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Comment by Azuldolphin | Hacker News Reader

I actually am considering picking up a scooter when infer there, as I've already got a motorcycle license. Does anyone have experience getting around on one in sf? Is it possible to make it out of the city to somewhere like mountain view / San Jose on a scooter, or does it require going on high speed highways?

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A scooter would be a fun way to get around SF.

It's theoretically possible (I think?) to get to San Jose on local roads but it would take so long it would be impractical. It wouldn't be much faster than bicycling there.

I had a motorcycle in SF and found the freeways to and from the South Bay terrifying on a motorcycle. You can lane split in California, though... so a motorcycle is probably the most practical vehicle for getting over the Bay Bridge in rush hour...

It's not too terrible to get all the way up/down the peninsula on local roads, but it does take a while (~2 hours). The directions are easy, though, because El Camino Real (CA-82) goes the whole way.

Yeah, CA-82 was what I was thinking of. But even driving a car on CA-82 from SF to MV(?) takes 2+ hours (I actually don't remember where I was coming from; just that it took forever). Riding a motorcycle would suck because of all the stops and starts. A scooter might actually be better for this as the step through design makes it a bit less painful to wait at intersections.

You can certainly make it all the way to San Jose without going on the freeway, but it's tough going. If you already know how to ride a motorcycle why not get a proper motorcycle for a few thousand more?

A scooter is great for SF, easy to park, but to get almost anywhere outside the city of interest -- east bay, silicon valley -- requires getting on the highway. Mountain View is 45+ minutes away by highway; San Jose 1hr+.

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