Scooter Hire in Greece – Part 5, Clothing

This is part five of a series by Suntrap Holidays about scooter hire in Greece, and here we FINALLY get out on the road.  Beginners, don’t miss this..

In case you came here first, here’s a link to the earlier parts of this series:

Scooter Hire in Greece – The Series

Right, in this article we’re going to take a look at what to wear on the scooter in Greece, and some of the hazards out there on the road,  but first, we need to get fuelled up:

Petrol

Just before you leave the scooter hire shop for the first time, there is one thing, one vital thing, that you need to ask the man in the shop – “where is the nearest petrol station?”.  An almost universal phenomenon of scooter hire in Greece is

Scooter Hire in Greece - Silver Moped

that most shops issue scooters with the petrol tank barely coated with a thin layer of fuel.  Now usually you will be told automatically where the petrol station is, but if they forget to tell you, make sure you ask, because you can almost guarantee that the bike will have little more juice than it takes to get as far as the petrol station forecourt.

“keep a close eye on the petrol gauge”

At the petrol station, remember what the man in the bike shop said to ask for – often “Super” which is basically unleaded petrol – and then put the scooter on its two-footed stand to keep it horizontal, and get the attendant to “fill her up”.  By the way, when out riding, make sure you keep a close eye on the petrol gauge at all times.  You will be surprised how it drops faster in the most remote areas where there are no petrol stations!  Running out is a pain, because you have to phone the bike shop and await their unimpressed arrival…

OK – all fuelled up?  Great, we’re almost ready to go, but DARLING, what are you wearing?

Clothing

If you went on a motorcycle compulsory basic training (CBT) course in the UK – the first step towards obtaining a motorcycle licence – you would be taught about suitable clothing to wear, to protect you against the elements and to protect your body if you fall off the bike.

Scooter Hire in Corfu

On holiday in the Greek Islands in summer, protection against the elements amounts to nothing more than suntan lotion or sunblock!  However, protecting your body in the event of an accident is a different matter.  The problem is that proper protective clothing just won’t be available at the vast majority of shops offering scooter hire in Greece.  Therefore, there is going to be an element of risk involved.  For example, if like so many people hiring a moped for the first time, you just wear your normal summer holiday outfit – shorts, tee shirt, flip-flops – it will feel great out on the bike, I admit it.

“toppling off”

However, the risk you are accepting is that if you fall off, you will be lucky to escape unhurt.  I mean, even toppling off a stationary bike onto tarmac is going to involve cuts and bruises if you have bare arms and legs, isn’t it?  To reduce the risk a little, you can wear jeans.  The thick fabric will give you some protection and is better than nothing.  You can also wear long-sleeved tops instead of tee shirts, or even a jacket.  Again, the protection is minimal, but at a slow speed it could save you from injury.

We will more talk about speed later, but to sum up this section, you have to accept that, without proper protective clothing, hiring a scooter in Greece has a level of risk attached.  Only you can decide if you are happy taking that risk.

“bee, cicada, olive – you name it”

A quick word about your eyes:  You need eye protection – it’s important.  Sunglasses are probably all you will have, and they’re nowhere near as good as goggles or a helmet visor, but if, like many holidaymakers, they’re all you’ve got, they are a definite must.  Without them, at best your eyes are going to be red and stinging from the dust, and at worst you could get hit in the eye by a stone, bee, cicada, olive – you name it.  Not worth the risk.

Well that’s about it for clothing.  The next part of this Suntrap Holidays series on scooter hire in Greece has some cracking tips on what to look out for on the road while riding a moped or scooter in the Greek Islands:

Scooter Hire in Greece – Part 6, The Road

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