How was it? How long did it take? would you do it again? any tips
thanks
Printable View
How was it? How long did it take? would you do it again? any tips
thanks
Never rode one to Little Bay but I did ride a scooter to Roaring River and back to Negril the same day and was my ass sore. If I remember correctly we first made it to Sav Lamar and then a short distance from there to Roaring River. You really need to keep a close eye on other traffic (oncoming and behind) all while dodging crater pot holes and watching for signs that might give a clue to where your going. It was a bit of a nightmare. We finally relied on a local motorcycle youth as a guide ($1,000 JA.) Although overall I enjoyed the whole scooter thing I probably wouldn't go that far again.
think Ohliz has done Little Bay on da scooter.........just have to be careful of the potholes.......
never done it myself..........maybe this reach.......
Cool Runnings, Marko
Never on a scooter - on a motorcycle, by car and on a dirt bike through the bush. Motorcycle was the most fun!
I don't think I'd recommend riding a scooter out there...they don't keep up with traffic and in the three weeks I've been here I've seen more people with road-rash due to those things that I can ever remember seeing!
Just remember the "rule" with scooters........if the tire flats, you fix it.....no wonder the scooter tires in Negril are bald...take a look........NEVER take a scooter out of Negril
did the Roaring River and other sites on a bigger 175 Yamaha dirt / trail bike, agreed keep yr eyes on the road and your hands on the bars b/c the ride is cool but unforgiving! I ride here and I'll tell you its great but drivers don't take to small bikes well on the highway in Ja. Youuhave to ride like it's your road but be very defensive. best of luck to ya , and see you on the road in Dec. this year in Ja!
Just my opinion but why do all that when you can hire a red plate to take you...might cost a few more bucks but if you bite the dirt the bucks won't seem important.
Si me capatan ... scooters are for Disneyland NOT for Jamaica .. rented one ONCE ..2 day rental turned into 5 hour return ..keep the balance please ..and mi learn a lesson .. upon return of the "scooter" learned that the week past saw a poor unfortunate soul from the USA ..had trouble with the machine ..wouldn't start ... so kept on the throttle ..the "scooter" she takes off..he jumps aboard ..and promptly run over by a tour bus ..seriously folks..not for the meek of heart ..go ..see..conquer ... keep the driving int he hands of the folks that do it for a living,,
I did indeed. I rent a scooter for a day or so most every time I am in Negril, mainly to take a ride out that direction.
As to how long it took...I ride a scooter pretty slowly. I stay to the right and while I'm not going bicycle speed, I do go slower than a car. If/when I hit a patch of sand or gravel or a pothole, I don't want to be going too fast. I have always stopped along the way going there too...Whoopies, Out of Town Pastry, Jurassic Park, maybe a bar in Orange Hill, go too far and miss the turn to Little Bay so chat with the bike taxis and turn around, double check directions with someone around Brighton because i think I missed the turn again but I didn't, maybe stop into Blue Hole, beach rest at Homer's....it really can take all day :)
I personally have never run into much in the way of traffic on that ride. I always go the back way by the lighthouse, going on the main Sav road isn't fun, it's just freaking stressful. Too many cars going too fast. I like to take it easy.
I have also driven my scooter to Little Bay, it's a bumpy road in some places it's like driving over white coral in some places if I recall. It's a long ride but it's a great way to see the beauty that Jamaica offers. We also like to stop in at the bar in Orange Hill, if I am remembering correctly the woman that runs this is Fuzzy's sister. We have had a few folks try to give us a tour while we are driving our scooters, riding up inches away offering to show the local area.
We also have gone to Bluehole, the signage may be better now but I only recall seeing one small sign, so be looking for it. Little Bay is a nice place to go for a day trip.
We have been stopped along the way by a Police roadcheck, asked a few questions and sometimes they want to look through our belongings to make sure we aren't carrying anything we shouldn't be.
Hope you decide to take a scoot to Little Bay.
Peace,
Islander
This is a story of the best experience I have ever had in Jamaica. Because of this person, I must return to Negril as I owe him and will never forget what he did to help us.
During our second week in Negril I rented a small scooter so Rosie and I could do some touring and exploring. I have rented them before and am quite confident in my riding skills and know enough to hug the side of the road and be prepared to take evasive action if needed.
One day we decided to make the 25km or so trip to Little Bay, a place I have only heard of but never been to. It is a very scenic trip taking you thru Mount Airy, Orange Hill, Revival along the way. We stopped in at Jamaica’s Jurasic park and checked out the “dinosaurs”. The fellow gave us a nice tour, and showed us the snakes they kept. Thankfully neither he or us had any interest in handling them. They were man eating size at least! (as are all snakes). We left a small tip and kept on our way. We stopped at a small bar at Brighton and had a quick beer, checked out the beach (Homer’s Cove?) and were off again. We came to a T – intersection and were not sure which way to go. There was a sign indicating a race track to the right so we decided to check it out. Turns out there is an official drag strip in the middle of nowhere. Did anyone know about this place? Weird. After a quick look and some questionable looks by some people working in a gravel pit nearby we split and figured our destination would be in the opposite direction. We pulled out of the parking lot and were back on our way, this time left at the intersection. We were cruising along around 35-40kn/hr when we came around a corner and in a split second came upon and slammed thru a huge pothole with both wheels. It sounded bad and I just hoped we never got a flat. We continued on as everything seemed OK but about another km down the road we slowed for some rough road and the bike suddenly started to slide sideways at the rear end – flat tire. My heart stopped as I was thinking “ It’s late afternoon, we are far from Negril, and we are screwed” I had barely stopped the bike when a man comes walking from a yard adjacent to where we are. First thing he says is the obvious, “You have a flat”. I said yah I know. His buddy comes along and they have a closer look. You can see the rim has a good bend on one side and the tire is flat as a pancake, right off the bead. Tony (the first guy) says “ Don’t worry mon, you are in Jamaica” He figures he can fix it. Goes on to say, “Have no fear, Tony Falcon is here”. He tells me he is going to get a pump and fix our flat, no problem. He then jumps on his dirtbike and takes off in the direction we were heading. 5 minutes later he is back, carrying a bicycle tire pump and an old claw hammer. He commences to tap away on the rim for what seemed like forever, but was probably 5 or 10 minutes. By now we have a gallery of bystanders, around 5 guys all experts in tire and rim repair. I can make out one guy saying you have to pull the rim right off the bike, and Tony replies why take it off if you don’t have to? Eventually he has the rim close to original shape and he pulls out this plastic soda bottle with some kind of miracle glue, coats the rim and tire and manages to seat to tire back on the rim. Hooks up the pump and many strokes later the tire is hard as a rock. I couldn’t f-ing believe it. It was fixed. I gave him a hug and thanked him profusely. We never had much cash on us but I gave him 1000J, which left us with about 900 in my pocket. We had a bit of a conversation and he told us he was a honey farmer and we could come check out his place if we wanted. I have to admit I was a bit nervous about going to his house but I agreed and we were on our way, which was in the direction of Lillte Bay, where we still hadn’t made it. His place was right along the road and we parked on the lawn in front of his house. He went in and came out with a small JB rum bottle filled with some good looking honey. I gave him another 500J for the bottle and he invited us to have an orange with him out of one of his trees. We sat there and enjoyed our orange, and a smoke, and he told us his story of his plans to build a restaurant next to his house. Then he gave us a small tour of his yard, explaining the various fruit trees he has growing, including a mango tree that produces 5 types of Mangos as he had grafted them somehow. He even had a scotch bonnet tree (bush) but they weren’t in season right now. His pride though, was a palm tree, actually 2 trees that were sprouted from one coconut. He said this is very rare. We have a picture of him beside it.
Eventually we had to leave but it was my greatest experience I had ever had in Jamaica. This guy saved our ass that day, and asked for nothing in return. I know that when we return to Negril I will be making a special trip to see my new best friend in Jamaica, Mr Tony Falcon, and we present him with something to help make his dream come true.
Thanks again Tony.
The above story is a copy of a post I made a few years ago. In Dec 2010 we returned to Negril and once again rented a scooter to go visit our friend Tony. We brought along a new 3/8 and 1/2 drive socket set as well as a full set of both metric and imperial combination wrenches, which I gave to him as Christmas gifts. He was very humbled and appreciative and we were able to have a great visit with him. Before we left his house he insisited on giving us 2 large bottles of his honey, which if you are in the know, is some of the best honey in the area.
The unfortunate black mark of this second half of the story, is that my wife was the victim of a purse snatcher just steps away from the gate of our hotel a couple days before we were to return home, and inside her purse was our camera that held several photos of our friend on the memory card.
So would I rent a scooter and make that trip?? No question. Experiences like that don't take place on the beach.
Less than an hour maybe 30 minutes or a little more..we have done 2 up on a scooter..lots of fun and little traffic ...only really bumpy as you get close to Little Bay... not good for inexperienced riders..Enjoy!
Thanks so much for the input. Def looking for a little adventure
Sounds like I don't have to get on the "big" road to Sav in order to get there?
soon come
Not a scooter but a motorcycle, me on the back, friend who knows the area doing all the driving. Great fun! Because he knows all the potholes, never a problem. Have also gone to Blue Hole on the motorcycle. It's one of my favorite things to do when in Negril, my favorite way to experience Jamaica.
Don't ride a scooter,rent a full size bike or enduro that can keep up with traffic.Check your ride before you go for adjustments,tire condition,ect.If they look like rat bikes they are and find another renter.I have been riding bikes for 40 years,Jamaicans drive crazy,but it is controlled chaos,much easier than in the states.Be a offensive driver who drives defensively.Take control of your riding zone and don't be a tourist.Get into back country on tar roads and you be fine.beautiful scenery.Had a blast.Used my tank bag for carry on luggage.Don't forget to find a pin for your vest!
Correct. You can go out the west end road, past the lighthouse, through Hoggland, through Orange Hill and on a ways to make a right down to the coast. There are only a couple of intersections along the way, oddly enough, and I've always found people are happy to help if I ask for help on where to turn.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrispy
Like I said, I hate the Sav road on a scooter and avoid it whenever I can.
Great thanks for the advice
Oh Liz knows the way. I try to do this at least 1-2X per trip. It's beautiful, peaceful, genuine, fun. Yes, all those things. Such a nice break from the beach. In some areas there's almost no traffic. The rest is very little. Stop by roadside bars. Meet new people. Have a Red Stripe. Great fun when, one day last summer, we diverted to "Retirement", because I had just retired - lol. If I'm not on the beach soaking it all in, seeing Jamaica from the back of a motorcycle is my next favorite thing to do in Jamaica.