okctraveler

Would it be crazy to rent a scooter for 1 day to drive down the Amalfi Coast in early May? I wouldn't want it for the entire trip but I thought it might be fun to be able to stop at overlooks & not be tied to a bus schedule. Don't know how bad traffic is at that time of year. I'm assuming 2 can fit on one-can they?

Pausanias

Are you an experienced motorcyclist? It hurts just as much falling off a scooter as it does a motorcycle. The Amalfi drive is not a good place to learn. You've got a rock wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other and a series of hairpin turns. A small steering error would be fatal.

okctraveler

Well I wouldn't know the first thing about driving one, hence the 2 persons fitting on one part of the question. But yes, my husband has owned motorcycles in the past.

Pausanias

Up to you then.

nytraveler

The Amalfi coast has the side of an uprising cliff on one side and a sturdy rock wall on the other. the only place there is no protective rock wall is in the towns. It would be very difficult to go over the side in the sea - esp two people on a little vespa. (Don;t know how you would get up enough speed to jump over the wall - althouhg I suppose you could be knocked up and over by a bus or truck.

If your husband is an experienced biker - then go ahed. the traffic should not be that bad then. Just realize that driver won;t be able to see much untikl you stop - since you'll be busy avoiding being crowded to the side by larger vehicles - or missing cars coming out of blind driveways.

This is not something I would do anywher in europe since I don;t ride any kind of bike without wearing leathers - which I certainly wouldn't drag all the way over there. (Road burn is almost as bad at 20mph if you don;t have protective clothing - and not something I would ever risk after seening how long it took to pick all the gravel out of a friend whose bike was bumped by a car.)

LeighTravelClub

There is a video of the Amalfi Coast road here http://www.leightravelclub.com/theamalficoast.htm

Might help you decide!!!

jjkbrook

I dont see this as likely to be much fun. The road is narrow and old, very curvy with some ups and downs and the traffic moves fairly fast (mostly people well familiar with the road). If you drive slowly or tentatively, there will be somebody behind pushing, and there no place to get over for big stretches. There are buses, including big tour buses barrelling down through there. YOu better be VERY comfortable with your scooter skills.

ira

Hi OK,

>Would it be crazy to rent a scooter for 1 day to drive down the Amalfi Coast in early May?<

YES!!!

traveller1959

Excellent idea! You will have a lot of fun and you will be much faster than anybody else.

Dukey

You will certainly not be the only people traveling on two wheels along that road but you may very well be the slowest.

DinPa

>Would it be crazy to rent a scooter for 1 day to drive down the Amalfi Coast in early May?<

Not only crazy, but idiotic! It's crazy to drive a car on that road if you don't know what you are doing and don't know the road.

steviegene

Hi OK
My husband and I rented a scooter on Capri for the day and had an absolutely fantastic time. My husband is experienced with riding dirtbikes and motorcycles, so we had no problems. We were also given a really slow bike (we called it the Slowped), I guess to prevent us from driving it like the rest of the maniacs that drive them there! We had a lot of fun on the Slowped.
The Amalfi Coast is busier and a bit crazier traffic-wise. So I would be REALLY confident of husbands driving. If you are, I would go for it.

TravMimi

There are some good videos of Amalfi Drive on youtube.com just keyword Amalfi Drive. It will give you some idea of what you will be in for.

rkkwan

If the husband is a proficient rider, I think it should be fun and relatively easy. You're not going to pass anybody, but it makes the "drive" easier because you don't need to worry about narrow corners with cars coming from the other direction.

I see plenty of motorcyclists when I was there in December.

jjkbrook

that video is pretty much what it feels like from a car - in light traffic.

basingstoke2

Having owned motorcycles in the past is not enough. He has to be proficient NOW. Is he? Riding with a passenger requires more skill than riding alone - the balance, braking and handling of the cycle changes and can sometimes be unpredictabe. A scooter also has low power that will be more critical with a passenger on a mountain road. Will you have helmets? Proper riding clothes? Think about the above and you will most likely come to the conclusion to pass on the scooter. That said, IMO driving the Amalfi Coast other than in the summer is fun and one of the things that I look forward to doing in a CAR when I am anywhere nearby. Rent one and go for it.

okctraveler

Thanks for all the replies. We're still undecided. Guess we'll just have to see what we think when we get there and see how traffic is.

kgde

Yes

rickey

Hi ok

We did it a couple of years ago in early May. We had no problems and really enjoyed it.

We could stop anywhere we wanted and really admire the scenery and the narrow lanes were plenty wide for a vespa. Parking was no problem in the towns.

We rented an 80cc bike in Sorrento which was fine for 2 small people.

Just one caveat - don't attempt if you are not experienced. It is not the best place to learn.

Rick

SeaUrchin

okc, that is what I was going to suggest. If you haven't been there before it is hard to visualize and hard to make any decisions like that.

You can look around after you arrive and see if you still want to. I think it would be fun but I have also heard from a local that high speed motorcycles tend to flip over the cliff. A scooter should just putt along, have fun!