Solve for X

My first bad motor scooter

So we are still waiting on the part.  A nasty phone call to my mechanic results in a mumbled apology and "I'll look into it personally" from Mike the owner.  "Mike, where are you getting this part shipped from?  North Korea?"  I ask.  "Yea, I think we are." He says.

I've laid awake in bed the last two nights or so considering my options.  I have to take a lot into consideration if I go new.  Cost, mpg, storage, etc.  In a lot of ways I'm reminded of what I went through when I first decided to by a bike all those years ago.  Hard to believe that I've been on a bike for slightly over four years now.  Hard to believe that I'm am considering getting yet another motorcycle.

Me on the day I bought the Burgman.

My little Zuma 125 met my needs in the city.  It had high MPG (about 85+).  My late Burgman 400 was powerful enough to handle the highways and city traffic of my move to Zephyrhills, Florida.  My Kymco Xciting 500 has (slightly) more power and meets my needs as I zip all over creation.  I've farkled (is that a word?) it out some; adding a cramp buster, flashing front light and a top case.  As I moved up in power my mpg fell a significant amount each time.  The Burgman was in the low to mid 50's.  Kimmy is in the high 40's to low 50's.

I really don't want a new bike, I don't feel ready for a new bike (although financially I am)...I don't think I'm done with Kimmie yet but as she sits covered with her burial shawl in my driveway I know that I have to consider it.  I know I'm leading hard to the Honda CTX and I know I'll have to start all over again with luggage and such.  

Kimmie' in happier times

The Honda is expected to be just shy of 68 mpg.  Certainly a respectable number, although I know that my mileage may vary.

I hear bikes on the road whining in the distance "Join us" and I can't.  I want to be on the road.  I suppose it's something only bikers understand.

I wonder how much longer I will wait for Kimmie to be repaired.  I know that I will have to replace the CVT belt eventually, a front tire sooner than later as well as figure out the electrical problem (she's not turning over at all) and get the stupid gasket replaced.  What might have been $500 will probably end up costing me closer to $1000.  If she's going to be up in the air anyway why not put a new front tire on her?

So what else could possible go wrong?  What other issue is lurking under her plastics?  I don't care for uncertainty and I've been lucky enough to get to where I am by reducing that uncertainty.  By understanding the numbers and making smart moves based on the data.  To much "X" here and not enough "Y" for my liking.

A new bike doesn't solve all those issues and in fact creates some new ones.  On Saturday I am heading off to my dealer again to consider my options.  Get a trade in value and maybe, just maybe look at a few other options.  But honestly if a new bike payment is under $150 a month....I may have to change to blog's title.

Freeze out gloves review - part two of two thing

The lovely Susan actually bought me the Freeze out gloves and jacket all the way in December of last year.  If you been reading the blog with any regularity then you have an idea of why I've not written a review of them till now.

It only makes sense that one of the worst winter storms in years would push cold air into the south and Florida has "suffered" from lower than normal temperatures over the last few days.  The lows were like a fall day growing up in Pennsylvania, for example last night my phone stated it was a balmy 40 F (4.4 C).  I have to admit that I always feel silly talking about "cold weather gear" when I am riding in what is actually Autumn type weather for the rest of the North American riding public.

I suppose however it is all relative.  Humidity affects us in a lot of ways, the higher the humidity the worse it seems.  For example, as I type this the outdoor temperature is 46 F (8 C), but the humidity is 100%.  That just makes it that much harder to regulate our body temperatures.  So proper preparation is needed and I have spoken about the effects of wind chill before.  Still though riding at 10 PM is different than riding home at 2 AM.  One day on the Burgie the temperature hit 32 F (0 C).

Truth be told all I have really have not used the jacket yet (get ready for part 3 of 2), mostly because I like to wear a hooded sweatshirt so I can either tuck the hood around my neck, or wear it under my helmet so if it rains therefore protecting the back of my neck.  Plus I would rather test it during daylight hours.

Photo by cyclegear.com

Here's the good news.  The Freeze Out gloves help.  That being said I think if I wore the gloves under a heavier glove or perhaps under a gauntlet style glove they would have worked better.  My hands were cool, but not chilled.  There have been nights in the past where my hands were ice cold.

They are designed to be windproof  therefore trapping a thin layer of air between the skin and the outside of the glove.  In theory, your natural temperature should heat up the trapped air and make your hands feel warmer.  The Fox gloves that I currently use are not the best for my experiment as they let air flow through them.  

So again if I used them with my heavier "hunter style" gloves or a gauntlet style glove I think I would have had better results.  The question is however:  "Would I recommend them?"

Yes.  Yes, I would.  However there are a few things I think I should mention.

One:  The gloves fit pretty tight for a few days and they eventually stretched out a bit.  However the stitching on the side of the glove should be reinforced a bit.  It did not rip, but I've come across a few reviews where it did.  So it may eventually.

Two:  The overall feel of the glove is good.  It may take a few minutes or days to adjust to the feel of the switches and such depending on the individual.

Finally an update.  Things should be getting back to some level of Normal within a week or so.  I already have two day trips planned and should be getting back to exploring on the bike more regularly soon.  Susan is feeling better and getting stronger after her bouts at the hospital two plus weeks ago.  Many thanks to those that inquired after her.

Be well and ride safe.

10K service.

Almost two weeks have gone by without me putting virtual pen to virtual paper.  I can not make excuse for this lack of writing.  I've done very little riding over the past week or so, other than my daily commute - and even that has been cut short due to thunderstorms and miserable heat that frankly sucks whatever desire I've had to ride out of me.

Add the usual distractions and obligations of my normal job, my self-employment, home upkeep and demands of family and friends it's remarkable that I get out at all.  So with the weekend fast approaching I thought I would get out and ride, with or without Susan.  I was planning on possibly riding out to Tarpon Springs  but again life reared it's ugly head and nipped those plans in the bud.  The oil change light came on AND it was time to have the bike checked over.

Somehow I managed to put 10,000 miles on her and it's time to have Kimmie looked over.  I don't expect any surprises.  Despite my issues with the dealership, they are a well established and reputable group.  I am not sure with the warranty would cover any work needed.    I am just not sure if I want to deal with the dealership again.  Nor  am I sure I would trust another mechanic.  Normally if I have any work done on Kimmie I take her to a small shop in Zephyrhills.  They do a good job and have earned my respect and trust, I really can't say that about many dealerships.  The only time I would be able to have the work done on the bike would be Saturday.  If she's going to get looked over they might as well change the oil as well.

As it so happens Saturdays are the only days I have to myself.  Where I don't have any pressing commitments or "things to do."  I can certainly put off the work that needs done, but I've the time and the money and no plans.  This is the day to do it.

I was curious about some things too.  I've been considering putting heavier CVT roller weights in to increase my highway mileage (currently around 50 mpg) .  I am not sure of the condition of the CVT belt  and I've heard that changing out the clutch springs can increase performance as well but am unsure about that.  Even though I believe that these things would pay for themselves over time I would still have to justify the cash flow in the short term.

Truthfully though the more I ride the less I realize I know about my machine.  The more I learn the more I become concerned.  There was a clear "thunk" the other night on the right hand side of the bike.  I listened, pulled over and looked the best I could...and could find nothing wrong.  I chalked it up to something on the road but I rode in weary of issues.  Kimmie has become my main means of transportation in all types of weather and I have fallen in love with riding.

I can't imagine not riding now.  It's in my blood.  So yea, I'll give up a free Saturday to get the work done.  In the long run it's worth it.

The simple life...

Sound familiar?

Over the last few days I've been thinking about several things. One of which is of course the bike, assuming that the insurance company totals the darn thing then I'm going to need a new ride.  For a variety of reasons I would rather stay with a scooter then have a "real motorcycle."  So far I have found three possible replacements.  One is a 2009 Suzuki Burgman 650 model that was converted into a trike.  Susan wants me to buy a trike eventually, so now may be the time.  I also found a similar Burgi to the one I currently own.  The other possibility is a 2008 Kymco Xciting 500.    Some may say I'm putting the cart before the horse but I want to make sure I understand what is out there before I buy.  I don't want to put myself into any debt than is needed.
I'm finding a few different motorcycles out there.  I have only limited funds that I can work with.  We are thinking of buying a small 2 bedroom/2 bath house as a rental property.  So I'm trying, with only limited success, to find a bike for under 4K

I seem to be back in the same place I was when I started this blog.

I miss riding, I've not been on a bike since the 21st and I'm looking at passing riders with envy.

So lets put riding aside for a moment and concentrate on anther project of mine.  I was reviewing my income from my independent delivery work that I do (it is tax season after all) and I expect to make about $12,000 working just an extra 3 days a week on average next year.  That is about a third of my regular job.  I am also playing with the idea of buying a rental property as well, which may bring in another 2-3K a year.  Slowly but surely I am becoming my own boss.

My girlfriend tends to a small garden in the back of our house where we have tomatoes, peppers and strawberries all in a small effort to have fresh food on the table.  Every winter we enjoyed oranges from two beautiful trees in our backyard.  We hope to be expanding our small potted garden with something like the following photo:

Thanks to Bill Arquitt at Urban Gardening

We are trying to save money, trying to take steps to break the endless cycle of consumerism and debt that plagues most Americans.  I don't have a credit card for example, if the financial crisis a few years taught us anything...is we don't need much.

No, I'm not an aging hippie.  I just sound like one.

Everything I am doing, from getting the scooter to the urban gardening to changing my diet is about simplification.  So why does looking for a new bike have to be so hard?  Ebay and Craigslist are helpful, but again the bikes are either a lot more powerful than I want, or are customized in such a way I don't like.  I wish you could hear the frustration in my voice.

So the search continues.   At least until I go on vacation in 2 weeks.

Life's curve balls.

Due to circumstances beyond my control the Green Swamp ride has been postponed.  Life has a tendency to throw me curve balls.


This was curve ball # 1 - Unexpected surprise

Ever since I have moved to Florida I've had a stuffy head, watery eyes or some sort of issue.  I've never been "officially allergic" to anything in my life but since moving here some 3 years ago I've been even more miserable than I normally am.  Suddenly a doctor's appointment opened up a week earlier than expected.  I took that appointment, even though it would force the ride back into the hottest part of the day.  Whatever he gave me  however made me as dizzy as hell.  So no riding.


Curve Ball # 2 - High and inside.

My other ride is a Hyundai Elantra, which I've named "Ebony" due to her black color.   She's been a good car to me since I picked her up used back in 2004 or 05.  She only had some 10K on her at the time.   In the following years I've managed to put some 147K on her.  I've replaced the transmission twice (who ever owned her before me tore up the standard transmission the first time).   I was responsible for the second time.

This past Wednesday she died on me.  The starter would not turn over.  In addition she needed two front end CV joints, new brakes and possible rotors...and an oil change.  Since I was in the middle of the route I run two days a week and stuck in the middle of Tampa.  I had no choice but to get the starter done and little choice on the price I had to pay, so $300 dollars later my car was back on the road.  To the best of my knowledge that was the original starter so I could not really complain.

The CV joints I knew about and had to get those done soon.  That came as as no surprise.  The oil change was no surprise.  The brakes and rotors were a surprise as there was no indication they were going bad.  Well none of the work has to be done today, since it is my day off I thought I should work on this problem.

I've considered selling one or both of our cars (she drove a 2003 Jeep Liberty) in the past and on the way home from the doctor my lovely girlfriend said "Hey, lets stop at this dealer.  Just to look."

Curve Ball # 3 -

I am now the owner of a 2012 Chevy Sonic.  AKA "the Great Pumpkin."

Sue and I are now a one car family (having traded in her jeep as well).  In the back of my head it always made sense.  She does not work (due to a medical issue) and I work from 4 PM EST to 1 AM EST and normally ride the Burgman back and forth to work.  We have no kids, no one to shuffle about.  The stores are close by and the nice thing about the Burgman is it's large storage area.

My Elantra managed to be about 30 miles per gallon of gas combined highway and city.  Her jeep about half of that.  My Burgman gets twice as many miles per gallon as the Elantra.   This new car is expected to get about 35 mpg/combined.  We are saying money on gas, and insurance (1 vs 2 cars to cover) but now have a car payment.  Something we didn't have before.  The jury is still out on if the savings will be worth the car payment.

This does however mean that I will have to ride my Burgie more, sometimes in conditions that I don't currently ride in.  For example, rain.  I will be, for all practical purposes, a 1% now.  Am I up to that task?  I expected to eventually go that route, having only one car...I was not expecting it to be today. Well, at least I got a lot more room to park the bike now.

Random thoughts and images.

June 1st is the official start to the Rainy Season in Florida.  We need the rain badly, as the lakes are below their normal levels and countless turtles take their lives in their own hands to find a patch of mud on the other side of the blacktop.  As much as we need the rain, as much as I want my veggie garden to thrive...I am weary of the rain as well.

I ride to work every day and if I didn't have my paper route to do two days out of the week I get the feeling that my car would sit for weeks without moving.  I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing.  I am planning on replacing one of my two cars eventually and using the bike full time anyhow.   The problem is that my experience riding in rain is limited.  Over the past two years or so that I've been riding some sort of scooter I can count the number of times I've ridden in the rain on one hand.  One of the first things I bought when I got the Burgie was a good rain suit.  It sits under the seat in it's pack...waiting.  I have a 50% chance of getting wet tonight, a 70% chance tomorrow.

June 18, 2012 is also National Ride to Work Day.  I'm always amazed that there are 3 or 4 other motorcycles at work, that I know of, and yet my old Scooter is always parked there.  I do understand that there may be reasons why someone can not ride to work.  I also understand that their are other alternatives - for example when I lived in Pittsburgh I rode the bus every day despite that fact that I could have driven in and parked for free.  It was just easier to ride the bus.  A girl at work owns a Prius and a Harley, yet the Prius gets better gas mileage than the hog...so yea, I get it.  However it seems to me that if you own a bike, you should ride it.  Not just on the weekends or from Tavern to Tavern but to work and to school and to the grocery store.

For example, the other day I was in Tampa on business and driving past an ancient woman riding a Peace scooter.  Her toothless smile was so wide that you could get lost in it.  She had a look of pure, simple, childish joy on her face.  I could not help it and yelled out "YOU GO GRANDMA!" and got the biker wave in return.  Some images you have burned into your brain and have to acknowledge them.   I know that years from now I'll be riding somewhere with that same grin and sense of childlike wonder, I only hope that someone see's me and that I impress them as much as she did me.


That is one of the reasons I write.  To share these impressions and images with others.  One of the other reasons I write is to hopefully teach someone else something...anything really.  What not to do, what to do.  To just get them to think about something differently for a moment or two.  One blog that does a fantastic job of that is "How to ride your scooter safely."   If your riding any sort of two wheeled vehicle this is required reading.  


Finally, if your not familiar with a site called Fuelly, you should be.  It's designed to give you hard figures on your fuel consumption as well as tips on how to increase it.  It's not hard to use and it should be interesting to see how my car's and bike compares to others over time.

Riding and commuting

In August it will be one year since I bought the Burgie.  Since then I've managed to change out the back tire, change the oil (twice), have a semi-serious mechanical failure - which was not my fault - and put the bike  down, which was my fault. Somehow I've also managed to ride 10,000 miles.

05/04/12

I started with a little under 6,600 miles but rounded up to that nice round figure.  Today I hit 10,000 miles.   Not to bad for a commuter I think and only owning my bike for about nine months.  One of my goals in the coming year is to put more miles on the bike that are "just for fun" which means riding here and there just for the hell of it.

It also means, at least to me anyway, making some improvements to the bike.  I've talked before about how I want to install a new windshield or get a more comfortable seat, however that takes a little more money than what I have right now...so I decided to invest in Malossi 21 g Variator roller weights.  On the Burgman the standard roller weight is 18 - 19 grams.  In theory this should lower the rpm's on my bike during my daily 70 mile round-trip commute and increase gas milage.  Currently, depending on conditions I'm in the high 50's to low 60's.  I hope that these new rollers will lower my fuel consumption by 10 miles per gallon, putting me into the high 60's and low 70's.  Since I will be at 20K soon, where it's recommend I replace my CVT belt, I've decided to order one of those as well but other needs like a new dishwasher, tires for the jeep and saving for a vacation are priority.  The lowest price I've found for a CVT belt is $129 dollars.  The highest - $200 dollars.  That is not including installation and labor costs.  The fact that I'm even considering doing this work myself shows my my confidence level is increasing with every mile I ride.  Six months ago I would never of thought about tearing the bike apart in this manner but thanks to the helpful folks at the BurgmanUSA forums and Mitch's Scooter blog I feel confident.  It helps that my neighbor is a retired mechanic as well.

I know longer have a fear of twisty's, in fact I seek them out now.  Where I rarely ever passed anyone on my previous Zuma 125, I do so with joy now.   I still feel a little weird at night when a car is speeding behind me, but I know longer feel a compulsion to pull over and let him pass.  Nor do I hug the right lane anymore, I feel confident in all lanes.  I do remind myself that the second leading cause of accidents however is "confidence."

At work, my heavy motorcycle jacket no longer gets odd looks when I come in and the fact that I ride in nearly every day has forced the three Harley Owners and a Shadow owner to join me, least they be teased that the "Scooter Guy" is more of a biker than they are.    Today I plan on taking the bike to Keel and Curley Winery for there Blueberry festival.  Sadly I will not have any pictures since my camera died, but I do promise to return with a nice Chardonnay or perhaps a sweet blackberry wine.

Taking chances....and rainy days

I will never understand why people insist on getting smaller cc bikes.  I believe you need to have the right bike for your circumstances.

Now please don't misunderstand me.  I know very well why someone would want a lower cc scooter.  Hell, I started riding on a small Zuma 125 because of the lower costs, fuel mileage and other reasons.  The top speed on that bike with an open throttle was maybe 55 mph.  Living in the city it was fine for stop and go driving but I would never take it out onto a freeway, nor would I ride it night on busy roads.  In all fairness I did ride at night on the Zuma but it was on back country roads at 1 AM.  Ninety percent of the time I never saw another car.

Yesterday I on my way home from work taking my normal route.  It was after 10:30 at night and traffic, while not heavy was certainly heavier than normal for that time of night.  I pulled up to a red light and see a single red dot about a mile ahead of me.  "Another biker" I think to myself.   The light goes green and I catch up to the other bike in a matter of minutes.

He was riding something similar to this.

It was some guy wearing a dark shirt, no helmet, no jacket, no reflective gear at all riding a motorized bicycle.  His top speed was maybe 30 mph.  We were riding on a  road where the speed limit is posted as 65 mph.  I yelled over to the guy that I would tuck in behind him and follow him.  My larger bike would not protect him of course if we got hit from behind, but at least my taillights and reflective stripping on my jacket would be a bit more visible.  He took the lane closest to the side of the road, I took the outside and for roughly five miles we putted along, getting passed by all type of cars and trucks.

I even turned on my brights to help him see.  Eventually he turned off, taking a similar road and I continued on straight wishing him the best.  Hopefully this was a one time thing for him.  He was taking a bigger chance than I would ever do.  In fact, the reason I sold the Zuma is that I would have to travel that road back and forth to work; I didn't think the Zuma was safe on those roads even with it's higher speed.

On a more personal note it rained over the weekend.  We needed the rain badly here in Western Florida, as we are in a prolonged drought, but it also showed a weakness in my plans for the future.  I know that eventually I will have to get rid of one of my cars.  It just does not make sense to me; economically or environmentally, to have two cars.  That however means riding in the rain at times.  It poured here the other day, buckets of rain coming down.  I have a rain suit and a decent one at that.  I've not used it yet.  I decided to take the car one day, and I'm glad I did because the rain was so bad that I would not see 10 feet ahead of me at one time.  The other day I rode into the dark clouds knowing I had a 50% chance of getting wet.  I also had a 50% chance of staying dry.  I stayed dry.

If I want to get rid of at least one of the cars, I have to accept that I am going to get wet.  That I will have to ride in less than ideal conditions.  I'll get there.

A new car?

I don't really consider myself an environmentalist.  I recycle paper and cans when I can, I refill the same plastic bottle with filtered water and bought my motorcycle to save money on gas - but to also reduce my carbon footprint a bit.  I care about and for the environment.
Currently my household consists only of the lovely Susan and myself.  Yet somehow we manage to own three vehicles including the Burgie.  Living in Florida allows me to ride nearly every day, and I currently ride the Burgie back and forth to work and on short jaunts.  We keep one of the cars for pleasure and use the other for the route we run two days out of the week.  In other words, when we go to the beach or out on the town we take the larger, more comfortable Jeep.  For my second job I use the much more fuel efficient Hyundai.

The idea of selling one or better yet both of our cars and going with something like a flex-fuel or a hybrid vehicle has recently entered the discussions around the house. The questions before us are "Does it make sense to do so?" and "How would this change our lives?"  We own all of our vehicles outright and the logic of owning three of them just doesn't add up.
Sadly, in the state of Florida flex-fuel is not available...and do to my adopted stated being backward in so many ways...it's not likely to be available anytime soon.  We would more likely buy a hybrid vehicle, although right now I have more questions than I do answers.

Changing your lifestyle is never easy, going from two to one car would mean that I would have to ride in questionable weather more, which is something I try not to do currently.  It means that we would have to actually plan our day around the other persons schedule in case they need the car for something.
For me it should not really be that difficult.  Years ago I lived in the city of Pittsburgh and my wife Teri (now ex-wife) and I only had a single car.  I rode the bus back and forth to work, it took an hour compared to the 30 minutes commuting by car took; but it was my time to read, sleep, or just sit and think.  I can honestly say I miss commuting by bus...at times it was its own entertainment.    Everything that I needed - bank, supermarket, post office and library - were a simple bus trip away.  Today, I hop on the Burgman and go because frankly it's to far to walk and their are no buses is Florida (see I told you it was a backward state).

Is this better than taking the car for these brief jaunts?
There is a small but growing movement to live without a car.  To grow your own food and to simply try to be less dependent on the big box stores.  Well I certainly agree and understand the reasoning behind the so called "Car-less" or Car-free movement, it's not always possible.  Programs like this tend to work better in compact urban environments and in forward looking cities.  Sadly many lack the political will to be forward looking and put funds into public transportation and other alternative means of transportation.  In the end though, whatever small steps we can make to help save the planet matter, because when you get right down to it - we are all in this together.

Sales Challenge - or how many butts can you get on a bike?

Challenges.  It seems that the blogs I like to read are full of challenges.  Take so many pictures in so many days.  Drive to X and find Y.  Is the "Hokey Pokey" actually truly what it's all about?  


To paraphrase an ancient Chinese proverb "A crisis is an opportunity."  Every challenge provides an opportunity as well, to expand our horizons and, in the case of a cup cake challenge, my waistline.  I can also think of no greater crisis than the raising cost of oil and gas (and all that is associated with it) and global warming.  So when a friend of mine mentioned on Facebook that he was interested in buying a scooter I took notice.  A few people at work and elsewhere have asked me about what it takes to get a license, a scooter or what type of motorcycle might be best for them.

Have I got a challenge for you!

This challenge came to me a few days earlier when I stood outside my local scooter dealership soaking up the warm late March sun.  A gentleman came up to me and started asking me questions about the merchandise.  I quickly and clearly identified myself as not working for the dealership and was just getting my bike worked on.  Then I proceeded to give him a little advice about the art of scootering.  Hey, I was bored.

After he actually bought the scooter, the salesman teased me a little bit about me trying to take over his job.

That's my challenge to you.  Convince someone to join the two wheeled community.  Your friends, your relations or coworkers, anyone in fact that you think might be interested in riding or commuting on two wheels.  What I'm curious about is how you would convince them to buy into the two wheeled world.  Are you going to rely on simple economics - gas is only going to go up after all.   Appeal to their "Green" side by talking about carbon footprints or will it be a combination of both?   Or will it be more about the "WHEE!!!" factor about how fun riding a scoot or motorcycle will be.  Will you talk about the sense of adventure?  The history and culture of scooting?

So that is my challenge to you gentle reader.  How do you "sell" a motorcycle or a scooter to your friends?  Your Spouse and loved ones?  Or just some random people off the street?

No prize money will be given away.  no statues will be raised in your honor but you will have the satisfaction of converting another cager over to the dark side.  I'm looking forward to see what you come up with.  Feel free to link your blog to this post.

Updates, I do updates.

Finally got a chance to sit down and discuss the activities of the last few weeks.  I've been busy with work, projects and other odds and ends.  It's feels good to get behind the keys of the old computer and write a little.

A few things to discuss.  I like my new rear Pirelli Diablo tire.  I can see why it's the unofficial favorite of riders on the Burgman forums.  I've never really noticed how great a difference in tires can make.  Change a tire or two in a car and frankly I don't see any improvement in performance.  Changing the back tire really did make a difference.  Maybe it's just in my mind but the bike seemed to grip the road more.  The lean angles seemed more stable.   
While the bike was up on the rack the mechanic mentioned that the exhaust gasket was going to need replaced.  Which started me thinking, what else can I get fixed.  The CVT belt has been on for 15K, the owner's manual states it needs replaced at 14K or so.  So they ordered that for me as well.  The late Gary B and I discussed Dr Pulley sliding roller weights.  He suggested upgrading from the factory model to a higher weight as they reduced the RPM's.   Lower RPM's of course increase fuel mileage...and since I ordered the CVT belt I figure "what the hell."   Just don't tell the GF I'm sinking $100 dollars or more at once into the bike.  I've not ordered the parts yet...but giving it some thought.  
Sadly Gary also borrowed by owner's manual before his untimely death.  With the holidays and with everything else I never bothered to ask for it back.  I was able to order one via the local Suzuki dealership.

I've been kicking myself over last Saturday's Scooters 4 Hooters ride in Orlando.  My girlfriend is a survivor of Ovarian cancer and any group that helps find a cure to any cancer is near to our hearts.  I had a rare Saturday night off and learned about this rally to late to do anything about it.

Team Scooter Trash is entering the soon to be famous 2012 Scooter Cannonball.  These are locals from the Tampa area and I certainly hope they finish the race and do it in a grand manner.  You can follow their progress on their website and I believe they will be making updates to the St. Petersburg Scooter club website as well.
Another Burgman rider and his wonderful wife will also be riding in the Cannonball.   Considering how this just might be his last great adventure - he was diagnosed with two serious life threatening forms of cancer.   He's bit it so far, but in the end we all know who will win.   I would love to give out more information about this but he has asked me not to for privacy reasons and I respect that.  

So here's hoping all 60 plus riders return safely and with stories to tell.

Thinking of buying a scooter? Want advice?

May 1, 2014 - UPDATE:  A lot of you are looking for information on Scooters.  A few of you may even buy one, so I'm going to recommend you read not only my article but also this piece on Cheapskate Scooters.  You want to buy the bike that's best for you, but also one that is best for your situation.

I write this blog because I am still new to the joy and the art of motorcycling.  I have questions and concerns and hopefully someone just as new or newer than me stumbles across my pitiful attempt at being helpful.  If they gain some new knowledge or somehow avoid making a mistake that I made then wonderful.  


So with gas getting close to and, as your reading this, probably over $4 a gallon I thought it best to give a little run down on what to look for if your thinking about life on two wheels.  I’m not going to say Brand X is better than Brand Y, that’s not my job nor the purpose of this entry.


Basically, if you were to come up to me on the street and ask me for advice on buying a scooter my answer might surprise you.


1)         Do not buy a scooter based on gas mileage alone.

Buddy's all in a row.

Okay, so you want to get somewhere between 50 - 100 miles per gallon.  You want to save money -  I understand that.  But do a little research first.  For example, what is the speed limit on the majority of roads you drive on?  Is that speed limit more wishful thinking or is it accurate?  If you’re driving a little 50CC over 50 miles round trip down the highway with cars zipping past you at 75 miles per hour…it may be time to reconsider your choice of scoot.


That being said, buy a motorcycle or scooter based on what you want to do.  Don't buy something that is to powerful for you either.  You don't need 1200cc between your legs to make you a man if your not comfortable with that type of power.

What do you plan to use your Scooter for?  Commuting?  Touring?  Errands?  I was very surprised to find that, over time, my riding needs changed.  I started as a simple commuter, and now I would rather take the bike out than the car.  Your mileage may vary.

2)         Get endorsed and Gear Up

To make it as simple as possible, this might save your life.  The endorsement class will also break you of some bad habit and teach you to be a better, and safer, rider.  Well motorcycles and scoots are great fun and a form of cheap transportation the truth is that jackets, helmets and other things are not.  A good “cheap” armored jacket might run you $125.  A really good helmet about the same.  Gloves vary in price and frankly I'm not sure why.  Find a pair that fit and your comfortable with.  Boots can be found cheaply (for example I got mine at Wal-mart), just make sure they are waterproof and have oil resistant soles.


These are a one time expense.  Wear them all the time.  Hence the term "ATGATT" which stands for All The Gear, All The Time.


Scooters and motorcycles are dangerous, have a lower profile than your car and don't react like a car does.  Preparing for that moment when something goes wrong, and it will go wrong, just makes common sense.

3)         Are you a gearhead?

I’m not a gear head but I learned a few things because motorcycles and scooters can be expensive to work on.  For example an oil change in your car can be done by your local mechanic for roughly $20 US dollars.  An oil change on your bike might be twice that.
You can go through life not ever learning how to do something, learning to change the oil and other basic maintenance is just part of owning a bike and might save you some money.  Motorcycles and scooters are not that common (yet) and frankly your local mechanic may not be qualified to work on your ride despite the fact he's worked on your car for 20 years.  Learning how to do basic maintenance is a requirement of owning a bike.  If your not willing to do that consider public transportation.  


4)  Are you willing to suffer?


You will be hot.  You will be cold.  You will be wet.  You are exposed to the environment and have to make a choice to accept that.  


5)  Are you willing to have a smile on your face for the rest of your days?


Because you will.  


If your willing to take some advice, then I think your going to not only save money but have a hell of a good time doing it.  

More MPG goodness

2 Stroke Buzz put up some interesting numbers about MPG the other day.  Now you need to remember this does not take into account things like the cost of your ride, insurance, tires (really $100 for one tire Great Googlie Mooglie!!!) or other things but it's still interesting.  It's interesting to note that the money we think we are saving in gas may not be what we believe it is. Thanks to Scootin' Old Skool for finding this. 

http://2strokebuzz.com/2008/06/22/more-mpg-math

The comments are interesting reading as well.  I know for me, gas is probably the biggest expense in my household budget right now.  Of course, being in business (see here and here) for myself  means that my household is not always typical.

Putting the scooter to work - Part two

So I finally put the bike to work.  On day a week I have a 40 mile route where I deliver two rather small publications.  I've considered using the Bergie for this before, but finally got the chance this week.  I was curious to know if could be done, after all motorbikes of all sorts are used around the world to deliver food, papers and other other goods.  Why could I not use my bike to do the same?

Going in I had some questions, would I be able to carry all my papers?  How about the returns?  Even though I would be able to toss out the old papers in various trashcans along the way, would they fill up my trunk before to long?

As I loaded up my bike, two older ladies looked over and into my bike's "trunk"..."You have more storage than my car does" said one of them.  I took that as a good sign.  As it happened I was able to fill up the bike's storage compartment with all but one bundle of papers.  Considering how my route would bring me past the pick-up site about a third of the way through this was not a major issue, by then I should have room for the last bundle of papers.  Still though this was an inconvenience which is avoided in the car.   If I had a top case I could have taken everything (hint hint).

A sad and blurry picture of a loaded Burgman

I was interested in comparing a few things between the car and the bike.  The bike would win hands down when it came to gas mileage compared to my car, but what would be my gas mileage while doing the route?  The Burgie has an electronic monitor that gives me an idea of my fuel economy; I filled up the tank before starting and reset the odometers.

In the end the Burgman averaged 44 miles per gallon, My route is 40 miles long, so for a gallon of gas I did the whole route.  Considering how I normally get anywhere from the mid 50's to the low 60's in gas mileage, I can't help but be surprised that the start and go nature of the route lowered the mileage that drastically.

Efficiency was another thing I looked at.  Would it be easier or harder to use the bike for the route?  Would I spend more time getting the papers from the car, or from the bike.

This was actually a lot closer than you might think.  I was able to pull up to the front doors of a few stores, parking just feet away from the entrance.  Once I actually drove onto the sidewalk to deliver to a street box...areas I would never be able to put my car.   Problem was I had to remove my helmet going into a few of the convenience stores I deliver to due to their security concerns (wearing a full face helmet prevents the security camera's from getting a clear picture of me...which I didn't consider till I was asked to remove my helmet in one of the stores).  Although it is legal to ride without a helmet in Florida, I always wear my helmet.  My gloves also proved to be more of a hindrance than a help.  After a few stops they ended up in the glove compartment.  This dressing and undressing took time.

With the car I don't have the maneuverability.  Sometimes I do have to park way in the back of the parking lot but I'm didn't have to go back for additional papers.  I had additional room for the returns and could separate them as well.  Not having to remove my helmet and gloves all the time is a definite advantage.

I give the edge to the bike but just barely.

Comfort was another factor.  My car wins hands down in this category.  The temperature peaked at 85 degrees - which even native Floridians consider hot for February - and although I was comfortable while moving, the second I stopped and entered a building it got hot.  My jacket weighing heavily on my shoulders.  The air conditioning in the car is a wonderful thing.  Plus I've gotten in the habit of getting a coffee and a couple doughnuts about halfway through that then travel with me.  I could not do that on the bike without stopping, and since I normally have to work later in the day; stopping is not always an option.

The jury is still out to see if this becomes a habit.  i will be taking the bike out again next week on this same route to see if can be done faster and better.  

Putting the scooter to work in the New Year.

Over the last four years or so I have been self employed in addition to my normal everyday job; where I work for 3M in their GPS division.  I don't make a lot of money being self employed, in fact I wonder if I make any money sometimes but it keeps me out of trouble and I enjoy it.   I deliver various publications to various locations two days out of the week.  Mileage and gas are my biggest expenses.

Like everyone, I want to stretch that dollar.  The question is how to put my scooter to work for me.  Storage was important to me, and was a major decision in my purchase.  I have enough room for my lunch, a sweater if needed on the ride home from work, a laptop, a book, etc.

Scooters and motorcycles are used the world over for deliveries and commuting.  As such I've been wondering how to put the scooter to work for me.  I've already used it a few times to run errands to the store.  Or if somehow we missed a store I would jump on the bike to run the missing publications to that location.  It's one thing to do 1 or two stores.  Another to do 50 or 60.

Economicly it makes sense.  My car gets about 25 miles per gallon, the Burgman gets a little over twice that.  Generally speaking the route that I'm considering running the bike on is about 40 miles long, barely over a half gallon of gas.  Parking is easier as well as often I would be able to pull right up to the door, grab what I need and then run in and out in a matter of moments.

The biggest disadvantage would be stopping, opening the storage under the seat and  carrying the older papers to a location that I can dispose of them.  Nor I am sure that I could carry the full amount of publications I need.  Luckily the way I have configured the route, I will pass the "Hub" about a third of the way through the route so I could stop again if needed.

The question of stopping and starting is also a concern.  My job is largly "drop and go" which is exactly like it sounds.  How much time will be added to the route by my stopping, getting off the bike, opening the storage department, getting the papers I need and then doing the delivery, throwing out the older publications and then back onto the bike?

Only one way to find out.

What the future holds....a scooter revolution? Part 1

December is a time when you supposed to look back, think about the mistakes you've made and the injuries you may have caused to those you love and ask for forgiveness. You promise yourself your going to do better.  To be a better person and move on with your life.

Problem is I don't feel like looking back.

I am looking forward.  Forward to the future of me on the Burgie.  Forward to where the girlfriend feels confident enough to climb onto the back, wrap her arms about me and whisper into my ear..."Lets go."

I am looking forward to longer trips, out to the shore to get some shots of the ocean and sunsets.  Out to the other coast of Florida where a old friend of mine will be moving.  Perhaps even an overnight ride up to Charleston, SC where I have several old friends I've not seen in years.

Looking forward to seeing even more scooters and bikes on the road.   I'm not a futurist.  I can not point to any research and say "This will happen."  I can only point to what I know, to what I see happening.  Their will be a "Scooter Revolution" in this country eventually.

Why?

Partially because of the costs involved.  Gas is continuing to raise, and although it has seemed to stabilized for now...it will go up again.  I know enough about economics to know that the job market is not going to bounce back anytime soon, we are looking at high unemployment and other issues for at least the next 10 years.

This is going to force people to look for alternative methods of transportation.   We are seeing it already as scooter sales were up 50% in the first quarter of 2011.  Although I think most people didn't think it through and only bought scooters based on fuel economy and did not consider things like speed, safety and the distance they needed to travel back and forth to work (which are all reasons I upgraded from 125cc to 400cc).

Scooter sales dropped a bit as the year went on but even in the 3rd quarter of last year they were overall positive.

Motorcycle sales however dropped.   Perhaps due to the fact that Americans don't like standard shifts, I drive a standard shift normally in my car...and found switching to the motorcycle to be a bit confusing.  Also limiting I think was the power involved.   When I started looking about the smallest engine I found was 650cc.  While I was okay with that, I wondered why a lot of cycles were in the higher cc range.   I know that speed brings stability, but did we need 1200cc to do that?

So the marketer and researcher in me looks for answers, solutions...and wonders what does the future hold.

1. Increased gas prices are a given.
2. Increased urbanization.
3. People living with their parents longer, or if they do move it...it will be close to work (see two).  Money will be tight due to a lack of work.
4. Increased use of public and alternative transportation.

So what does this mean.   It means that the 2 wheeled market is set to expand.  If the companies involved play their cards right.   I think BMW actually is thinking about this.   Their new Concept C scooter offers a lot in a little package, and is designed to really appeal to lots of people.

Here you have an automatic transmission, a powerhouse capable of highway speeds, a damn sexy almost sport bike look, and although I've not seen any specs for storage and other things...I'm sure it's there as well.  The crappy windshield however will need to go.

I have to be honest, I want this bike.

Automatics may make a dent in the marketplace if American cycle culture is willing to accept some harsh reality.  Smaller engines, better suspensions, more storage is the wave of the future.  The so called Maxi-scooters are leading the way.

Ridley had a nice run for several years but may have entered the market to early, they have stopped production and it will be interesting to see if they reenter the market in the near future.

Honda has a few things up it's sleeve and introduced a automatic transmission in 2009, however the bike was priced at 15K and in a down economy did not sell well.  Even the mighty Harley Davidson has toyed with the idea in the past.  I see this idea being explored more in the future.

For now though we will put these idea's aside, and explore them more in part 2 of this series.  Hopefully in a few days.

Fuel Mileage

OK....stop reading if you don't like math.

Still here?


Good.  Because this weeks little article involves math.  In particular, fuel milage.  Don't worry, it's not that bad.  A bit of simple basic adding and subtracting.  Multiplying and dividing, the stuff you should have learned in school if you were paying attention.

I wanted to conduct a little experiment.  I was curious about how much money it would cost me to go about 1000 miles, how much fuel it would take and a few other things.   One Thousand miles was just a nice round figure to use.

Now to be honest, this test was not conducted under strict scientific standards.  I was using the bike's odometer and not a much more accurate GPS device.  I should have filled up the tank with the same amount of and same type of gas each time as well.   I didn't do that.

In the end I went over my 1000 mile test limit as well, mostly because I was on fumes with about 30 miles to go on my test (and about 20 miles till I got home at 1 AM in the morning) and decided that it was worth extending the my test some 230.8 miles - the distance my last fill up took me - instead of the possibility of pushing the bike home.

So in the end, my experiment took 1,209.1 miles.  It cost me a total of $63.82.  My average price per gallon was $3.54 and I filled up a total of 6 times.  Again that works out to be 201.5 miles per fill up on average.  A fill up on the Burgie is 3.1 gallons.

On average then I'm getting about 65 miles per gallon of gas.  Not great mileage, but certainly better than my car, which gets an average of 30 miles per gallon.  Even being an economy model it takes anywhere between $40 - 50 dollars to fill up  and I'm not going to get anywhere close to 1000 miles on one tank.  (edited: recent experience shows me that I should be in the 70 - 75 mpg range)

If I used my bike for nothing but commuting back and forth to work 5 days a week I would put roughly 1400 miles on the bike each month.  So for another $10 - 12 dollars I have my monthly gas budget.  Let's call it $100 just to be safe.

My old Zuma 125 used to have even better gas mileage and was in the 75 to 90 mile range per gallon.  Of course it was lighter and had a smaller engine as well.  It was great for when I lived in the city, not so good for living out in the middle of no where and needing to commute 35 miles one way each day.     The smaller 50cc bikes are capable of getting 100 plus miles per gallon.  But in return for the higher mpg your sacrificing speed, and frankly in my mind at least, safety as well.  That choice however is yours to make.

Speedy Delivery

I consider myself a road warrior of sorts.

With the exception of the big rigs I've logged a lot of miles in my day.  Partly because I've had jobs where I been required to drive from site to site, or to make customer service calls in person or just to get from point A to point B.  I enjoy driving, although frankly I don't think I could do it for a living.

So I find it a bit funny that I'm a subcontractor for a publications company.  I work for them two days out of the week and two additional days out of the month on top of that.   In doing so I earn an additional $225 - $320 a week.  I also get to deduct mileage, tires, oil changes and what not on my car.

I invest this money into my house and into my stock portfolio.  

Why am I telling you this?  Because yesterday I was running late for work and the wonderful woman I call the Girlfriend had to finish the route for me.

I knew that I would be running past a few of the more remote stores on my commute into work, so we filled up the unseat storage space on my Burgie with the books and off I went!

Its not the first time a scooter, maxi or other wise, has been used to deliver things.  Down the street from where I used to work there is a restaurant famed for it's corned beef but also for making deliveries on little 49cc scooters.  When I asked the driver about it one day he laughed and said it was the owners way of avoiding insurance and gas costs.

Food in the back, drinks up front.  :)

"They are also a lot of fun to drive."

While I don't see the streets of (insert a major city here) filled with scooters anytime soon, I just can't help but wonder how long it will be before other companies copy this idea?  Or before delivery boys and girls do something to save a dime or two and invest in a scoot?

I have to admit that if it wasn't for the getting off the bike, opening the storage compartment and then restarting the bike only to do it all over again, I've considered using my maxi-scoot for deliveries.   Sadly a little 49cc won't do it.  Right now I don't have the money to consider something like this.

We will just wait and see if it's going to be something I might expand upon in the future (I don't do pizza's but magazines) and would it be worth it to me?  Or perhaps there is a business opportunity here?

Right now I'm more interested in just riding and enjoying myself than I am anything else, but in the back of my mind there is that idea that eventually I'm going to replace my car full time with my Burgman.  So this is an idea that will always be filed in the back of my mind.