That itch

So it's a lovely Saturday.

"Where's your riding gear?" Craig asks.

Truthfully I had considered it.  I don't have a helmet but I'm sure the dealership would have let me barrow one, or even thrown it in as part of the package if I was serious about buying.

I won't lie, I had the itch.

In fact, I've had the itch for a while now.   It was always there.  I would be driving somewhere and see a group of bikers heading out somewhere.   I would sometimes see a bike for sale on the side of the road, or in a dealership somewhere.  It really started to itch badly when I saw advertisements for the 2018 DGR!  It may have been one of the best moments in my motorcycling life...and I wanted to do it again.

The Triumph dealership did have a street twin that seemed to be calling my name.   Nice and neat with that classic look that I love so much.

Tempted?  Yes, very much so.

They actually had a 2017 on the lot that was still under warranty and the previous owner had switched it over to half pipes and did something else I don't remember to the exhaust.   The bike had a low, throaty growl to it that sounded deep and resonate.  "That" a random women said to me, "sounds like a motorcycle" and I knew exactly what she meant.

Frankly if the salesman had not pushed so hard, I may have signed some paperwork right then or; at least taken a test ride.

At 900 cc and a high torque engine however, I could see myself getting into trouble quickly on that bike.   I hate to admit but I like some speed.  I may have been a little to "quick" for my own good on the scooters...so I worried about that...and I know deep down that I would be a hell of a lot more careful.

Plus, even though I learned to ride on a standard transmission motorcycle.  I never fully felt comfortable in shifting.  When I rode a friend's bike here and there, I never really felt that I mastered shifting...so that was one reason why I switched to, and preferred scooters.  That was one less thing to worry about.

Sue and I are talking, and she seems more interested in getting a bike than I am.  The Harley Dealership next door had a lovely 35K trike with all the fixings.   That is more than I paid for my car, and it was brand new.  She would like me to get something like that and again feels that it would be safer.

In a way she is right.  Plus I know that with all her medical issues, the days of her climbing on back and just riding with me are slim to none.  She knows that too, so a trike may be better overall choice.

Now...can we find one that's affordable?

I just don't know yet.

For the first times in months I rode.  For the first time since the accident, I was on the back of a bike.


A woman in my community is selling her former husband's Honda Silver wing.  She is asking a fair price for it and Sue prompted me to go and take a look.    Sue knows how much I enjoyed riding and owning a bike.  The owner told me the year but I don't remember exactly.  I think it was within five years old and she had a tad over 17K on her.

In didn't take me long to grab an old helmet and a borrowed set of gloves to take her for a test spin.  I'm not sure why I consider motorcycles women, but to me they are.

So I started her up and she didn't roar to life, she didn't have the "oomph" that Kimmie did despite being a bigger engine.   Of course, she was also a bigger, heavier bike than my old Xciting and that matters.

I rode her around a bit, through some local twistie's I know of on a back road, I opened her up slightly on a straightway and I did feel comfortable, despite wearing none on my safety gear except a pair of borrowed gloves and an old helmet I picked up somewhere along the way.

It felt.....odd.  I don't know what I expected, taking her gingerly through a turn.  Where was the excitement?  Where was the feeling of awe?  Of being on the edge?  The tires seemed a little squirrel'y but they were brand new, still having the nubs on them and the bike had sat for about a month  so the pressure was probably off.   I took my time and was careful.

I knew I was also probably gun shy too.

There were things I like, the former owner had put a Givi windshield on it and that would come in handy on the cooler days or in the rain as the wind and rain where whipped around me and not into my chest as with Kimmie.   The storage was nice, and the previous owner had placed a pretty decent, but now great top box on it.  All the storage departments locked with a singe key.  He really did take good care of the bike and it had undergone a full maintenance review about 1000 miles ago.

Maybe it's just the fact that I never really cared for the looks of a Honda Silver Wing.  Maybe I'm still afraid, still touchy after the accident. Truthfully Sue and I can afford the bike and still have a good chunk of change left over, so I can't say "I can't afford it."

I just don't know if I'm ready yet.  Maybe I never will be.  Maybe this is just not the bike for me.  I just don't know yet.

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.

Review of the Viking Tank Bag

When the good people at Viking Bags sent me one of their tank bags to review, I jumped at the chance.  Although not for the reasons you might think.  I love my scooter and scooters, in general, offer more storage than the traditional motorcycle.  Under the seat is enough storage space to hold a full face helmet at least, and depending on the model, maybe more.  I've written before how I feel Kymco sort of missed the boat on storage.

I added the Travel Trunk to carry my rain suit (always a requirement in Florida) and a few other things for that reason.  Still I wanted additional storage, a way to hold my GPS enabled phone, wallet and documents for example.  While there is some gear out that that is designed for scooters, there is not that much really designed for a maxi-scooter in mind.  Sure, we can can buy saddlebags and such for our bikes...but a lot of it is hit and miss and often we end up having to modify and adjust just due to the nature of our bikes.  Sometimes a scooter just looks stupid with the saddlebags as well.

