your first time: advice, please

[ericalm]

Mrs. Ericalm's pink Buddy 125 is paid for and will be all ours sometime Saturday! She'll even be joining the forum soon enough if I can pry her awy from craftster.org.

While I had some experience riding motorcycles and even a few sppins on a Vespa P200 before I got my scoot, this will be her first time on any kind of motorized 2-wheeled vehicle. Fortunately, the nice folks at NoHo scooters have offered to give her some instruction when we pick up the bike.

I know that several MBers were 2-wheel n00bs when they got their Buddies. Any advice or pointers to share with someone getting on a bike for their first time?

[peabody99]

how exciting! I would say the best thing would be for someone other than her to get the bike home. then practice in the parking lots, in your neighborhood and then try a more challenging route on a sunday am when there is less traffic. over confidence is the worst enemy. I try and take it easy, but it is hard b/c the buddy is so fun and deceptively simple. I am taking the beginner motorcycle class in oct. I think that is a recommendation that everyone makes. This is my first scooter and knock on wood, I will have a long lifetime with scoots in my life.

[AxeYrCat]

Basics first: Starting and stopping.

Then, how to turn.

Then just riding around in a desolate parking lot until comfortable.


I think that's the best way to go.

[Tikka Masala]

Head to an empty parking lot and take it slow. Starting and stopping to get a feel for the bikes weight. Then try doing some wide big turns.

Make sure there is no sand or small gravel in the area so she will not lose control.

[BoneGirl]

I am an avid mountain biker and decided my first motorized 2-wheel vehicle would be a piece of cake. Brought the Buddy home without ever having ridden it and the first few minutes scared me to death. All I could think about was everything I read when getting my temporary permit: Watch left, watch right, watch here and there constantly. Who could watch anything?! I was just trying to balance this guy and keep the rubber side down! So I went on the Internet looking for suggestions and found what everyone else has said: find that big empty parking lot and let 'er rip! Learn 2-handed braking and hard stops. Easy to practice in the lot. Learn what your favorite "lean" side is and practice the side that's hardest. There were small islands in this lot and my husband set up 2-liter bottles, spread them around the island and made me turn between them and the island, bringing them in closer and closer as I practiced. I put about 6 miles on my Buddy in 2 hours and it was the turning point. I just needed open space and time. I've got 1,300 miles on it in only 6 weeks and feel very comfortable.

Make sure she signs up for the class as well and wears gear that may help give her some confidence right out of the gate. I made sure I always had long sleeves and jeans on when I was learning. Sorry to get so windy but hopefully it helps.

[rickyd410]

Ok. So, I'm picking my bike up tomorrow and am going to drive it home. (10 miles)

Tomorrow after work, I'm being escorted home by one of the guys at the shop. It'll be around 6ish, so there'll be a good amount of cars on the road. I'll have a heavy leather jacket on, and a full face helmet.

Its not an ideal situation, but I need to get the bike home and dont want to spend money renting a truck and all that.

I'll be very careful, and will be escorted by a very experienced rider, who lives right by me (so he knows the best route to the shop).

I don't have gloves, but I'm going to be very careful and pay full attention on the road.

AND I'm going to have my wife following us in my car, so I'll have an experienced rider in front of me, and a buffer car in the back.

I'm sure I'll be nervous, but it'll be exciting too.

[Icelander]

Practice. Find a safe place nearby where you can practice starting, stopping and turning. It's better to wipe out (and she will wipe out) when you don't have to worry about getting hit by a cager.

[peabody99]

if you really want to play is safe and smart, why dont you have the scooter shop guy bring it to your house and give him a ride back to his car?

[ericalm]

Practice. Find a safe place nearby where you can practice starting, stopping and turning. It's better to wipe out (and she will wipe out) when you don't have to worry about getting hit by a cager.

IM from Mrs. Ericalm (who is lurking): I like the person who says "I will wipe out" ... I was feeling good until that point ... now I'm just going to have "I'm going to wipe out" in the back of mind

[ericalm]

if you really want to play is safe and smart, why dont you have the scooter shop guy bring it to your house and give him a ride back to his car?

