Now that we have been giving you tips to make your travel something special and we have recommended you to rent a vespa, you must have a lot of questions about how to drive a Vespa in Barcelona, Â ok, just keep reading!
We will try to answer each one of your questions, so you have all the information you need when asking yourself and others: How to drive a vespa?
Safety’s first
Even if it is easy to drive, Vesping only rent vespa scooters to those who has previous experience. You don´t want to have any accidents because of the lack of experience.
At Vesping we are experts in the area, we have the know-how and we can assure your safety.
Now, driving a vespa can be more thant just curiosity, also can be really practical while vacations or on regular basis. With an average of 65 miles to the gallon, there is a lower investment and more opportunities for parking, a vespa will be the better choice for your transportation.
Stop looking other companies, don´t put your safety on doubtful hands.
How to drive a vespa – step by step
The first thing you should do is to assure where and what all of your controls are before even starting.
Then, sit down and hold onto the bars, get comfortable, your arms should be stretched in a comfort way, not having to lean forward. Rest your hands firmly on the handlebar grips.
You will see a leve ron each side of the handlebar, those are the brake levers and you can handle them just like a mountain bike. The right one manages the front brake and the left manages the rear breake. Use only two fingers to operate your brakes.
Now, turn on the ignition and start the engine by pressing the “start button†on the right side while pulling in either of the brake levers, then you may release the brake lever.
Remember, your right hand controls the throttle so keep your wrist in a natural and relaxed position; then, slowly twist the thottle grip and your vespa will start moving forward.
If you want to stop use both front and rear brakes evenly, then pull in both levers while rolling off the throttle, then, be sure to put one foot on the ground.
There are plenty of reasons to decide to rent a vespa, it brings an excellent fuel economy, it’s easier to park, you can avoid the traffic and will be able to see the place feeling free and close enough.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of risks when riding a vespa in an urban center, there can be pot-holes, unconscious drivers, slick pavement and other dangers according to the weather.
Valuable tips
We want you to feel comfortable with us, take these tips into consideration when using our Vespas, they will be very valuable to you at some point:
- Keep your eyes on the road, your vespa will go wherever you are looking.
- Always wear a helmet and make sure your passenger does too.
- Know your vespa before starting.
- Wearing sunglasses will help you protect your eyes from the sun and dirty in the air.
- Take a small towel with you, it will be helpful if you need to clean dirt.
- Have a pair of quality gloves to protect your hands.
- Don´t drink if your driving.
- Obey the law all the time when driving.
- Always carry your ownership/reting and insurrance documents with you.
- Park only in the designated parking spots.
- Be sure your passenger grabs your waist or hold the box behind you; never let them hold your shoulders, it can be unbalancing for you.
- Cover your arms and legs even if it´s warm outside, you´re really vulnerable on a vespa.
- Prevention: use Vesping steering lock at each stop.
- Be careful, cobblestones transform into a surface resembling oiled ice when wet.
- Practice going as slow as possible in a straight line or in a turn.
- On dry pavement, lean your body off the bike. On wet pavement lean the scooter more, but be ready with your foot in case you slip. Don’t use the front brake!!
- Avoid riding in blind spots, it can cause an accident and remember you are the most vulnerable one.
Take it easy
If it´s your first time driving a vespa, it’s highly recommended that you take your time and practice in some of the quieter neighbourhoods in your country, be prepared for a bigger challenge.
See if the rule is to stick to the right and drive according to this. Otherwise it could be very dangerous for you.
All of our vespas are very easy to drive, but a prior scooter or motobike driving experience is strongly required, for safety reasons we discourage people with no previous experience to rent a vespa and even more in a foreign country.
All you´ll need
To have a great vesping experience while traveling you will need:
- Previous experience driving a scooter/motorbike preferably.
- Valid passport or identity card.
- A payment method for the security deposit you will be ask to pay.
Do I need a license to drive a vespa?
We know you must be asking this to yourself. If you are an EU citizen and already have a license for a motorbike, you won´t need anything else.
For citizens ouside the EU rules are a little different so you must ask before traveling or at your embassy/consulate.
In some cases, an International Drivers License is needed and you can obtain this in your own country of residence before leaving.
If you´re planning to stay longer, you can also apply and obtain a Spanish driver´s license.
According to the spanish law, these are the valid driving licenses to drive:
- Vespa 50cc. European Driving License: AM, A, A1, A2, B. International Driving License: A, B
- Vespa 125cc. European Driving License: A, A1, A2. International Driving License: A
- Vespa 300cc. European Driving License: A, A2. International Driving License: A
If you still have some questions remaining, you can find all the rest of information, about driving license and more, at our FAQ page here.
So, now that we´ve covered kinda everything you need to know, it´s time to decide to live this amazing experience in a responsable way, being precaucios but having a blast!