Do you think getting a scooter is a good idea in Cork city?

Rowanvella199

I am going to be getting a new vehicle soon, and am thinking that instead of getting a car a small 50cc scooter might be a better option as it is only really for going to work and back! I would just like to know is there anyone on here who owns or has owned a scooter/motor bike in cork that could tell me if it is a good idea. I am interested to know what your overall experience of biking in cork was. Did you find the roads in cork were good enough for it? Was it particularly dangerous? How economical was it?


I am really interested to hear what your experiences were!


Thanks guys

eurokev

I have both for the last 3 years, i use the scooter about 5 months of the year. Its such a money saver. I spend about €7 compared to 35-40 on fuel compared to my car. I work in town so I also save hugely on parking disks and fines. I would say I save €50 per week at least. The scooter only cost 350 and insurance is about 220 per year, so I save about 800-1000 per year thanks to the scooter. If I went about putting my car off the road for tax purposes I would save more again.

A 50cc scooter is perfect for zooming around Cork. Its pretty safe if you dont take stupid risks

However in colder and wetter months the scooter is neither comfortable or safe to be riding.

If I were you I would do the same as me. The scooter pays for itself over and over again. Its really fun and great for saving time in the rush hour traffic. I cant understand why more people like me dont do the same

Rowanvella199

eurokev wrote: »

I have both for the last 3 years, i use the scooter about 5 months of the year. Its such a money saver. I spend about €7 compared to 35-40 on fuel compared to my car. I work in town so I also save hugely on parking disks and fines. I would say I save €50 per week at least. The scooter only cost 350 and insurance is about 220 per year, so I save about 800-1000 per year thanks to the scooter. If I went about putting my car off the road for tax purposes I would save more again.

A 50cc scooter is perfect for zooming around Cork. Its pretty safe if you dont take stupid risks

However in colder and wetter months the scooter is neither comfortable or safe to be riding.

If I were you I would do the same as me. The scooter pays for itself over and over again. Its really fun and great for saving time in the rush hour traffic. I cant understand why more people like me dont do the same

Thanks for the advice! It does seem to make sense alright...

bladebrew

I had a scooter a few years ago before i bought a car, if you are doin it to save money it definetly makes sense, tax is cheap (€46), they dont use much petrol, a full tank when i had a bike was about €7, you can park anywhere basically, they have good parking bays on patrick st. for instance,

The downside though is the weather, thats the reason i bought a car, after getting drenched on the way to work one morning i had enough and sold it,
when its frosty or icy i left the bike at home and got the bus or walked,
I didnt think it was that dangerous car driviers do some silly things alright but you can normally stop fairly fast on a scooter and they have quite a low top speed,
If you can handle the bad weather i would go for it:), otherwise it may be an idea would be to get a cheap car and a scooter like eurokev, this wouldnt save as much money though obviously,

Sephiroth_dude

Looking into buying one myself,where would be the best place to buy?

Owen

Eurokev has my old scooter! God I miss that, if you ever sell it chief, give me the heads up. I'll most likely either buy a bicycle or a scooter shortly too, Petrol's just gone too expensive.

Rowanvella199

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Looking into buying one myself,where would be the best place to buy?

I have been looking on www.adverts.ie and www.donedeal.ie! They both seem to have a good few for sale, But if anyone knows of any dealerships in the city that specialise in scooters it would be cool to hear where they are!

Sephiroth_dude

actually come to think of it there was a place behind the bus station that use to sell them,they'd have them on display outside and there was another place across the bridge somewhere,damn can't remember now !

bladebrew

There are 2 places that i can think of, Lee motorcycles used to be behind the bus station i think they may have moved out to little island?,
and Ross motorcycles are on the way out to blackpool on the right hand side, sound guys in there, both places sell both motorbikes and scooters,
dammit all this talk makes me want a bike again:)

Sephiroth_dude

bladebrew wrote: »

There are 2 places that i can think of, Lee motorcycles used to be behind the bus station i think they may have moved out to little island?,
and Ross motorcycles are on the way out to blackpool on the right hand side, sound guys in there, both places sell both motorbikes and scooters,
dammit all this talk makes me want a bike again:)

ya THere the places I was about : )

kart

bladebrew wrote: »

There are 2 places that i can think of, Lee motorcycles used to be behind the bus station i think they may have moved out to little island?,
and Ross motorcycles are on the way out to blackpool on the right hand side, sound guys in there, both places sell both motorbikes and scooters,
dammit all this talk makes me want a bike again:)

Great places with only one downside. They both charge ridiculously high prices. Gone a bit better in recent time though.
Scooter in Cork - good idea:) Great in rushhours too.

run_Forrest_run

had one myself years ago, I used to take it up that feckin airport hill every day in unbelievable winds and rain....loved it though!

As others have said, be careful, learn to anticipate the moves of others on the roads, remember you don't have great acceleration of power on a 50cc so don't try any bravado acts against that white van!
Invest in good wet gear and a helmet.
Also be careful where you park it, little scumbags like nothing more than a scooter to vandalise.

eurokev

Owen wrote: »

Eurokev has my old scooter! God I miss that, if you ever sell it chief, give me the heads up. I'll most likely either buy a bicycle or a scooter shortly too, Petrol's just gone too expensive.

I couldnt let her go. Paintdoc did a great job on her

Chad_Fantastics

Up at home the weekend and there was a Honda scooter meet up on the Sunday, never saw so many 50's in one place, couple of blue 90's (AKA The Speeddemon) and what size are the grey ones?

Did make me think about how usuable something like that would be in a small city with high car driving cost.

eth0

Chad_Fantastics wrote: »

Up at home the weekend and there was a Honda scooter meet up on the Sunday, never saw so many 50's in one place, couple of blue 90's (AKA The Speeddemon) and what size are the grey ones?

Were they 'doing 150 on a windy day'?

Owen

eurokev wrote: »

I couldnt let her go. Paintdoc did a great job on her

I'm Paintdoc! Changed my username

pwurple

I used a scooter for years around Cork city. It's a great place for one. There are a few motorbike parking spots around the place. Scooters are really handy with the space to put your helmet under the seat. Ross's was where mine came from.

I'd love to get one again, but they don't come with babyseats.

livinsane

I've been commuting into Cork city from Carrigaline (and travelling full time) on a 400cc bike for the last four years.

My life is so much easier for it.

Free parking, low fuel and tax costs. And traffic is a fun obstacle course rather than a nightmare.

The bad weather doesn't bother me as I have never driven a car so Im not used to the comfort of it.

I am somewhat anti-scooters (the low powered ones) unless you are commuting over a short distance. Scooter users tend not to wear much protective gear and I have heard horror stories about injuries suffered. Also, on any long stretch of open road, they are painfully slow and can hold up traffic unless the user is willing to move over to the left.

If you can, I would consider a 125cc bike/scooter (although you will need to do a theory test for this.

Another place to check in the city is CB Motors on Douglas St. Very nice people running it.

Go for it, two wheelers rule.