Im now officially a Boatian owner!

[stevieh]

Ive just bought the BT50QT-11 Ive been going on about. Just hope I dont have any probs registering it. Ive got the Insurance sorted, so I'll keep you in formed of its delivery etc. It looks as though I will need to add some colour the the thing, looks pretty and clean (White with a little black) but I want to add my own touch.

[stevieh]

Yes I know its BAOTIAN not Boatian.

[stocko]

Well done Stevie, tell us what ya think of it!

[Ginger Phil]

Nice one Stevie!!
Post a few piccies in The Showroom section when you get it, I bet you can't wait to get on it can you?

Make sure you run it in properly though!! It'll be really tempting to register it and then go out and thrash it, it took me four weeks to get mine registered (long story which you can read about in the Trouble With Certificate Of Conformity topic) but in that four weeks I went outside and gently revved the engine while it was up on the centre stand (just enough to make the back wheel go round) which has probably helped a lot.

Make sure you change the oil after the first 300km's too.

[weeyin]

I'm now the proud owner of a Baotian BT50QT-09, although i'm completely useless, it's not as easy as it looks, i'm such a girl!!!!! I've fallen off but landed under it just to ensure it didnt get scratched, cant do the slow corners yet. :-( Will post a few pics once i've got the hang of it.

Getting it registerd is a bit of a nightmare but the DVLA have all my paperwork now so fingers crossed i'll get my reg plate this week, cant wait to be let loose with the busses in Glasgow!!!!! You're all invited to my funeral!

[Ginger Phil]

weeyin said:

I'm now the proud owner of a Baotian BT50QT-09, although i'm completely useless, it's not as easy as it looks, i'm such a girl!!!!! I've fallen off but landed under it just to ensure it didnt get scratched, cant do the slow corners yet. :-( Will post a few pics once i've got the hang of it.

Getting it registerd is a bit of a nightmare but the DVLA have all my paperwork now so fingers crossed i'll get my reg plate this week, cant wait to be let loose with the busses in Glasgow!!!!! You're all invited to my funeral!

You've come to the right place Lori, have a read of the "Trouble With Certificate of Conformity" topic in this section as a few of us on here (myself included) had a hard time with the DVLA as well. In the end I had to send all my documents back to the company I bought the scooter from so that they could register it for me.

Regarding going around corners: I've driven cars for 12 years and this is my first scooter and one piece of handy info I picked up from this forum is when you go round a corner apply the rear brake a little. It's helped me no end, before I was nearly ramming into every curb.

[stocko]

Oh Weeyin dont let your safe down babe! Im sure once you get on that bike theres nothing stopping ya! Not even those busses.

If ya want, I could show you a few pointers if your down my end that is, not going on the motorway!

Dont worry, im experienced at 16

[weeyin]

I'm a novice too, been car driving for 10 years but with the introduction of pay and display outside my work something had to be done, ok at the moment i'm no where near safe enough for scooting to work but give me a week, i'm sure it'll get easier, its the busses that scare me, i'm only 4ft 11 and teeny, the scoot weighs a ton when you fall off.

Thanks for the advice, i've read it all and have been applying by rear brake...cant get the hang of the "little bit" though, I pull it too hard and go soooooo slow i loose balance and fall off, pathetic eh? Och i'll be whizzing about terrorising the local kids soon, smart asses on their mino motobikes!

[stocko]

Hey if I saw a little smurf on a scooter behind me I would be scared!

[Ginger Phil]

weeyin said:

I'm a novice too, been car driving for 10 years but with the introduction of pay and display outside my work something had to be done, ok at the moment i'm no where near safe enough for scooting to work but give me a week, i'm sure it'll get easier, its the busses that scare me, i'm only 4ft 11 and teeny, the scoot weighs a ton when you fall off.

Thanks for the advice, i've read it all and have been applying by rear brake...cant get the hang of the "little bit" though, I pull it too hard and go soooooo slow i loose balance and fall off, pathetic eh? Och i'll be whizzing about terrorising the local kids soon, smart asses on their mino motobikes!

Yeah it takes a while to get used to scootering especially after driving cars as in a car you take up the whole lane whereas on a scooter a motorist can easily come up alongside you.

Another tip I learned is to ride down the centre of the lane - stuff other motorists, if they can't pass you safely in the oncoming lane then they shouldn't even attempt to overtake you.

[weeyin]

I want one of those flags that are on the kids trolleys in Asda so parents can find them, they'll all see me coming then! Mate who rides a "big boys" bike is full of advice that would be helpful if i could brave more than 10mph! Och next week i'll be saying it's easy i'm sure!

[Ginger Phil]

weeyin said:

I want one of those flags that are on the kids trolleys in Asda so parents can find them, they'll all see me coming then!

You know those St. Georges flags that everyone was sticking to their cars when the last World Cup was on? I'm sure I've got one somewhere which would look great on the back of a scooter. ;D

They sell them in Halfords for about £4 if you want one?

[weeyin]

Good idea, better make it St Andrews though :-)

[Ginger Phil]

Be different and get a Welsh dragon.

[jules30]

hi weeyin

I too was like you had been driving for an age then got a scooter, corners for me was hell, in fact first time i rode it i didn't get round the corner, instead scared the living daylights out of this elderly lady on the corner when she saw me coming straight for her.

so i decided to do the CBT even though i didn't need to and it was such a help and confidence boost, i now scoot along round corners quite happily, well worth the £90.

from a fellow female

jules

[drzoom]

I tend to agree with the suggestion that you do the CBT. The two most important pointers I took from my first CBT were:

1) How vital the "lifesaver" glance over your shoulder is before attempting a manouver. Belive me it's not called the lifesaver for nothing.
2) Road position. It's very tempting if you have a slower machine, or are a nervous new scooterist to ride close to the left hand side. This is completely wrong and very dangerous. Always ride in the middle of the lane, you've paid your £15 road tax so don't be intimidated. By riding mid-lane you are at your most visible and will deter car drivers from attempting to squeeze past you without properly overtaking.

Funnily enough I have always felt far safer on a scooter than in a car. I passed my car test almost 20 years ago but hated the whole experience so much I never drove again. My first go on a scooter was a revelation as it was so easy to ride. After only a couple of runs around ASDA car park, I was doing the 30 mile round trip (Dunfermline - Edinburgh) to work and back with no problem, and that on a very cheap Indian 50cc that couldn't do much above 40MPH even when derestricted ! Within a month I'd sold the 50cc and bought my first 125cc and never looked back !

[Ginger Phil]

I find it funny how wide my car now seems, on a scooter you very rarely have to pull over to let someone through but when I was out in my car last night I kept thinking I was going to scrape all the parked cars.