Placed on my refrigerator fully packed 

So first things first.  The bag has ten magnets that should hold it firmly to a metal tank but on the plastic hump of the scooter those magnets were useless.  A couple of well placed Velcro strips would come in handy, I had used them before successfully on other projects.

The magnets are strong enough to hold a full bag in place without slipping and come off the metal easily enough, allowing you to take the bag off the tank keeping your valuables with you.  Or, with a simple twist you can remove the pouch and just take that with you.

The pouch measures 6 inches high by 8.5 inches wide and is roughly 2 inches deep.  The map pocket is 8.4 inches high by 8.25 inches wide.  It normally retails for about $69 US dollars but the good people at Viking Bags have them for $19 US. In the interest of fairness they sent me the bag in return for the review (see here for more detail on that).

This tank bag is actually two bags in one.  The first is for the map or gps/phone/etc, it is covered by a piece of plastic with Velcro on the bottom edge to keep everything in place.  The tank bag has a large zippered compartment that easily held a lot of odds and ends.  The picture is a little blurry but I managed to place a small first aid kit, comb, phone charger, flashlight, work ID, phone and a $20 bill into the bag without issue.  I didn't place anything in the clear map department yet.

 It even has two small rubber reinforced holes for ear buds and fits over the plastic bag.   It's held in place by two reinforced plastic screws, which has two eye holes.  I liked that because options are always a good thing (more on that later).  The top bag fits nicely over the map pocket and helps to protect it from the rain and weather.  All the hinge points are reinforced with plastic or leather - a nice little detail which means that the bag will not wear easily over time.  You do have to pick that bag up to see the other map however which might be a little dangerous on the fly.  I tried to arrange the bag every way I could but it only fits together one way.
 

My phone was easily manipulated in this map pocket as well.  The picture gives you an idea of how a map or directions might appear.  The fuzzy picture ( sorry - cheap ass camera) doesn't due it justice.
The zipper is your standard type zipper.

So for so good.  I was tempted to stick the back under a running faucet to see if it was waterproof, but thought that be a little much.

Overall I thought it was a good option and well worth the price that Viking Bags is charging.  Only one minor issue.  I could not use the bag.  No matter how I tried to manipulate it (including tying a string between the eye holes and hanging it tightly to the handlebars) I just could not make the bag fit on my scooter.  My initial idea of attaching it to the "hump" might work...but I am still thinking about that part of it.    So the search continues but I will say this.  I would buy this product - and considering I'm a cheap SOB - that is high praise indeed.

Heading down new paths (or why I decided to review some products).

I have to admit...when someone from Motorcycle House contacted me about doing reviews of their products I had some trepidation.  After all I ride a scooter, admittedly a big bore scooter who thinks it's a sport bike...but it is still a scooter.

However the more I thought about it the more it made sense to me.  Often I've complained that their is a lack of good reviews of products.  Motorcycle House has there products reviewed by other bloggers I respect, such as Doug at Forty Years on Two Wheels and the Road Pickle crew are two wonderful examples.  A few other bloggers, some I've known and some I didn't, have written fair reviews or produced various You Tube video's concerning their products.  Generally speaking they were positive.

It takes a certain type of company to put there product into the hands of bikers and say "Here...do your worst." and get good reviews in return.  Even before I joined the brotherhood of two wheels, I knew bikers.  They generally are a "bullshit free" type of breed.  They tell you what they think.  Still I need assurance that if I didn't care for something that I be able to say that.  They gave me that assurance in spades.

One of the items I am looking forward to reviewing.

The second reason I decided to review products is that, frankly, their is not much out there designed specifically for the big bore scooters.  Sure, you can find lots of stuff for the smaller cc bikes. When an engineer or designer gets an idea into there mind it's hard to change.  Take for example Formosa Saddlebags, here is a nice product that really can't be used in mid-sized to big bore scooters like mine.  I'm curious to know what can be. 

So what gear will work on the various maxi-scoots?  What won't?  Will something like a motorcycle tank bag work on a scooter like mine?  After all it's designed for a traditional motorcycle...not a scooter. Can it be adapted with little effort?  Or are we going to have to go back to the drawing board?  Is a product like that even reasonable to consider using?

Plus, and I've said this before, the scooter is the wave of the future.  The quicker a company moves to take advantage of that market the better off they will be.  If I know what products work well on scooters, I'm more likely to buy from that company.  

So lets see what happens.  

A ball of yarn (the revolution continues)

Before I begin this little article I need to explain how I view life.  Right now as I sit and write this my two cats, Tipper and Sparky, are playing with a ball of yarn.  They are having the time of there lives chasing it about, getting tangled in the loose threads and unraveling the yarn.   Some strings come apart; others are frayed and tangled, so much so your not sure where they begin and end.

What is more important?  The individual threads or the ball of yarn?  The ball of yarn represents society, the threads are all the various pieces that make up this crazy world.  Deep huh?  I bring that up because of the revolution what is going on right now in the motorcycling world.  While, that may be to strong of a word.  The forces that are acting on the motorcycling manufacturers are varied.  They have reacted in various ways, and for someone like me that likes to connect the various threads into a whole...it's been a joy to watch.

