Scooting with Dru

I am not an instructor, and more to the point, I do not consider myself to be a great rider.  I love to ride, but I fully understand that there remains so much more to know than what I do.  Because of this, I spend alot of time reading and trying to learn more.  Sometimes though, things that I do come more from experience than what I have learned in classes and online.  

Riding what I call a "Street Line" is one of them.  Many of the folks I ride with chide me about the line I take through twisty roads, but that's fine with me.  These are the same folks that have alot more time on the bike than I do, so I listen, but I take what is said with a grain of salt.  Usually, the line chosen by these folks is one that is straight and fast.

The difference is where I am riding.  When riding on a track, the straightest line is usually the best one.  The problem, is that we are not on the track.  So rather than take the straightest and fastest line, I choose to ride a line that maximizes visibility and escapability.  So while the fastest line is usually closest to the inside line of a turn, I am usually in the middle/outside of the the same turn.  The reason is simple, if there is a problem ahead of me I get an extra millisecond of reaction time, and I leave myself an inside line to escape too.

What this means is that in that chicane, I am exaggerating the turns, while they are straightening them.

At no time in my time riding has the difference between the line been made more clear than it was last night.  I ran out to do a couple of errands and on the way home I elected to take a more circuitous route.  I was riding my normal line on a road I am quite familiar with, ( Pictured above, courtesy of Google Maps ) when  another rider came around me going into the section of road.  He wasn't overly aggressive on the pass, and honestly, seemed to have a good handle on the bike, so I did not really think about it.  In the above picture, we came into this section from the top.  He took the first left very tight to the double yellow in the middle, and set up for the second right quickly and accurately, very close the white line.   As you can see from the trees, visibility is poor around that corner, and set up inside, you won't see the exit clearly until very late.

As he came around the turn, he couldn't see the deer entering the road until he was 10 feet from it.  I was 150 feet back but set up wide, so I not only saw the deer before he did, I was traveling a slow enough that I could slow rather than have to make a panic move.  I got to watch the whole thing.  The other rider got lucky.  He had enough grip that he stood the bike up to slide left about 18 inches, cleared the animal, but was now sitting with too much speed and a bad line to enter the last left in his lane, so he crossed the double yellow into the oncoming lane, before nailing the gas and disappearing into the distance.  I would imagine with soiled leathers.   Fortunately, no one go hurt, but it worked as a learning experience for me.  It served to reinforce that though my approach is not text book, it does have some advantages. 

FWIW, the speed limit on that road is 35, I was running probably 40, and I would estimate his rate of speed at closer to 50, so while he was traveling quickly, I would not say it was beyond reason, considering that I know for a fact that a SMART car can run the same stretch of road at 55+ without slipping or straining the traction.  Given that, I have doubts that a CBR600 is going to have traction problems there.

I have to admit, the last few weeks have been interesting.  I love riding, and really enjoy my scooter, but recently, I've had to take a couple of road trips.  Frankly, they are just a little much for the scooter.  I say this because I have taken the BV500 on a couple of trips now and I have this recurring issue when I go slab.  Any ride where I ride over an hour at constant highway speeds (65+) when I slow down to idle at a stop, the engine stalls at idle.  From what I can tell, this is quite common to the MASTER 500 engine, and it is tied to the US only charcoal canister that eats up so much space under the BV's seat.  I have considered removing it.  Reports are that it solves the problem, and the engine runs smoother for it.  My concerns are the increased particulate emissions, scooters are not any better than most cars in terms of emissions per gallon of fuel burned (but by burning fewer gallons have a lower gross emissions than a car for the same milage).

This started me thinking about looking at bigger bikes better suited to longer slab road trips.  I find that the more traditional 'cruiser' holds little appeal to me, so I started looking at the 'Sport Touring' class of bikes.  There aren't that many out there, so I took a few hours to check some out.  It was an interesting day, but what I found was that though I think the FJR is great bike, it just fails to excite me.  The scooter still does.  So rather than spend the money to buy a bigger bike, I am seriously considering tweaking the scooter and keeping it until it is no longer practical to do so.

What this means is removing the charcoal canister, but also changing the exhaust, variator and adding a corsa power booster.  After doing a bit of research, I think I am looking at a Polini variator.  The J. Costa is tempting, but I have heard mixed reviews with the BV500, compared to the almost universally positive reviews on the GT200/GTS250's.  The Leo Vince pipe has the best sound, and provides a slight improvement, and the Power Booster gets good reviews as well.  

