Getting Started.
If you are
starting to think about buying a scooter, but don't know where to start, then this is the page for you. We've brought
together a lot of the combined wisdom, and added our experience, to help you start to make inroads into determining what's
right for your needs.
1. Size matters
Ok. So getting a scooter looks like it might be the way to go. So given the multitude of
scooters that we stock, where does one start? Well the first thing to work out, is what size of scooter is required
and take it from there. Fortunately, Piaggio Australia very recently published some excellent guidelines to help with
the process, so lets start with them.
"Maximum speeds below are
a guide only and are affected by load and weather conditions. Extended and continuous operation should be around 80 to 85%
of the maximum speed capability and maximum speed reserved for intermittent bursts.
- 50cc scooters are speed limited (by law). They are best suited for local suburban travel and the congested inner
city.
- 125cc–150cc scooters are best suited for local travel, continuous
travel on 80km/h roads and brief commutes on 100km/h speed limited roads.
- 200cc
scooters are best suited for local travel and continuous travel on 100km/h roads and brief commutes on 110km/h speed limited
roads.
- 250cc scooters are best suited for local travel and continuous travel
on 110km/h roads.
- Over 250cc scooters are best suited for local travel and
continuous travel on 110km/h roads. Extra power provides more relaxed highway riding and overtaking abilities."
2. Licensing needs
Ok. So hopefully
you've sorted out what size is necessary, the next step is to determine whether your licensing requirements. If you've
already got a motorbike license then you can ride anything at all! If all you need is a 50cc scooter, and you've got
a car license, then you can skip onto the next step Testing the Water. But if you need something bigger than a
50cc and you don't have a bike license, then you are going to have to get one, and that can make things a bit harder.
Luckily, we are here to help...
2.1 Getting your license with Ace Scooters!
The great thing about riding scooters is that they are all fully automatic. No changing gears required!
And in WA, if you sit your motorbike test on an automatic vehicle, you get an automatic license. The great thing is
that it generally only takes 3 or 4 lessons to master the requisite skills to safely pass the test, particularly if you can
get some practice in between lessons!
But the difficult thing is that
you are going to need a big scooter to take your lessons on. And since most trainers don't have one, are you prepared to buy
one first? What if you make the wrong decision?
This is where we can help.
If you are happy with the range of scooters that we sell, then simply put down a $500 deposit and you can borrow any of
our range of demo scooters to take lessons and your test completely free of charge.
And if you've already got your car license, we are happy to let you borrow one of our 50cc machines to clock up some
invaluable riding experience between lessons! Practice definitely makes perfect!! And once you've passed your
test you'll be in a much better position to understand which model suits you best.
To
date over 200 riders have passed their tests with us this way - and only about 30% ended up buying the scooter that they originally
planned to. So experience definitely helps you make a much better scooter buying decision. Moreover, you don't
actually have to pay for your scooter until you have the license necessary to ride it. How useful is that? Consequently
the majority of our riders are happy that they buy the right scooter for their needs first time - and that's got to be a good
thing.
Lessons, tests and practice in-between can be done here in Joondalup with
Trevor from ABC Motorcycle Training, or Steve from Advanced Motorcycle Training, but we've also just started providing this
service through Alert Motorcycle Training and Scooter School based in Bayswater for those of our customers who are more city-based
or live south of the river. It really isn't that hard - we are seeing between a 90-95% first time pass rate! If you
need more info, please contact us - or better still, come in for a chat!
3.
Testing the water
For most riders in WA, the licensing laws certainly encourage the riding of 50cc vehicles
- indeed for every 6 scooters sold in 2006, 5 were 50cc. And if you haven't ridden before, they really are a great place
to start.
To work out whether riding a scooter is the way to go, come down and let us show you how to ride
on one of our demo's. If you can ride a bicycle, you'll be riding in seconds, and confident enough to be on the road
in minutes. (And don't worry, we will be delighted to show you how to do it, and get your confidence up in the carpark
before we let you loose on the road!) For most people this is all they require to make their minds up to buy a scooter.
We've recently been working with Alert Motorcycle and Scooter School to devise a three-hour intensive
training course for riders of 50cc scooters who have a car license. Its a great way to learn invaluable safety tips
that will keep you safe on the roads, and its done in a group environment, so its fun too. Alert are the trainers for
WA Post, so they have unbeatable credentials for group training. And at only $90 for the course, its excellent value
for money too. What's more if you do the course and then purchase a scooter from us, or vice versa, then we'll
refund you half the course cost too! Contact us for details!
3.1
Test-to-buy
Some people however, need a little bit more convincing
before they splash out their hard earned cash. To help prove to people the versatility of scooters we have instigated
a test-to-buy scheme. For a small non-reimbursable deposit you can test one of our scooters for a few days. If you like
it, then we'll take the cost of the deposit from the price of the scooter that you decide to buy. And if you find that
scooters aren't for you, then you are only down the cost of the deposit - but our success rate to date is 100%.