The scooter guys will be giving her a quick lesson. Then I will mount that pink beast and ride it to a parking lot where I'll become the Mr. Miyagi of scooters: "No Fred Flinstone stops! Lean, lean, lean!" Maybe we should practice on a sawhorse first...

[Mike @ NoHo Scooters]

Actually its my wife who gives the lessons on Saturday. She is good at teaching folks how to ride a scooter. During the week she is good at teaching second graders how to read and write.

[GatsbyGirl]

I probably should have registered as Mrs. Ericalm, since it appears that's the name I've already been given by Mr. GatsbyGirl, but a girl's got to keep her identity.

Yes, I am indeed now the proud owner of a pink Buddy 125. Mostly, I'm looking for those lessons that people learned a few days, or weeks, or months into having a scooter that made them go, "Wow, I wish I'd known that sooner."

I'm slightly apprehensive about my first few days, only because I think ericalm has this fantasy of me immediately becoming a badass scooter babe, complete with an elevated bob haircut and a wardrobe largely of houndstooth dresses.

I will definitely be going slow and any tips (and stories) are appreciated. Something tells me that -- while ultimately they did a good job -- just as having my dad teach me to drive a car and my brother-in-law teach me how to drive stick, it might not be the best idea to have the husband teach me how to ride a scooter.

[peabody99]

GG-your biggest problem my be MR.EC not ever turning over your Buddy. I let the Mr. drive my buddy he thought was a waste of money home from the scooter shop and for the most part, I never saw it again, except the back end rushing out of the garage and him yelling "suckaaa" . So that is why there are 2 now. And BTW I have excellent sources that say the Buddy 125 is faster then Vespa 150, esp the pink one. Take it nice and slow and you will be bad ass in no time at all!

[GatsbyGirl]

GG-your biggest problem my be MR.EC not ever turning over your Buddy

Oh, trust me, there was more than one reason I got a pink one.

I believe ericalm had only had his Vespa for a month before he started talking about his "second scooter" as though it were a given.

[peabody99]

Practice. Find a safe place nearby where you can practice starting, stopping and turning. It's better to wipe out (and she will wipe out) when you don't have to worry about getting hit by a cager.

What the...heck? I would not say it is a given you will "wipe out" sheesh what are ya doing over there?

[Icelander]

Maybe you won't wipe out. But there's a good chance that you will, and it's better to do it out of the flow of traffic.

[AxeYrCat]

Make sure you go at a pace that is comfortable for you, and keep in mind that your pace is probably a little too fast.


My fiance and I got in a pretty large 'discussion' when I let her ride my Buddy around in a parking lot. She'd never been on a 2-wheeled vehicle with a motor before, and she's fallen a few times on her road bike (which, really, can be blamed 99.9% on the clipless pedals). But she started going a LOT faster than I was comfortable with, and ended up on the far side of the lot with a decent amount of gravel (and out of ear-shot). So I'm freaking out as she's trying to turn the thing around in an area that wasn't really conducive to doing so, and she's upset at me because I'm angry/terrified that she decided 40 was a good speed to start with.

Fortunately, it all worked out in the end, but it was damned frustrating.

[MrNatural]

Ah yes...teaching someone to drive is like hanging wall paper w/your spouce/girlfriend/fiance... Nothing, and I mean NOTHING good can come of it!!
If at all possible it's best left to an disinterested 3rd party.
(I've been driving w/my 16y/o son....need I say more??...)

[dru_]

Practice. Find a safe place nearby where you can practice starting, stopping and turning. It's better to wipe out (and she will wipe out) when you don't have to worry about getting hit by a cager.

IM from Mrs. Ericalm (who is lurking): I like the person who says "I will wipe out" ... I was feeling good until that point ... now I'm just going to have "I'm going to wipe out" in the back of mind

Bah, wiping out is something you do when you aren't paying attention to details. I rode an XR80 when I was about 12-14 years old on an occasional basis, and haven't been on a powered two wheel vehicle in the 20+ years since, until I bought a 150cc scoot about 2 weeks ago .

