
I need an 'angry' and 'excuse me' horn on my scooter
Riding a scooter’s very different to driving a car. You need be extra vigilant as you’re less visible and there’s a big ‘it’s what the other fella’s doing that’s the problem’ factor. One specific issue that often rears its head (or wheelies) is people misunderstanding when I toot the horn.
Many interpret it as an angry gesture, that I’m trying to tell them off or remonstrate. Actually, the huge majority of the time it only means ‘just checking you know I’m here’ – and is used when you’re coming up close or on someone’s blind spot. But that doesn’t stop the obscene shouts, people flipping the bird, or one fella even deliberately chasing me in his car and getting far too close for comfort.
So what I really wish for is two noises on my scooter – one for alerts and one for anger – perhaps a very loud equivalent of a bicycle bell. Of course officially there should be no ‘anger’, as horns aren’t for that, yet as in practice they often are used that way, so to have something that differentiates the noise and is obviously recognisable as such would be helpful.
This isn’t of course a truly practical suggestion. In many ways it’s just a heads up to car drivers that things are a little different from the seat of a bike (maybe that’s something that needs to be in the driving test).
PS. For the bikers who’ll ask, I a currently have a 125 cc Yamaha. I do intend to take my bike/scooter test so I can get something a touch bigger, but finding the time isn’t easy.