The mid range motorcycle market heats up with the introduction of the Harley Davidson "Street" group of bikes.  A 500cc and 750cc model which - despite much bitching from more traditional Harley riders - was a move Harley had to make to stay relevant in the market place.
Kawasaki enters the maxi scoot market with their J300 model, although at this time no US distribution is planned although I think that will change soon enough.  Honda is making a grab for a major chunk of the young urban professional market with there Grom, Forza and (highly modifiable) Ruckus models.  BMW exceed there projected sales of their "Urban Mobility" scooters by over 70% although no one expects that to last.  The Suzuki Burgman may not be the leader it once was in the maxi-scooter market and that is something Suzuki will need to address, and the reviews of the Kymco MyRoad are promising.

Suddenly it seems, there is a demand for mid size bikes.  Scooters seem to be leading the charge.  The question is why?

For one thing the traditional motorcycle audience is growing older, that much is obvious to all involved.  Sales have been falling over the last several years and  the industry needed to attract new riders.  Obvious again right?  There are other forces of course.  Crippling student debt for those under 30...lack of public transportation in most cities...the high cost of owning a car...people having to work 2 jobs just to make a decent wage.  More people than ever before are living with their parents, sometimes into the late 20's.

You contact the first two pieces of yarn and start to add the other threads.  You have to take into account other issues like the existing American highway system - your going to need some power to get from point A to B.  Your going to have to take into account gas prices and American sensibilities...the "Bigger is always Better" thought process that seems to define who we are.  Suddenly you have a large ball of yarn that leads you to one conclusion.

Any businessman will tell you that the group you want to advertise to is the 18 - 35 year old.  This is the age where, in the past, most of the disposable money was.  This is also the age where you establish brand loyalty.  If you start using product A at this age your most likely to use product A the rest of your life.  If your going to get someone on a bike this is the time to do it.

Advertisers and marketers are still singing the praises of the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" commercials from the late 60's and early 70's.  Those ads probably did more to introduce the idea of a Japanese motorcycle to the to the states; they created an image.  An image the average joe could see themselves part of.   Items today like the Grom are seen as hip, fun and at a little under $3,000...very affordable!

The problem however is that this age group just does not have the same resources as it did ten or twenty, thirty years ago.  They have more options for what little disposable income they have.  A lot of smaller scooter companies realized this and took advantage of it.  That's one of the reasons if you look around in any city today you see a lot of little Chinese 50cc scoots.  The major motorcycle companies are jumping in into a market they believe will grow in the future, the mid sized range.  A lot of scooters are already there.

What's next may cause a heart attack in many traditional bikers, but the manual transmission is a dinosaur.  Expect to see more automatic motorcycles in the next five years or so.  A lot of people have cut their teeth on the automatic scooters, I don't expect them to change gears so to speak.

Personally I think it's a good thing.  I still don't think we will see the streets full of scooters like you do in Asia, but I do think the motorcycling segment of our population will grow.  The ball of yarn doesn't lie.

The Brotherhood of Two Wheels - Scooters and the biker's wave

I have a question for you as a scooter rider. Here in Ottawa I wave to anybody on two wheels but scooter riders never seem to wave back. What's up with that?

David Drouin, who maintains the excellent Motorcycle Addiction blog sent me an email concerning the so called "biker's wave."  It's one of those questions that pop up now and again on the various forums I frequent.  Scooters in most states require the same licensing, the same training as motorcycles.  Today many of the maxi-scoots are certainly as powerful as many motorcycles.  That line continues to blur as motorcycles are redesigned with automatic transmissions and internal storage.  So why don't we scooterists wave?

from http://ridingamericana.wordpress.com/

I generally wave at passing bikes, either the traditional motorcycle or a scooter.  Hell, I even wave at bicyclists...they are part of the brotherhood (and sisterhood) too.  Generally speaking I get a wave back - although there are those snobs that will only wave at a particular type of bike, or worse - a particular model.  Actually I have noticed that I tend to get a "one finger" wave as I pass certain types of bikes whose brand name I will not mention here.  David's question did get me thinking however, so I'm introducing a new series which I'm calling "The Brotherhood of Two Wheels."  Anything dealing with the perceived divided between the scootering and motorcycling community, anything that deals with helping out our fellow riders will fall into this category.

I really don't worry about if I don't get a nod or wave in return.  Frankly you never know what is going on in the other bikers world.  He could be concentrating on shifting, turning, safety, etc.  What really annoys me however is two things I've come across again and again.  The first is a arrogance, either real or perceived by those in the motorcycling community that scooter riders are not real "bikers."  Therefore we are not worthy of a wave.

For example, when I lived in Tampa proper there was a big motorcycle garage.  This was at the beginning of the scooter boom and they had a big sign hanging out front,  "WE DO NOT SERVICE SCOOTERS - DON'T EVEN BOTHER ASKING" 

It's been a few years since and to the best of my knowledge they still don't service scooters, which seems to be cutting off the nose to spite the face, after all scooters are the fastest growing segment of the motorcycling world.  Some forums, like advrider.com (which I am a member of) have a section dedicated to scooters, but with the caption "If your secure in your manhood."  I know, it's meant to be funny.  It's not and again, shows a perceived bias against those of  us that ride "scooters."   That somehow we are not "real men."

I've been asked questions about my scooter.  "Is it street legal?"  "Can you ride on the highway with it?"  These questions often come from the non-riding public.  But I've been asked those same questions by "bikers" as well.

The second issue is the nature of scooters themselves.  I ride a maxi-scooter - generally defined as anything above 250cc.  Well I'm not a rarity; it's much more common to come across a smaller, slower scooter often in the urban environment putting along between 30 to 50 mph (48 - 80 kph).  Even as a scooterist myself, I've railed against these smaller cc machines.  For me it's an issue of safety.  If your top speed is only 45 mph your limited to what roads you can ride safely.

When I first started riding I had a Zuma 125.  My top speed was 55 mph (89 kph) and although I felt safe on the city streets, I was always looking about to make sure I was not going to get hit by some moron behind me.  Any two wheeled vehicle is invisible to most cagers.

 

Scooters are smaller due to their very nature.  So did I wave as often as I do now?  No, I did not.  Putting aside the safety issue however, we scooterists seem to have a bit of an inferiority complex.  I will admit to lying about what I ride at times because of perceived bias on someone's part.  I felt the sting of others scorn because I don't ride a "real bike."  Even my beloved girlfriend wants me to buy a "real bike" sometime in the future.   

Is it because we are underpowered for the most part?  Is it because popular culture recognizes the motorcycle and celebrates the "outlaw lifestyle" it represents?  How many shows and movies involved motorcycles?   Can you name one movie other than Quadrophenia that has scooters in it?  Even the quintessential American Graffiti  has a kid riding a scooter, who promptly crashes it in the opening credits.  At the end of the movie he is given a car.  Given these images it is any wonder why scooterists have an inferiority complex.

We have very little in the culture that celebrates the scooter.  American culture is about speed and power and going long distances.  Sure a scooter is going to go further, some of them are capable of nearly 100 miles on a gallon of gas...but to do so we have to give up speed and power.   Most Americans are not willing to do that.  So the scooter is "inferior."  Those of us that ride them are "inferior."

Finally, and sadly, I think most scooterists don't give the wave for one simple reason.  We don't know any better.  We don't get the wave, so we don't give the wave.  Give the wave.  Give a smile.

I'm going to continue to ride Kimmie in all types of weather and on all types of roads.  I will continue to wave at scooterists and motorcyclists.  Hell, I'm even waving at bicycles.  If I see an issue I'll pull over to offer what little help I can.  I'm a scooterist, I'm a biker, I'm a proud member of the brotherhood of two wheels.

It's been a slow week - updates

It's been an odd week.  Due to a combination of work, weather, rain, vacations, and a host of other things I've ridden my bike a grand total of...twice.

Maybe three times if you count running to the store for a loaf of bread, a ride of less than five miles.  I came back from my little vacation to  St. Augustine and rode to work on a bright sunny afternoon.  Weather.com does not usually fail me, they were calling for a 30% chance of rain on the way home that night.  My normal commute home is 35 miles one way and, depending on traffic and can I make all the green lights, can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.

The rain started lightly, I didn't bother to put my rain suit on.  Experience has shown me that Florida has several different of showers...this was a quick drizzle.  There is also the "Florida Car Wash" - a harder rain that lasts for under 10 minutes.  I went through the drizzle.  Five minutes later it started in full, buckets of rain driven by a ever increasing wind.  Well not at "Hurricane" levels it was certainly miserable.

"So Robert" you may be asking yourself "why didn't you pull over and slip your rain suit on?"    Because gentle reader, I was in the middle of no where.  Despite this being a fast moving highway this part of the road has not really been developed.  By the time I was able to pull off under a bank's awning I was already soaked to the bone.  Putting on the rain suit by now was silly, but I did it anyway.  It did help somewhat on the last 10 miles of the ride.  

I've been caught out in the rain before, and actually generally enjoy it.  I am a Rounder after all.  At night however it's another story, I am not worried so much about how the bike handles and my ability to handle the bike in the rain.  I worry about being seen, about a car speeding to fast for conditions and skidding into me.  I worry about the cagers.

That being said, Kimmie handles exceptionally well in the rain.  Where as my old beloved Burgman seemed sluggish at times, Kimmie's handling is a pleasure.  A 2013 Kymco Xciting weighs 473 pounds (214.5 KG).  The 2013 Burgman weighs 489 pounds (222 KG), you would not think that 16 pounds (7.26 KG) would make that big of a difference.  Kimmie does have 98cc more power as well, I've said it before and I'll say it again, she's a sport bike compared to my former, beloved Burgman.

Xciting on left, Burgman on the right

Now of course I'm not the same rider I was a year ago either.  That being said, if given the choice I would take the Burgman over Kimmie (don't tell her that please).  For me it's an issue of storage.  I never had an issue with the Burgman carrying everything.  I had to buy a top case for Kimmie, and still have to take my jacket into work.  

In the coming week I hope to attempt an oil change on Kimmie.  I am quickly approaching 6,000 miles on Kimmie, so I may just take her to my friends at Affordable Motor Sports and have them do a full 5,000 mile service on it.   

One thing I've learned about motorcycling is that its the little things that you need to pay attention to.  Example, after sitting for a week my tires were 5 pounds low on pressure.  That affects everything.  

Well that's it.  Another 5 minutes of your life wasted, thanks for reading!

Going further

One very big ant.

This is the last time I'll be mentioning the E2E rally for a bit. Where I have yet to exhaust all the "local"  bonus points that I can gather (I recently found several historical markers and graveyards).  It's time for me to go out and explore other areas.  To go 50, 100, 150 miles down the road in search of something as simple as police stations and post offices (worth 2 points)...or as something as unusual as a giant strawberry painted on top of a water tower (worth 7 points).

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.net

I am looking forward to this adventure.  As much as I loved riding the Burgman, a maxi-scooter built for comfort and touring, my current Kmyco seems to want to go further.  It seems that it wants that adventure.  I feel more confident now as a rider, more able to handle the road and the challenges it represents.  My goal for the rally is a top 25 finish (I am # 096  in the rally and you can see where I've been here although the site is slow to update).

My game plan is a simple one.  Gather up points every single day I can.  Submit.  Then repeat.  Of course now that I have to leave my comfort zone and range out further than I have in the past that plan will have to be modified somewhat.  For example, I have my route all planned out for spending a day in Tampa and gathering over 200 points.  Up until now I was able to run around before work.  Now I have to take a day trip.  To be gone for 3 or more hours in some cases...all because my pride demands I finish in the top 25.  I better get a tee-shirt out of this at least!  I better change out my heavy jacket for a lighter one as well.

It does exist!!!

I was in St. Augustine recently (the past two days) but did not ride my bike over since I was with my parents, which prevented me from riding every day.  Now I desire to ride to St. Augustine even more (some wonderful back roads and things to see).  Florida's somewhat tragic past - war, slavery, racism, the 2000 election -  and recent E2E planning has brought up some interesting sites, some things that I would have never of considered going to see.  For example, I can go and visit the World's largest Confederate flag and associated military monument.  Question is...should I?


You can't miss this from the highway.  It brings up mixed feelings in me.  My family lost sons in both sides of the conflict, and we actually have letters from long dead nephews and uncles that fought on different sides in the same battles.  As a human being that has friends of all colors, creeds, sexual preferences and political beliefs the flag also represents some of the worst in we humans. I am also smart enough to know that racism has deep roots and I've done or said things that are racist.  I'm human despite my best efforts.

 Points are points however...and I am not that desperate to finish in the top 25.

This is Florida after all, and sometimes I do see racism.  I also see hope in that, for the most part, Florida is a melting pot of Latino's, Whites and Blacks and every color in between and somehow we all manage to get along.   That's something to be celebrated.  That's something to be encouraged.  That's worth a day trip for.

St Augustine Lighthouse

And the line blurs even more...

When I saw this video for Toyota's new concept car, the I-ROAD, it reminded me of the Piaggio MP3 model only with a roof.  It blurs the line between what is a motorcycle, a scooter and a car.

The biggest difference of course, is that the Toyota's I-ROAD is electric.   It is rear wheel driven and relies on computer chips to counter steer thus keeping the car upright in turns but for all practical purposes it appears to handle like a motorcycle or scooter would.

Now of course this is just a concept.  It may never see the light of day and would have only a limited market in the US but still it's just confirms what I've been arguing all along.  That due to increasing urbanization, fossil fuel scarcity and environmental concerns the future belongs to the maxi-scoot.   The Scooter Revolution continues...

Sleepy Hollow - Part Two

I finally went on my group ride.  I've gone on rides with two other riders that are friends of mine, been involved with groups of riders that I don't know - forming a informal and unofficial group for mutual protection while zipping down the highway.  These things don't count for me.

Kimmie meeting new friends.

I've been wanting to go on a group ride, an organized ride out to somewhere I've never been, for sometime.  Finally I got the chance.  

I'm not sure how many scooters eventually made the run to Sleepy Hollow.  Kimmie was the only Kymco scooter.  The group consisted of mostly Honda Silver Wings, Burgmans and two Aprilla's.  One or two off name brand scooters, surprisingly enough, no Vespa's were to be seen.  A Harley and and Gold Wing rounded out the group.

I fell into the middle of the group and we quickly left the main part of the route (please see the map) to take some side roads.  There were some thrills as the group traveled along at about 50 miles an hour through various sweeping turns.  Over hills and through Florida's central back country.  It was pretty cool to top a hill and see all the other bikes in front of me.  During this part of the ride I was worried about two things.  I wanted to keep up with the group and wanted to make sure that I made the turns well.  Some turns I felt fine in, one I wish I could have back as I entered it to quickly and cursed to myself as I ended up wide cutting off the cyclist behind me.

On and on we went.  A few beautiful places called to me to take photographs.  An old dilapidated barn that called out to be explored.  A lake with a lone single tree sitting out in the water, the light playing over the water.  A strand of cypress trees off in the distance.   If I had been alone or a smaller group, I would have stopped, but the phalanx kept moving on down the road, and so did I.

There was an incident before we got to Sleepy Hollow which bears mentioning.  One of our group went down.  I was immediately behind him and he froze in a turn, becoming fixated on something right in front of him.  The back tire went squirrelly and down he went.  It seemed to happen in slow motion, I veered to the left to go around him and then pulled off, only to find myself in soft soil and unable to get off the bike because it would fall.  Luckily the other riders were able to see to him quickly.   He was shook up but not hurt badly (due to privacy concerns I will not go into more detail concerning the accident).

After that the ride had a different feeling,  a slower pace was called for as we negotiated the last 10 - 15 miles or so.  Each of us understanding that the slower pace was for him, and it could have been us that went down.

Once we arrived there you paid $6 and stood in line for food.  Basically from the conversations I had with other riders, it's pretty much what ever they have in the kitchen.  So it's not uncommon to switch from steak to fish or chicken without any warning.  It was actually better than it looked.

Sleepy Hollow is an outdoor restaurant that sits right on a river.  They had a decent cover band playing and lots of shade.  Sitting next to a river a few boats pulled up, air boat rides were available.  Here are some additional pictures.

An idea of the crowd

Kimmie copping an attitude around the boys

Then along came a spider....

The view from the dock.

I ended up breaking from the group on the way home.  They were going to head back the same way they came and I wanted to ride the route suggested by the motorcycleroads.com site.  I was disappointed that I did that.  The way home was more or less straight.  Little changed in the way of the view.  If I would have stayed on this road I would have returned to the starting point.  I didn't do that.  Deciding to cut cross country and head home via a different route I got a little lost, which is never a bad thing...although for some odd reason my GPS on my phone would not work.

OK...Keep heading inland and eventually you'll find a road you know.   I did it was I-75.  So I jump on I-75 for a few miles and look for the first exit sign...as it happened it was for Dade City.   Literally 12 miles from where I live.

Would I ride with this group again?  Yes.  Although I think I would do better with a smaller group.  Our group leader was amazing, keeping everyone together and driving at a pace that suited most of the riders.  He was very attentive when the rider went down.  I like the idea of being able to pull off the road if something unusual catches my eye.  I like the idea of traveling at a pace suited for me.

Overall it was a great day, the sun was shining.  It wasn't to hot.  I got to to do some much needed recreational riding and got some much needed practice on twisties.  That's all that matters right.  The ride was 146 miles total.

UPDATE:  I had to go to work this morning, only to discover a flat rear tire.  Guess I picked up a nail or something.  :(  I guess Kimmie didn't like being ridden that hard.  

You can't always get what you want...

But like the man said...sometimes you get what you need.

I simply wasn't planning on buying a used 2009 Kymco Xciting 500.  I originally had my eye on a slightly used 2012 Burgie with a Givi Windshield and top box on it. Somehow the dealer let me walk out the door because he was an pimple in the lower and back side of the human body (OK maybe not but I didn't care for him). His loss.  

In fact, the link to the dealership that I was dealing with used to be on my website.  I had bought my original Burgman there as well, however after my incident with a bolt and a few other minor things my satisfaction with them was low.  Plus I thought they were trying to take advantage of me.  They are designed for a high turnover of bikes, and I am not the unknowing boob that I was over a year ago when I bought my first Burgman.  Don't treat me like I was.  I also spent most of my adult life in sales, you work with the customer to make a deal, you don't let your ego get in the way (considering we were only $500 away in price). I thought I had a legit and fair offer.  They would not work with me.  Oh well, their loss.  This is the end of my ranting and raving. 

Up the street from him was a Honda/Suzuki dealership.  I was looking at a 2008 Kymco Xciting 500 as well as a Piaggio MP3 500.  Frankly they were not my first, second or third choices and I really wasn't impressed with the Kymco at all.  There were several "traditional" bikes I was looking at too, but in the end I decided to stay on a scooter.  A Honda Silver Wing was also in the running but was sold late on Friday (after I was told it was still available).

I was not even looking at the possibility of buying a 2013 Burgman, I could not really afford it...but I let myself get talked into with some gentle arm twisting.  They were willing to work with me. In fact, I was told I had it with the exception of crossing the "T's" and dotting the "I's."   As the pictures show, I am not riding a new Burgman.  That deal fell through, much to my regret.  

Pic by West Coast Powersports

What I ended up with was a 09 Kymco.  Yep, the bike that really didn't excite me in the first place.  She's got slightly over 4,000 KM (or about 2400 miles) on her, is dark metallic silver and had a displacement of 498 cc.  So she's slightly more powerful than my previous 07 Burgman 400.  I was able to pay cash for her and walk away with a new helmet out of deal, that's about it.  It's not what I wanted and frankly I am not sure how long I'll keep her, but at this stage in my life...sometimes you get what you need.  Life is to complex for me not to have another ride. 

The mirrors are crappy and to short for me.

It's a little strange driving a new bike.  This one is a little heavier and a little more powerful than the bikes I've ridden before,  I need to go off into a parking lot somewhere and do some emergency stops and such...just to get used to the handling.  In about two weeks (Feb 16) I plan on taking a 100 plus mile ride up to Crystal Springs with the Suncoast Scooter group.  Another first for me.

Can you think of a better way to break in a new (well, new to me) bike?  To get used to her?  I just hope of capable of doing 100 to 200 miles in one day.  In any case it should be an exciting adventure and should serve as a good shake down for the bike. 

First impression:

1)  I rode it home from the dealership at night and on the freeway.  All told about 60 miles.  One of the reasons I decided to buy the scooter in the end was the "Malossi" stickers on the side.   Malossi makes parts for racing bikes, and it seemed strange to me that the previous owner would put Malossi stickers on the bike without actually putting in Malossi parts.  That meant the previous owner probably knew what they were doing and took good care of the bike.  I hope so anyway.  When I opened her up on the highway, the tachometer stayed low.  A good sign that I might be right. 

2)  I already need to replace the crappy stock mirrors.   Way to short.  

3)  The low beam light is fine, but the high beam bleeds to much off into the sides of the road.  I already have a solution (maybe) based on something I read in the Burgman Forums.  LED's might solve that issue.

Thanks to Daboo from the Burgman forums for the idea.

4)  The Kymco has no storage.  A top box is not a luxury.  It's a necessary. 

5)  This is weird. The speedometer is in Kilometers.  The miles per hour gauge is small and hard to read.  GPS might be in order here.

  

   

A boy and his toys.

I've a neighbor two doors down from me who, about a month ago, bought a Suzuki Boulevard GZ250S, I've seen him on it a few times and even waved at him a few times as he rolled on by.  I've not talked to him about his bike though, mostly because he is the type of neighbor that everyone calls "Mister" and is very rarely seen.

Yesterday his bike went up for sale.

Yesterday I started considering buying it.   Seriously.

It's a smaller bike of course, with less horse power than my Burgman 400.  I don't need another bike, and the Boulevard GZ250S is not going to work for me as a commuter bike - the roads I commute on require a bike capable of doing 60 - 70 MPH (96 -  113 KMH) consistently.     While the Burgman was really not designed for highway driving, it has little issue with being quick off the line and maintaining that speed.   Frankly I'm sure the Boulevard would not be capable of that.

What interesting to me about it honestly is that it's a "real bike."  Now don't get me wrong, I love the Burgie. I love scooters (after all the blog is named Scooter Revolution), but I've not ridden a "motorcycle" since my endorsement class.  Relearning the gearing, the clutch and how to operate all of them smoothly appeals to me.  It's also a good bike to learn on, being low to the ground and with lower power.  Eventually I will have to replace my Burgie, and as much as I would love a BMW, the long term girlfriend is pushing for a trike.  I will need to know that gearing unless I get a MP3 or a custom scooter trike.


I also realized, that like it or not, the fact that I'm even considering buying a second bike means only one thing.   I caught the bug.  I'm doomed.  Doomed I tell you!  Logically of course it makes no sense, it's an extra expense that I don't need.  Still though...the idea has been planted.

Tis the season for Toys for Tots bike runs.  That time of year when the biggest burliest biker shows his soft side and gives a needy child a little bit of joy, showing that Santa does in fact exist in our hearts.  A friend of ours, Craig, was planning on going to one and we were going to tag along.  Sadly due to  an illness he was unable to go and I - to be honest - felt silly going to one all by my lonesome.  Even though it's for a good cause.

That's the wonderful thing about living in Florida, the riding season never really ends and there are two more rides that I know of between now and Christmas day itself that support this fine organization.  I know that some child, either girl or boy, will get a good gift.  After all isn't that what the holidays are for?

Baby Steps - in response to another blog

When I first decided to ride I knew there would be some issues.  Some costs and some things to overcome. I sometimes wonder if my getting a motorcycle was purely due to economic reasons, or was it something called a "mid life crisis."  Rather a bike than a blond I suppose.

I've piled up the miles on my bike running back and forth to my job, the sometimes odd errand and occasional ride over the hill just to see what's there.  I would not say that I've become a motorcycle enthusiast but I understand why people are attracted to this sport.

For me, it's nice to not have the distractions of a modern day car, GPS blaring turn here or there.  Radio blasting some forgotten song or useless top 40 bubblegum crap.  It's me, the road and my brain and body engaged in a simple dance.  Pay attention to that turn, is that a deer?  What is that moron doing?

That fact that I am thinking about dropping $1000 dollars into a machine who's Kelly Blue Book value is about $2500, just so I can get a few more years riding out of it speaks to my commitment I think.  I am in love with my machine.

Another blogger, Doug over at Forty Years on Two Wheels, recently wrote a wonderful piece about the death of smaller cc motorcycles.   I know for me, I started off on a small Yamaha Zuma 125 before moving up to the current 400cc Burgman.

His argument, and I fully agree with it, is that one of the reasons there are so few new riders is that the market is full of bigger bikes.  Part of this I think is the American mentality of bigger is better.  Part of it, I think is that a lot of people think your going to be bored with a smaller engine and will want more speed, more power in six months (I certainly heard that argument).  That there is nothing for the inexperienced rider out there.

On that part at least I disagree.  Scooters are the fastest growing motorcycle in the US today.  They have the "twist and go" transmission.  The lower cc and lower costs along with fantastic fuel savings (80 - 100 mpg).  If you read my blog for any length of time, then you know that I consider the small 50cc scooters so common on urban streets today to be more dangerous than anything else.  For example, here in Florida all that is required for safety gear is eye protection.  No helmet (unless your under the age of 21) or other protection in needed under state law.  Hell, you don't even need a license if the scoot is under 50cc.  Which I've actually seen used as a sales pitch.

Well I'm glad to see people out and about on these things...your top speed is MAYBE 39 MPH.  Lets' be honest, no one obeys the speed limit.  So they will either not see you, or see you and go around you, or your just going to piss them off.   If your going to ride, ride something that will get you up to the speed of the traffic around you.

Sorry, I'm ranting.

Thanks go to Honda for the picture.

My point is that there are smaller bikes out there.  The problem is that they are not "motorcycles" I guess.  The only major motorcycle manufacturer that I know of that makes a smaller bike is Honda and the their iconic Rebel.  I say iconic because everyone that takes a motorcycle class seems to have learned on one.  (UPDATE - Suzuki will have several 2013 models at or under 400cc.  It remains to be seen if they will be readily available).

Hyosung, a Korean company, also makes a 250cc which is much sportier than the traditional looking Rebel. I'm not that familiar with the brand or the make but with a starting price of around 4K for a new bike it's certainly something for the new rider to consider.  All I can tell you is do your research.  SYM is a Chinese based company that makes smaller cc motorcycles as well, but I've only seen scooters imported to the states, I could be wrong.

I'm still not sure why new riders, and older traditional motorcycle riders are afraid of scooters.  No not afraid, that is the wrong word...skeptical of scooters.  I actually came across an article in some motorcycle magazine arguing that that future in the industry was going to be Trikes.  Because the population of bikers was growing older.  That attitude needs to change (says the man that would like to eventually upgrade to a trike).  The step-through would allow those with leg and back problems easy access to the bike.  A bike like the Piaggio MP3 actually does not require the rider to put a foot down when stopped due to it's design.

Right now there are a lot of riders out there on little 50 or 125cc scooters.  They are going to want to upgrade someday.  If the industry wants to grow, wants to attract the woman, the young urban professional then they need to offer something that actually works for them.   Bikes in the 400CC range would be perfect I think.  Quick enough for the freeways and nimble enough for the city.  Great for a weekend away.

I think it's slowly changing...the market will grow due to the coming pressures of higher gas prices, continued urbanization and increasing population.  It's going to be interesting to see how the industry reacts to these changes.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best - the Drink Holder .

Tropical Storm Debby has been just sitting in the gulf for some time, which means days and days of rain and wind...making riding dangerous if not down right impossible.  Their is an old saying about being ugly but not stupid and I'm not the latter.  I've been lucky enough to avoid most of the damage caused by the storm, being inland and "in the highlands" so to speak.  Some photo's of the damage can be seen here.  My heart certainly goes out to those affected.

I figured however that I should do some work on the bike that I felt comfortable with.  Mitch has some wonderful video blog entries about simple maintenance that I could do, thus I cleaned but did not replace the air filter.  I also decided that I would add a cup holder to my Burgie.  There were a couple of ideas that I came across.  Burgmanseats.com offers a simple cup holder for about $20 dollars.  A very simple cup holder could be crafted together by following these directions:  

There are also various cup holders that require a mounting bracket.  I had a lot of different options before me but I decided the take the path of least resistance.  After all it get hot here in Florida and if I planned on taking longer trips, then I needed a place for water.

If I followed the directions on the video then my cost would have about $26.82 (for the cup holder + shipping costs from Wally World since the local stores don't carry that type of cupholder) then an additional $10 for the velcro from JoAnn Fabrics.  Total cost  $36.82.  I thought there has got to be a cheaper way!  No that does not include the tile.

Kwick Tech offers a drink holder for under $7 but that requires a bag hook.  Motorcycle super store had a very nice kit for $8.95 + $6.94 shipping = $15.94. Then it hit me like a bolt of lighting!

An idea is born!

I didn't need to spend any more money than I already did. The Velcro strips would come in handy. You see, I already had the solution in hand.  Once upon a time before drink holders were standard in cars you had a plastic thing that attached to your window.  I realized I could take one of these old things and attach it to the bike.  A piece of Velcro could be cut and attached to the "crook" and to the arm to keep it in place.  I wanted to take the bike out in my hood to see if the holder would interfere with my driving, my leg and if it would hold a cup, a bottle of water and a can of soda.  If they did then I would cut and attach the Velcro and be good to go. My little ride proved my idea was sound.  It didn't interfere with the bikes operation at all.  So lets begin!

First I had to cut the Velcro to fit the cup holder.  This tends to be sticky and had to be trimmed to fit the dimensions of the cup.  

Then I had to place the other side of the Velcro onto the bike.  I had a spot in mind and it worked out rather nicely.  Again some trimming was required.  My main concern was in the "crook" area where the cup holder would hang.

TADA!!!  The final product.  Total cost was under $5 for the Velcro and about 5 to 10 minutes of time to put the whole damn thing together.  Now I don't have an excuse for a longer trip.