If you’re like me and you’re starting your riding career from scratch, you’ve got more to worry about than the cost of your wheels. The other night my scooter spotting stroll through Manhattan had a destination – one of my favorite clothing stores (and one that should be on every Scooterists radar), 99X in the East Village. I picked up a new pair of Doc Marten boots to finish off my protective clothing needs with a small dose of fashion.

So this seems like a good time to examine the cost of getting on two wheels before I’ve ridden out of the show-room. Later we’ll take a look at how I could have cut costs.

Apparel
Z1R Helmet: $200 (Vespa SoHo)
AlpineStars Jacket: $160 (BrooklyBretta)
AlpineStars Gloves: $80 (Vespa SoHo)
Doc Marten over-ankle boots: $120 (99X)
Hi-Visibility vest: $55 (RidersDiscount.com)

Rain gear
NorthFace rain jacket: $99 (Paragon)
FirstGear rain pants: $20 (RidersDiscount.com)

Insurance
Progressive 12 months full coverage: $444

DMV
Learner’s permit fee: $21

Motorcycle Safety Course
3 Day Basic Rider Course: $350
2 hour private lesson: $130

Grand Total: $1689

Over 1500 bucks, I can barely believe it myself. So where can you cut some corners? Well for one thing, you may have some suitable clothing already so you can strike that off the list, but a protective jacket especially designed for bike riding is not to be skimped on.

On reflection, the Basic Rider Course covered everything I learned on the private lesson within the first hour or so, so the private lesson is arguably unnecessary, but I certainly felt more comfortable having taken it. About a third of my class had done the same and agreed it was worthwhile.

I had hoped to find a cheaper rain jacket than the one I bought at Paragon (not the cheapest store in the city), but I needed it at the last minute. If I had planned ahead, I could have gotten a better deal online, like the rain pants I later bought.

My biggest lesson? Vespa Soho. The Z1R Phantom helmet cost me $200. Ridersdiscount.com has it for $90. The trick however is that a helmet is really something you need to try on. A helmet that’s too large will either fly off in a crash, or rattle your brain when you hit the cement. Too small and you’ll never get the darn thing on. In retrospect, if you have some cojones, you can try it on in the showroom to get a fitting and then buy it online. Brooklynbretta has a slightly more basic Z1R helmet for $100 so that seems like a good tact.

You could try on a friend’s but know that every helmet fits differently, so a LARGE in one design may not carry over to another.

So what have we learned, as far as possible buy online. Even Nick at Brooklynbretta suggested I picked up the jacket he didn’t have in stock online, but I wanted to put my business his way given he was so straight-up.

Good luck with getting on two wheels but know that in your planning you’re going to need to put some dinero aside for miscellaneous.

Related posts:

1. Staying dry and staying safe Two tips I learned from the Rider Course. The first...
2. Taking an MSS private motorcycle lesson Once I signed up for the MSS Basic Rider Course,...
3. A trip to Vespa SoHo You can’t talk about Vespas in New York City without...
4. CNN Money Talks Scooters, Gas Prices The subject of scooters as gasoline sipping alternatives to guzzling...
5. MSS Day Two – The heavens open In short, I passed! Today's course was another range session...