At the same time, I've got a Cannondale road bike that has well over 6000 miles on it, and a mountain bike that has untold hours and miles of some of the nastiest trails I can find. I've hit the ground quite a few times over the years on those, and with a grand total of 2 exceptions, those boiled down to my own inattention. The two exceptions where not strictly my fault, but probably could have been avoided if I had been paying more attention to what 'could' happen. In one case, I should not have assumed the truck driver saw me, in the other, I could hear the drunken rednecks behind me, I just assumed they weren't dumb enough to throw a bottle at me (it cost them a windshield and a night in jail).

You see, that's really what two wheeled safety boils down to, attention to details and constant what if ( CONSTANT VIGILANCE as Prof. Moody would say).

Preflight Check:
1. Check Tires for wear and pressure.
2. Check the Signals & Headlights.
3. Check the equipment for signs of potential problems, apply the what if factor, and address any problems before you leave

Infligt:
1. Don't 'Look', Scan. Keep your eyes moving.
2. Check your mirrors and blinds regularly
3. Keep a running tally of what's nearby and what could impact your safe line of travel.
4. Assume the worst, other drivers don't see you, or even if they do, they don't care.
5. Children, Animals, and Grocery Carts? Assume that there is a homing beacon, and they will be in front of you at the worst moment.
6. Plan ahead, know where your escape is based upon the assumption of a worst case scenario.

It sounds like it's not fun, it is. Wanna practice this stuff? do it in the car.

My brothers and I played this game, and I do it with my kids and even my spouse.

Driving down the road, ask the other parties in the car:

what color is the car behind us ?
where can I escape?
and similar questions.

When you do this enough, it becomes second nature. Remember playing Punch Buggy as a kid ? keep playing, it promotes awareness of what's around you, and that my friends is a god thing.

Getting used to the scooter itself is the easy part. I personally found an empty parking lot on a sunday, hauled the scoot over in the truck, unloaded it, set up a cone obstacle course that I could drive the truck through (barely) and then I did it over and over again until I could comfortably navigate the thing on the scoot at excessive speeds.

Then came emergency turns, hard stops, and the infamous tight turn for the drivers test. All of it comes pretty naturally to anyone that's ever ridden a bicycle hard, but it takes practice to be at a point where the scoot is just an extension of your body. When you find your self using your feet and butt to guide the scoot as much as you use your arms and hands.

But the strangest thing to learn, is that the scoot, like any two wheeler goes where your eyes go. If you fixate on a patch of gravel in the middle of a corner, you'll go right to it, whereas if you focus on your exit point from the corner and let your peripheral vision and brain take care of the rest, you'll make the clean line to the exit point.

Oh, and btw, probably most importantly, enjoy the ride. Take it at your own pace, the first few days will be a little scary because you are processing a lot of new material. You'll notice every wave in the road, and think 'is that a problem with the scoot ?', you'll be cruising at 35 and feel like you're flying. Then a few days in, things start to slow down, all the sudden you look down and you're doing 50 and it's comfortable, and the waves in the road just slip under you. It's about that point in time that the poop eating grin on your face becomes a permanent fixture and you are addicted for life....

[pesqueeb]

I once tried to teach my girlfriend (now wife) how to ski, and it nearly ended our relationship. After that I just shelled out for lessons at the ski area and it was the best thing I ever did, she actuall got to learn how to ski, I got to spend a day on the mountain doing what I wanted to do, and best of all I didn't have to file for divorce at the end of the day. I highly recomend hiring a profesional to teach your spouse anything. Fourtunatly with our scoots, were pretty much both staring from scratch and will be taking the MSF class together, so hopefully will both have fun.

[GatsbyGirl]

Thanks dru_ for taking the time for the pep talk and all the pointers. This is exactly the sort of stuff I need. I love a list of elements that I can control before getting on the road with all those people that I can't.

[Lagerhead]

Practice. Find a safe place nearby where you can practice starting, stopping and turning. It's better to wipe out (and she will wipe out) when you don't have to worry about getting hit by a cager.

