/you cannot use a T&G. However I disagree with you that a clutch is better, especially in a city situation. Urban driving requires high manueverability & lots of varying speeds. A T&G driver doesnt have to worry about shifting up and down, and additionally it being a modern bike means that it has disc brakes for quicker shorter stops. The older bikes don't and take longer to stop. Also it's just plain annoying and distracting to constantly shift up and down. I think once a person learns to love a scooter, they may then wish to get a classic bike and deal with the clutch.

[P200Eric]

Neil -

Sure. T&Gs are easy. And stop and go traffic can be a pain when you're having to feather the clutch all the time. I didn't mean to get into the manual vs. automatic debate. Although I obviously fall on the manual side of that discussion.

I only meant to quibble with you RE: newbies starting with T&Gs, when learning how to ride bikes with a clutch is so important for riding. The MSF would seem to take care of that issue (at least initially).

Thanks for replying.

P200Eric

[Charlie Colon]

I'm not alone!

I have been into sport cars since I can remember, and still love the sport. When some of my friends found out I was getting a bike, they expected something fast and mean looking.(not flashy, not at my age) A Granturismo wasn't anywhere in the picture. But just like alot of people I've met in the scooter scene, we are not normal. I think Piaggio is looking in the right direction with the blogs. Anyhow, the point is, for city riding and some countryside gettaways Twist & Go can't be beat. It's about riding and enjoying the view. That my $0.02

[helen]

I saw your site,
I was wondering if there are any free sites to list a vespa for sale?

[P200Eric]

Try Craigslist:

www.craigslist.org

What are you selling?

[Nicholas Stewart]

I riden R1's, CBR's and Ninja's. I would never go back after riding my Vespa's. Sure i was able to do 160 mph on the Major Deegan (near Yankee Stadium)... besides that.. not much more to it. On my Vespa, i drive about 50 to 60 mph... it can push 70, sometimes i just want to cut down to 35. i dont have to shift all the time and the ease is incredible.