Given those changes, the only real weakness left should be the need for frequent maintenance, but that just isn't an issue when the maintenance is not that hard.

So while I did toy with the idea of moving back to a "real" bike, the convenience and fun of the scooter just makes it hard to seriously move to something like the FJR for me.  But, riding remains an individual exercise and what suits me, may not suit everyone. 

Ride Safe.

Since I first came to riding as transportation, I have heard the argument that motorcycles/scooters are NOT more cost effective than cars.  To a certain degree, I have been willing to take that at face value.  In my mind, it has always been a bit of a wash between the fuel savings and other costs, but there really isn't a way to really gauge the real difference.

The reason is that there are no metrics that makes sense when comparing cars to motorcycles.  Miles Per Gallon and  MSRP are the most often used metrics, but these are worthless numbers really.

Cost Per Mile

This is a metric I can get behind and work with, but what is a cost per mile?  In order to figure out a real cost per mile, you need to address the myriad of costs, not just gas mileage into account.  In order to give a reasonable expectation of getting a usable and consistant output number, you have to have some baselines for the metrics.  The first is to decide how long the Cost Per Mile is calculated, the second is to establish baselines for average fuel costs.

For the purposes of my metrics, I went and found the US Governments listing of average gas prices over the last 18 months to get a number 2.68.  For the electric vehicle I included, I used the vendor supplied estimate of .18 per charge and inflated it by 30% to .24.  Next, I selected a term.  Since 3 and 6 years seem to be pretty natural trade/replacement points in vehicle lifecycles, I used 3 and 6 years.  The last baseline required was to establish a # of Miles Per Year guideline.  I cheated here and looked at standard lease values.  Normal and High are lease milages.  Low is a number that seems to be about average for the recreational riding community.  So we have Low, Normal and High at 6000, 12500, and 25000 miles per year.

First we have the MSRP, the purchase price of the vehicle. This cost is fixed, regardless of the miles driven so it has to be split out over the time of ownership, 

Next we have the regular maintenance cycle, with oil changes.  These have factory intervals, and a cost.  Factor in tire change intervals and cost (seperate for front and rear), expected major service interval and cost, est fuel milage.  Because insurance costs vary so widely by driver and zip code, I would like to include this number, but cannot find reasonable statistics to do so with.

Taking this approach, I can arrive at a base cost per mile using the formula:

Cost / Interval for each expense item + Fuel Milage / Cost of Fuel Unit.

From there I have a number I can extrapolate out from.  Adding in a cost of additional gear and services to each vehicle for each year of ownership and adding in the MSRP / number of years to the miles driven * the base cost per mile, I get an estimated Cost Per Mile for each vehicle.

I started with my BV500.  With it's service intervals, I get a Base Cost Per Mile of about $0.15.  This is for all intents and purposes the 'operating cost'.  Add in the $6299 MSRP and a $500 / year budget for gear and service above the expected services for 3 years, and you get a 3 year cost per milage numbers of $0.75 @ 6000, $0.44 @ 12500 and $0.29 @ 25000.  

What this tells us right away is that the more you use the vehicle the better the cost per mile gets.

So what about my wife's SUV? With it's service intervals, it has a Base Cost Per Mile of $0.24.  When you factor in the MSRP of 42000, it has 3 year cost per mile numbers or $2.57 @ 6000, $1.36 @ 12500 and $0.80 at 25000.  Since most families keep this type of vehicle longer, if you use a 6 year number, you get $1.40, $0.80 and $0.52.

Seeing those numbers, my curiosity got the best of me.  Our SMART forTwo works out to a 3Y Cost Per Mile of $1.16, $0.62, $0.37 and a 6Y Cost Per Mile of $0.64, $0.37, $0.25.  A hypothetical used suburban for $5000 early 90's by KBB pricing with a 1000 / year of older car service budgeted in does better in the short term than it does in the long with a 3Y $1.07,$0.67, $0.48 and a 6Y of $1.43, $0.84 and $0.57.

Yes, there is a lot to process here, but what you can take away from it is that motorcycles actually do hold up well in terms of value, and they only get better the more miles that you use them instead of a car.  But what about WITH a car?

Let's say you are a high mile person in your car, and you replace a portion of those miles with a scooter, does it still make sense?  If your car is a SMART, no, it isn't even close.  However, if you use a scooter enough to cut 10000 miles from your SUV's usage, the numbers start to get really close.=, especially if you talking about a smaller displacement scooter like a Genuine Buddy 150. 

But where it gets really interesting is with the Vectrix.  Despite it's high purchase price, the lack of regular oil changes gives it a a base cost per mile of just $0.06.  It gets the same 3Y and 6Y scores or $0.81, $0.42 and $0.24.  Given those numbers, it really is not out of the price line, nor is it as impractical as it might appear.  The downside, is that due to it's limited range, it is almost guaranteed to be in the low side of the equation.

The harsh reality is that the math actually bears out that a scooter (or motorcycle) is a less expensive alternative to most cars as a replacement, but not as a supplement.

You can see the spreadsheet here.

Those who have ridden for a while have come to learn that as a rule, non riders have no idea what the laws are regarding motorcycles and that many of our enforcement agencies do not know much more than the average driver.  Because of this, it has become an almost standard requirement for riders to know the laws of their own area.  

There are a number of laws that are vitally important to be aware of because of how they directly impact the rider in every day activities.  Parking, oddly enough, is an issue that is so clearly misunderstood on both sides of the fence that has led to comical and tragic results.  The misconception that a motorcycle can park in spaces that are not designated for parking is the one that seems to lead to the most problematic issues.  Many non-riders assume that a motorcycle can use bicycle parking, or the left over triangles in parking areas.  Depending upon your locale, this may or may not be true.  

In Georgia for example, it is never legal for a motorcycle to use either of those spots.  The only exception to the rule is a 'moped' which is classified as a vehicle with less than 50cc displacement, which can use bicycle parking.  

Unfortunately, perception has caused a larger problem.  Many drivers do not know or understand this and get upset over a motorcycle taking up an entire space, as they are legally obligated to do.  Recently, that has led to some comical incidents.  One of the more interesting comes from the Capital Hill area of Seattle.  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident.  As many of us know, parking on the sidewalks will result in tickets and fines.  Parking in parking spaces can result in the bikes being moved, knocked over and threatened for obeying the law. 

Parking is not the only area though.  For many scooter owners there are other bits to be educated on.  

The definition of a moped/scooter is often one of engine size, and that dictates how they are licensed and insured, but also where they can be ridden.  Knowing these laws can be the difference between a day and court and a pleasant ride.  

Georgia is a good example, where the law can be a little murky with regards to scooters.  The short version, as summarized by the state is: 

Mopeds

A moped is defined as any motor driven cycle with an engine not exceeding 50 cubic centimeters (3.05 cubic inches).

Mopeds are exempt from the provisions relating to the registration and licensing of motor vehicles.

Rules to operate mopeds on Georgia roads and highways:

1) Must be 15 years of age and have in their possession a valid driver's license, instructional permit or limited permit.

2) Must wear protective headgear (motorcycle helmet).

3) No tag is required.

4) Every person operating a moped upon a roadway must obey the same traffic laws governing drivers of motor vehicles.

5) May not use limited access highways or other roadways where the minimum speed limit is above 35 mph.

The gotcha here is the 5th bullet point.  The minimum speed criteria.  Georgia has no hard and fast law on minimum speeds.  There is no minimum speed unless otherwise posted.  But, that is not the whole story.

There is second statute that has to be understood because it articulates the minimum speed rules:

40-6-184.

(a)(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as  

to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, except when  

reduced speed is necessary for safe operation.

(2) On roads, streets, or highways with two or more lanes allowing for  

movement in the same direction, no person shall continue to operate a  

motor vehicle in the most left-hand lane at less than the maximum  

lawful speed limit once such person knows or should reasonably know  

that he is being overtaken in such lane from the rear by a motor  

vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed, except when such motor  

vehicle is preparing for a left turn.

(b) Whenever the commissioner of public safety or the commissioner of  

transportation or local authorities determine on the basis of any  

engineering and traffic investigation that slow speeds on any part of  

a road under their respective jurisdictions impede the normal and  

reasonable movement of traffic, such commissioners jointly, or such  

local authorities, may determine and declare a minimum speed limit  

below which no person shall drive a vehicle except when necessary for  

safe operation, and that limit shall be effective when posted upon  

fixed or variable signs.

Here we have two different rules that apply in this context.  The easier one is (b) which clearly defines that there is no minimum speed unless posted.  The problem is (a)(1).  (a)(1) provides a judgement call criteria for enforcement.  It is this criteria that represents an issue for the scooter/moped rider.   Knowing the above helps the rider know what is an is not legal for them to do, but also to defend their actions should it be required.  

From my last post, and the title of the domain that hosts this blog, I hope it is obvious that I don't view scooter riders as anything but riders.  

Riding, regardless of what, is an adventure that should bring everyone that rides on two or three wheels together.  It is not something that should be so divisive within the communities.  Little has brought this quite as vividly to the forefront than the last couple of weeks in the ride to work blog-o-sphere.  Dan's three and a half (one, two, three, and a half) part postings about the uptick in economy riders sparked some interesting debate.  It also exposed some of the raw edges that seem to always be lurking within the rider community.

Even before I started riding, I was aware of the latent hostility that existed between the sport and cruiser crowds.  What I didn't know was how much the choice of bike almost becomes religion for many.  Being in the technology industry for 20+ years, I should have expected it, but I did not.   

In the technology world, we refer to the arguments of platforms and tools as religious flame wars.  Where millions of words of invective have been directed at other solutions from the the 'chosen' solutions.   The one that most casual people are the most familiar with is generally the Mac versus Windows arguments.  

It is an argument that no one 'wins'.  

That is how I view much of the argument between riders over what is a 'real' bike and the disparaging comments against bike that are not like theirs.    

When I started Two Wheel Junction a couple of years ago, it was with the intent of building a community focused on the simple fact that regardless of what we ride, we all share the same risks and reap the same rewards.  Even the 'economy rider' can understand the rewards.  Unfortunately, I have never had the time to make it into what I want it to be, a resource for all riders, regardless of type of bike.  

Little did I know at the time, that the Junction part of the name would come to play such a big part in my view of riders.  A couple of years ago, Steve Williams wrote a great piece about riders versus owners.  In it Steve makes the point that there are people that buy an item to use, while other buy it almost as a trophy.  What I find, is the mentally, I find myself taking the analogy a step further.  

People either define themselves by the way they live, or they define themselves by what they possess.

In my own casual observations, I have come to the unwelcome conclusion that the former are greatly outnumbered by the later in terms of the volume of what is said in the world, with a vocal minority of people that feel the need to defend their choices when in later category.  

I like to think that I fall into the former category.  I am not a person to buy or own 'status symbol' things, though I have been known to buy things purely on a want basis.  I think my SMART car falls firmly into that category.  I didn't need it, I had a car that ran, though it got crappy gas mileage and I did not enjoy driving it.  I bought the SMART because I wanted it, more than it made sense.  I may have justified it as saving gas and being able to park it in the sam garage spot as my scooter(s), but the truth is, I wanted it.  I've been told a couple of times by a neighbor that he doesn't understand me.  Between the scooters and the car, I could obviously afford a nice car, so why do I choose a scooter and microcar.  I do not have a ready explanation for him that he can understand.

To understand the relationship, you need a little background.   We both work in the same industry, computers.   We are both programmer's (Systems Analysts).  He writes code for Windows, using Windows.  He works for someone else.  I write code for Windows (and the Mac), using a Mac.  I work for myself.  Though I don't know for sure, I would guess that our income is pretty close.  He is a guy that drives a new Mercedes that he trades every 2 years, dresses almost exclusively in designer names, wears Armani sunglasses and a Rolex watch.  If he owns it, it's the best he can buy, and image is very important to him.  I on the other hand am at the other end of the spectrum.  I ride a scooter or drive the SMART (my wife drives a 5 year old Dodge Durango).  If I own a designer name, it was a gift.  I live in jeans (primarily Levi's 501's from Kohl's or Sears whenever they run a good sale), and t-shirts.  I think I've got a couple of cheap Fossil watches, I don't wear them.  

We both own bikes.  Obviously, I have my BV500.   He has a restored (by someone else) Harley Davidson Panhead that he rides occasionally, on the weekends, before he wipes it down with a cloth and parks it.  I don't think it's ever been wet.  It *is* gorgeous.  To him, it is a trophy to show off to friends.  To me, it is a tool, like a camera, or a computer.  It exists to be used, and abused.

And that, is the distinction.  People that buy bikes to ride them are the riders, they chose to define themselves by the act of riding.  In some cases they are also fiercely loyal to the type of ride, but it is done in a different way.  

To a degree, this means that the so called 'economy riders' that sparked so much of this thought process are without question riders.  That places even more burden upon the rest of the riders to work with them to learn safety as a part of the riding experience.  Unfortunately, there are many more owner than riders.  That means that it is even more important to emphasize safety and awareness.

