IAM call for scooter crackdown

 "Ah bless the IAM, they only want to save us from ourselves... "

Who writes these articles and is he/she retarded?

 

They have a valid point, why not just report the news instead of trying to shit stir with these sly comments based on ill thought out views?

Posted: 29/05/2009 at 12:59

Its a bit of a sweeping judgement though....Bikism>?

Posted: 29/05/2009 at 13:14

Surely you've got to take a CBT before you ride on the road

They could start by knocking the CBT down to 6 or 12 months until the age of 21. Maybe include a theory test on the CBT.

As it is now, you only need to show that you can control/handle a bike/scooter to pass and ride on the road on your own.

Posted: 29/05/2009 at 20:53

Fun police in action.

No-one bats a eye lid in Spain and Italy etc.

Posted: 29/05/2009 at 21:37

thye're the most dangerous thing in london...especially with a pizza box on them..

Posted: 29/05/2009 at 23:03

I agree with the IAM stance, the skootahz are are right pain, what gets me particularly is they ride like complete c*unts for a year, pissing everyone off, then transfer their striking lack of skills and anti-social behaviour to saxo/ 106/ beemah etc, they are NOT part of the biking community!

Posted: 30/05/2009 at 06:42

fluteplayer wrote (see)

I agree with the IAM stance, the skootahz are are right pain, what gets me particularly is they ride like complete c*unts for a year, pissing everyone off, then transfer their striking lack of skills and anti-social behaviour to saxo/ 106/ beemah etc, they are NOT part of the biking community!

Not old enough to remember the identical complaints about Fizzy riders 30 years ago?

I don't doubt that some Roman scribe wrote the same about tearaway youth holding impromptu chariot races either - it is the way of the world.  (Just like the majority of the IAM members are dull and boring shites whose mothers would never let them have a bike when they were 16. )

Posted: 30/05/2009 at 06:57

"The IAM are claiming that because the 50cc-riding kids don't need any training they are a menace to other road users "

Didn't mention they are also a menace in the house

Posted: 30/05/2009 at 08:51

FJSRiDER. wrote (see)

fluteplayer wrote (see)

I agree with the IAM stance, the skootahz are are right pain, what gets me particularly is they ride like complete c*unts for a year, pissing everyone off, then transfer their striking lack of skills and anti-social behaviour to saxo/ 106/ beemah etc, they are NOT part of the biking community!

Not old enough to remember the identical complaints about Fizzy riders 30 years ago?

I don't doubt that some Roman scribe wrote the same about tearaway youth holding impromptu chariot races either - it is the way of the world.  (Just like the majority of the IAM members are dull and boring shites whose mothers would never let them have a bike when they were 16. )

 Absolutely spot on!

Unfortunately I am  old enough to remember being one of those feral youths on a fizzy back in 74.  And when they turn 17 they'll at least have had a year on two wheels on the road before they jump on something bigger. That can only help their chances of survival later on.  Got a couple of young un's near me and done a little bit work on one of their scoots for them. Lovely kids.

Posted: 30/05/2009 at 09:49

I agree with the IAM
there is a lack of social skills and a distinct disregard for other road users, and indeed, for their own peers.

there is a group of youths in the area i live in who have been trouble makers and ASBO candidates for several years. they have just progressed to scooters - for the time being. One day they will manage to find four wheels. A couple of these louts, in particular, have been seen harrassing motorists on the open road, weaving in and out of traffic, and most worryingly of all carrying pillion passenger who at times are not even wearing a helmet. these kids appear to have no regard at all for even their own safety, let alone that of their best mates. how can we even ask them to consider the duty of care that they owe to other people.

i must state thought, that this does not apply to all scooter riders. there are those out there that have been riding on scooters for years. they are an inexpensive form of transport, ideal for some people who don't have the means to run a car (thank goodness).

But unfortunately the decent ones appear to be in the minority!

Posted: 30/05/2009 at 13:05

couldnt agree more with Iceman, i was recently chased through Sheffield Town centre on my 125 by a group of chavs, probably one DT125 and three or four 50cc peds.

with speedcamera's and traffic lights every 400 yards, i couldnt get away from them and they continued to harrass me up on till the point i decided i was going to seek refuge in a debt collecting agency whilst i rang the police.

the police then said we're very sorry, as you didnt catch a number plate we cant do anything...
even though i had a positive ID on the Blue DT125 and that the others were all wearing trackies and motocross helmets...
cant be too hard to find them, they fuck enough people off.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 12:17

another spartacus shout for iceman here too.

it would have been unlikely that they would have done something even if you had got their number plate.

 i dont think i have ever seen a scooter rider in anything but trainers and a tracksuit on the road. i might be wrong, but maybe a law or regulation that addresses proper clothing will put the message across that such modes of transport are not toys and should be treated with respect. maybe a small section in the CBT classroom sction showing what happens when your hands hit the road at 30mph or more.

 to be fair though, as iceman said they have no regard for anyone's safety.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 13:41

To be fair 30mph is not fast, I travel at more than 30mph on push bikes on occasion and never wear more than a cycling helmet and fingerless gloves for protection.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 13:46

have you ever fallen off at more than 30mph and used any part of your body to come to a standstill?

i havent, and i dont intend to. i do however, wear full protective gear regardless of the weather whenever i go out on my bike, and that can include work if i so wish. so, in the event of me being lucky enough to be knocked off and not hit a post, barrier or other anti biker furniture, i can be protected against losing all my skin on whichever part of me comes into contact with the road first.

