Fulfilling our hipster destiny
July 12, 2011 6:13 AM Subscribe
Scooting in Brooklyn
I'm relocating from Austin to New York in a little over a week, with my boyfriend to follow in September. Since we'll almost definitely be in Brooklyn (and all of our friends are spread out across Brooklyn), we've decided to take our scooters. His is an 2010 Symba (similar to a Honda Cub or Passport). Mine is a 2008 125 cc Genuine Buddy.
Getting them up there won't be a problem, but we need to know what's involved in keeping a scooter safe. We're aware of the rampant theft and the fact we'll need somewhere solid to lock up the scooters. We're not sure which neighborhood we'll end up in, so we don't know if we'll have a nice fence or understairs place to park them.
What else do we need to know about having a scooter or motorcycle in Brooklyn? Is it pretty easy to find somewhere to lock the scooters when you're out and about? Do we have to lock them up every time we go into a shop? What about street vs sidewalk parking? In Austin, street parking for scooters is free; you'll get ticketed if you park on a sidewalk.
How does winter storage work? Do you store the scooter, or do you cover it and hope for the best? And licensing...in Texas I have to have a motorcycle license to ride my 125cc Buddy (although I'm the only person I know who actually has one). Any similar rules in NY?
What else am I not thinking of? We'll of course properly insure everything.
I'm relocating from Austin to New York in a little over a week, with my boyfriend to follow in September. Since we'll almost definitely be in Brooklyn (and all of our friends are spread out across Brooklyn), we've decided to take our scooters. His is an 2010 Symba (similar to a Honda Cub or Passport). Mine is a 2008 125 cc Genuine Buddy.
Getting them up there won't be a problem, but we need to know what's involved in keeping a scooter safe. We're aware of the rampant theft and the fact we'll need somewhere solid to lock up the scooters. We're not sure which neighborhood we'll end up in, so we don't know if we'll have a nice fence or understairs place to park them.
What else do we need to know about having a scooter or motorcycle in Brooklyn? Is it pretty easy to find somewhere to lock the scooters when you're out and about? Do we have to lock them up every time we go into a shop? What about street vs sidewalk parking? In Austin, street parking for scooters is free; you'll get ticketed if you park on a sidewalk.
How does winter storage work? Do you store the scooter, or do you cover it and hope for the best? And licensing...in Texas I have to have a motorcycle license to ride my 125cc Buddy (although I'm the only person I know who actually has one). Any similar rules in NY?
What else am I not thinking of? We'll of course properly insure everything.
I have a friend who does not lock her old scooter and it's fine. I know others who've lost their scooters to theft. Many more people are driving scooters and biking here in Brooklyn and so theft is definitely on the rise. Also, the bikes and scooters I see around are much nicer than they used to be, which helps motivate thieves.
Technically, you are prohibited by law from attaching your lock to any old fence but I've seen it done, though mostly I see scooters parked legally on the street. If it were me, I'd park legally, keep it locked, and be mindful of traffic.
I'm sure you realize that winters here are long and your scooter season is a fraction of what you've dealt with in Austin. Also, traffic sucks, and drivers are nuts.
Winter parking is better for scooters than cars but you're looking at around 100 bucks a month.
posted by mizrachi at 7:06 AM on July 12, 2011
Technically, you are prohibited by law from attaching your lock to any old fence but I've seen it done, though mostly I see scooters parked legally on the street. If it were me, I'd park legally, keep it locked, and be mindful of traffic.
I'm sure you realize that winters here are long and your scooter season is a fraction of what you've dealt with in Austin. Also, traffic sucks, and drivers are nuts.
Winter parking is better for scooters than cars but you're looking at around 100 bucks a month.
posted by mizrachi at 7:06 AM on July 12, 2011
forgot to add:
anything over 49cc requires a motorcycle license.
you'll be fine over the winter with a cover, and the battery inside with a tender
Just remember, you'll still have to deal with alternate side parking regulations.
posted by mizrachi at 7:14 AM on July 12, 2011
anything over 49cc requires a motorcycle license.
you'll be fine over the winter with a cover, and the battery inside with a tender
Just remember, you'll still have to deal with alternate side parking regulations.
posted by mizrachi at 7:14 AM on July 12, 2011
I lived in NYC for years with a Vespa P200 and the hardest thing was parking it in Manhattan. I'm not sure if it's changed much, but because there isn't much legal motorcycle parking I had to do the following:
Lock it with a big kryptonite New York chain, then remove the license plate that I affixed with velcro so I couldn't get a ticket, then cover the whole thing. It was a pain in the ass but the only time I got a ticket was when I got lazy and didn't do the above.
posted by splatta at 7:31 AM on July 12, 2011
Lock it with a big kryptonite New York chain, then remove the license plate that I affixed with velcro so I couldn't get a ticket, then cover the whole thing. It was a pain in the ass but the only time I got a ticket was when I got lazy and didn't do the above.
posted by splatta at 7:31 AM on July 12, 2011
Response by poster: Has anyone used disc locks? I don't know if those are redundant with the built-in steering column lock.
posted by lunalaguna at 11:11 AM on July 12, 2011
posted by lunalaguna at 11:11 AM on July 12, 2011
Disc locks are worthless when your scooter can simply be liften up into a flatbed truck. I always kept my scooter chained to something.
posted by splatta at 1:35 PM on July 12, 2011
posted by splatta at 1:35 PM on July 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Parking is actually relatively easy because folks park them on the street, and they'll fit pretty handily into spaces too small for parked cars.
(I would recommend getting a regular bike too, though).
posted by Jon_Evil at 6:33 AM on July 12, 2011