if I were to rent a scooter in San Francisco

[jijifer]

so I'm going to San Fran for some concerts - one in Stockton and one in Berkley. I was thinking of renting a scooter since I'm scooter only in San Diego and scooting 70miles ain't no big deal to me.

now first question is: if go with the rental company insurance that says $1k out of pocket - do I need to reserve the back with a credit card with $1k on it?

my insurance for my buddy wouldn't cover the cost on a Vespa since that gts is worth like 3x my scooter so I can't cover it with just my insurance (plus I don't know mine would work that way)

If the answer is yes to the credit card then I'm shit out of luck anyway BUT if it's "no" then the next question is:

is one route more scenic or fun than another to an from Stockton? To stockon I wouldn't have too much time but coming back to Berkley the next day is no problem - all the time in the world.

[dawg onit]

Do they let scoots on the "bart" ?

[Mark2000]

I wouldn't rent a scooter here, tell the truth. Stockton and Berkeley are 100 miles apart. You'll probably need a car. And inside SF proper you don't need a vehicle. Public Transport will get you where you need. It'll even get you around Berkeley.

[pdxrita]

I can't think of a scenic route from San Francisco to Stockton, at least not one that wouldn't take you waaaay out of the way getting there. There are really no viable options except for freeway and I wouldn't want to be on those freeways on a scooter. Also, parts of Stockton are really bad. I wouldn't trust taking a rental scooter into that town. Caveat - it's been 10 years since I lived in the Bay Area.

[Skootz Kabootz]

Ask Eric. He rented one when he was up there...

[digital-entropy]

Do they let scoots on the "bart" ?

Nope, but they let bicycles on BART. There would be no way to get a scooter into the station. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't fit through the turnstiles.

I can't think of a scenic route from San Francisco to Stockton, at least not one that wouldn't take you waaaay out of the way getting there. There are really no viable options except for freeway and I wouldn't want to be on those freeways on a scooter. Also, parts of Stockton are really bad. I wouldn't trust taking a rental scooter into that town. Caveat - it's been 10 years since I lived in the Bay Area.

This is essentially correct. You could do a VERY scenic route by going up over the Golden Gate bridge and through Napa or Sonoma but you'll spend at least three hours doing this. Alternatively you could go south which might be a little faster but you'll instead end up with a less scenic route.

[BootScootin'FireFighter]

Try to avoid 106 and MacArthur in East Oakland. Is this for real? Oakland Sideshows... I'd hate to accidentally end up in that mess on my Buddy.

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mapX_OGsHnY&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mapX_OGsHnY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

[jijifer]

thanks all. maybe scooting to stockton doesn't make sense. Maybe I'll rent it Friday when I'm in Berkley until I fly out on Saturday. I'd love to scoot around up there.

[Mj1010]

Born and raised in the Bay Area so I have a bit of experience traveling around the Bay. I wouldn't recommend riding a scooter from Berkeley to Stockton or even just riding in Stockton.
Your best bet while in San Francisco is public transportation. Bart is a great way to get around the Bay. Of course there's the bus's and don't forget about the ferries. A bit pricey but worth it if you have time and a little extra cash.
Scooting around Berkeley and some parts of Oakland would be awesome. Enjoy your time in the Bay!

[rondothemidget]

Having grown up outside of Stockton, I can say the town is definitely not a scenic place. However, if you were really adventurous, you could get a nice scenic ride through the Delta. I did a Delta bar ride with my brother last summer (Al The Wops in Locke is a favorite). Aside from the scorching heat, you could almost imagine you're in the Burgundy region in France.

[jijifer]

I don't mind going the long way around things - that's what I have to do down here refusing to take even my kitted buddy on the freeway for more than an exit or two and even then - RARELY-

I land at 3:40 and doors for the show in Stockton are 8pm. I thinking there's just no practical way to scoot it. BUT I'm in SF/Berkley Friday and Saturday until a 5:40pm departure so maybe I can rent it for a day around there. I'd love to scoot around up there even if not the WHOLE trip!

[ericalm]

Are you renting from Eagle Rider?

I rented a GTS for a few days there last August. I have no recollection of what I did for insurance, etc.—I think the rental is covered under my insurance? They did give me a good rate, about half of what was advertised on their site.

Eagle Rider SF is weird about reserving scooters, though. They couldn't guarantee they'd have a GTS available that day, so got the person there to verbally agree to give me a MP3 for the same price if one the GTS was unavailable.

When I got there, they had a GTS but they had no record of the rate I was quoted. I told them I talked to Dave (or whoever) and the guy at the counter turned to another guys and asked, "Hey, Dave, did you give this guy a discount?" Dave said, "Uh, I don't remember but I probably did." And that was that.