IM from Mrs. Ericalm (who is lurking): I like the person who says "I will wipe out" ... I was feeling good until that point ... now I'm just going to have "I'm going to wipe out" in the back of mind

Bah, wiping out is something you do when you aren't paying attention to details. I rode an XR80 when I was about 12-14 years old on an occasional basis, and haven't been on a powered two wheel vehicle in the 20+ years since, until I bought a 150cc scoot about 2 weeks ago .

At the same time, I've got a Cannondale road bike that has well over 6000 miles on it, and a mountain bike that has untold hours and miles of some of the nastiest trails I can find. I've hit the ground quite a few times over the years on those, and with a grand total of 2 exceptions, those boiled down to my own inattention. The two exceptions where not strictly my fault, but probably could have been avoided if I had been paying more attention to what 'could' happen. In one case, I should not have assumed the truck driver saw me, in the other, I could hear the drunken rednecks behind me, I just assumed they weren't dumb enough to throw a bottle at me (it cost them a windshield and a night in jail).

You see, that's really what two wheeled safety boils down to, attention to details and constant what if ( CONSTANT VIGILANCE as Prof. Moody would say).

Preflight Check:
1. Check Tires for wear and pressure.
2. Check the Signals & Headlights.
3. Check the equipment for signs of potential problems, apply the what if factor, and address any problems before you leave

Infligt:
1. Don't 'Look', Scan. Keep your eyes moving.
2. Check your mirrors and blinds regularly
3. Keep a running tally of what's nearby and what could impact your safe line of travel.
4. Assume the worst, other drivers don't see you, or even if they do, they don't care.
5. Children, Animals, and Grocery Carts? Assume that there is a homing beacon, and they will be in front of you at the worst moment.
6. Plan ahead, know where your escape is based upon the assumption of a worst case scenario.

It sounds like it's not fun, it is. Wanna practice this stuff? do it in the car.

My brothers and I played this game, and I do it with my kids and even my spouse.

Driving down the road, ask the other parties in the car:

what color is the car behind us ?
where can I escape?
and similar questions.

When you do this enough, it becomes second nature. Remember playing Punch Buggy as a kid ? keep playing, it promotes awareness of what's around you, and that my friends is a god thing.

Getting used to the scooter itself is the easy part. I personally found an empty parking lot on a sunday, hauled the scoot over in the truck, unloaded it, set up a cone obstacle course that I could drive the truck through (barely) and then I did it over and over again until I could comfortably navigate the thing on the scoot at excessive speeds.

Then came emergency turns, hard stops, and the infamous tight turn for the drivers test. All of it comes pretty naturally to anyone that's ever ridden a bicycle hard, but it takes practice to be at a point where the scoot is just an extension of your body. When you find your self using your feet and butt to guide the scoot as much as you use your arms and hands.

But the strangest thing to learn, is that the scoot, like any two wheeler goes where your eyes go. If you fixate on a patch of gravel in the middle of a corner, you'll go right to it, whereas if you focus on your exit point from the corner and let your peripheral vision and brain take care of the rest, you'll make the clean line to the exit point.

Oh, and btw, probably most importantly, enjoy the ride. Take it at your own pace, the first few days will be a little scary because you are processing a lot of new material. You'll notice every wave in the road, and think 'is that a problem with the scoot ?', you'll be cruising at 35 and feel like you're flying. Then a few days in, things start to slow down, all the sudden you look down and you're doing 50 and it's comfortable, and the waves in the road just slip under you. It's about that point in time that the poop eating grin on your face becomes a permanent fixture and you are addicted for life....

Can we "sticky" this?

Kudos Dru.

[Sailn]

pesqueeb

I totally agree. I tried to teach my wife how to dock our boat, both under power and sail. I ofcourse did what I knew I would. Take the helm from her and avoid crashing into the Island Packet in the next slip. I was in the doghouse for a while. Then I got smart. I had a friend who is an asa instructor teach my wife, and I sat on the dock drinking heavlly and trying not to watch. MUCH BETTER.