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Post by JerryScript on Mar 15, 2015 19:55:55 GMT -5
You know, the kind where you have an errand to run, and you open your garage and the warm sun hits you at the same moment a refreshing gentle breeze swirls around you. You hop on your scooter and head to the store for some item on your honey-do list. As you turn on to the main road and gun the engine, you notice the trees along the street starting to bloom. You pull into the Home Depot parking lot, and reluctantly get off your scooter to go inside. The entire time you are inside, the smell of the fresh spring air outside is still teasing your nose. As you stand in line, your hands are already zipping up your riding jacket, and as you walk outside your helmet is on before you realize it. You hop back on your scooter, pull up to the parking lot exit, and instead of turning towards home, you turn towards your favorite area to ride through town.
Every town has one of these areas, where the trees line the streets better than elsewhere, and today the blossoms are 0n full display. You know the road, the one that winds around and through neighborhoods, allowing you to lean into your turns with your visor fully up, the wind blowing in your face. You come to that one stretch of road where it is safe to open it up for a moment, and enjoy the thrill of rocketing to top speed, then settling back down for the next full lean curve.
Then it happens, you remember you are supposed to be out on an errand, and returning to finish a chore. You start to head home, slowly, enjoying every bit of the ride you can. You approach your neighborhood, the turn onto your street less than a block away. All of a sudden, that refreshing gentle breeze swirls around you again, whispering to you "Ride On!" You begin to squeeze the brake with your hand, but your fingers seem to slip off, and your wrist uncontrollably rolls back all of it's own accord, causing you to zoom right past your turn. You glance back in the mirror, then turn the throttle all the way, and enjoy the ride!
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Post by Paladin on Mar 16, 2015 12:04:16 GMT -5
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Post by shalomdawg on Mar 16, 2015 17:23:05 GMT -5
howdy, yup as my dad might have said just go and blow the stink of city living right off of ya
lotsa miles and smiles to ya
ken
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Post by tvnacman on Mar 16, 2015 18:40:38 GMT -5
I rode to work this morning.
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Post by bandito2 on Mar 16, 2015 20:18:06 GMT -5
I unhooked a battery from the battery tender and took it to the rental storage area where all of my scooters hibernated for the winter. Hooked the battery up in the 2006 Reflex and started cranking....... After the float bowl filled she sputtered to life but didn't stall and finally settled into a nice steady warm purr. Put the tools away while it idled then took it for a few laps around the storage area property. I grinned as the wind rushed by mixed with the sound of the soft growl of the Reflex exhaust reverberating between the rows of long storage buildings. No hesitation when giving the throttle a quick twist. Good!!! Parked it back in the storage space satisfied with the easy start and run after the long winter nap.
Still waiting for it to get a little warmer and for some spring rains to come and rinse the road salt away before venturing out. Next time we have a day like this again, a fully charged battery will go into the Silverwing then they will both make the short mile & 1/2 trip to the driveway at home for much needed baths. Riding season here in SE Michigan is off to a tentative start with bikes of all sorts making their way out into the brief episodes of spring warmth & sunshine. I even saw that new trike, the Slingshot cruising through the downtown area the other day. Full on riding season is right around the corner!!!!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 23, 2015 23:50:53 GMT -5
I posted this elsewhere, but after reading your story, I felt a "kindred spirit"... It REALLY is great when the day just begs for a ride on the old scooter!
It's just plain enjoyable when a ride goes great! At least, on a scooter...
We've ALL had those days when you have a tank of gas that's not really all that flammable. And the freeway has an unnoticed slight "uphill" grade, and you have a nice 30 mph headwind... And your normally 70 mph scoot STRUGGLES to maintain 60, while you do your white-knuckled-best to avoid becoming a speed-bump...
But then, just once in a while, it all goes the other way... Woo-HOO!
Yesterday I had to run errands some miles down the road, and the weather was just right to break out old "Minnie Mouse" from under her winter tarps, move my feral cat friends off her floorboards and leave the family car parked...
I checked the water and oil, aired up the tires, filled her tank with premium and pointed her rodent-nose south on HWY 121, speed-limit 70 mph. What a day! Bright sun, a cool, damp 60 degrees (oh, how carbureted oldies LOVE that weather) and I entered the freeway from my FAVORITE entrance ramp... An OLD one, angled DOWNHILL at a steep angle, left over from the days of those sluggish first-generation emission-controlled cars. Plenty of "help" to get moving...