Not to sound parsemonious and all... in the end its about what is more important. i wouldnt know what it was to ride without protective gear as i have never given myself the chance when on the road to not wear stuff.

i do think this side of the law needs to be addressed as it will send out a message to these new riders. it will be more effective than just being told about it i think.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 14:03

dbanbery wrote (see)

have you ever fallen off at more than 30mph and used any part of your body to come to a standstill?

No, but I have fallen off above 20mph and used my backside to stop while wearing jeans, it hurt for the rest of the day.

 

I am all for wearing protective gear but you have to put it into perspective. Do you see the guys racing push bikes wearing full leathers or lycra?

 

I think there are enough laws already telling us what is and isn’t an acceptable risk to take with our own bodies without making more protective gear a legal requirement. I believe what is and is not acceptable should be personal choice.

 

For the record when on a motorbike I always wear a minimum of helmet, jacket, boots and gloves. I will wear protective trousers if going out of town.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 14:23

There is no law that will stop bad people being cunts, on or off scooters.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 14:31

I was one of those FS1E idiots back in 76 on what was a faster machine than most modern 'peds.

Difference is that we didn't have anything like CBT in those days. Now that it's in place the government should make sure that it's fit for purpose which IMO it currently isn't. It needs to be longer more thorough and the training providers better audited.  It wouldn't hurt to include include better education on clothing and maybe even show some of the after effects. Odds are they would just try and make it another money spinner.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 15:02

Pringle wrote (see)

couldnt agree more with Iceman, i was recently chased through Sheffield Town centre on my 125 by a group of chavs, probably one DT125 and three or four 50cc peds.

with speedcamera's and traffic lights every 400 yards, i couldnt get away from them and they continued to harrass me up on till the point i decided i was going to seek refuge in a debt collecting agency whilst i rang the police.

the police then said we're very sorry, as you didnt catch a number plate we cant do anything...
even though i had a positive ID on the Blue DT125 and that the others were all wearing trackies and motocross helmets...
cant be too hard to find them, they fuck enough people off.

aw bless. . ..  did you ring Mummy instead?

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 15:42

i take your point about having enough laws, regulation etc, however, something that would target these aforementioned scooter idiots wouldnt go amiss [and those other tools you see riding in flipflops in the summer on their sports bikes - yes i have seen it before].

as someone mentioned in a previous post. there isnt any money in a practical solution, so its not going to happen.

Tongpro i assume you you get off and take on all 7 of the scrotes as you are superman?

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 17:42

I had ahoot on my scooters. I was no more a menace than any other biker.

I say we should have a crackdown on all bikers. Especially ones from IAM or if they are over 30 and have loud pipes and slippers and wear atgatt.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 19:06

The real crime, of course, is the garbage that passes for journalism on the Visordown site these days. Whatever they are paying you to publish stuff like that, whoever you are, it is too much and you are shit at it.

I presume the news story's a media friendly story on a slow news day, that was supposed to raise the profile of scooter fatalaties. A quick look on the IAM's site shows the moped deaths a forgotten issue press release from March this year about deaths and injuries to young scooter riders. Here's the  IAM report on scooter casualties that the press release is about. I've only skimmed it, but it says pretty much what you would expect, more casualties in September when schools start, that kind of thing.

Not sure about their proposition to raise the legal age to ride mopeds in line with compulsory education though: even though it's a fair argument that it would reduce 16 year old casualties surely it would just push them into the 17 year old age group and onto bikes and in cars.

Its the not wearing gloves thing that gets me about scooter riders though...

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 21:05

Paul_G wrote (see)

Its the not wearing gloves thing that gets me about scooter riders though...

Totally! its not as if they are the most expensive bit of kit.

they will learn though when they get provoked into doing a superman impression on impact with a car bonnet  and use their palms as brake shoes on the giant brake disc of the ROAD.

Posted: 02/06/2009 at 21:43

These scooter riders are the future of motorcycling, all we love and care for ! . . .

As has been said before, they are only doing what we all used to do (minus the IAM contingent) in our youth, only their bike control is far better than ours at their age. How many of us could have done a wheelie, kneeling on the saddle all the way down the high street to the chippy at their age ? . . .

Imagine what they will be able to with an R1 in a few years time ? ? ? . . .

