Stuck in heavy traffic? Guess who’ll slide through all the vehicles? Two wheelers of course!
Two wheelers are the best. And it’s even easier to learn to ride them.
Know how to ride a bicycle? Great!
Don’t know how to ride one? Not a problem!
In this article, we’ll tell you how easy it is to learn scooty without knowing the bicycle. Let’s get started
#Step 1: Get your learner’s license –
Once you’re finished learning the basic traffic rules and regulations, sign boards and other signals, it is mandatory to get yourself a learner’s license. Not just that, you’d require your scooty’s registration, insurance and other relevant documents aligned before hitting the road with your new found love.
Always make sure that you have all the documents handy with you whenever you hit the road.
#Step 2: Balance is the key here –
Ask an experienced rider to drive your scooter, such as a wide parking lot or open garage, to an open practice area. Now, get on the scooty with confidence and trust.
In case you are tall enough, put your feet flat on the ground, then you can put one foot on the scooty and another one in the field. Make a strong grip over the handlebars afterwards.
Try on the Scooty to support yourself.
#Step 3: Try some ‘at home’ exercises –
You can start by balancing yourself over it and trying to ride in straight directions, whichever scooter is your concern. Keep practicing this step in a straight direction until you are great at locomoting yourself.
Turn the handlebars to the right to balance the slope if the scooter leans to the right. The scooter leans to the left, and the handlebars turn to the left. This holds the scooter upright because of the front fork’s “rake” and “trail” on just two wheels. Practice riding at various velocities in as straight a line as possible before making an intentional turn.
You can try steering the scooter in the left or right direction after practicing and learning locomotion in a straight direction. Start going in a straight direction and attempt to steer to the left or right. Practice this until you’re great at directing your scooter in any direction you like.
Since you have learnt moving and steering your scooty in a straight direction, you can now try this exercise of riding the scooter on the ground in a circular pattern. Which means, you startmoving your scooty in a straight direction, and steer in that particular direction. Keep your steering handle bar in the same direction, so that you keep on riding in a circular pattern. Keep practicing this.
Now once you’re finished learning to ride in different directions, you can start with the pattern ‘8’. You start riding in a straight direction and steer in one direction, complete a circular pattern and then immediately steer in the opposite direction to complete another circular pattern. Keep steering in both directions after completing circular patterns.
#Step 4: Hit the road –
Get the scooter started and put your helmet on. Make sure it fits nice and tight and does not shift about constantly on your head. To stop forgetting, always wear a helmet when riding your scooter, and always put it on before climbing on your scooter.
Now, since you have safely started your scooter, let ‘s start riding it. When you are riding it for the first time, please make sure you are on a nice, smooth surface. So start leaving the brake lever slowly after starting the scooter and you will find that the scooter has started going forward. Gradually, with the help of the accelerator, leave the brake lever full, put your legs up on the footboard and start giving it a throttle.
Slightly twist the throttle and you will find you’ve reached 30-40 kmph in no time. Don’t cross 40 kmph as you are a novice and keep riding on a straight road, at a steady pace. You can try sitting in a constant position, and maintain balance of the vehicle. You can keep your legs down if you are afraid.
Train starting and stopping while turning as a rider to hone your abilities. These movements on the road, such as stop signs and traffic signals, will often be required.
It is great to have an experienced rider follow behind while riding on the road for the first time to give you pointers on the route. There is no substitute for experience here, so do not drive on the street at any time above your skill level.
#Step 5: Break and turn –
So, now that you’ve started riding a scooter at a decent pace and know how to balance it, the next thing you need to know is how to apply the brakes. As mentioned earlier, the right lever is the front brake, while the left lever is handled by the rear brake. By applying the rear brakes, i.e. by pressing the left lever, try to gradually decrease the vehicle’s speed.
Don’t hit the brake button suddenly, as the tyres may skid. Apply the front brake after hitting the reaching your destination to stop it completely. You need to place your one leg on the ground to turn the scooter, and show the handlebar its direction. At slow speed, turn the vehicle and use the brakes accordingly.
#Step 6: Taste the traffic –
Now that you know all the basic stuff about a scooter and know how to handle it properly, it’s time for you to take it on the roads. If you are riding on the city’s main roads, it is advisable that you take someone with a driving licence as the pillion.
You need to drive on the main roads and learn how to navigate through the traffic in order to become a good rider. Depending on the traffic situation, you must continuously adjust the acceleration, throttle response and apply brakes. Don’t lose your faith, ride with great confidence, but don’t be overconfident.
Pro tip: Do not race on public roads.
Happy Riding!