Post by iowascooterrider on Feb 27, 2013 22:13:32 GMT -5
Okay so I just wanted to share a couple of things that I wish I had thought of when I had first started riding a scooter in the past year:
1) don't assume that a vehicle sees you
Story: earlier in the spring I had been riding for around a couple of months when I was traveling along a four lane 2 way street and saw a truck waiting for his gap in traffic to cross opposing traffic and join the same direction I was traveling. When I saw the truck get his chance and turn into the lane next to mine I assumed that he had already seen me and would wait to pass me to change lanes, however he kept merging over and was pushing me towards the curb at around 35-40 mph. I could not slow down as I was being tailgates and was already at the top end of my power, luckily the guy noticed me when he was close enough that I could have opened the passenger door if I had wanted to, the moral is dont assume other drivers see you.
2) be very careful with your following distances of things like buses
Story: on my way to school one day I was riding my scooter and was following a school bus that was doing around 10mph under the speed limit, I was unconsciously creeping up on the back of the bus, but was not all that close. I decided to take another route that would be faster and slowed down while also starting my turn, the bus blocked my view of an oncoming car which I almost turned in front of (stupid me ik) the lesson is large vehicles can block your view of other vehicles and their view of you
3) Be careful when riding right after rain
Story: I had just started my scooter to let it warm up when it was starting to rain, after warming up for 5 minutes I started in my trip to school and was heading down a hill that is frequented by local delivery trucks and other vehicles notorious for leaking oil onto streets. Around halfway down the hill I suddenly felt the whole scooter slide out from under me and leave me confused on my back (only a couple scratches on me and the bike), after getting up I noticed I had slid in some oil that was suspended on the fresh rain. Moral of my mistake is avoid riding around 30 minutes after it rains due to gunk on the street, and check the weather to see if it is supposed to rain soon
All those experiences happened in the first 500 miles of my riding, and I haven't had any since (knock on wood) at 1150 miles, and all three taught me the importance of safety gear and careful riding. It would be great if others want to contribute their own stories/experiences/tips
thanks for reading, be safe!
1) don't assume that a vehicle sees you
Story: earlier in the spring I had been riding for around a couple of months when I was traveling along a four lane 2 way street and saw a truck waiting for his gap in traffic to cross opposing traffic and join the same direction I was traveling. When I saw the truck get his chance and turn into the lane next to mine I assumed that he had already seen me and would wait to pass me to change lanes, however he kept merging over and was pushing me towards the curb at around 35-40 mph. I could not slow down as I was being tailgates and was already at the top end of my power, luckily the guy noticed me when he was close enough that I could have opened the passenger door if I had wanted to, the moral is dont assume other drivers see you.
2) be very careful with your following distances of things like buses
Story: on my way to school one day I was riding my scooter and was following a school bus that was doing around 10mph under the speed limit, I was unconsciously creeping up on the back of the bus, but was not all that close. I decided to take another route that would be faster and slowed down while also starting my turn, the bus blocked my view of an oncoming car which I almost turned in front of (stupid me ik) the lesson is large vehicles can block your view of other vehicles and their view of you
3) Be careful when riding right after rain
Story: I had just started my scooter to let it warm up when it was starting to rain, after warming up for 5 minutes I started in my trip to school and was heading down a hill that is frequented by local delivery trucks and other vehicles notorious for leaking oil onto streets. Around halfway down the hill I suddenly felt the whole scooter slide out from under me and leave me confused on my back (only a couple scratches on me and the bike), after getting up I noticed I had slid in some oil that was suspended on the fresh rain. Moral of my mistake is avoid riding around 30 minutes after it rains due to gunk on the street, and check the weather to see if it is supposed to rain soon
All those experiences happened in the first 500 miles of my riding, and I haven't had any since (knock on wood) at 1150 miles, and all three taught me the importance of safety gear and careful riding. It would be great if others want to contribute their own stories/experiences/tips
thanks for reading, be safe! 
Main Jet