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 00:25

Living in the south of France AND being an IAM member who passed the advanced test on a ratty XL500 S Honda trailie I see it from both sides, when I was in the U.K. said Trailie AND a CBR 6 were nicked by local yobs; the 600 in '04 and I actually chased the little " miguided darling " who stole the CBR, it's a good thing I never caught him or I would still be in jail....... There are more problems caused for the law abiding majority in trying to bring in more legislation than it will solve, these Kids DON'T give a stuff, they also know the Police are so ineffective at catching and prosecuting them that they are virtually untouchable and any legislation to make them wear protective clothing would just SERIOUSLY IMPINGE on the rights of other FREE and LAW abiding citizens. I live in a very regulated country but don't have to suffer righteous rubbish as to whether I should be wearing gloves, Jackets, G-Strings or whatever else, I ride track days , I have come off on oil at far faster speeds than I ride on the roads, I was wearing protective gear that WOULD not have saved me if I fell of at half the speed and hit some road furniture, it's not about what you wear, it's about your attitude when you ride. It's also time the populace woke up to the reality that teaching kids how to behave starts MUCH younger than their teens and should be pressing the Govt. to revitalise the cirriculum, not enact yet more useless counter productive legislation.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 08:44

johnnyrvf wrote (see)

Living in the south of France AND being an IAM member who passed the advanced test on a ratty XL500 S Honda trailie I see it from both sides, when I was in the U.K. said Trailie AND a CBR 6 were nicked by local yobs; the 600 in '04 and I actually chased the little " miguided darling " who stole the CBR, it's a good thing I never caught him or I would still be in jail....... There are more problems caused for the law abiding majority in trying to bring in more legislation than it will solve, these Kids DON'T give a stuff, they also know the Police are so ineffective at catching and prosecuting them that they are virtually untouchable and any legislation to make them wear protective clothing would just SERIOUSLY IMPINGE on the rights of other FREE and LAW abiding citizens. I live in a very regulated country but don't have to suffer righteous rubbish as to whether I should be wearing gloves, Jackets, G-Strings or whatever else, I ride track days , I have come off on oil at far faster speeds than I ride on the roads, I was wearing protective gear that WOULD not have saved me if I fell of at half the speed and hit some road furniture, it's not about what you wear, it's about your attitude when you ride. It's also time the populace woke up to the reality that teaching kids how to behave starts MUCH younger than their teens and should be pressing the Govt. to revitalise the cirriculum, not enact yet more useless counter productive legislation.

If we take the attitude that its the attitude that needs to change, then its a losing battle. its a losing battle anyway because all we'll do is push the problem somewhere else. people will be people and that means that people will be stupid.

to be brutally honest i don't care what people do if it doesnt affect me. its when it does that i think something should be done, because i dont think i should be affected by other peoples stupidity at doing things that they know are illegal/stupid. i know we  are all young once etc, but i know that i and a number of other people, bikers now or not, were not.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 09:03

dbanbery wrote (see)

Tongpro i assume you you get off and take on all 7 of the scrotes as you are superman?

possibly, i've done it before, funny how the rest back off when the first is sitting on his arse. Tho' next time i try it i have no doubts i'm more likely to be stabbed

my orig post was missing a , was poking fun more than having a pop. . .

dbanbery wrote (see)

Paul_G wrote (see)

Its the not wearing gloves thing that gets me about scooter riders though...

Totally! its not as if they are the most expensive bit of kit.

they will learn though when they get provoked into doing a superman impression on impact with a car bonnet  and use their palms as brake shoes on the giant brake disc of the ROAD.

exactly. They either won't crash and it won't be an issue or they will and they'll learn. Either way unless you know 'em it's nothin to do with you.

 Not saying I don't cringe when i see a lad in shorts and lid and nowt else screwing thru the streets . . . but it's exactly the sort of thing i'd have done 20 years ago and I wouldn't have listened to anyone then either.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 09:19

fastdiablo wrote (see)

How many of us could have done a wheelie, kneeling on the saddle all the way down the high street to the chippy at their age ? . . . Imagine what they will be able to with an R1 in a few years time ? ? ? . . .

100+mph wheelies down the high street to the chippy. Great.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 12:02

Wonder what the IAM response will be to 17yr old car drivers being able to hop on a 400c, 90mph scooter without any form of training whatsoever?

http://www.piaggiotestrides.co.uk/experiencepiaggio/bikes/default.aspx

Dunno about anybody else, but I think it's barking mad.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 16:25

SWC wrote (see)

Dunno about anybody else, but I think it's barking mad.

The legal minefield of tricycle legislation is bizarre.

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 16:44

I was one of the fizzy hooligans in 1974, I remember going past my girlfriend's house standing on the saddle with one leg in the air at about 40mph...

The worst thing about scoots IMHO is that because drivers think they're all hairdriers, they get no respect - or room.

Had a mental Gilera Runner 180 a bit back - 95 on the clock - and it was noticeable on my ride to work that cars would constantly pull out on me, that never happened on my VFR. 

Posted: 03/06/2009 at 19:50