Scooters Vs Motorcycles & Old vs New?

[Breed777]

Which are more dangerous.... Motorcycles cause they go fast?
Or Scooters cause they go slow....

As I understand you dont need anything other than a car license for a scooter?


Also.... Is it fair to say in SOME cases.... that beginner motorcyclists are extra cautious due to being beignners and that some long term riders get a bit 'over cocky' after riding for a while? so who is more likely to crash?
an experienced rider who takes a few more risks or a noob who is cautious with everything?


Not trying to start an argument, but keen to see what people think... personally I see benefits and downfalls to both.... scooters/motorcycles and Old/new riders

[UberRhys]

Which are more dangerous.... Motorcycles cause they go fast?
Or Scooters cause they go slow....

Also.... Is it fair to say in SOME cases.... that beginner motorcyclists are extra cautious due to being beignners and that some long term riders get a bit 'over cocky' after riding for a while? so who is more likely to crash?
an experienced rider who takes a few more risks or a noob who is cautious with everything?

I would have to say that it depends upon the muppet riding either of them. You can't assume that scooters are more dangerous then motorcycles or vice versa because it all depends on what skill level the meat-sack riding it has.

[Breed777]

Too true... although I must say yesterday I saw a scooter in heavy 5pm traffic on a major road and cars were having to go around him cause it seemed like he couldnt keep with the flow of traffic.... dodgy scooter or driver? are they capable of doing 50km/hr up a hill?

[Maha]

Both are equal in that, both can put you in a dangerous situation (because you are on the road)

But..........
Scooter are dorky and Motorbikes are not.

[UberRhys]

Too true... although I must say yesterday I saw a scooter in heavy 5pm traffic on a major road and cars were having to go around him cause it seemed like he couldnt keep with the flow of traffic.... dodgy scooter or driver? are they capable of doing 50km/hr up a hill?

Depends on the hill.

It is like saying what is safer, a Fiat Bambina or a Bugatti Veyron. Would the Fiat be safer because it can't do the dangerous speeds the Bugatti can - or would the Fiat be more dangerous because it can't attain high speeds? :zzzz:

All comes down to the meat-sack in control...

[NOWOOL]

All things being equal, I believe that the motorcycle is the safest. Most scooters have relatively tiny wheels and makes handling dicey on cobblestone and gravel roads along with limited cornering adhesion. Wind is a big concern on most scooters.

I started out on a scooter and feel much more confident on motorcycles. Riding the scooter always felt to me like being on a stool on a skateboard.

Mind you there are a lot of 'full-sized' scooters (250 cc and upwards) that are as sure-footed and as quick as comparative motorbikes.

[vtec]

I'm a big fan of scooter, just not the ones that are trying to be trendy. I like the old Nifty 50's. I think that motorcycles are more dangerous.

On a motorcycle you are at risk of greater injuries more often due to the faster speeds attainable. On a scooter, the reality of being slower than traffic isn't really that big a deal. I ride my bicycle everywhere, and so what if cars have to go around you boohooo. They might get held up for all of 5 to 10 seconds during which time they'll still be making progress as good as the scooter. People need to get off their high horse and realise that scooters have just as much right as cars or motorbikes or bicycles.

Also, the cornering limits on a scooter are much less cause the tray doesn't have much ground clearance, which generally makes you drive slower around corners, and is good for keeping you in check especially in the wet.

[NOWOOL]

I'll agree with you that scooters have as much right to the road as everyone else, but on your statement that scooters are safer I have to disagree:

50% of all injuries are caused by being hit by a car and the motorbike rider is far more likely to be wearing proper safety gear at the time of an accident.

A scooter's sideboards have about the same ground clearance as a typical cruiser style motorbike ( a Honda Nifty 50 has more clearance than my H-D Deluxe with its footboards. The scooter is also hampered by top heavy weight (the rider) and small tyre patches combined with a limited suspension.

Also keep in mind that 50cc and under scooter riders generally have had no training unlike the motorbike riders.

