anybody else starting to see scooters on the roads?

[jng]

I nearly hit a jerk on a scooter this morning in my SUV. I was at a red light and he rode up against the curb cutting the line. When he turned green, he cut across me into the lane to my left. As I merged right onto a right, he decided he was in the wrong late and cut across me again! I hit the brakes and honked at him. He glared back.

What's wrong with that?
1 - he cut in line
2 - he didn't signal
3 - stupid scooters are faster than bikes, but not not fast enough to pull moves like that
4 - no license plates (he could report me but i can't report him)
5 - lame helmet - what if I had hit him?


Anyone else seen these in their cities (in the US)? They're really starting to bug me, mostly because there are no regulations on them. As far as I can tell, he didn't break any traffic laws/rules because there aren't any yet!

I've seen them in Europe and they're great in places like Germany and Denmark where there's regulations for them (they can't cut like that). But right now, they're angering me in Boston and I swear one of them is going to be hit, maybe by someone driving an SUV like me and they'll probably die and of course the driver of the SUV will be blamed.

 

[PlaceofDis]

what kind of scooter are you referring to?
like this?:

if that kind. we have laws here against them for the most part. they can only be used on private property. so no streets or sidewalks.

 

[jng]

No, like Vespas. The scooters that are not motorcycles but not bicycles either.

 

[shecky]

what's worse: a jerk on a scooter in a major US city or a jerk in an SUV in a major US city?



note: not that you are a jerk, per se. but you see my point; id rather see a scooter than a Hummer navigating thru boston.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

Where I live (Midwest US) scooters like vespas have to be licensed and insured. You don't need to have the motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license for ones under 100cc's, I think, though.

And yes, I have been seeing A LOT of those things on the road lately. Mostly by old gray haired ladies and guys with shorts that look like hemmed pajamas.

I actually have an older one that I don't drive anymore, but I do think people should just get real motorcycles, they are not actually that worse on gas.

 

[PlaceofDis]

No, like Vespas. The scooters that are not motorcycles but not bicycles either.

couple of points then. they require helmets, signals, and plates.
they're able to go 40-60mph depending on the model. and are completely street legal, so i don't see what the problem is. yeah he was a bad driver. but you get that across the board. and i see them all over the place and they're always better than the motorcycles here.

 

[j26]

Actually they are motorcycles (albeit a bit small and weak for my liking) and you should treat them as such. I'd guess that they are subject to the same regulations as for other motorcycles.

They're more vulnerable than you in your SUV, so the onus is on you to take care and watch out for them. In 75% of collisions between a car and a bike, the car is totally at fault.

The basic rule? - respect ALL road users, and take account of the various strengths and weaknesses of the different types you encounter. That includes acknowledging that most moped/scooter riders are young/inexperienced, and may act unpredictably, and driving in such a way as to take account of that. I'm sure inexperienced people in cars do similar things all the time.

 

[0098386]

Not really, there have been scooters round for years.

I am seeing more Vespa's though, specifically in Greenfield.

 

[j26]

... I do think people should just get real motorcycles, they are not actually that worse on gas.

Some people like the low weight, small size, twist'n'go throttle, and the step through seat. In a city they're often more practical than a bike

Not me, mind - I likes my 1000cc v-Twin, but some do

 

[Royale w/cheese]

Some people like the low weight, small size, twist'n'go throttle, and the step through seat. In a city they're often more practical than a bike

Yeah, you have some points, they are a little better for commuting than pleasure riding.

 

[Queso]

I actually have an older one that I don't drive anymore, but I do think people should just get real motorcycles, they are not actually that worse on gas.

I'd rather the idiots stay on their scooters. Since they insist on parking as badly as possible in the bike ranks it's handy that they have a nice light vehicle I can move closer to the bikes/scooters next to them thereby creating another parking space for my ZZR600

Then again, it's possibly just because I'm parking up in an area of town near the Law Courts, and as we all know lawyers only possess book smarts and have no common sense.......


.....




.....

 

[joepunk]

I wouldn't mind seeing BMW make/sell those C1s in the US.