With that in mind, it would seem that the riders need to regroup and plan to use this summers riding season to help spread the word.  Organizations like Ride to Work and their annual Ride to Work Day (June 15), need our non-partisan support and participation.  This means actively engaging not only the other riders we know, but the cage drivers and the owners to spread the word, not only that we are out there but also about the rewards we reap, and the risks we take and mitigate.

Because, no one is going to do this for us.  It is on our shoulders to make the roads a better and safer place for all of us, the riders.

Dan over at Musings of an Intrepid commuter has a good summary of an issue that I think most of the scooter community already knew about.  

The Economy Rider

These are the folks that are not, and do not want to be, associated with any of the existing community.  They bought the cheapest scooter they could find and they use it because of it's economy.  To them it is just a motorized bicycle, and as such requires nothing more than what a bicycle does in terms of training and safety.  

Dan makes some great and coherent points, but there is another side of this that, to my mind is even more destructive.  

These riders are encouraged by the media and the retailers.  First, every time we get a good gas price spike, we have the media outlets out there showing scooters and talking about the benefits, but rarely do they talk about the fact that these things ARE motorcycles.  

Since 2006, this video is pretty much a staple in the scooter communities to underscore the issue. Take a moment to go watch it.  It is the end of a live segment in Chicago talking about how great scooters are for gas and the usual fluff.  At the end of the segment, where this video begins, we have the reporter hopping on with a helmet, no gear and no training.  Do we need to see the video to know she is going to hit the pavement?  not really.

None of this changes the fact that every year, we get the same fluff pieces, and a new crop of people that buy a scooter under these pretenses.  Complicating the problem is the people selling them.  Not the reputable scooter shops.  Not the motorcycle shops. They are preaching safety and responsibility, but they aren't the ones selling to this group of riders, and that is the root of the problem.

These riders are not buying from the bigger, reputable shops, they are buying from Pep Boys, or similar vendors that are putting super cheap chinese built products that are questionable at best.  They are sold by people that know nothing about them, and do not care if they are educating the customer to be safe. 

Unfortunately, it is not a problem you can readily address, and it is a problem that continues to be a growing problem in the scooter communities, particularly as these owners get the passion.  I have seen them show up at scooter events, wearing flip-flops, shorts, t-shirts and not even DOT certified helmets and get very offended when some proper gear is suggested.  "It's just a scooter".  

Dan is right, it is a problem, but I'll be darned if I have a solution.

Like so many riders, sometimes, convenience wins over the desire to ride.  Then convenience becomes habit, and the old cycles begin again. That's where I was his fall.  Between being the kids taxi and some odd weather, I found myself running around in the cozy coupe (my SMART Car) more than on the scooter.  Interestingly, some of the old frustrated driver personality quirks started to reemerge.

So with the new year I've been back on the scooter more often than not, and it feels good.  The only problem, the weather has remained really strange (it was 25 on the way to work today, with highs of 33, and the home commute should be back in the low 20's).  That hasn't really stopped me, but it has made me reevaluate some gear I have.

One thing that this hammers home though.  I really enjoy riding in the cold.  There is a different feel to cold weather riding.  This is mildly entertaining, since I do not generally enjoy being cold. 

Anyway, before the holidays, I got to add a Scala Rider headset with Bluetooth and MP3 to my kit.  Personally, I am not one to talk on the phone, nor listen to music while I ride.  Both of those seem to defeat the purpose of riding.  But I do enjoy the intercom between rider and passenger or rider to rider when I ride with a friend.  The Scala had good reviews, so I went with it.  While it is configured with my phone, I have answered two phone calls on it, both kept VERY brief.  Even with those brief usages, I see the convenience.  I cannot see the appeal.  Talking on the phone is a distraction that just is not needed on two wheels.  That said, the sound quality is good, and the usability is very good.

The other toy I got to play with was the Sym CityCom 300.  After riding it, and it's stable mate, the Sym RV250 I am impressed.

The Sym CityCom has a great underseat storage in which  my 17" laptop bag fits comfortably.  A lot of nice design elements and features (I hope to have a full review posted in the coming weeks) make for a great suburban commuter. Compared side by side to the RV250 though, it is a tough choice.  Both have great ride qualities, the seating on the RV250 is a touch more comfortable particularly for shorter riders, while the CityCom has excellent storage.  Both have distinct aesthetics.  Despite different engine sizes, the performance is remarkably close.  Choosing between the two would be very very tough if I were in the market, but I think for me, the CityCom would be the winner.