[Danae]

My scooter's pretty fuckin dangerous. ;)

Yeah nah, scooters have tiny wheels so you are way more likely to lose traction (I've done this recently on the wet and lowsided it). Also most scooter riders don't wear any gear aside from a helmet and have little to no motorcycle experience (however scooter experience counts for something). So it really all depends on the rider.
Anyway I reckon it's about what you find the most fun to ride. If it means you have a higher chance of killing yourself, at least you'll die doing what you love.

[vtec]

Yeah I've lowsided a nifty fifty in the wet. But there was no way i was going to get hurt. It's like crashing a bicycle, safer even because you don't fall very far. I can go and have gone faster on my bicycle. The weight of a motorcycle can mess you up and so can the speed. I stand by my call that scooters are safer.

Although... this vid (extremely graphic do not watch if you aren't completely desensitised) http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=28470287 Shows what can happen in an Asian country to scooter riders.

You can lose traction on any bike and any tire. I've lost traction on every single bike I've ridden. But scooters keep your speed both in corners and on straights in check. The scooter was the second hardest to lose traction on I found, behind my NXR125 which I just could not crash. I loved my NXR... standard original semi-knobbly tyres and it was amazing.

[James Deuce]

Ban scooters. Burn motorcyclists.

[NOWOOL]

Ban scooters. Burn motorcyclists.

That's forkin' helpful!

[allycatz]

Have to say I worry alot less about my son on the scooter than when hes in me Beemer. He cant go past 60....(salesman said scooter couldnt go over 50 k's yeah rite!) and he cant transport his mates

[McWild]

It is like saying what is safer, a Fiat Bambina or a Bugatti Veyron.

A Bambina is more dangerous, because it is not a car.

It is a weapon.





It all comes down to the person on board. You could equally say that a new rider would take more risks as they lack the experience to know the consequences, or an experienced rider knows what can happen so will be mister saftey.
You could kill yourself with a shopping trolley if you're enough of a knob.

[MSTRS]

I reckon it's equal between scooters and motorbikes for safety or otherwise.
The riders, however...
As far as newbies/experienced riders are concerned...my money is on newbies being more dangerous. They are constantly thinking about what is happening right now in front of them, along with trying to control a machine they are not familiar with, as well as remember all the road rules etc. Because they cannot effectively do all that at the same time, PLUS be aware of all the stuff 10 seconds ahead/behind/to the side etc...and often they have poorly maintained bikes...this makes them unpredictable and difficult to gauge when your paths cross (so to speak).

[sleeqe2000]

Disagree - you're talking like it takes 6 months for someone new to get used to their bike, what goes on around them etc...

I see every day into and out of Wellington experienced 'riders' tailgating cars, overtaking on the same lane as other bikers, weaving in and out of traffic all and its down to overconfidence.

[DarkLord]

From my experience of riding both, I would say scooters are far more dangerous.

I locked up the rear wheel on a nifty 50 once, and I was on the road, with the bike on top of me.

I've locked up the rear wheel on the Hyo several times, and it just fishtails a bit. A relaxed dab of counter steering, and it's back on course.

[crazyhorse]

But..........
Scooter are dorky and Motorbikes are not.

I love it - you're not a real motorcyclist on a scooter - are you???? :wari:

[skinman]

not trying hard enough, locked front wheel stopping @ light other day (in wet) yeehah. I will get license soon as want more power so can leave cars off the mark.

[allycatz]

Doing Learn to ride and BHS soon....just wondered if Im gonna find it hard getting used to braking on a bike after having both sets brakes at my fingertips on a scooter?

[aewilliam]

I ride a 125 scoot (small body UZ125 - think the size of a Jog50, Address50) and a 650 bike.
Only time i feel less safe on the scoot is trying to pass/overtake a person on the motorway who is doing 80, and the scoot struggles and may take aaaaaages to completely pass, possibly holding up traffic.
For me, going between the two-hand-braking on the scoot and the hand-foot on the bike is no problem. Just use both puppies interchangeably, and don't neglect either, and youll be able to get used to both.
The larger body scoots (including 50cc scooters with midi/maxi-scooters size...) i have ridden in the past I feel less safe on. they are often heavier on paper, and then subsequently with their heigh have a FAR higher centre of mass so constantly feel more off-balance when going at slower speeds or cornering, than say a Vespa or my UZ.
If only Suzuki would throw the Burgman250/400 engine into the UZ chassis...