 

[iKwick7]

what's worse: a jerk on a scooter in a major US city or a jerk in an SUV in a major US city?



note: not that you are a jerk, per se. but you see my point; id rather see a scooter than a Hummer navigating thru boston.

i couldn't agree with you more- i'd rather a bad scooter driver than a bad suv driver- and there sure as hell are a ton of bad suv drivers in jersey.

My brother lives in boston- he's been wanting to get a scooter/vespa for some time.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

I actually like bad suv drivers, one woman totaled my 318 with her tahoe while it was parked and insurance gave me enough to get an even better one with money left over. As long as they don't kill anyone.

joepunk, those C1's are cool.

 

[adroit]

I actually have an older one that I don't drive anymore, but I do think people should just get real motorcycles, they are not actually that worse on gas.

That's not true. Unless you're talking about the cbr 125 (which really is just a scooter that looks like a bike).

I own both scooter and motorcycles and it cost $4/180 km on the scoot and about $20/300 km and most mortorcycles are a lot worse than that.

I find that the scoot serve a differnt purpose than the motorcycle, I prefer riding the scoot if I am just commuting or just going around town. Not to mention that I can wear skirts while riding and underseat storage is enough for a small grocery shopping trip. I use the motorcycle for longer rides or when I need to be on the highway.

 

[yellow]

No, like Vespas. The scooters that are not motorcycles but not bicycles either.

Yes.. all over the place.

The way I figure it, 80% of the ones I see are dudes who have so many DUIs that they cannot drive cars anymore.

 

[Azzurri15]

I wouldn't mind seeing BMW make/sell those C1s in the US.

Those things are crazy; I see them all the time in Italy.

 

[pjarvi]

You shouldn't complain about motorcycles or scooters "cutting". Line riding in California is legal, for the simple fact that it's safer for the motorcycle rider. A lot of drivers don't notice motorcycles stopped behind other vehicles and/or come to a stop far too close to the rear of them, failing to leave a safe gap.

On the other hand, cutting across lanes in front of accelerating traffic is suicide, and he shouldn't have come up on the right hand side blocking right-turning traffic.

 

[Royale w/cheese]

That's not true. Unless you're talking about the cbr 125 (which really is just a scooter that looks like a bike).

I own both scooter and motorcycles and it cost $4/180 km on the scoot and about $20/300 km and most mortorcycles are a lot worse than that.

I find that the scoot serve a differnt purpose than the motorcycle, I prefer riding the scoot if I am just commuting or just going around town. Not to mention that I can wear skirts while riding and underseat storage is enough for a small grocery shopping trip. I use the motorcycle for longer rides or when I need to be on the highway.

That's the key phrase here, unless your talking about, there are extremes on both sides. They have 125cc bikes which you don't qualify as motorcycles apparently, but insurance and drivers licenses here in America definitely do, and they have 600cc scooters that you can drive with a regular license, and no superbike insurance premium.

But in my opinon, there is not that much difference in price at .06 a km and .02 a km, even though, I know, it adds up but tat is alot of commuting. I said THAT worse on gas. Not that motorcycles are better in gas. And I guess you missed my reply to j26.

 

[foidulus]

Wait, wait wait

you are in an SUV and you think someone driving in a scooter, which gets about 6-7x as much gas mileage as your SUV and unlike your SUV doesn't pose a huge danger to everyone else on the road....


SUVs need to be banned, NOW!

 

[jng]

what's worse: a jerk on a scooter in a major US city or a jerk in an SUV in a major US city?

Being a jerk in an SUV won't get your killed as easily though. My major concern is that guy drove like a jerk, thought it was fine, and if an SUV killed him in that situation, the driver (me) would be to blame. Or at least the onus would be on the driver because of SUV driver stereotypes.

For the record, I drive a SUV because I worked at a restaurant and I often picked up supplies and these things are amazing in the snow.

couple of points then. they require helmets, signals, and plates.
they're able to go 40-60mph depending on the model. and are completely street legal, so i don't see what the problem is. yeah he was a bad driver. but you get that across the board. and i see them all over the place and they're always better than the motorcycles here.

