Scootering Blog

Last Post (here that is)

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:42:13 -0400

Alright, I know this is going to be an inconvenience, but it’s time.

As you hopefully know, I have been working on a new project, www.twowheeljunction.com. In addition to that the software I’ve used for this blog has become more burden than it’s worth. Because of that. I’m chucking it and moving to new digs in the process.

All of my scooter & TWJ related information is moving as of this morning to
http://www.twowheeljunction.com/blogs/dru/blog/

(I am ALSO moving my other content from here ASAP as well).

I will note here when the updates are made to the the new address until 8/1/07 and then this will cease to be updated.

Hope to see you on the other side!

Sightings and still more rain

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:15:36 -0400

Well, it’s been a wet wet week around these parts. Not that I’ve stopped riding, I haven’t driven my car since I took it to get 50 bags of mulch last weekend, it’s just been some wet rides :-). The longer I ride, the more I realize that the rain isn’t the obstacle, it’s the other drivers. Inattentive drivers are always a hazard, but adding rain makes things even worse. Fortunately, you can general spot them half a mile away, since they are the ones traveling too fast for conditions, crowding the center line, and periodically drifting out of their lane. Mirrors adjusted, eyes open, head on a swivel, and assume the worst.

Of course, riding means sighting though. This week, I spotted two more scooters that I haven’t seen around the area. Today there was a gentleman at My Friend’s Place on McFarland on a yellow Honda Reflex, and earlier this week there was a dark grey maxi turning left from Alpharetta Hwy onto Old Milton Pkwy. Didn’t get a clear look, but I suspect it was either an Atlantic or a Burgman by the color and general shape.

It’s nice to add more to the collection of ‘known’ locals, like the blur Burg that parks in the decks at North Point Mall, Chad’s Burgy off Windward Pkwy, the blue and white Met over at the farm on Bethany, the Silver Vespa LX on the sidewalk in downtown Alpharetta, and the pale blue and white Vespa ET that works in John’s Creek.

Wet Weather

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:01:44 -0400

When I first started this scooter adventure 10 months ago, I, like so many others assumed that to ride in the rain was to invite falling down. 10 months later, the rain is no different than another driver on the road. It’s just another threat to be addressed by proper preparation, awareness and gear.

Last night as I prepared to head home, in rolled a massive thunderstorm. I didn’t have too much choice, so I waited as long as could for the worst to pass, and then geared up and headed home. I carry a Totes Rain jacket on my bike at all times, and though I have some Frog Togs, I find that I don’t choose to use them as a rule.

That is one of the luxuries of the scooter design. Unless it is a torrential downpour, a longer rain coat is enough to keep you mostly dry, and the leg shield of the scooter tends to keep the worst of the wet off your legs. So comfort really isn’t an issue.

Last night was one of those ‘Frog Choker’ type of storms though. It came down hard and fast for about 15 minutes before I left, and then was just a good soaking rain as I was leaving. Unfortunately for me, things changed as I was on the way home. The rain got steadily harder, still, I stayed comfortable in my gear.

Riding as always though presented it’s challenges to see and overcome. But, wet pavement isn’t in and of itself quite so bad. It’s all of the hazards that wet road adds, in the slick street stripes, the puddles and the damp tar snakes that were 104 degrees in the sun just half an hour ago, but all of those hazards are still secondary to the other drivers, and are just more things to be aware of. When I got home, my wife’s first question, “did you get wet?”. Not so much. Today, we have the same chance of rain we did yesterday, with the same weather pattern, and yes, I still rode.

Weekend Ride with the some of GA Twisties crew

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:29:44 -0400

Two of the guys I work with are also the administrators of the Georgia Twisties board. Though most of that group is sportbike/sport tourer oriented, they’ve been pretty supportive of my scooter commuting adventure, surprisingly so, considering that they have strong opinions about what a proper bike is. I guess the whole, I ride everyday while they only ride weekends thing sorta breaks the whole real bike theory.

Anyways, this weekend, a small group of them invited me to join them on a ride through the mountains of north Georgia. So it was, that we took off on a reasonably short 220 mile jaunt, up hwy 9, to 53, 60 and eventually the infamous, 129.

These are generally considered to be some of the toughest roads in the southeast. but they are also some of the prettiest. So much so that in many ways, it’s like the motorcycle mecca of the southeast. Nestled in the foothills of the mountains, is little Helen, GA. Tourist trap, but also cruiser and bike central on the weekends. Though we did stop in Helen for lunch, we came in from the mountainside, not from the valley side (and the short hop from the very straight and easy to ride GA-400.

Anyways, it was just 5 of us, but an interesting mix of bikes, with a CBR600, a n FZR Intruder, a Ducati ST4s, a Suzuki Boulevard and my BV500. All in all a great time was had by all, though I didn’t shoot nearly as many pictures as I normally would, the few I did shoot are posted.

It’s ‘just a scooter’

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:57:06 -0400

In the past couple of weeks, Dan over Musings of an Intrepid Commuter has been talking about Scooters, and unfortunately, he’s right, there is a bad perception that scooters are not motorcycles, especially the smaller ones. The problem, is that these things are not only motorcycles, they are smaller, slower, and for a number of other little reasons (physics, lack of weight, smaller wheels, different center of gravity, etc) are actually less forgiving of rider error than bigger motorcycles.

I ride a scooter, every day I go to work, but I do so fully geared, and view the MSF class as a requirement for riding, regardless of scooter, bike or other. Taking the MSF class ‘for the endorsement’ is all wrong, but it probably won’t change, and I want to illustrate why.

Hollywood doesn’t help, showing the hip Jude Law running around London on his scooter, without any protective wear. Looking back at older movies, you won’t see many scooters with properly attired riders, so you have one expectation, and then you go on a beach vacation, and what do you see? Helmetless, shirtless, flip-flop wearing tourists on rented 49cc scooters blasting around the beach resort area. Does this set a bad example? yes, is it going to change? probably not. The bigger issue is that because of these things, people that don’t ride, or don’t have riders around them to advise them of the reality and the risks make invalid assumptions.

As scooter owners and riders, it is our responsibility to educate new riders, but many of these riders never take the time to educate themselves, nor do they join existing communities wear the consensus advice is ATGATT. With the recent infusion of chinese built 49cc bikes being sold by non-traditional motorcycle vendors, these riders are often getting into riding without the benefit of even having a motorcycle dealer giving some ‘getting started’ advice.

As usual, Dan has a good insight into the safety ramifications, and unfortunately it sounds like his exposure is primarily to those riders that really haven’t joined the scooter community in understanding the risks involved with that little ‘toy’. Unfortunately, there are a larger number of newbies to the scooter world every day...