Great Tips For Scooter Commuters

After 40 years of riding I’ve made all the rookie errors and now have commuting down to a reasonably fine art.

Face it, most commuters are on their scooters first thing in the morning and last this in the afternoon.  With this in mind we have some great options for scooter riders to consider to get the most out of their commute.

My first suggestion is to consider buying a helmet with a low sun visor.  Something like the open faced Airoh Helios or Nolan N21 Visor, or if it’s full face you’re after, the RJays Dominator II.  The reason you’d do this is to cut out the suns glare when the sun is low in the sky each morning and evening.  The low sun visor is also a good thing when it get’s hot and you’d like a bit of a breeze with your main visor in the up position, but still want the eye protection of the low sun visor.

NSW laws allow us to lane filter in a two or three lane situation.  This is a great rule that gets scooters through the traffic quicker, but we need to be sensible doing it.  The law allows us to filter at up to 30kmph, which I reckon is pretty fast.  I recommend a couple of things.  One, I wouldn’t recommend filtering at 30kmph, it’s just a bit too quick for my liking.  I also recommend only filtering if the traffic has come to a stop.  If the traffic is still moving slowly, there is too much chance of getting squeezed.

Here in Sydney we commute in temperatures from 5 degrees winter mornings to 40 degree summer evenings, so I suggest buying two pairs of gloves.  It sounds a bit extravagant, but here’s why.

The first pair is lighter and breathable like the perforated leather Corazzo Enzo or the textile Corazzo Bolla gloves.  These are ideal for dry and warm days over 20 degrees C.

For the cool and/or wet days I’d also grab myself a pair of Polar Control II gloves which are warm and waterproof.   Between these two pars of gloves you have Sydneys weather extremes covered.

If you ride and park outside at work, or at home, , I’d highly recommend the Corazzo Weatherproof Seat Cover.  The cover is cost effective protection against a wet bum if it rains while you’re away from your scooter.  It simply fits over your saddle and you can shake off the water and store it under your saddle or in your glovebox for the ride home.  No one likes a wet saddle, and this is a great solution.  It also saves the sun or tree sap damaging your saddle.

A riding jacket is a key to a safe and comfortable commute.  Quality riding jackets have excellent impact protection and abrasion resistance.  They also cut out a lot of windage, can provide increased visibility, and some are waterproof too.  I highly recommend a good riding jacket, not only to improve your riding experience, but also for the peace of mind it gives you.  Check out our mens range here and our ladies range here.

Helmet communications have swept the market over the last few years.  They allow riders to Bluetooth their phone to speakers in the helmet.  This allows the addition of a small microphone that allows you to make calls on the way to and from work, or listen to music.  You can even set up to talk to your pillion passenger if you wish.  Costs are quite reasonable and we’ve had good success with this system from Spanish brand SHAD which you can find HERE.

Speaking of pillion passengers there a few things to consider.  Ask your pillion to only lean the same as you do (ie – don’t let them try to sit upright in a corner for example).  Ask them to limit their movements when you are coming to a stop or stopped.  You might also consider stiffening the rear suspension if your are pillioning regularly. Our workshop can help you with this and it can improve the scooters handling when carrying higher loads.

Scooters are famous for storage solutions. In fact around half the scooters sold include a top box for the rear of the scooter.  Combine this with your under saddle storage, the shopping bag hook found on most scooters, and even the odd glovebox, and your scooter can carry an amazing amount of extra gear, like shopping, gym gear etc.

If you really want to get serious about picking up the mid week shopping you can also add a pair of Corazzo Pannier Bags.  They are amazing, affordable and so easy to store and fit.  Check out pannier bags online HERE and while you’re there watch the quick video on how they work.  You can see our top boxes HERE.

If it gets chilly and wet, one of the best investments for cool weather commutes is a Neck Sock and a Rainsuit.  Simple items like these make your ride so much more pleasant.  Check them out HERE.

One last tip for commuters is to have a moist rag in a zip lock bag to clean your visor.  A grubby visor restricts your vision, so I have a moist rag in a zip lock bag where I park my scooter each evening.  A quick wipe and I’m all sorted to ride the next day.

So there we have a few tips for commuters.  If you have a good tip let me know HERE and I’ll add it to the list.