[babblefish]

Riding around SF on a scooter for a day would definitely be worth it. There's plenty to see, parking is easy and most of the drivers around here (not all) are aware of people on bikes/scooters/motorcycles because we have so many. If I didn't have to work on Friday and Saturday, I'd volunteer to be a tour guide. Getting from SF to Berkeley may not be easy because you'd have to cross one of the bridges to get to the other side of the bay - not real safe. You can go all the way down to San Jose and then back up, but that could take a couple of hours or more.

[JSharpPhoto]

Enough with all this scooter business. On to the important stuff... What bands are you going to see?

[digital-entropy]

Riding around SF on a scooter for a day in SF would definitely be worth it. There's plenty to see, parking is easy and most of the drivers around here (not all) are aware of people on bikes/scooters/motorcycles because we have so many. If I didn't have to work on Friday and Saturday, I'd volunteer to be a tour guide. Getting from SF to Berkeley may not be easy because you'd have to cross one of the bridges to get to the other side of the bay - not real safe. You can go all the way down to San Jose and then back up, but that could take a couple of hours or more.

The GG Bridge is not terrible -- you just have to be aware that it does get windy when you cross the gate. I did it once in the morning when traffic was light and rode up to Mount Tam. You could easily ride across and get to Berkeley by taking that route.

[ericalm]

Enough with all this scooter business. On to the important stuff... What bands are you going to see?

Not bands—band. She's obsessed! I'm not going to say who it is, but I will say they're worthy in my very humble opinion.

[paige]

Riding around SF on a scooter for a day in SF would definitely be worth it. There's plenty to see, parking is easy and most of the drivers around here (not all) are aware of people on bikes/scooters/motorcycles because we have so many. If I didn't have to work on Friday and Saturday, I'd volunteer to be a tour guide. Getting from SF to Berkeley may not be easy because you'd have to cross one of the bridges to get to the other side of the bay - not real safe. You can go all the way down to San Jose and then back up, but that could take a couple of hours or more.

The GG Bridge is not terrible -- you just have to be aware that it does get windy when you cross the gate. I did it once in the morning when traffic was light and rode up to Mount Tam. You could easily ride across and get to Berkeley by taking that route.

Um, no, there is another bridge between Marin and Berkeley, as well as Highway 37. (Richmond- San Rafael) These are also toll bridges, so there is the added stress of dealing with money at the tollbooth.

[illnoise]

I just heard a Patton Oswalt bit on Slacker (just punch me now) about not being able to rent a moped (surely he meant a 50cc scooter) in SF because he didn't have an M/C license, so he had to rent some ridiculous egg-car thing. I thought the egg-car sounded pretty awesome, but Patton assured the audience that it was not.

I couldn't find anything about the egg cars online. Or the clip (it's from his newest album)

[JSharpPhoto]

i think he meant this.....

http://www.gocartours.com/

I have a friend who rented those and thought they were "fun". Of course, she's never been on a real scooter before.

[ericalm]

i think he meant this.....

http://www.gocartours.com/

I have a friend who rented those and thought they were "fun". Of course, she's never been on a real scooter before.

I saw a bunch of these last time I was there. They stand out more than the Segways…

[digital-entropy]

i think he meant this.....

http://www.gocartours.com/

I have a friend who rented those and thought they were "fun". Of course, she's never been on a real scooter before.

I saw a bunch of these last time I was there. They stand out more than the Segways…

Yeah, nothing screams I'M A SLOW TOURIST WHO HAS NO INTENTIONS OF FOLLOWING TRAFFIC LAWS like those damn yellow cars.

[xteraco]

*sings* If you rent a scooter in San Francisco, don't forget to wear a flower in your hair...

hah couldn't resist.

[peabody99]

Riding around SF on a scooter for a day would definitely be worth it. There's plenty to see, parking is easy and most of the drivers around here (not all) are aware of people on bikes/scooters/motorcycles because we have so many. If I didn't have to work on Friday and Saturday, I'd volunteer to be a tour guide. Getting from SF to Berkeley may not be easy because you'd have to cross one of the bridges to get to the other side of the bay - not real safe. You can go all the way down to San Jose and then back up, but that could take a couple of hours or more.

How is the riding in late January? Keep in mind I ride in Cleveland in Jan, if there is a break in the ice pack, so I am tough! We are visiting and I think I would consider a rental to do some exploring around the city and outlying areas. I also have a GPS that easily can be attached to any scooter so we could probably get around without major incident.

[babblefish]

How is the riding in late January? Keep in mind I ride in Cleveland in Jan, if there is a break in the ice pack, so I am tough! We are visiting and I think I would consider a rental to do some exploring around the city and outlying areas. I also have a GPS that easily can be attached to any scooter so we could probably get around without major incident.

