Opinion on scooters: Motorcyclists only please

[calazula]

Been browsing all the threads and I've been a bit thrown off by the negativity towards scooters in Bermuda despite them being the seemingly primary mode of transportation.

 

I'm trying to filter through the comments as the opinion of 2-wheeled vehicles can vary greatly between those who are use to riding and those who aren't.

 

Can fellow CC'ers who RIDE A MOTORCYCLE/SCOOTER REGULARLY please comment on what their opinion is regarding renting a scooter in Bermuda? (Speed, traffic, safety, rules, driver etiquette, etc?)

 

I'm requesting only experienced riders to provide feedback. This forum has a lot of people commenting on issues like "high speeds" on "big engined scooters", which frankly for any trained motorcyclist from NA is a joke when referring to 50cc vehicles traveling at 30mph when our norms are 600cc+ bikes at 65+mph.

 

Thanks!

[DeltaOne]

Can fellow CC'ers who RIDE A MOTORCYCLE/SCOOTER REGULARLY please comment on what their opinion is regarding renting a scooter in Bermuda? (Speed, traffic, safety, rules, driver etiquette, etc?)

 

The negativity comes from inexperienced folks that rent a scooter in Bermuda and end up crashing and injuring themselves.

 

While I don't ride now, I have twenty plus years on and off road motorcycle experience. We spent a week in Bermuda and rented a scooter two years ago. I knew I could handle the scooter, but driving on the left and Bermuda's twisty roads were an unknown. The rental scooters have a huge decal on the speedometer that reminds one to drive on the left. Even so, sometimes I had to think twice before pulling out and merging on to a road. And the many round-abouts (traffic circles) were...interesting.

 

I was determined to not injure myself or wife on our scooter adventures. We were not injured, the scooter made it possible for us to go where we wanted when we wanted. Having the scooter really enhanced our week in Bermuda.

 

The rental scooters are slow, especially with the weight of two adults. The roads are narrow, twisty and confusing. The Bermuda drivers tail-gate like crazy and drive very fast. What worked for me was 100% concentration on driving and ignoring the tail-gaters that drove very close behind us. Many times the little scooter was flat-out trying to keep up with the flow of traffic.

 

If I had a dollar for every cyclist that zoomed past us I could have bought a round of rum swizzles at the Swizzle Inn!

[family cruisers]

My husband is a motorcycle cop in a large city.

We've seen several accidents to tourists . One on our first day off the ship a girl came back in a wheelchair and a cast from a broken leg due to a scooter accident.

 

Bermuda , hamilton in particular is very congested.

While lots of people do ride them , we do not.

I have asked though :-)

Then he reminds me of the girl in the wheel chair !!!

[sousak78]

You're right, the bikes they rent to tourists aren't that big, plus, the tourist bikes have a 'governor' on them to limit the speeds so you can't go very fast, even if you wanted to (as Paul in Maryland found out!).

 

Bermuda's roads are narrow and windy, our drivers aren't as courteous as they were once upon a time and our roads get very slippery when they're wet, plus, the smaller diameter of the tourist moped's wheels makes it easier to slide out on corners.

 

This is my advice - if you are an EXPERIENCED rider wherever you're from, have good concentration when riding, can keep your wits about you when riding and aren't easily spooked by drivers zipping past you at high speed, riding on your tail, etc. (because we crazy Bermudians will overtake you - LOL), then you should be fine riding a moped. One of the biggest issues with the mopeds are the inexperienced riders who gun the accelerators instead of squeezing the brakes when they panic :cool:.

 

Oh, and when you encounter a roundabout - you yield to the traffic on your RIGHT. If no one is coming at you from the right, then give 'er gas and go on through!

 

My final bit of advice - if you sight-see while riding, please keep your eyes on the road - no doing the "LOOK HONEY, IT'S A BIRDIE/A BEACH/A PALM TREE" while you turn your head and the bike in the direction of the birdie/beach/palm tree etc - you give me heart attacks when I see you weaving all over the road like that - LOL...;)

 

Enjoy your visit!

[bdaguy]

any trained motorcyclist from NA is a joke when referring to 50cc vehicles traveling at 30mph when our norms are 600cc+ bikes at 65+mph.

If you think these machines are a joke then ask anyone of us who have had a friend or relative die in a road traffic collision while riding a 50cc vehicle at 30mph. I can name 5 people who I knew by name and are now dead from RTCs whilst riding these joke machines, and all of them had something you won't and that is experience on these machines on roads they grew up on.

Reread Sousa's post and then buy a transportation pass so you can avoid dying on a scooter on vacation. A few people died last year on two wheeled vehicles, but nobody died on a bus. Flip the coin.

[32N64W]

Okay, I'll throw in my two cents as another local.

First, in the interests of full disclosure, I've never owned a car and have ridden a bike for 35 years and NEVER (touches wood, throws salt over shoulder and clutches rabbit's foot) had an accident.

 

Second, many visitors DO always rent bikes, always have a good time and are not involved in accidents. HOWEVER, they are usually youngish and experienced at riding bikes at home.

 

Third, and this is the big BUT - you're here for a vacation: to have a great experience in a very short time. Why even risk dodging our increasingly frantic traffic, with traffic rules you are not familiar with, and your attention split between the road and the scenery, when there's a perfectly good alternative?

 

Fourth, and here's my point, the public transport system in conjunction with the clean taxis (with friendly and knowledgeable drivers thrown in for free), is so good, why on earth WOULDN'T you use it? You can focus on sightseeing, not get lost, not get sunburnt, not have the unique experience of being tailgated at a range of two feet by a fast-moving bus or truck, plus, you can have a drink or several.

 

Fifth, and finally, isn't it much better to go home with happy memories rather than a nasty case of road rash (which is what we call it when you come off your bike and remove most of the skin off your knee, elbow or foot)?

You're on a cruise, after all - why risk it? Just remember RULE ONE...

Have Fun!

[ixion00x]

I figured I better chime in here, not as a native, but as a rider and my plan for my July visit. Seems like opinions are decidedly split here on what's best. First of all, I'm a rider from Boston. I learned how to ride here, and I know all about twisty confusing roads. Aggressive traffic is not new to me either and tailgating is pretty much law here. I have a 650cc sport bike, which would kill you given half the chance, so the prospect of a 50cc scooter with a rev-limiter really doesn't frighten me that much. The only thing I'm slightly anxious about is having to deal with driving on the left, which I've never done.

 

But, I just wanted to get some Bermuda folks' opinion on this, especially those that tell us tourists to skip the scooter and take the bus. I plan to treat the scooter and riding as I would in any other riding situation. Safety first, go slow, stay (in this case) left, be extra careful when turning right and entering traffic, and more or less try to stay out of the bigger vehicles' way. Is it proper etiquette on the island to move left and wave to vehicles behind to overtake (and thereby avoid any huge traffic snarl?)

 

With this attitude and intention in mind, is it still a bad idea to rent a scoot and enjoy the freedom of, as others have said, to go where I want, when I want?

[32N64W]

Hi Ixion,

See, you're one of the people I mentioned in my previous post who would probably be fine and have no problems - if you feel that's what you want to do - go for it.

The sort of people I'm trying to warn off are the ones who (and I'm not joking, this happened in front of my eyes at Trimingham Hill roundabout last weekish) stop IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROUNDABOUT to consult their map.

Or the couple who were on South Shore and so busy trying to look at the sea view they d@mn near veered to the other lane in front of an oncoming truck.

Happens all the time.

So if (like you) you're an experienced rider, rent a scooter.

If not, take the bus or taxi and...

Have Fun!

[ozark74]

We were there two week ago and talking to a couple that rented scooter for 3 days. They rode them one day and turned them in. They were so busy concentrating on the road it was no fun. The roads have so many hiden driveways and traffic it was heavy you really have to watch. We were going to rent but when we saw the traffic we changed our minds. Rented the 26 years ago and had no problem but it was October and a lot less traffic.

[Worm61]

I'm a biker & i wouldn't want to hire a bike /scooter in a strange country especially if it was on the wrong side of the road ...every one should be on the left though :cool: we already have enough idiots riding scooters we dont want tourists on them as well :eek:

[Charles4515]

I'm a biker & i wouldn't want to hire a bike /scooter in a strange country especially if it was on the wrong side of the road ...every one should be on the left though :cool: we already have enough idiots riding scooters we dont want tourists on them as well :eek:

 

On one of my cruises I was sitting on the balcony of the Swizzle Inn. I watched a guy on a scooter pull out from the parking lot and he almost got creamed by a truck. I saw what he did wrong. He looked the wrong way. Obviously used to driving here in the US. I have caught myself doing the same walking in Bermuda and crossing the street. My mind is conditioned to look the other way for traffic.

[Host Kewlguy]

On our last trip to Bermuda (6/1/11 - Celebrity Summit) one of our fellow cruise passengers crashed riding a scooter the first day we were in port and suffered a badly injured leg. Unfortunately this is a common occurrence but people have to decide for themselves if it's really worth the risk of ruining your vacation. For us it's not.

[Charles4515]

On our last trip to Bermuda (6/1/11 - Celebrity Summit) one of our fellow cruise passengers crashed riding a scooter the first day we were in port and suffered a badly injured leg. Unfortunately this is a common occurrence but people have to decide for themselves if it's really worth the risk of ruining your vacation. For us it's not.

 

Every cruise to Bermuda I have seen fellow cruise passengers who have injured themselves on scooters. Most were minor injuries like road rash but some were using crutches and the like. I am also acquainted with a lady who broke her pelvis riding a scooter in Bermuda. Of course most people won't get injured but having seen so much visible evidence makes me think that the rate of injuries is significant. So I won't risk ruining my vacation either.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I figured I better chime in here, not as a native, but as a rider and my plan for my July visit. Seems like opinions are decidedly split here on what's best. First of all, I'm a rider from Boston. I learned how to ride here, and I know all about twisty confusing roads. Aggressive traffic is not new to me either and tailgating is pretty much law here. I have a 650cc sport bike, which would kill you given half the chance, so the prospect of a 50cc scooter with a rev-limiter really doesn't frighten me that much. The only thing I'm slightly anxious about is having to deal with driving on the left, which I've never done.

 

But, I just wanted to get some Bermuda folks' opinion on this, especially those that tell us tourists to skip the scooter and take the bus. I plan to treat the scooter and riding as I would in any other riding situation. Safety first, go slow, stay (in this case) left, be extra careful when turning right and entering traffic, and more or less try to stay out of the bigger vehicles' way. Is it proper etiquette on the island to move left and wave to vehicles behind to overtake (and thereby avoid any huge traffic snarl?)

 

With this attitude and intention in mind, is it still a bad idea to rent a scoot and enjoy the freedom of, as others have said, to go where I want, when I want?

 

I am not a biker (pedal bike only!), but I have ridden with a friend who has a big bike. The first ride with him made me look at traffic in a whole new way. It is VERY different from driving a car, and Bermuda traffic is not the place to ride a scooter for the first time.

 

I have driven a car in and around Boston. If you can survive riding your bike in crazy Boston traffic (or that of any city), then you probably will be OK. Just remember to pull over when you want to look at a view! I think that a lot of the tourists who get hurt have too little or no experience and a silly attitude. A number of years ago, we walked off a ship behind two young couples. They were on their way to rent scooters and the guys were singing "Born to be Wild." it was a big ship, and we didn't see them again. I always wondered if they left any skin on the road.

[Laszlo]

As a long time rider of big bike, Yamaha FJR 1300 was my last I would have to think twice about renting a scooter on Bermuda. We were there for the first time 3 weeks ago. Talk about so twisties...... The roads are very narrow compared to the roads I ride. Governor???, I don't know about that, their were plenty of tourist passing the bus we were on. I witnessed 4 very close calls (people getting cut off) and saw 2 people go down......boy did they end up with some nice road rash. The folks who went down and the close calls were all people in the 20's. For anyone who plans to go slow, go the speed limit........forget about it. You'll have a bus or taxi crawling up your azz. On our 1st day on the island we had a private tour guide. It was nice to sit back and spend the day looking around. I was amazed by the amount of tailgating going on.

[jjl64]

I know you asked for input from people who have motorcycle experience and I don't, but I will give you my 2 cents anyway. We just got back from Bermuda this past Sunday and saw a bunch of people renting scooters. After the first day I thought to my self "this doen't look that hard, just remember to drive on the left and all be OK". I even thought about getting one myself next year when we go back.

 

Then there was day two. We were on the number 7 bus to horseshoe bay beach and there was a scooter in front of us puttering along at about 30 mph. The bus driver obviously considered this way too slow and proceded to tailgate these poor people for at least 10 minutes. Then she must have gotten fed up with it and decided to pass them. About half way through this passing manuver, here comes another bus towards us and our bus driver had to cut right in front of that scooter to get over in time.

 

Now nothing happened to those people, but a five second difference and the results could have been tragic.

 

The problem isn't just the skill of the rider, it's the fact that those rentals just won't go fast enough to keep up with the local traffic and the roads are so narrow and twisting that you just can't see far enough ahead. Couple that with the fact that the roads there have no shoulders and the decision to rent a scooter next year for me was easy - no freeking way!

[calazula]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

I've decided that Day1&3 will be guided tours for sure, leaving Day 2 up in the air. I will use Day 1 as an opportunity to see first hand what the conditions are like for myself and decide if we'll want to take the ferry/bus or rent a scooter for some extra freedom. I value everyone's opinion, but with so many unknowns, it's hard to gauge where I fit into the grand scheme of things. I ride an underpowered motorcycle 50% of the time to work in a relatively big city and understand the difficulties and risks. That's why I also have multiple tiers of rider training to protect myself. How that fits into Bermuda I'm not sure. For all I know, my normal riding conditions may be worse ;)

 

There are stories of people who get road rash, but it's unknown whether those people are experienced riders or not. Or people who almost get smoked or run over, but were they in a blocking position, proper shoulder checks, etc? And sometimes it's just a matter of being a risk taker or not. Those of us who ride a motorcycle expect to go down at some point, I guess it's sometimes a matter if it's going to be at home or on holiday.

[Laszlo]

Ride Safe!

 

There are bold motorcyclists and there are old motorcyclists, but there are no bold, old motorcyclists.

 

"98% of all Harleys ever sold are still on the road. The other 2% made it home."