Merging with traffic, I noticed the old 250 was friskier than usual... Definitely got an extra-good batch of gas along with that ideal air! I had a slight "tailwind" and that stretch of road has a teensy-bit of downhill to it. THE perfect combination!
The ride was going so sweet, I pulled it over to the fast lane, and soon realized I was keeping up with everybody... Something I can't usually do. Once settled into the herd, I checked the speedo.  mph! I closed the wide-open throttle just enough to slack the cable and let the variator finish its squeeze on the belt... 89,  ... 92 mph and THAT was all she wrote. WILD! That was an actual -89 mph. Just enough to stay with (most, anyway) of the left-lane soccer-moms, semis and jacked-up 4 x 4's!
OK, now, I know what it's like to ride an Italian scoot... LOL! That marvelous "perfect storm" of extra-good running, a little tailwind and slight downhill road gave the tired old 19 hp Kymco the equivalent of an extra 9 or 10 ponies. Never happened before, probably never will again!
The old mouse is truly a 70 mph cruiser at best, topping out just over 80 on a good day, on a flat road with no wind, and most definitely NOT "left-lane-capable" but oh, when EVERYTHING goes JUST RIGHT, what a HOOT to actually USE the fast lane without becoming a speed-bump!
Now serious big-bike riders would laugh at anyone being happy about being able to run with fast traffic, BUT... All you small-displacement scooter boyz and girlz KNOW what I'm talking about... HeHeHe...
Could be the most interesting "factoid" coming from my romp down the freeway was the flawless handling of the smallish 12" wheels. At an actual mph, the aging Grandvista was every bit as relaxing and comfy cruising as my old-days Harley bagger. And that Shinko up front, and the Michelin at the rear were turning some SERIOUS rpms... So long as those small wheels are shod with good P-rated tires, and are properly inflated and balanced, they are NO hindrance to pushing the 92 mph tire speed-rating.
Now, to do something about the putrid, caramel-color the painted rear whitewall turned over the winter... LOL! A little sanding, a little bleach, and a half-hour of slapping on a fresh coat of "Motor City" paint and she'll be good to go for another season!
I know, THIS is probably a somewhat USELESS post, but... When an old geezer has a really great day, he likes to shout about it to his saddle-pals...
Ride safe, and enjoy the ride!
Leo in Texas
Read more: itistheride.boards.net/thread/7514/ride-goes-right-smile#ixzz3VH90xXgV
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Post by JerryScript on Mar 25, 2015 2:58:22 GMT -5
Definitely Kindred Spirits when it comes to days like these! Always enjoy reading your stories Leo!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 25, 2015 10:46:59 GMT -5
Definitely Kindred Spirits when it comes to days like these! Always enjoy reading your stories Leo! Thanks!
Yeah, riding anything on two wheels (or three, for that matter) knuckles-in-the-wind, sun on your back, etc. is simply a whole lot more of an "experience" than just getting from point-A to point-B. I'm sure it's a teensy little throwback in our DNA to the days when folks rode horses, mules, camels, elephants and such. Actually riding the animal was a different experience from driving a wagon or buggy pulled the critter.
I have one advantage over newer scooter riders, having ridden since I was 14, back in 1968. I don't have to wonder what it's like to ride a hot-rod, a bagger, a chopper, etc. I've built 'em all, ridden 'em all and enjoyed 'em all... Each one is different, and, trust me; they're ALL great! Makes no difference how many cc's, how much they cost, or how sharp (or how "doofus") each one may be. Back in 1962, I even had a tiny mini-bike street-licensed that would do over 100 mph, powered by an "animal" go-kart motor. Now, cruising 80 on the freeway on a 40-pound mini-bike on 5" rims, which I could carry onto the bus or train, is "a whole 'nuther experience!"
If I drive the family car to Wally World, well, I went shopping. When I ride the scooter there, the short ride there and back is a rewarding experience in itself. Even when some cretin tries to make me road-kill, it's soon forgotten in the enjoyment of the ride.
I'm probably a lot like others on the site, posting % on "how-to" subjects... Tires, safety, lights, drivability issues, