Buy quality riding gear – snow gloves may keep your hands warm, but won't protect them if skidding along the road.
Gear Up
If I wear a helmet I’m legal, right? True, but so is a guy who walks through town in his budgie smugglers. These days, flashing skin on a scooter is not a good look.
Lighten up
If you look good in black, and who doesn’t, then go for it. On a scooter however, it’s inviting disaster. Throw on a high-viz reflective vest, buy a light coloured helmet, anything that makes you more visible. Some of the most common words heard at a scooter accident are, ‘I didn’t see the scooter coming. It just came out of nowhere.’
Shorts or skirt, and a t-shirt
Some things are forever cool, and scooting is one of them. But scooting in your bare essentials went out about the same time as driving without a seatbelt. Today, you can choose from a huge range of stylish all-weather riding gear. It’s easy to slip on and off, it breathes, and it’s tough enough to take the sting out of a fall.
First time, every time, hands down
If you come off your scooter, the first thing you’ll do is put your hands down to save yourself. It’s a survival instinct. The ski gloves you wear to keep warm in the snow won’t last a second. Then it’s like hands on a cheese grater. There’ll be no riding for a while and no touching either. So give yourself a break, get a smart pair of purpose-built riding gloves and wear them.
Put your foot down
Jandals are a no-brainer. The bit between your toes can tear back and split the front of your foot in two. Unfortunately, sandals, open shoes and high-heels are not much better. Just slip on a pair of runners or boots and throw them in a backpack when you arrive.
Get or give a gift
If you need some scooter gear but you’re short on cash, why not get someone to buy you a gift voucher as a present. That way you’ll have the gear before it’s too late, and because you chose it, you’ll be more likely to wear it. On the other hand, if you’ve got the cash and there’s someone you care about who could use a voucher for scooter gear, don’t wait for them to ask.
Open face or full face
Scooting on a summer day with an open face motorcycle helmet feels great, and it’s perfectly legal. But when a car pulls out in front of you and your chin hits the road at around 40km/h the words ‘open face’ take on a whole new meaning. Experienced riders call them chin graters. Within seconds, even a smooth road will grind your chin to the bone. It hurts like hell, for a long time, and it takes more than a summer to come right. So treat yourself to a full face helmet.
Helmet standards
A helmet will only save your life once. If you give it a good knock, or just drop it onto a hard surface, its ability to protect you will be less. You should get it checked out asap, or shout yourself a new one. The real damage is often invisible, which is why you should never buy one second hand. A scooter helmet should have a sticker inside which shows the standard it complies with. Here are the approved standards for New Zealand.
 Complies with JIS T8133 |
 Complies with UN/ECE 22 (example only) |
 Complies with NZS 5430 |
 Complies with BS 6658 |
 Complies with AS 1698 |
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  Complies with Snell standards |
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Helmets complying with FMVSS 218 are marked with the letters 'DOT'. This standard is acceptable only for motorcycle helmets that have been manufactured and purchased in the USA.