It's pretty variable, but I can tell you one thing, there won't be any of that cold white stuff.
We've had sunny days were it gets into the high 60's and down to a chilly low 50's. This year it rained a lot, but it didn't really get too cold. I know I'm able to more or less ride around year round.
Let me know when you're coming and I'll do the tour guide thing.

[Lovelandstella]

...I was thinking of renting a scooter....
...now first question is: if go with the rental company insurance that says $1k out of pocket - do I need to reserve the back with a credit card with $1k on it?

my insurance for my buddy wouldn't cover the cost on a Vespa since that gts is worth like 3x my scooter so I can't cover it with just my insurance (plus I don't know mine would work that way)...

To answer the insurance part of the question (if you're still curious)...

Note: Every insurance company is different, so take this with a grain of salt.

-I recommed calling your insurance company's Claim center (bypass your agent completely, they wont know for sure and will just call the claims center anyway) - anyway that number should be on your insurance card- or you can just google it.
- tell them your policy # and that you want to rent another scooter
-(I assume your current scoot is insured- if not then you pretty much have to do/buy whatever the rental place tells you )
-then ask if you "have to buy the additional insurance or not"
-or better "what do I have to buy from the rental company" and "what am I already paying you guys for?"
- then ask what would happen in a worst case scenario
- and then end the convo and thatls it
.
that'll be like 10 minutes and you will suddenly be an expert* on your own insurance.

* (Not really, but for fun!)

for example - things you can learn:

"my insurance for my buddy wouldn't cover the cost on a Vespa since that gts is worth like 3x my scooter..." this is not necessarily true- (once again check with your insurance) with some ins companies, its not an issue.

Maybe you dont even need to buy their insurance from the rental company- maybe you are already paying your insurance company to do that for you.(once again check with your insurance)

PM me if you have more questions.

[jijifer]

Enough with all this scooter business. On to the important stuff... What bands are you going to see?

Not bands—band. She's obsessed! I'm not going to say who it is, but I will say they're worthy in my very humble opinion.

It's true. It will make the 23rd and 24th time i will have seen Pavement since 1992. They are on the one and only reunion tour they will do after 10 years of break-up. I'm trying to catch the "smaller" shows rather than outdoor-festivals and well, those are so few. In addition to Stockton & SF I'll catch them in LA and several times in New York in Sept. Maybe even a Chicago show in Sept, depending on the timing - I do have a job I'm taking the week off for the 4 NY shows.

Yes, obsessed. I might get 30 shows in my life if I play my cards right. SO STOKED!!!

I've rented a prius (always wanted to drive one) for the first day to stockton. On the second (friday) I may get a scooter to see SF/Berkley until I need to be at the show. I fly home at 5pm on Saturday so maybe Saturday will be scooter day since I have no bands to see... still trying to figure it all out.

[jijifer]

...I was thinking of renting a scooter....
...now first question is: if go with the rental company insurance that says $1k out of pocket - do I need to reserve the back with a credit card with $1k on it?

my insurance for my buddy wouldn't cover the cost on a Vespa since that gts is worth like 3x my scooter so I can't cover it with just my insurance (plus I don't know mine would work that way)...

To answer the insurance part of the question (if you're still curious)...

Note: Every insurance company is different, so take this with a grain of salt.

-I recommed calling your insurance company's Claim center (bypass your agent completely, they wont know for sure and will just call the claims center anyway) - anyway that number should be on your insurance card- or you can just google it.
- tell them your policy # and that you want to rent another scooter
-(I assume your current scoot is insured- if not then you pretty much have to do/buy whatever the rental place tells you )
-then ask if you "have to buy the additional insurance or not"
-or better "what do I have to buy from the rental company" and "what am I already paying you guys for?"
- then ask what would happen in a worst case scenario
- and then end the convo and thatls it
.
that'll be like 10 minutes and you will suddenly be an expert* on your own insurance.

* (Not really, but for fun!)

for example - things you can learn:

"my insurance for my buddy wouldn't cover the cost on a Vespa since that gts is worth like 3x my scooter..." this is not necessarily true- (once again check with your insurance) with some ins companies, its not an issue.

Maybe you dont even need to buy their insurance from the rental company- maybe you are already paying your insurance company to do that for you.(once again check with your insurance)

PM me if you have more questions.

Good tips. My scooter insurance is wacky. I have metlife through my work and i insure my (non operational) car and renter's insurance, too. The scooter policy was weird. They wouldn't give me one for the first 6 months due to my never driven before. When I got one it's "hand written" not to say it was written by hand but it's a manual policy. If I lose my cards it takes several weeks to get another. i can't see my coverage on the website (I can with auto/renters). i bet calling claims will help get answers for sure. I just suspect my policy is weird since it's not their thing. I have collision and comprehensive and a $250 deductible but they didn't know anything about scooters did want to know what I paid for it so I bet it's just for like $2000 of coverage since that's what I paid.

All guessing so I a 10 minute call would be wise