Scooter Hire in Greece – Part 2, At the Scooter Rental Shop

This is part two of a series by Suntrap Holidays about scooter hire in Greece, and this is where we get up close and personal in the bike rental shop.

In case you came here first, here are links to the earlier parts of this series – you can read these first:

Scooter Hire in Greece, Part 1

OK, let’s get down to the scooter rental place and find out how to go about hiring a scooter in Greece for the first time:

What you Need for Scooter Hire in Greece

Please remember to bring your driving licence to with you, and enough money to pay for the entire rental period. Also

Scooter Hire in Greece - Choosing a Bike, courtesy of flickr.com user: iain

bring you passport – this should not be required but some shops ask for it. Note that current Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice is that you do not allow the shop to keep your passport. Some bike rental shops used to do this as a form of security, but it is not something that a reputable shop will ever do. Even if they ask to keep your passport, refuse. The same goes for your driving licence. It is not acceptable for the shop to keep hold of either.

Checking out the company

The first thing to say is that when you hire a bike in the Greek Islands, you are putting your safety in the hands of the rental company. Look at the bikes on their forecourt. Are they clean and newish, or old and scruffy? You really want a newer bike. Watch the people who work there. You want some evidence of mechanics rather than salesmen. Watch how they deal with customers. More than once I have been browsing and heard enough unpleasant customer interactions to put me off trusting a company with my life. Look at the physical state of their buildings and forecourt. If they are not cared for, will that sloppiness also be applied to maintaining the bikes?

Passing the licence barrier

If, despite reading part one of this series you decide that you’re going to try and take out scooter hire in Corfu, Rhodes or wherever you happen to be without having a motorbike licence, you may be in for a rude awakening at the bike shop. One of the first questions will be: “do you have a motorbike licence or a car licence?” If you have a motorbike licence, they will love you, but this series is really aimed at first-timers rather than qualified motorcyclists..

If you have a car licence, the bike shop cannot legally hire a scooter to you, not even a moped, but most still do at the time of writing provided you have a full car licence. However, PLEASE read part 1 if you haven’t already, so you know the risks that you are taking by doing scooter hire in Greece without a motorcycle licence.

Choosing a bike

So, we will now assume that you, like so many people, have decided, despite all the warnings from the reps, and despite

Scooter Hire in Greece - Don't Pick This One! Photo courtesy of flickr.com user: iain

it being technically illegal, that you are going to hire a scooter to have some fun on two wheels during your Greek holiday. I cannot recommend this, but on the other hand I cannot be a hypocrite – I did it myself for years (not realising it was illegal).

For your first time, I would strongly advise renting a small-engined, fully automatic moped for one day to see how you like it. You’ll only be allowed a small one anyway, and being automatic, you won’t have to think about changing gears or operating a clutch. After the first day, you can decide whether to rent for longer depending on how it went.

Another decision you will need to make if there are two of you is whether to go for two bikes or one. I always went for one, because my other half never fancied having a bike, but for some mad reason was willing to trust me even on day one when I had never been on a scooter before in my life! Be aware, be VERY aware, that if you ride a bike with your mate on the back, YOU are responsible for the two of you. Take that VERY seriously. On the other side of the coin, if you are thinking of going on the back, think very carefully about how your mate drives a car – we’re talking attitude in particular. Would you be totally happy on the back of a bike with this person, good friend though they are?

In part three of this series on biking in the Greek Islands for beginners, I take a look at the very important issue of helmets. Please now click the link to take a look:

Scooter Hire in Greece – Part 3, Helmets

This article’s reference number is suntrap143. Text “suntrap143” to your friends and family and tell them to Google it to find this article.