Motorcycle or Scooter - What to Ride
The first thing you need to ask yourself is: Do I need a scooter or do I need a motorcycle? This will help you get a bit closer to making the right decision on what two wheels are best for you. Remember – what you need and what you want may be two different things.
Scooters
A scooter is ideal if you intend to mainly use it as a transport solution. It's easier to park than a car and you'll discover that short journeys will be a breeze - no more bus timetables or traffic jams! They also offer great puddle protection both at the front and from below and have built-in storage to accomodate your helmet when parked.
Scooters come in many shapes and sizes from 50cc right up to 650cc. The 50cc engines (Mopeds) are restricted to 30mph and due to legislation, is the only option to you if you’re 16 years old.
If you’re 17 or over, then your choices widen considerably. Scooters are easy to ride with ‘twist and go’ fully automatic throttles or in some cases ‘tip-tronic’ gearboxes allowing greater performance flexibility. In either case you don’t have to worry about using a clutch – this makes scooters a very popular choice amongst new riders or those who just want a simple stress free ride.
Scooters are brilliant to zip around town on and offer many advantages over motorbikes but if it's generally the longer out of town journeys you want to do, then perhaps a motorcycle would suit your needs better. That said some of the bigger modern scooters do make excellent long distance machines and sell in their thousands for just this reason to our European cousins.
Motorcycles
If you think you need something that will allow you to go out on longer recreational rides, or even commute longer distances, then getting a motorcycle may be the right thing for you to do. Here, the choices become even wider again – with engine size, physical size, style and price, all varying.
Motorcycles are generally bigger than scooters, both in physical and engine size. The bigger the engine generally the more power it will develop and what you can ride is restricted by what type of licence you have. Category A licence holders are restricted to motorcycles developing 34bhp. Many manufacturers can offer bikes with this power output and some can restrict even larger engine models to satisfy this legal requirement. After 2 years experience you can choose machines of any size and any power.
Whether you buy a scooter or motorcycle, the important thing is to choose one that fits your dimensions. Make sure your reach to the handlebars is comfortable and that your feet can be placed flat on the ground. It’ll all just add to a more enjoyable riding experience.