Moped rentals...PLEASE DON'T do it....

[AXL72]

I think the advice should be more along the lines of "unless you drive a motorbike frequently and have experience driving all over the world, don't rent a moped".

The real problem seems to be more middle aged people that haven't been on anything with 2 wheels since being a teen getting on a moped while on vacation

Thank You!!!!

Cerich, I totally agree with you. Although, Christi's post and everyone elses sentiments are very well taken and appropriate.

Could I add that, if the lady were on a tour purchased through the cruise ship that the tour company should get an @$$ chewing for not explaining or taking proper precautions about warning of the dangers of passing and being passed by vehicles.

Did anybody from the group try to chase after the fleeing truck driver?

Mopeds are great transportation for getting to paradise and san franciso beaches during surface intervals or after the last dive of the trip. Just need to be extremely careful in cozumel.

 

[AXL72]

One lost control of his scooter, bounced off the curb, then bounced back into the traffic. I literally gasped out loud. His buddy stopped in the middle of traffic to wait for him to catch up. Accident looking for a place to happen.

lmao (ooops sorry I was not supposed to laugh)

umm, could you post the video?....j/k...point well taken. The pot holes was a detail left out.

So the bloody plot thickens. Stupid mexican highway department is at fault:

1. loligagging with road construction
2. excluding road maintenance requirement in the road construction contract or not enforcing it with the contractor
3. failing to post signs warning scooters of the pot hole hazards in the remote areas outside of town

 

[MMM]

lmao (ooops sorry I was not supposed to laugh)

umm, could you post the video

Actually, one of the funniest things I saw was what appears to be a new tourist (probably cruise ship) offering.

Segways.

Flocks (or herds, or murders, or squadrons or whatever is the correct term) of them. All riding down the road in single file, but wearing protective knee and elbow pads and helmets. I meant to get a photo of them but just never got around to it. I mean really - who in their right mind wants to experience the great outdoors and views of the highway (for god's sake) at 5 km/h.

 

[South4Scuba]

March 2005

Have rented a Jeep (4 wheels) several times. Senor at the rental place congratulated me for renting a Jeep instead of a Moped. He made some comment about dumb American tourists.

Driving along at 30 mph when I had to stop for a left turn in front of me. Moped in the rear view mirror . . . 2 seconds later . . . no moped in the mirror. Blood and skin on the street and dumbfounded friends wondering why their buddy was laying in the road after laying down his moped.

Don't rent a moped . . . please. It gives my favorite diving destination a bad name.

Thanks,
S4S

 

[AXL72]

March 2005

Have rented a Jeep (4 wheels) several times. Senor at the rental place congratulated me for renting a Jeep instead of a Moped. He made some comment about dumb American tourists.

Driving along at 30 mph when I had to stop for a left turn in front of me. Moped in the rear view mirror . . . 2 seconds later . . . no moped in the mirror. Blood and skin on the street and dumbfounded friends wondering why their buddy was laying in the road after laying down his moped.

Don't rent a moped . . . please. It gives my favorite diving destination a bad name.

Thanks,
S4S

what happened to the moped guy /gal?

run into the back of you? swerved into right lane without looking to avoid running into the back of ya as you slammed on the breaks for following too closely? what caused the blood and gore? did u signal? did u come ot an abrupt stop? were u tailgating the guy in front of you? did u make sure your tail lights / break lights were working properly before driving the rental jeep?

i remeber some diving accidents in coz involving divers getting their heads torn apart by propellar of passing boats. I am glad no scooter business forums posted stuff about, "stupid american tourists diving here for the first or third time. just dont dive, not worth the risk"


sorry i am playing devil's advocate. just another viewpoint.

remember, it is not the two wheelers who are dangerous...it is the 4 wheelers that are dangerous to the 2 wheelers.

 

[drbill]

We have a number of mopeds here on Catalina Island, but they are not allowed to be rented. It's bad enough to see what our visitors do in the rental golf carts (fortunately no fatalities that I remember).

The only moped I owned had motorcycle handles and was far more controllable... I used to love ridin it out in the island's interior.

 

[deeper thoughts]

what happened to the moped guy /gal?

run into the back of you? swerved into right lane without looking to avoid running into the back of ya as you slammed on the breaks for following too closely? what caused the blood and gore? did u signal? did u come ot an abrupt stop? were u tailgating the guy in front of you? did u make sure your tail lights / break lights were working properly before driving the rental jeep?

i remeber some diving accidents in coz involving divers getting their heads torn apart by propellar of passing boats. I am glad no scooter business forums posted stuff about, "stupid american tourists diving here for the first or third time. just dont dive, not worth the risk"


sorry i am playing devil's advocate. just another viewpoint.

remember, it is not the two wheelers who are dangerous...it is the 4 wheelers that are dangerous to the 2 wheelers.

So true, the same can be said for the tourists that come down here and dive in high sea and small craft marine warnings for the waters. Many times when accidents happen here its usually when the seas are rough. Coincidence I dont know

 

[South4Scuba]

AXL72, I'm all about differing opinions. If not for that, this forum would consist of a bunch of single posts!!

For the record, I didn't make a left turn. Several cars in front of me yielded to oncoming traffic before making a left turn. This created a chain reaction of stopping. We were driving slow with adequate distance between cars. What caused the moped to crash was a wet road and poor reaction time. The worst possible scenario for a 2 wheeler.

I apologize for painting such a grim picture. The moped "guy" got up off the road, swallowed his pride and got back in the saddle for the long ride home.

Don't try to blame 4 wheel vehicles for causing 2 wheeled wrecks. Everyone has the same right to safety by renting a 4 wheeled vehicle. My topless Jeep was just as much fun as a moped and an order of magnitude safer.

Check the grim statistics on motorcycle riders in the USA. It's not always their fault, but when you crawl into the saddle of a 2 wheeler you accept a certain amount of risk. It's not for everyone, but more power to those who seek greater thrills in life.

Fortunately, the diving industry is better regulated than moped rentals.

:57:
Just another opinion,
S4S

 

[DandyDon]

This thread carries such an important message, I want to bump it back to page 1 - as grim as it is....

 

[mstevens]

I love my scooter (a Vespa LX 150) to pieces. I enjoy riding to and from work. I've taken the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and am quite comfortable both on the Vespa and on my Ducati Monster. The last time I was in Cozumel I watched wistfully as a guy rode a somewhat decrepit ET2 (the only Vespa I've ever seen there) along the seawall.

There is NO WAY I'd ride a scooter in Cozumel despite all the temptations to do so. For one thing, I'm not dragging my gear (full-face helmet, armored jacket and pants, Kevlar gloves and boots) to Cozumel. For another, the rental scooters I've seen are in questionable condition. Finally, and most importantly, the roads and traffic conditions simply make it unsafe for a non-resident (and probably for residents as well) to ride there. Anyone who is tempted, think again: the injuries from a low-speed scooter crash will be vastly more severe than from a moderate-speed car crash.

As an aside, mopeds and scooters are different (think snorkeling vs. scuba). Most of what I've seen for rent in Cozumel are scooters.