Driving in winter?

Hi,
I'm just about to buy my first ever scooter (Piaggio 50cc 2 stroke). I was wondering if any of you have any experience driving a scooter in winter.
I live in Norway, and they're pretty good at preparing the roads (clearing and salting), and I also intend to get all-weather tyres nearer to winter time. However, I'm curious if any of you have any opinions on driving in winter conditions. How likely am I to land on my backside every 2 minutes
Thanks

ride in all weathers when ive got a scoot
take it nice and slow
increase braking distances
look further ahead than you normally would
don't tense up your arms
nice and relaxed is the way to go
if you really think your going to come off jump off
that's all I can advise really

Thanks for the reply
Really? Jump off!! I thought it was best to hold onto the scooter for protection?
Good to know you ride in all weather. At least it's possible. Thanks for the other tips too.

yer, what ive always been told to do and done it twice
theory is if you do have a accident youll be better off than you would have been if you were still on bike, might be more damage to bike but the key is keeping yourself safe not the bike

A friend told me that holding onto the bike would stop you rolling and protect you (assuming you are sliding in the seating position). The bike would get most of the friction, wouldn't it? I'm imaging that the weight of the bike would shorten the combined slide and that if there was an impact at the end of the slide that the scooter would take it first.
I'm only guessing tbf, no idea. Maybe I'll google 'how to fall off a scooter' and see what I can find

tbh I just did what I was told to do by someone who is a hell of a lot more experienced in biking than I am, hes been riding 34 years so I kinda tend to take his advice seriously. ive jumped off twice and didn't get hurt a fat lot so guess it worked for me lol

Good IDE but if you got time o jump off surely you've got time to void the hazard

Yeah, good point. Let's assume that the skid has already happened and you are sliding along the road with the scooter. Do you keep hold of the scooter or not?

Shouldve quoted the 2nd post my bad..

Lol hell no. It's gonna damage the bike more to start with and you would just come off the bike anyway.. Dunno about you but I'm about the same width as my bike and realistically there's a good chance of my arse slipping off the seat or your shoulder hitting the road first and taking most the impact. Rather try my luck rolling or flying or whatever

scootzmadness said:

yer, what ive always been told to do and done it twice
theory is if you do have a accident youll be better off than you would have been if you were still on bike, might be more damage to bike but the key is keeping yourself safe not the bike

Amen!,
You can always buy another bike. .

glart said:

Yeah, good point. Let's assume that the skid has already happened and you are sliding along the road with the scooter. Do you keep hold of the scooter or not?

I'd think that would be heavily dependant on conditions attached to the accident,
an especially if another road-user was involved,sometimes it's best to keep with the
bike as the drag will slow you both down,sometimes best to let it go.
Experience counts I.e. ride lots!. .

Add:- if this is your 1st 'ped an your gonna be riding it in winter,
might wanna take into account materials used for winter maintenance -
particulary road salt as such are fair corrosive on parts an regular upkeep
slightly more than usual would be advised (light oils,easily wiped off,for protection
a good start).mark. .

if driving in winter and roads are icy cant always control the bike as you would like, that's the only time id ever really ditch my bike/have ditched my bike, should always try to regain control of the bike if possible if not then I say jump off and hope for the best.
speaking to more "experienced bikers" this morning and they all said the same thing, in icy conditions yeah jump off if cant regain control, but they all said that's the last ditch thing to do, as for cleaning, I give my frame a good waxing just before the winter comes in then wd40 twice a week and a proper wash/scrub down after winters gone.

also I tend to run old tyres during winter so don't care if they get cracked etc, I have a old set that will be going on my vision this winter, run the pressures just a little bit lower than you normally would, apparently more tyre will grip to the tarmac, never ran tyre pressures lower in winter but more experienced have told me this would be better so will be trying it myself this winter

Bear in mind that alot of people overestimate their abilities during winter driving/riding!,
This is one of the major causes of accidents during that time/particlarily during sudden weather
changes,
Keep your wits about you when others could be loosing theirs. .

Thanks for the advice guys!
Interesting points about the maintenance during winter. I never even though about how the salted roads would effect the scooter.
When I talk about an accident, I mean an accident while taking a corner. As a beginner, I'm guessing that's my most likely first accident. If the bike slides from under me, I'm already on the ground, so I wanted to know whether or not to hold on or let go. The point about it depending on the accident is true. I guess time will tell.
I think I'll buy the scooter in a week or two (exciting!) and I'm not going to bother with a training course. I'll take it easy at the start and learn as I go. There was a lot of good driving tips on youtube anyway.

take the training course, itll help alot

Definateatly agree!,
Might not have made so many mistakes when I 1st
started if............ .

I'll have a look at prices for courses and decide. Everything is pretty expensive here in norway.
What would you say was the most useful things you got from training: braking properly, cornering, looking ahead for danger?
If possible, I'd like to avoid paying for training and slowly learn from experience. I've researched a lot of the theory, but it's all about real life practice.

everything I got taught has served me well.
braking, cornering, visuals, lifesavers (they really are lifesavers), everything I learnt has saved my butt !
the course might be expensive but it will be worth it !
what would you rather do, pay for a training course or spend years doing physio after a accident ?
here its compulsory to do one but still learnt a lot from it