City-Riding Tips For Scooter Owners
Scooters were developed alongside their more powerful motorcycle cousins to be a more convenient means of transportation that’s easy for anyone to ride. In fact, this is why scooters are ridden so often in European and Asian cities as there is little room for cars on ancient and winding roads. As an added benefit, scooters are extremely affordable and compact.
You’ll find scooters becoming more commonplace here in the United States, but cars still own the roads, which means that you need to exercise caution as a scooter rider, particularly in a busy city. Here are some tips to help you stay safe.
1. Keep Yourself Visible
The best thing you can be on a scooter is visible. Your scooter has a much smaller footprint than a car or truck, so it’s harder for other motorists to see you. Wearing reflective and brightly colored riding gear can help. Using your lights in dim or dark riding conditions will also help. You can even get brighter lights for your scooter if you need them.
2. Practice Defensive Riding
As nice as it would be for all motorists to be completely focused and alert while driving, you know this isn’t always the case. People in cars have less to worry about than you do on your scooter, so they may be more careless and inattentive. Try to keep your cool and ride defensively, keeping an eye on any vehicles that may be swerving, speeding, or otherwise making sudden maneuvers that could put you in danger.
3. Keep Your Scooter Maintained
A poorly-maintained scooter is an unpredictable scooter, which puts you in danger when you ride it. Make sure you’re addressing regular upkeep tasks on your scooter at home so that your scooter always works as it should. If you ever need some professional maintenance assistance, get in touch with the Alberta Cycle service department to make an appointment with our mechanics.
4. Always Watch the Road Ahead
Finally, you’ll want to make sure that you’re monitoring the road ahead so that you can react in advance to any issues. Look for steel plates or potholes that you may want to avoid on the road, along with parked cars or traffic snarls that could stop your progress. Keep an eye out for potential escape routes so you can get yourself out of a sticky situation, such as side streets or even grass medians.
When you’re ready to buy a new or used scooter, visit our dealership in Edmonton, AB, to see what we’ve got in stock. You can ask our sales team about our financing options and our current promotions as well. Alberta Cycle serves our customers in Grande Prairie, AB.