By Alaa Bassiony & Translated by Dina Amir

Streets are getting more and more crowded each day, which makes using normal transportation pretty difficult.

How can we avoid this traffic issue to reach our destination easily? Save time and get a scooter to solve this problem.

Prices listed in the article are the ones provided when the article was published, and they are subject to change according to supply and demand of the market.

The scooter is technically a motorcycle with less motor size, due to its smaller body size as well as its flexibility. The spare parts are affordable and the gas consumption is very little.

My personal experience with scooters is that they are very beneficial, and once I substituted the car with it, I found the following:

I use the scooter to go to work, for around 10km per day, five times a week. I also use it during weekends (50-70km) and I only pay around EGP 10 for gas.

• Parking: between any two parked cars, without any chaos (but without blocking the way for the parked cars).
• Saving time: I calculated it, I used the scooter to go to four different places in an hour and a half, but if I had used the car, I would usually take no less than 3 hours.
• Helmet: necessary.
• Routine maintenance: done on time.

Advantages and disadvantages of the scooter

Anything has its pros and cons, nothing is perfect, but the scooters’ pros outweigh the cons.

Advantages:

• Spare parts are available.
• EGP 10 for 92 gas, enough to cover 120KM, according to my personal experience.
• Its small size makes it easy to move among cars.
• You can park anywhere.
• Saves in your daily expenses, in comparison to having a car or taking any other means of transportation.

Disadvantages:

• It needs constant maintenance and care.
• You need to be fully focused while driving, since it is two-wheeled only causing less balance.

Safety tools that you need to wear while driving your scooter: Helmet.

Helmet

It is the very basic safety tool that you need to wear, even if you aren’t going too far. It can help you avoid any sort of damage, even if you get into a minor accident. Many people survived, thanks to the helmet. Legally speaking, you need to wear your helmet at all times while driving. 

You can compare helmet prices here, starting from EGP 220 

Safety gloves

It is essential to control the scooter, without harming your hands. The gloves are made out of rubber material to protect your hand against the the scooter handles. 

You can check this collection of gloves here, starting from EGP 220

Knee safety pads

These pads protect you from tumbles or accidents, they prevent your joints from getting broken or injured.

Check these safety pads here, starting from EGP 256

Safety glasses

If you don’t wear eyeglasses, then you need these safety glasses to protect your eyes from all the air, sand, and dust while driving.

You can check the safety glasses here, starting from EGP 99

Battery clamps

The battery of your scooter might run out and you might be stuck in the middle of the street; especially if you leave the scooter parked for more than 4 days or if the dynamo needs to be changed.

Check these clamps here, starting from EGP 93 

The previously mentioned tools are essential, and below are precautions that you need to take into consideration:

• Try as much as possible to avoid the runways (the ring road, etc.), because it is dangerous to be driving among trucks, high traffic and the massive attacks of sand storms and stones. 
• If you find any dark spot on the road, try to avoid it or drive slowly to avoid any tumbling.
• Make sure you take your scooter to the routine maintenance on time to ensure that the brakes are stable and there aren’t any problems with it.  Also, adjust the wheels on a weekly basis.
• No need to be stubborn, if a car wants to pass, stay safe on the sides of the road and leave room for the cars to pass.
• Don’t drive your scooter on the sidewalk, even if the street is crowded and filled with cars. 
• If you will park your scooter for more than five days, you should detach the battery (you don’t want the battery to run out).
• When you buy the scooter, make sure that the scooter comes with a bag and a manual book to tell you how to change the oil, the spare parts and other needed instructions. 

Take care while driving and try to avoid accidents. If you decide to buy a scooter, start with a 125 or 150 CC.

Yaoota wishes you a safe drive.

Some items may currently be out of stock, but they will be available soon. If you encounter any similar problem, please comment on the article, or contact us through our Facebook page.