Blog | Scooting with Dru

Back to Scooter Related Topics: Sym CityCom

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:54:35 -0400

First let me apologize for the detour yesterday, it happens sometimes.

Ok, that's all done with, let's talk about scooters. Like many scooter owners I frequently get questions about what other people should buy. Well, yesterday Nathaniel Salzman put together one of the best wall of text blog posts a person could ask for regarding the currently available options in the US. The order of the content is a little reversed for my tastes, but he pretty much nails the modern scooters. Even if you have been riding a while, it is a good read for information about the current products.

Nathaniel actually mentions one of the bikes that I'm the most curious about in all of the announced 2009 lineups. The Sym CityCom 300i really looks like one of the best compromises between form and function to be available on the US roads. With a 268cc engine and a 2.6 gallon fuel tank, I am expecting a real world top speed just shy of 80mph (they claim 79.5, I'd say that 75-78 is probably GPS accurate and sustainable). Considering the weight, and engine size, 65+ mpg seems quite realistic (the reported 94 mpg, not so much).

Besides technical specs though, what really makes the CityCom interesting is design and market in the US. Two design elements really set the CityCom off. The first is the factory windscreen is tall and has enough of a lip, that it should equal most of the aftermarket windscreens in terms of keeping wind off the rider, along with the plastic guards to keep wind and flying objects away from the hands really set this up as an excellent commuter/light-tourer. But then you add the underseat storage that they have engineered and things get quite interesting. While that storage is clearly not deep enough for a full face helmet, that's is also clearly not the intent. The dimensions of the storage really look to be geared towards a small laptop bag, books, or a small briefcase.

Together with the larger wheels and the power plant capable of pushing the bike at highway speeds, it seems that Sym is really going after the suburban commuter and student commuter with the CityCom. It is a demographic that is poorly served by the popular 150cc scooters, and many of the 250's come just a little short in speed or native storage.

I am looking forward to getting a chance to touch and ride one up close, as the potential market for the CityCom is excellent, and coming on the heels of the success and reputation the RD250 and HD200 are garnering, it appears that Sym is well on the way to establishing themselves well in the pecking order of scooter brands in the US.

Waxing Political

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:01:40 -0400

This week and next are all about politics here in the US. Generally, I detest politics, so I rarely will go there. Unfortunately, this years race is really starting to hit a hot button with me. Like most people in the US, the economy is a worry, the war in Iraq (and Afghanistan) is an issue, but one that is unlikely to win or lose the election. The economy is ultimately going to be the issue central to this election, as it should be.

The problem is that our economic problems are deeply rooted in several other issues yet it appears that the politicians are unwilling to talk about the fundamental problems, just the impossible solutions. These fundamentals are things we have to deal with, not the fluff.

I think what rubs me wrong is that fact that so much of the issue is that we can't say what needs to be said without committing career suicide for the politicians. We cannot continue the vicious cycle of raising wages to cover the cost of living. Every time you raise wages, you raise to cost of goods or force jobs offshore. Yet, that is the political solution, raise wages, adjust taxes. Interestingly, this also relates to the 'energy crisis'. You see, the US has forgotten how to live frugally. We have come to use our gas guzzling automobiles as a part of our self image. Those of us that have chosen to ride scooters, often for entirely different reasons, have found out how much that self image issue is. We hear the ridicule all the time. It is just another aspect of the bigger is better culture that is so prevalent.

You see, that is one of the fundamental issues that needs to change. Bigger is not always better, and making a choice to downsize is really a good thing. This doesn't just mean cars, it reflects many things. The real solutions start at the personal level, not the political level. The tools running for president do not really give a rat's ass about anything but your vote and your tax dollars, the solutions to our problems start and end in our own lives.

So vote for whomever strikes your fancy (I'm voting McCain. Judging all republicans by GWB would be foolish and Obama is charismatic, but at this point hasn't given me any solid reasons to embrace his platforms), but if you really want to fix things in this country, start at home, tighten your belt and stop thinking super size. Sadly, the readership here should already have this firmly in mind, but sheesh it feels good to vent sometimes :-).

More Scooter talk tomorrow...

Sold! and other tidbits

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:03:04 -0400

First, the Kymco People is sold. After a couple of weeks on Craigslist, it went to a nice lady and her sister. I really hope that they enjoy it as much as I did. So what did I replace it with? well, that's short answer with a long story; nothing.

After a couple of long conversations with my wife and some friends, I've put the proceeds from the People into the bank to join the proceeds from the ads here and any extra money I come up with so that sometime this winter I can replace the People with something interesting.

After long thoughts, I've decided to add a Vectrix electric scooter to replace the People. I know I said I was going vintage, but the more I thought about it, well, I just concluded that if I want to set an example to my kids and neighbors, I need to really go the other way. Considering the price of the Vectrix, I have a good ways to go before I have the money to buy one, but I'll work on that through the winter and see where I am in the spring. With $2500 in the bank and a $9000 price tag, I've got some saving to do, but I really do like the idea of the Vectrix for running to and from work. I am also researching a small solar charger to have at the office to charge it while I'm in the office.

Anyways, I am taking a little bit of the money from the proceeds to replace some gear. First, my HJC SyMax has been my favorite helmet of the 3 I've been through in the last 2+ years, but it is really starting to show the wear and tear of every day usage. It doesn't help that it's color was matched to the People, and the BV500 has a much more purple tint to it. So I am planning to move to the SyMax 2. I had planned to wait for the Nolan N-103, and I'm sure it's coming soon with the deep discounting going on with the N-102, but that doesn't help me now. So, I'm going to pick up an HJC this weekend from a local dealer. Yes, I could get it MUCH cheaper on line, but then my local dealer doesn't stay in business.

I am also looking to replace my gloves. This is proving to be a challenge though. Back before I rode to Florida this summer, I had replaced my 2 year old Icon Pursuit gloves with Corazzo's comfortable Urbano Glove. Unfortunately, the pair I got are apparently defective, in that the kevlar seems pulled apart in several places, and the palm and wrist portion on one of the gloves came apart in less than 60 days. Fortunately, in typical Corazzo fashion, they and my dealer are replacing the gloves and sending them back to Corazzo for review. Despite the quality issue with my particular pair, I cannot think of many companies with a reputation for working to get it right as Corazzo so I have excellent confidence that they will take care of the issue. Confidence enough that I am also ordering one of the Corazzo Underhoodie shirts for this winter.

Lastly, on a more somber note, a fellow maxi rider, Kevin Kemble of L'ville, KY had about as nasty a get-off as imaginable a week ago. He's just an average guy, a house painter with a passion for scooters. He and his wife have been key elements in growing a health scooter group in the L'ville area. Needless to say, this accident has touched a lot of people in that area of the country. Send him some prayers, he'll need them as his injuries are awful (leg, hip, back and more). Monetary contributions will help him as well, but his wife is helping to keep everyone in the loop about his situation as is Bill, administrator for one of the larger Maxi scooter forums in the US.

Thinking about lane sharing / lane splitting

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:51:06 -0400

This is a subject of more than ample debate among motorcyclist around the world. I don't know that I have strong opinion about the subject, as I don't know that I would personally feel comfortable doing it on a regular basis. Of course, I don't actually spend much time on roads where it is relevant, but the few times I have found myself in a situation where it would be appropriate, I have to admit that I would like the privilege.

I think what bothers me about the whole thing is that as a rule, drivers don't get it, though they do it all the time. I've lost count of the number of times I'll be first at a red light and have a car squeeze past me on the right to turn right on red. Under Georgia law, this is failure to yield and they are clearly in the wrong, but is commonly practiced and largely not enforced. Meanwhile, if I were to 'filter' forward past them for the same reasons, the same drivers get angry and antagonistic.

The same holds true of lane sharing or 'whitelining' in traffic. It makes sense, and as a rider, the safety of moving forward, not sitting in a position where it is like inviting a rear end accident. I am convinced that if most drivers could, they would. Look at the number of them ducking and weaving in traffic as it is.

In the environment today, lane sharing is explicitly illegal in Georgia there is no grey area like there is in California.

Yet, when contacting my state reps about the issue, I'm told that they are listening to ABATE on these issues. So I take a look at ABATE. The concern is helmet laws, they want them removed from the books or altered to make them not required, when it comes to lane sharing, they have no interest.

So while I would love to see change, it is clear that there is not enough interest yet.

Perhaps that is not a bad thing, but it would seem that as bad as Georgia traffic is, there would be pressure to find ways to ease the congestion which is now worse than even Los Angeles.

The People we Meet

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:52:25 -0400

One of the most fascinating aspects of riding in my experience has been the people that will just walk up and start asking questions about the scooter and riding. The frequency of imparted, but unasked for wisdom about how dangerous they are is also funny.

This morning is a good example. I stopped to pick up some breakfast (BB's Diner on McFarland, great NYC style diner with excellent bagels). This gentleman walks out to ask the usual questions; how fast? how many mpg? how much?. He then tells me he doesn't ride anymore because it's too dangerous because people do dumb things around bikes. So I pull a little more out of him. He had a bike, he took the BRC, but doesn't think it helped much because his accident was 'unavoidable, the guy stopped short and I had nowhere to go'.

I just smiled all the while thinking, he's right. He has no business on a bike if he's unwilling to attribute the fault where it belongs and unwilling to listen to instruction. He was a nice enough fellow, but wow. I cannot comprehend any situation where someone stopping short would ever be at fault in a rear end accident...

Situation Normal

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:40:18 -0400

Not that I really grasp the concept of NORMAL, but with the kids going back to school this morning, my commuting patterns are returning to normal. For the first time in 3 months, I knew I was commuting by scooter. I was so excited, I was awake and ready to go a full 30 minutes early. Yes, I really do enjoy the ride that much.

This weekend was good though. Atlanta is getting it's annual 'fall teaser' right now. Saturday, we went from highs in the high 90's to highs in the low to mid-80's with a wonderful breeze. This is mother nature's way of telling us to look forward to October, because she's about to blister us with a few 95+ days with 90% humidity :). Yes that is facetious, but not far from the truth.

Thanks to the weather, I did ride out to the scooter shop where I've been working Saturdays selling scooters. It is a good time, and the shop I'm at everyone that works there rides scooters, most of us own more than one. The ride itself is a nice ride of about 25 miles each way. The problem is that it really isn't enough to 'get a fix' when you've been caged almost all week. So Sunday, it was up early, mow the lawn, only to realize it was the last day of summer for the kids. The only ride I got in Sunday was a run up to my brothers to drop something off for him.

But with the schedule returning to normal, I'm riding to work daily and it feels good :-).

Of course, I have some side projects. I've been alluding to these changes for a while. If you've ever noted the url change since I moved this from my old .Mac digs, you'll note that this is but one part of a larger project.

Two Wheel Junction will (hopefully) grow to be something of a hub for riders around the southeast, and eventually I hope around the US. At first, I was thinking small meta-news site focused on the two wheeled world. But my wants and desires have grown.

So this month I am working furiously at building something more.

It is my desire to build Two Wheel junction into a central resource for all powered things that have two wheels and are intended to be road ridden. Because of that, you are going to see some technical posts about what is going on there as well as the scooter related posts you have become accustomed too.

You will also see frequent updates because of my hands on approach with everything that I do.

Catching Up

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:59:00 -0400

So the summer has been really tough for me blogging. The issues have been many, and varied. The most disappointing one is that this summer, I've spent more time driving than riding. This has been entirely due to children's schedules and not preference. Add to that work stuff and it all adds up to less seat time. For that last 2.5 months, i've been able to get in 2 days riding a week rather than the 5-6 that I usually get.

It has been very frustrating.

Not helping has been the ongoing battle with my teenage daughter about riding on the back. You see, 4 days a week this summer, I've been taking her to gymnastics on my way to work, it makes sense since it is on my way to the office. Unfortunately, she refuses to ride on the scooter. Her reasons are not well thought out or justified, and it's not fear that is the issue, at this point it is just plain pigheaded teenage girl.

Oh well, that's life :-). Come next monday, it will no longer be an issue, school starts on Monday, and my commute will be mine again (que evil maniacal laugh here).

Anyways, I did get in a couple of good rides, including the ride to and from Chattanooga for AmeriVespa where I got to see and meet quite a few faces from some of the forums I frequent. One of those people was a guy who earned some serious respect from me and others.

Mike from San Jose and several of his VCLG clubmates rode their scooters from Sn Jose to Chattanooga. That, in and of itself is impressive, but adding to the trip was a rabbit that jumped out and caused mike to dump his scooter at speed in the Nevada desert. Totaled scooter, road rash and some pretty good bruises, Mike took his lumps and came to AmeriVespa anyways. I had the pleasure of meeting him, and he is a genuinely nice guy, his wife is his equal there. It was wonderful to meet them.

I also have some pictures to get posted, but not as many as I would like, I just didn't have time to shoot as many pictures as I wanted to. Unfortunately, mixed in with the fun, I actually put my bike on the ground as well. DUring the Lookout Mountain ride on Friday, the girl in front of me locked up her brakes in the rain on downhill stop. It had just started raining, the pavement was new, the surface oils where coming up from the moisture, but it wasn't coming down hard enough to wash it off. In short, it was a treacherous surface under good circumstances. Mix in a new rider and a group ride on an unfamiliar road, and it was a recipe for a mistake.

As she was coming down the hill, she was braking and the rear wheel started to slide, she went down just a few feet in front of me, with her body and head in my wheel line. All I could do was dodge, brake and pray I had enough traction to avoid her. In the process, I got wide and was stopping until my foot lost traction on the road surface (it was that slick) and I bounced the bike off the left side hard case. It's cosmetic damage, and I'm not worried about it. My body never touched the ground, just the one strawberry on the plastic of the bike's hard case. In total, 8 other bikes hit the ground behind the incident, but no one got hurt.

It was all good in the end, but the rain real put a damper on the Friday festivities.

With school starting back, it appears that I will be able to get to return to commuting and blogging on a normal schedule again. Yes, I am excited by that prospect. More than I can express.

There are some other things to talk about, but they'll wait for another post.

For Sale: Kymco People 250

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:52:11 -0400

This is my Kymco People 250 that started my scooter adventure in earnest. While this was not my first scooter, it is the first one that I put real miles on. In truth, selling it is harder than I expected, simply because it holds some great memories. This is my Kymco People 250 that started my scooter adventure in earnest. While this was not my first scooter, it is the first one that I put real miles on. In truth, selling it is harder than I expected, simply because it holds some great memories.

That said, I am selling it. The reason is simple, I want to replace it with a vintage project scooter to keep with the BV500. I am just not riding the Kymco as much as I might wish, and I'd rather see it go to a good home.

So, with a clear title in hand, the People is up for sale, the sooner the better. It is a 2006, with 8700km (5400 miles). It has been well maintained with frequent (more frequent than recommended) oil/hub oil changes. It is very capable both around town and around the burbs. With a 250cc engine, 16" wheels and a large storage area, this is a great commuter with it's 65 to 70 mpg and 1.7 gallon tank.

Interested? Send me an email and we'll set up a time to see it! This is also listed on Atlanta's Craiglist.

Pictures are available from the link at the top of the page.

In Chattanooga (for a couple of days)

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:26:30 -0400

So I've been here a couple of days, but with work, I've been so busy that I have not been able to find time to post. So you get a late post.

The ride up was uneventful, but hot. Unfortunately, the heat seems to have effected the idle on the BV, we'll see how it does tomorrow and later in the week. The crowd for AV has started to show up in large numbers, probably 60 scooters already in the parking lot. I'm grabbing the camera to get some pictures to post shortly.

AmeriVespa

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:48:28 -0400

Well, once again my work schedule works out that I get to do another Chattanooga rally. This year, my schedule will have me in Chattanooga the entire week leading up to AmeriVespa, so I think I'll stay on for the rally. Should be interesting.

Since I am riding up Monday though, I'm thinking about taking the long way and spending the day in the mountains. Should be fun, and now, I'll be spending the rest of the weeks lunches planning routes on google maps :-).

Reviled By Cyclists

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:08:11 -0400

Alright, in a moment of serious hardcore WTF! this cyclist (and his many commenters) prove conclusively that they really don't get it :-). You see, I too am a cyclist, I've ridden both road and mountain bikes for the better part of the last 20 years. I've probably got more seat time on a bike than a scooter or motorcycle, and while some of what he says is true, he fails to see the same problems coming from his own brethren. The folks pulling 20 year old bikes out of storage to 'ride to work' for the same reasons many are adopting scooters.

Perspective is a bitch, and I personally wish people like this gentleman would buy some. Then again, I don't live in NYC. I live in suburban Atlanta. One of my chosen activities is to walk, run or rollerblade the 'greenbelt' in a nearby creek basin. This is a 12 foot wide concrete trail through the wetlands / floodplain next to a creek that runs through the heart of the business and shopping district of the area. It is a great place to skate and walk, if it weren't for all the inconsiderate cyclists that are busy rolling at 20-30mph in full gear riding like they are training for the Tour de France or Giro d'Italia. I've watched 2 of them take out children on training wheels because they were traveling too fast and couldn't avoid the situations. I've had 2 others throw water bottles or trash at me because I intentionally blocked the path to force them to slow down. But hey, they are down here because it's safer for them than mixing with the cars on the road.

BTW, I am neither a Mod or a Rocker, I'm just a guy that rides a scooter, all of the other slang crap this guys throws out there describing the scooter owners just rolls off, it's all been said before. But as a fellow cyclist, this bonehead is the reason cyclists are viewed so dimly by so many drivers. Many of whom are terrified of passing a cyclist on the roads.

Vacation, on a scooter

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:13:32 -0400

Alright so last week I took a vacation. For the first time ever, I decided to take my scooter along on a vacation, so I would have some flexibility if work cropped up and the family could stay. Turns out, I didn't need that flexibility but it was fun to have the scooter. We have close friends in Destin, FL (they own a great little toy store in the Destin Commons), so we went there to visit them and some of the best beaches in the world.

Leaving early on Monday, I rode the BV500 with my wife in the car with the kids trailing along. We left about 6am, and the weather was just perfect for a ride. I could have easily made it in just 3 stops, but we had a couple of extras in there for kids potty breaks. The first leg, from Alpharetta to breakfast at Chic-Fil-A in Columbus was almost entirely super slab. The BV handled that marvelously, cruising at an indicated 80mph most of the way, which worked out to 73mph on the GPS (in the car). Filled the tank (58mpg), and prepped for the second leg, Columbus to the south side of Dothan, AL for a gas and potty stop. This stretch is mostly 4 lane roads, with sections, particularly from Phenix City to Eufala of 2 lane. Speed limits are 45-60, so it is still a fast stretch of road. Again the BV handled great, but at the end of this leg I was running into a problem. The pants & seat had seams that where working against each other to try and chafe, so I pulled a towel I carry from under the seat to add a layer. This seemed to solve the issue. Next up was the final leg. From I-10 down to US 98 is one of those dangerous roads where the speed limit jumps around alot, and in some cases will go from 60 to 55 to 45 to 35 in the space of a mile as you go through one of the old little towns, so it is a slower ride, but that's alright because it is also quite scenic. We arrived safe and sound in Destin at about 1:30.

The rest of the week was all playtime, with a little bit of beach laziness, a little bit of snorkeling, a bit of shopping, some more beach bumming, some putt putt and go-karts, a few fun little rides around Destin and out to Sea Side and over to Pensacola to try and find the meetup of the P'cola riders before heading home on Sunday.

We did manage to catch Wall-E on Friday, great movie, good fun, even the 2 year old loved it.

Sunday was the ride home, and it was WET. The day started at 10AM and it was drizzling in Destin, and while it never really came down too hard on me early, the stretch from Eufala to Columbus was about as wet as it could have been. The BV handled it gracefully, but in the future, I will stop and put the rain gear on BEFORE it starts raining. By the time we got north of Columbus though, the rain had cleared off, and by Newnan, it was time to remove the rain gear. From there, it was on home, and the only real problem of the trip. At the tail end of the ride, the BV started to sputter and lose power when starting from idle. I suspect bad gas or a plug is at fault, so I will be working on the this week, but it seemed to run fine last night, so perhaps it was just vapor lock or moisture in the fuel system. I'll talk to Floyd about it Saturday.

Anyways, it's good to be home, but the ride was wonderful. I think I'll be taking the scooter on many vacations to come.

Part Time Scooter Sales

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:13:48 -0400

Yeah, I know, it has been a a quiet couple of weeks. For me, it has been a tough couple of weeks. Because it is the summer, the kids schedules have dictated that I ride to work less, because 3-4 mornings a week, I have one of the kids with me on the way to work. At this point, they won't ride. Partly for a lack of proper gear, I'm having a tough time finding a mesh jacket small enough for my 85lb daughter, but also in part because she's very nervous about the act of riding. This is fine, but it hinders my riding.

Fortunately, I still get a couple of days a week, plus on the weekends I'm doing a couple of days a month at one of the local shops as a 'filler'. Sometimes I'm prepping bikes, loading them or selling them. No matter what, one thing is for certain. It is BUSY right now. The dealer sells both Vespa and the Genuine products, and to say that the Buddy is hot would be a gross understatement. Just wow.

Anyways, if you haven't been keeping up, I recently started a major rework of Two Wheel Junction, and will soon be adding some new features there, and that is absorbing quite a bit of time as well. I hope everyone doesn't mind, but as I work those changes, I'll be posting some of the details here.

New Toy

Sun, 25 May 2008 16:33:35 -0400

So last year I signed up to be a Smart owner. Friday, I picked up my very own Smart forTwo. No, this is not a purely practical purchase. There is a fair amount of 'want' involved. It suits my personality, I like being different, and the Smart is most certainly 'different'. So here we are, Sunday, and I'm finally posting about this :-). The Smart has almost 500 fresh miles on it. I have a nephew graduating from high school today, so I decided to make a slow and gentle dash up to Nashville. By way of the 'old' roads and some scenic routes. My oldest daughter, who wants this to be hers in another 3 years, rode with me as we cruised 260 miles in about 8 hours of just playful cruising. Stopping whenever the whim struck, for pictures, apples, or even just a chance to be silly. In short, a perfect day of life that we seized for ourselves. no worries, no cares, just a fun day.

My daughter won't ride the scooter with me, but this we could do, and so we did. So in addition to the other reasons I made the purchase.I now have to add, 'priceless and irreplaceable days of fun with my children'. Some Pictures are over in the Photo Albums. Sorry it isn't scooter related, but it is kind of my 4 wheel scooter (and it shares the same garage bay as the BV and People, if I ever put it back in the garage.

Misadventures in Computing and Other Tidbits

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:17:06 -0400

Uh, well, oops?!?!

So well, I broke it. It being everything. You see the weekend before last, I left town to go camping at a scooter rally (Joe Mama's Rally, the Atlanta based Terminal Scooter Clubs first rally). This meant 3 days away from the laptop (good thing). Unfortunately, upon my return, it wouldn't boot. A little diagnosis, and it turns out that the hard drive had failed. This isn't the first time that disk has failed, both times prior it had failed, it had done so at about the same percentage of full. Strange, but so be it. So I wiped the disk and prepared to restore from my backup, which I am religious about, I use both a Time Machine backup for hourly and daily, with a twice weekly Backup for a network attached disk array.

Unfortunately, the Maxtor external HD that I use for the Time Machine backup decided to ALSO fail, apparently it had issues prior, but they didn't show up when the drive sat on the shelf over my desk, but when I moved it (it was not dropped and it was powered off and unplugged), it broke something, because the drive is now unreadable. So I had to fall back to the network attached storage restore. It took nearly 3 days to recover the data onto a hard disk, but further analysis of the laptop proved that it needed a new hard disk, so Friday, it went winging off to Apple for a new hard disk.

Fortunately, I have a couple of other machines to fall back to, but I do appear to have lost a large chunk of my pictures, and a small set of my documents. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that anything truly critical is gone.

I did however take the opportunity to clean some things up. One of those things was to rearrange some things here on the blog. I've archived the old posts by year, and started bringing some of the old posts from the .mac blog over here into the archives. The downside, I may have broken the old comments, and I can almost promise that the RSS Feeds are going to show new things that aren't new.

Sorry bout that.

On the upside, the Rally was phenomenal with the sole exception of one of the vintage bikes soft seizing at 40+ mph on the ride out. Faith, who had never dealt with a seize before forgot to grab the clutch in her panic, but she kept the bike upright for nearly 100 feet before it finally bucked her. She's alright, a few bumps and bruises, but nothing broken, and the bike is very repairable. She even stayed for the rally after a quick trip to the hospital for a good check out.

In addition the weather is perking up, and the entire area is abuzz with bikes on the roads, including a very large number of new riders. How bad is the new rider situation? Apparently the MSF classes are filling so fast that they are booked within days of being posted as available. I've talked to 3 new riders that are struggling to get the class scheduled :(.

TGIF I think

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:17:58 -0400

Man, what a week. Work is insane right now, and to make matters worse, I've got more side work than I can handle right now. Isn't that how it always happens though? I had a couple of months where I was working to get jobs and they just wouldn't come, and then all of the sudden everyone comes back at the same time and needs it right now. Oh well, better take it while I can, I need to feed the toy habit somehow.

It's during weeks like these that I have really come to appreciate the value in the ride. When you sit down and look at the cost / value of owning and commuting on a motorcycle or a scooter, the raw dollars don't actually work out to be a huge savings (unless you commit to it completely and sell the car). The fringe benefits can really eclipse the economic factors.

What I'm talking about is the personality altering 20-40 minutes in the saddle between a hectic and soul-crushing day at the office and arriving at home. We are talking about a bio-chemical reaction to being outside and feeling the wind in our faces. It's like being a kid again, riding a bicycle fast down a hill, it's an almost giddy feeling that seems to touch something deep in the historical genetic makeup. I hear it from other riders in various forms, but so many of them just take advantage of it on the weekends and on pretty days.

Taking advantage of this during the week probably saves me thousands on therapy and drugs.

So why the sudden interest in costs? Well as a post on today's 2 Stroke Buzz, Beeb makes an interesting point about recent articles. Specifically the 5 this month about the Buddy getting 100mpg. Beeb questions that the Buddy 125/150 gets 100mpg. I don't know, but I suspect that in some places around the country, and some riders, the answer is yes, it can.

You see, for the past 3 months, I've been tracking my own mileage in each of my scooters using a handy dandy little iPhone app I'm playing at writing (which started as a webapp, but I'm now taking native).

Let's start with me. I am 6'3" and weigh in at roughly 230lbs. I generally have about 10lbs of extras with me, in my laptop bag and obscenely heavy riding jacket(which I love in the winter and put away once temps hit 75+). Then let's talk about where I live and ride. I am in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, living on the southside of Cumming. Between home, work, and the area where I do my shopping, there are hills and climbs. As best as I can tell, the distance between the lowest point and the highest point is about 182 vertical feet. Most of my riding is in this area. All of the roads are 45-55 mph speed limits, and the longest stretch of road without a stop is 6.5 miles, the shortest is about 80 feet.

My primary ride is of course the BV500. In the 3 month period, I have filled it 9 times. I think the numbers are a little skewed here, simply because this is the bike I take on longer rides, up into the mountains or down into Atlanta, but I'm putting an average of 2.19 gallons of gas per fill up, and getting an average of 66 mpg. Bear in mind, with a 463cc engine, I'm not exactly running WoT, nor am I doing the 'full throttle launch' under normal circumstances. In general, I ride pretty casually and work more on a smooth constant throttle line on the roads than getting from A to B the fastest. I suspect that more open road would increase that to above 70mpg which is what I got on the Chattanooga trip last summer.

The backup is my People 250 that I recently turned over to my brother to get him addicted. It got 6 tanks of gas in 3 months, and with less power I tended to ride it a little harder, but still rarely at WoT. The only non-commuting ride this bike took in the period was a 115 mile trek into Atlanta to get a seat latch repaired, and a meandering wander back home through some areas of the city I don't get to very often. I have always suspected that in the performance/price curve of the three scooters, that the People was the most efficient and these totals bear me out. The average on the People works out to 78.5mpg, and with a couple of tweaks, I suspect would be even better. The last 2 fill ups indicated 83 and 84 mpg, verus mid 70's it was getting prior. The difference was that until then, the People had Givi E470 top case on it.

The Chinese 150 (Shanghai JMStar 'Jonway' 150t) with it's crappy brakes and GY6 based engine has had just 4 fill ups in that time, because I don't honestly ride it that much, and when I do, it's usually getting flogged, for most things, it just isn't my first choice. So what kind of milage am I getting on it? over the 4 fill ups, only 3 of which are valid for measurement since the first one was to establish the baseline on the tank, I averaged 88mpg.

So after that wall of words, if I'm getting 88mpg out of a crappy 150 in hilly areas, with my 240lbs of rider and stuff, could the better built and arguably more efficient Buddy get 100mpg? I think the answer is yes, but not everywhere, and not for everyone. In flat areas, like southern Florida or much of the coastline on the eastern seaboard, with a 120lb rider that isn't running WoT everywhere, I think 100mpg is a very real possibility, but averages around the country are probably more likely around the 85-90 mark.

Hey, Maybe Genuine would like to donate one for me to 'test' my theories on, maybe two, since the Stella needs to be tested too right? I hear Red is the fastest color, so perhaps an Italia Buddy and a Red Stella? Oh well, a guy can dream can't he.

Although, if my brother buys the People, I see a Stella in the garage anyways :-)

Sunday Ride, Windy & Cool

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:20:54 -0400

Wind was the order of the day for yesterday. My brother and his wife spent much of last week painting their oldest daughter's room. Sunday, they asked if I would come up and help hang a chair rail around the room. Sounded like a good excuse to get out of the house, so off I went. An hour later, the chair rail was hung, and I was free to play, so I did.

I left my brother's house and decided to head up to Lake Lanier just to see how bad the lake still is. It is bad, real bad. Normally the lake should be at 'full pool' about this time of year. Instead, it remains 10-12 feet down, and the sight of so much exposed shoreline and prime fish nesting ground is quite depressing.

At the same time, this time of year brings out the wild azaleas and dogwood trees that are two of my very favorite sights in the Atlanta springtime (usually seen through red itching eyes from the spring allergies), and I did find one nice example overlooking the water.

Needless to say I enjoyed the ride, but it presented some interesting (to say the least) challenges. You see, Friday it was 82 degrees. Sunday, it was 52 with 30+ mph winds. Riding across the Buford Dam with a 300 foot valley to the left and one of the largest man made recreational lakes in the world to the right, well, it was a challenge. Fortunately, the BV was more than up to the challenge. I will say that the most nerve racking parts of riding in gusty wind conditions aren't the straight aways with the crosswinds, it is the turns when a blast of wind hits from the inside of the turn, when the whole bike feels like it 'lifts' a couple of inches before settling back down into place. Keeping a steady pace and a wary eye on the lines in and out of turns just becomes that much more critical.

Funny thing though. All the sport bike guys I ride with talk about wearing off the "chicken strips". Before I changed tires, they kept trying to tell me that scooter tires don't come with them, they didn't see the tires new. Now they have, but my "chicken strips" don't seem to survive a single trip to the mountains and I'm afraid that the sides of my front tire are wearing faster than the middle.

From there, I headed off the lake up into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, running out GA-20 to GA-372 up into the Big Canoe/Bent Tree area before coming back home. All in all, 140 miles, a little business, a little pleasure and by the time I got home, I was in such a great mood. No more stress, just relaxed, and ready to chill on the sofa to watch August Rush with the family.

Sometimes, you can enjoy the ride even more in adverse conditions than in ideal.

Fare the well Steve

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:23:13 -0400

Yesterday Steve Williams of Scooter in the Sticks fame announced that he was going to start upon a new journey, and that his posts on Scooter in the Sticks would slow down. For many, including myself, this is a sad day. Steve is a rare man who has the talent of both the visual and the word ( whereas I have neither, but since I also lack the shame gene, I do both anyways :) ). His contributions to the online scooter community through his art have had a great impact, and he will be missed.

I personally have high hopes that he'll be back after a short break, but only time will tell. Until then, Steve I will miss your art and words, you have been a daily read for me for 2 years now.

Unfortunately, I suspect that some of his new direction came as a result offrustrations with an upgrade on his blog which cost him some lost data, and more then likely, quite a bit of frustration. I can relate.

When I first started blogging about my scooter adventures, I made a choice to not use one of the commercial blogging systems and to post my own using a desktop blogging software. This decision came after poking and researching all the options. Blogger was the obvious easy one, but there was also the option of doing a privately hosted site using WordPress or Blojsom. The problem with all of the above is that I prefer to edit offline, and doing so in those environments meant a text editor, or a product like MarsEdit (which I now use for another site that I maintain for work, for anyone with a Mac and an online editable (WordPress, TypePad, Plosjom, Blogger etc. blog, I suggest that you run over and give Daniel a bit of money, the product is really that good and I won't say that all that often). At the time, I was already writing a personal blog on my .mac account using Apple's kinda of funky, but more or less usable iWeb product. You can still see those posts here.

Then in July, I decided to split my then all encompassing single blog space out into three seperate logs, as they related to what I do (and it is actually now five, as I've had to add one for my day job, and my personal one is back up too). Anyways, when I made that change, I also changed software. These days, I use a Mc based program called SandVox. It keeps everything in a single local file and publishes to the web when I'm happy with it. When used with backup software, this means that I have been through 4 computers since I started blogging with this software, and never had a blip of data loss. It also means that I can rework the entire visual aspects without ever impacting the content.

Unfortunately, once committed to one or the other, moving from one to another becomes very difficult, so while I've been lucky to find a system that works for me, it isn't a good answer for everyone. But then again, understanding that last line is part and parcel to understanding the choices involved in riding. Commuting on a scooter works for me, but for a couple of the guys that I work with, a scooter would cripple their manliness, so they have to ride 1000cc bikes with no storage. That works for them, and the scooter works for me. In the end, we all get where we need to be.

New Look, New Rider

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:07:52 -0400

Alright, so I'll be the first to admit that I really didn't like the old look of the site, so I decided to rearrange and rework. This is the result. Hope you like it, obviously I've tried to simplify things a bit.

As I mentioned in my last post, my brother was buying my People 250. I had just taken taken it up and parked it in his garage so he could get a feel for it, but this last weekend he asked if I would give him a little bit of 'getting started'. While I said yes, I'll be totally honest. I've spent most of the past 2 years learning about how much I don't know. The idea of teaching someone else. Well, it intimidates me, because of what I know I don't know. So part one of my visit was to get his MSF class booked. That took no time, so part two was the take it easy, ride along around the neighborhood, just to get comfortable with the bike, the throttle, starting and stopping. Blinkers, turns, brakes and throttle, oh my.

We spent a little over an hour just riding through his neighborhood, with frequent stops for Q&A sessions. These proved to be interesting, because I found myself frequently mentally referring to my three strongest education influences, the MSF course, Proficient Motorcycling, and the Musings of an Intrepid Commuter to put into words the practices of what the body learns through repetition. The one thing that kept coming home to me was that there is no substitute for seat time. No amount of reading, watching and dreaming can replace the real seat time.

So after over an hour of neighborhood, low speed practice, he felt he was ready to tackle a little more. So we tackled something a little more adventurous, his daily commute to the office. Figuring that these are the roads he will have to ride to supplement his car, these should be the first roads to get comfortable with. Again, taking it in sections with frequent stops, we traversed the 10 mile commute to his office. It was a good chance to really get out and get a feel for what he was signing on for. After the ride down, I could visibly see the confidence growing, but with it, an awareness of how different riding is in reality to the imagined experience. After talking about some of the things from the ride down, it was time to head home. Because of traffic patterns in the area, he uses a different route home, so we headed out that different route, and during the ride, I got to see first hand the improvement in his confidence from the first half of the ride to the second half.

It took a little over an hour to make the round trip loop with all of our stop and talk breaks, but at the end, I think he has the confidence to make the trip safely, but not the overconfidence that causes issues. In the end though, he is very excited to go take the MSF course, as that remains the single best resource for new riders, and yes, at the end of the day, he had the same ear to ear grin that all riders know.

The thrill of the ride.

Scooter Commuter Day, Spring & New Toys?

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:36:42 -0400

I know, it's been a couple of weeks. It isn't that I haven't been riding, it's that I've been so busy with everything else, that I haven't been writing! I haven't forgotten you, I promise :-).

Anyways, it's been a busy few weeks. After the Scootlanta photo op a couple of weeks ago, we got word of a 'Scooter Commuter Day' event being put together by the Georgia Office of Highway Safety, so that was a Monday the 24th (pictures in the photo albums). So I took monday off and went down to join in. For me, this is a bit of a hike, as it was nearly 90 minutes to ride in, in rush hour traffic. So I left around 7:30am, and rode in about halfway to meet up with another group that was rolling in from the northside. We got to the parking lot outside the Brave's ballpark (Turner Field) around 9:00am. Now, sunday it had been in the low 70's, so imagine everyone battling with temps in the high 30's for this ride, and the number of folks that aren't year rounders that walked outside and elected to stay warm. As it was we still had better than 70 scooters show up. It was an excellent event, and the Scooter Superstore of America showed up with swag in the form of t-shirts and they bought everyone lunch at a local legend, The Varsity. Even nicer was to see not just Scooter Superstore in the thick of it, but also to see Matt of ATL Scooters, and one of the nicest guys, Bill of Twist-n-Scoot all there and involved in the whole day.

I didn't get home until nearly 3pm, but it was a great, and most worthwhile day.

Since then the weather has been up and down, 30-75 on any given day. I still keep riding though. I did spend a couple of days on the People 250 while I put the BV500 in the shop for oil change, and a check of the rollers and belt. Both had about half a lifespan of wear on them at 6k, so I figure I'm pretty good for 10k belt & roller intervals.

It was interesting being back on the 250 for an extended period of time after riding the 500 for so long. I still enjoy the 250, but it's idiosyncrasies definitely raised their heads. The seat on on the People is either really awful, or the seat on the BV is that good. I'm inclined to say it's a bit of both, but wow. Perhaps that should be 'butt' wow. The shape of the People's seat is such that after 25-30 minutes, there is enough pressure on the mid-thigh that it becomes uncomfortable. On the flip side, the flat floorboard offers many foot positions.

I guess the issue is largely irrelevant though. My younger brother has decided that he's tired of $60/week gas bills, so he is buying the 250 from me. I took it for a last spin over the weekend as I rode it up to his place so he could get used to it around the neighborhood before he takes to the roads. He's ridden dirt bikes, but this is his first street bike experience. He's already looking at the MSF course so I think he's in good shape.

I expect work to stay heavy for another 6 weeks until our annual user group meeting is finished in May (Portland, OR if anyone wants to grab a bite or a drink while I'm in town), but I'll try to keep this updated in the interim, especially since I got my camera issues all sorted out (my D70 is back to life after a minor catastrophe).

Scootlanta

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:29:32 -0400

For almost two years now, I have participated in the online forums for Scootlanta which is the single largest group of Atlanta area scooter owners and riders. Though the Scootlanta community is made up of members of several local clubs, the board is, in many ways, secondary to the weekly meet up. Unfortunately, the meet up is Wednesday evenings, and it is in town, as in well into the city of Atlanta.

For those that don't know Atlanta well, it is the very definition of 'Urban Sprawl'. I live in the 'Metro Atlanta Area' but it's 30 miles by highway to the center of Atlanta, and that 30 miles is generally a 60 minute drive. Using surface streets that's a 40 mile drive that take 90 minutes. To give some perspective, the entire state of Rhode Island would fit in the Atlanta Metro Area counties.

Well, last night, I decided to head in town to join them at the Thinking Man Tavern. They were meeting up at 8-8:30 so I left the house at around 6:50 to head in town. I used a mix of highway and surface streets to get there, and it took about 90 minutes. For what it's worth, I can get to Chattanooga, TN in 140 minutes :(. When I rolled in, there were probably a good 30 bikes already there (yes, mine was the only large displacement 'scooter' attending), in addition there was a vintage Fiat 500 (scary, my scooter has the same displacement as that car), and a brand new (as in picked up an couple of hours prior) Smart forTwo.

Sorry, no pictures as my camera battery was toast.

Hung around until about 10:15 and then rolled out to get home. Got to put alot of faces with names, and meet some new folks. It really turned out to be an excellent evening and thanks need to go to Disastrid for pulling together a larger than normal event for the evening. as well as the folks from the Thinking Man for putting up with the crowd :-).

Ride to Work Day - Planning

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:47:35 -0500

For many of us, Ride to Work Day is every day, but once a year, there is an organized Ride to Work Day. The third Wednesday of July is officially Ride to Work Day. In the past, the publicity around this day has been largely confined to small pockets of riders. In order for it to have an impact though, it needs to be widely reported and carried beyond the riding community.

In an effort to make this happen around here, I have decided to do a little local promotion of the event myself, through local newspapers, television and of course community awareness. I encourage everyone to do the same, but in order for you to get any free exposure, you need to start early. Remind your friends, get it on your club calendars, let your coworkers and bosses know about the event. Call your local news papers and television studios. They always need 'local' stories and positive stories are always something they like to have 'in the can' ready for publication.

With skyrocketing gas prices and worries over increased inflation, this year is a perfect time to take advantage of the added concerns and pressures to reduce our fuel consumption, and our scooters and motorcycles are great ways to do so.

So, start your planning today. Get your local newspapers and TV stations to get some material in prepared and ready to go. We are quickly nearing 90 days to this years Ride to Work Day.

Thoughts For Josh

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:27:18 -0500

**EDIT** Removed the ChipIn page, as it's performance was awful and caused the pages to load VERY slowly **EDIT**

Last weekend, Josh, one of the intrepid scooter guys that works to bring us our regular fix of scooter related information, in the form of Scoot Quarterly was involved in a nasty accident. My first reaction to the descriptions of the accident was one of horror and now as we get more information, it really is one of disappointment and horror at the actions of a a few.

For Josh, all I can do is wish him a quick recovery, and send some funds to him via the Scooter Relief organization. In the past I've picked up my Scoot magazines from the bookstore, but I think I'll subscribe because I cannot think of a more meaningful way to say thanks, and I support you Josh.

For the driver of the SC, I can only hope that this incident will help you and your friends understand why it is important to drive within your limits and to use the thing above your shoulders for something more than a hatrack. Unfortunately, the impact of an incident like this will probably be forgotten by many in the driving community. The damage to the the driver and the car just isn't significant enough to keep it fresh in the memory.

In case you need all the gory details, this thread on Modern Vespa has the details. The short version is that during an group ride on Sunday, Josh was hit in his own lane by a younger driver in a Lexus SC300 that was apparently traveling too fast for the conditions (it was dry, warm and sunny) when he locked up the brakes in a turn and slid across the center line and into Josh. Josh was thrown off his bike and injured in the crash. The crash resulted in a helicopter ride to a hospital, and the word we are hearing at this point is that Josh is looking at several days in the hospital, with several months of therapy and recovery.

Regardless of the result, or fault, Josh and his wife face an immediate financial problem. With Josh unable to work for weeks, and a reduced workload for both he and his wife for months, the immediate problems are going to be the daily household bills, and it will take months if not years for the insurance companies to settle who is going to pay what. In the meantime, the newly married Rogers face a brutal financial battle.

Because of that, I would encourage every reader to make a donation, even a dollar helps, but the more, the better, and make them soon. It would be a shame to allow a young couple to be crippled financially by an incident in which they had no fault beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Josh, get well, and know that this part of the scooter community is here for you.

Wow, time flies...

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:20:30 -0500

Well, I feel like the last two weeks are a total and complete fog. Back around christmas, my wife and I stumbled on to a really great house and neighborhood for my mother-in-law, who needed to get out of her current house and neighborhood, as both weren't where she needed to be. The thing was, she really needed to be around more folks her age, and the neighborhood she was in was getting younger fast. Fortunately, my brother-in-law was in a position to help get the financial hurdles taken care of, so it worked out that we got her into the new house, and on Feb. 2, we did the move. The problem is that we then needed to prep the old house and get it listed.

So for the last week+ my wife and I have been over at the old house doing the prep work. Painting, patching, repairing & cleaning, you name it. It is alot of work, but the house, which IMO is a great little house, is now ready to be sold. So Friday, the realtor came out and got the sign in the yard, and it should appear on the MLS sometime this week.

So what does this have to do with scooters? not a whole lot (other than you'd be amazed at what you can carry on them) but it helps explain the lack of updates to the site.

As you might guess, I've been riding the scooters back and forth between work, home and her house, hauling paint, tools, parts and other stuff. Which actually brings me in my rambling way to my first real issue with the Kymco (did forget to tell you that the buyer backed out?) In the midst of all this hauling stuff, the seat latch broke. So right now I'm having to bungie the seat down until the part comes in. Hopefully the dealer actually ordered the part, which I can't confirm since they don't respond to email and I can't get down there in person during business hours. Guess we'll see how that goes in a week or so.

Unfortunately, after all of that fun, I'm now sick. There is a nasty flu/cold running around that is a hard hitting sinus/cough/sore throat/mild fever/achy deal that seems to hit hard and fast and linger for weeks. Hopefully, I'll heal quickly though, because I'm really hoping to get an organized ride started on Saturdays in April hubbing out of the north side burbs.

Cold in the ATL...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:26:29 -0500

So the last week and a half has been interesting riding. Unfortunately, pictures aren't attached, my camera appears to have broken so I've sent it in for repairs. Anyway, riding in the cold really doesn't bother me, but the last week has brought a couple of days where my riding skills have been tested pretty hard, as has my own perseverance with the choice to ride. When I made the decision to ride, I made it for both the 'costs' and the 'joys'. There are a bunch of people in the scooter community that swear there is no savings in riding a scooter, I disagree. In order for it to be cheaper though, I have to be replacing more than 6k miles per year on the scooter in order to hit the break even mark (cost of the scooter, parts, insurance and maintenance versus gas money spent in the car). Everything over that is bonus. Last year, we calculated that we topped $1200 in savings with the scooter.

In order to get those savings, you have to commit to riding somedays when you might choose otherwise. The last week has been a good example. In the last 8 days, we've had snow twice, which is very unusual for Atlanta, and lows consistently below freezing (into the teens), the entire week. Truthfully, riding in the snow doesn't intimidate me all that much, but there are a couple of things about snow in Atlanta that do. First, Atlanta has no real equipment for snow, no snow plows, and just a handful of salt/sand/gravel trucks, which they spread so liberally that the fix presents just as much danger as the snow. Second, Atlanta doesn't get just snow. Snow here comes with a liberal dose of ice, usually in the form of freezing rain or sleet. Third, most of Atlanta can barely drive in the rain, when you add snow and ice, people do really dumb things.

So Wednesday a week ago, we got the first round, with heavy snowfall arriving in the evening hours (around 5pm) and falling steadily until around midnight, dumping about 2.5-3 inches on the ground. Fortunately, it had been quite warm Tuesday, so the roads did not get too bad. Asfter midnight, the snow changed to sleet and freezing rain, so Thursday morning was little uncomfortable, but overall not too bad.

Then came Saturday.

Saturday, had I not been at my mother-in-laws new house painting, would have been a blast to go for a ride. With the morning starting off as rain, turning to freezing rain by 9am, sleet by 10am and by noon, we had the most incredible big fluffy snowflakes falling at a mad pace. By 5pm, another 3 inches of snow is on the ground, but the wind kicked up and kept the roads clear of the worst ice and snow. Sunday and Monday stayed cold though, and it wasn't until this Wednesday that most of the snow had disappeared...

And in all of that, I only took the car Saturday (to haul paint supplies, ladders and paint). What my wife calls crazy was exhilarating though. There were absolutely some scary moments (watching the older gentlemen in his Crown Victoria do a little donut as he hit the gas too hard turning out of his neighborhood right in front of me), but taking it slow, and practicing everything I've learned, I got through it unscathed, but I learned a lot from the experiences. Getting a better feel for how the scooter behaves when traction really degrades was interesting, and educational. I think that is part of what I love about those days, the opportunity to learn and gain more experience to make myself better. Everyday is like another day in class, and getting better is the only goal.

Cold Weather Coming?

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:16:53 -0500

Well, after a remarkably mild start to the winter it looks like mother nature has decided to bring the winter to the Atlanta area. I'm not complaining, we need it, but I may be breaking out the cheap chinese scooter for the ride to work later this week. With snow and freezing rain a distinct possibility Wednesday night, it'll be the chinese disposable scooter or drive the car. I'll have to play it by ear as the weather turns. It has already started to get cold though. Over the weekend, my wife and I enjoyed a picnic lunch up at the lake in a very brief sneak away from the kids that was very nice with the sun shining and a high around 60, it was a very pleasant afternoon. This morning was in the high 20's, with low 20's and colder rolling in the rest of the week. Guess I get to test out the cold weather gear.

Sorry about the slow updates the past few weeks. My wife and I have been a little crazy. She's starting up a little business that is a network marketing thing that looks really cool. It is something that could really work for her, and I hope it does. I'll talk more about that in the coming weeks, but for the moment, I'm helping her get her laptop set up for the presentations and getting her all ready to get out there and do the biz. Me, I'm also up to a new (old) business. For years, Druware Software Designs has been a place for my side projects, but I've never really invested any time into making it into more. That changed at the end of last year. Now I'm working on starting that up as a real business and a long term goal of that being my full-time job. Only time will tell though.

Needless to say, with those, and my day job all going, time has been a little cramped. I love the blog though, so I don't see it going away, besides, with all the running around on the projects, I'm getting some great scooter time in!

There is no place like home!

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 10:56:01 -0500

It's good to be home. It's good to be able to ride again too. For that last week I've been in Florida on a vacation with the family. It was a good vacation, we spent a week in Disney with some friends that moved to Florida a couple of years ago, but no matter how good the vacation, or how nice the resort, there is no place like home, and the comforts of familiar things.

After a long week of running around, driving to and from Disney from Atlanta, and then using Disney's excellent transportation system within the resort, it's been 9 days since my last ride. This morning, the air was crisp but not cold at 41 degrees and the ride was pure luxury. After more than a week in cages with others, the solitude and sensations of the ride was like a a drug; an addiction, a craving filled.

So while the vacation was good, it is great to be home.

On a sad note though, I have to bid a fond farewell to the Kymco People 250. I have a buyer coming to take it away this coming weekend. So Beverly will be the only scooter in the stable for a while.

Posts from 2007

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:00:45 -0500

Post-Holiday Quiet
Be Careful Out There...
A Prayer for John
All 32 degree rides != Equal
Regrets?