They're not slow per se, but their acceleration is horrible compared to cars and no where near fast enough to cut across lines like the guy from this morning. They do require helmets, but I find them to be lamer than motorcycle helmets which offer better protection.

They're more vulnerable than you in your SUV, so the onus is on you to take care and watch out for them. In 75% of collisions between a car and a bike, the car is totally at fault.

The basic rule? - respect ALL road users, and take account of the various strengths and weaknesses of the different types you encounter. That includes acknowledging that most moped/scooter riders are young/inexperienced, and may act unpredictably, and driving in such a way as to take account of that. I'm sure inexperienced people in cars do similar things all the time.

See above re: onus.

Yes, inexperienced car drivers do that all the time. But if I hit a car in city traffic, it'd just be detail work. I doubt either of us would die. If I hit a guy in a tiny scooter with my toyota highlander and he's wearing a ****** helmet, I'm afraid he'd die or something.

You shouldn't complain about motorcycles or scooters "cutting". Line riding in California is legal, for the simple fact that it's safer for the motorcycle rider. A lot of drivers don't notice motorcycles stopped behind other vehicles and/or come to a stop far too close to the rear of them, failing to leave a safe gap.

On the other hand, cutting across lanes in front of accelerating traffic is suicide, and he shouldn't have come up on the right hand side blocking right-turning traffic.

I don't think it should be legal. In Europe from my observations they are required to follow the same rules as cars, with respect to parking, signaling, etc. They of course also drive better and allow spacing for bikes. Some countries like Denmark also had bike only lanes which I found fascinating.

Boston has narrow roads and with all the people who double park, cutting in line isn't the brightest thing to do.

I have also noticed that Germany had strict rules about lighting and how bright they have to be. Some of the models I've seen around Boston are just plain dim. And when you have BMWs and Nissans with giant white lights driving around, you hardly notice the little scooter (who doesn't even bother to signal). I see bicyclists with flashing reflectors easier than these scooter people.

 

[jng]

you are in an SUV and you think someone driving in a scooter, which gets about 6-7x as much gas mileage as your SUV and unlike your SUV doesn't pose a huge danger to everyone else on the road....


SUVs need to be banned, NOW!

Bah, grow up.

Here in the northeast, SUVs are great and sometimes a must. Let's see you drive in 2 feet of snow.

I hate tree hugging liberals who just attack everything single-mindedly. This thread is not about mileage. And if people want to ride scooters fine. But don't drive like a jerk at major intersections and when you're killed by a car, don't blame me for it just because your vehicle doesn't meet safety standards (in my opinion).

 

[yellow]

you are in an SUV and you think someone driving in a scooter, which gets about 6-7x as much gas mileage as your SUV and unlike your SUV doesn't pose a huge danger to everyone else on the road....


SUVs need to be banned, NOW!

I can't believe that we made it this far before getting this response.
Some folks have little choice but to drive SUVs. Personally, I find it very hard to fit my frame in small cars. They aren't built for tall people.

 

[0098386]

you are in an SUV and you think someone driving in a scooter, which gets about 6-7x as much gas mileage as your SUV and unlike your SUV doesn't pose a huge danger to everyone else on the road....


SUVs need to be banned, NOW!

I can see what you're getting at, but sometimes bigger and more powerful vehicles are needed. Though not all the time. We have some big Mercedes jeep-like thing (I really don't know much about cars ) for when the weather requires it. Otherwise we use a more environmentally friendly vehicle.

 

[foidulus]

I can't believe that we made it this far before getting this response.
Some folks have little choice but to drive SUVs. Personally, I find it very hard to fit my frame in small cars. They aren't built for tall people.

I'm 6'2"(180cm) and I ride a bike and even on the rare occasion I do drive I never seem to have any problems fitting in a normal car. There are even cars with more legroom that are still smaller and use much less fuel than an SUV. Those things need to be banned or slapped with a $50k "you are endangering everyone else on the road" tax.