Scooting with Dru

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).