Scooterchic's Blog

LSC Craig McKenzie (Mac):

LSC Craig McKenzie (Mac):

Twistngo, Yes, i’m sure all good police are aware of the current situation. It is an offence unless the vehicle being overtaken is stationary AND it is safe to do so in the circumstances. Think about it next time you consider the manoeuvre and think to yourself what might be the worse case scenario. Then think about it again whether it was safe?

Another interesting feature of the chatroom, is that at the bottom of the page, they ask for comments, and topic suggestions.  So if there’s something you are not sure of, suggest it for another session.

Cops

I got pulled over by one last week.  Actually, thinking back, I’m not sure it was a cop.

I was in Toorak Rd, Melbourne, and traffic was banked up, and I wove around some stationary cars to cross the intersection (with the green light), and make my way between the parked cars and the banked-up cars, to the traffic lights near the Toorak shops.

Waiting at the lights, a bloke on a regular bike pulled up next to me, pointed to his police insignia on his arm, and asked me to pull over up ahead.

I did, and he pulled up next to me.  We both got off our bikes.  He proceeded to tell me everything he thought I’d done wrong.  He didn’t show me any ID,  & he didn’t give me a ticket.

He wasn’t wearing police uniform or riding a police bike.  He said it’s illegal to go past a stationary tram unless told to do so by a Tramways official.  Does anyone know if this is true?  I thought that only applied when the tram was setting down or picking up passengers, and that you could go at 5kph, if the tram was just stopped in traffic.

A quick check on the VicRoads site shows that you are supposed to go no faster than 10km per hour when passing a tram which has its doors closed & is finished loading passengers.  That was certainly the case here.

One of his other points, was that winding around cars that are stuck in traffic, can make the car drivers cross, and they might take that out on other riders when they get the chance.  This didn’t sound anything like a traffic offence, or a police caution.

Thinking back, I’m sorry I didn’t note his rego, because I’m not sure I was stopped by a cop.  It might have just been someone who likes telling people what to do.

It’s not just because there’s only one brand with that unique style.

It’s not just because it’s Italian designed, nor because it was featured in that wonderful classic movie Roman Holiday.

It’s not even because it was invented in that romantic, rustic part of Tuscany around Pisa and Florence …

Nor because the first Vespa appeared around the time WW2 ended.

No, it’s the shape, the style, the colours, the topbox, the freedom, and size. It all suits Scooterchic!

Check out the local vespa site here

Do your research.  You will quickly realize that Vespa’s hold their value extremely well.  A second-hand Vespa will cost you not much less than a new one.  This means that if you buy a new one, you can be confident that if you ever come to part with it, you will get a good price – particularly if you have looked after it well.

Vespa’s are more expensive than many of the scooters now on the market.  The good thing about this is that it tends to mean that only people who are captured by the idea, the style and the look of them tend to spend that extra bit.  You already have something in common with other Vespa riders!

The other thing to be aware of is that there is very little bargaining to be done.  The price doesn’t shift much, and as there are far fewer dealers handling the Italian classics than the many other forms of scooters, you don’t have much option on where to go.

If price really is the key, second hand will definitely save you, and if that’s all too expensive, there are some pretty stylish “Vespa wannabes” about on the roads these days.  But a warning – you’ll always look at the real deal and wish….

Here’s a website worth checking out for a quick idea of what’s around, and what it costs

Riding safety tips

As a regular car driver for many years, I was aware that bike riders often surprise motorists with their speed and agility, and motorists don’t always check as they should before merging / changing lanes / turning corners etc.

Here are a few tips I adopted quickly after I took to riding.

­1.  On a multi lane road, always ride in one of the outside lanes.

That way, you only have to worry about cars coming from one side.

2.  Always assume the car driver hasn’t seen you.

You may be in the right, you have your indicator on etc., but if you assume the driver hasn’t seen you, you will be safe even if they do things such as turn in front of you.

3.  Be seen.

Wear some bright safety-vest or similar over the top of your bike jacket.  It doesn’t matter that this look isn’t fashionable, it improves the chance that the motorist will see you.  And when you get where you are going, you can remove the vest, and store it in the scooter.

4.  Give motorists more room in wet weather.

We all know it is harder to see when you’re driving in the rain.  That means drivers have less visibility, and may not see you.  Even with your headlight on, and a safety-vest, they might not notice you.  Allow more room between vehicles, and assume they haven’t seen you.

The Victorian Transport Accident Commission site has some good info on rider safety.  Check it out here: