Buying a Scooter in Iowa City for the first time? Watch this first:
With our large campus and scooter/motorcycle parking additions, Iowa City has become the perfect town for scooters
For college students, scooters offer a great alternative to cars or motorcycles. Here are a few reasons why you should consider investing in one:
- They're easy to use: Almost all scooters are entirely automatic - just twist the throttle and go! There's no need for a clutch or shifting.
- They're budget-friendly: Compared to other motor vehicles, scooters are cheaper and more affordable. Here at UScoots, we offer a variety of inexpensive scooters that fit within a student budget.
- They save time: Long gone are the days of waiting for the bus - cut your commute in half and get to class with your scoot instead! Added bonus: less commute = more sleep 👍
Interested in buying a scooter, but hesitant to stop in because you don't know how to ride one? We've got you covered! Learning how to ride a scooter is extremely easy and straight-forward. We’ll show you how:
Things To Consider Before Learning How to Scoot
Main Features of Scooters
Before we break it down, it's important to be aware of the key features that come with scooters:
- Similar braking to bicycles: Scooters come with a front brake to the right and a rear brake to the left, exactly flipped from your bicycle. On a scooter, you’ll want to use both breaks every time you stop to avoid confusion and keep yourself safe.
- Scooter controls: Most of your controls and signals are found around the left brake. The horn is located at the bottom, the turn signals are in the middle, and high beam/low beam headlights are at the top.
- Mileage and fuel display: Most scooters come with a simple display up-front that shows your speedometer and current fuel gauge.
Safety First
Making sure our customers are safe is our #1 priority.
Make sure to wear the proper safety gear when riding your scooter. We recommend that you use a full-face helmet for protection: it helps protect you from potential scars, road dust, and deadly brain injuries if an accident were to occur. We also recommend that you wear long-sleeved clothing, to avoid road rash and any injuries from flying particles.
Do not drive your scooter while being under the influence and be cautious during moments of high traffic.
The Four Steps to Riding a Scooter
1) How to Start Up Your Scooter
- Place the key at the bottom of the scooter for ignition, just as you would with a car. Turn the key to the ‘on’ switch.
- Make sure that the kill switch is set to the run position on the right.
- To start the ignition, hold onto one of the brake levers, while simultaneously pressing the start button.
2) How to Accelerate
Since scooters are fully automatic, pull the throttle down to accelerate. When you want to decelerate, push it back up.
How fast your scooter can go depends on the size of the engine: 150cc scooters can reach over 55 mph, while a standard 50cc will only reach about 40 mph.
3) How to Turn While Riding
If you want to turn the scooter as you ride, all you have to do is push the handlebar to the direction you want to go. Push left, lean left, and you'll go left. Planning to go right? Push right, lean right, and you'll go right. Just like riding a bike (but less sweaty).
4) Practice in an Open Space
As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. We recommend beginners to familiarize themselves with their new scoot in an empty, open road or parking lot.
Start by going slow to get a feeling of how your scooter responds. Practice accelerating/decelerating, turning, and moving your scooter until you feel comfortable enough to take on Burlington.
Pick up Your Scooter Today
Even with zero experience, anybody can easily learn how to drive a scooter.
Ready to start looking for your own scoot? We can help! Schedule a test drive or stop by our shop. We’ll help you find a scoot that fits your needs, budget, and gets you where you need to go.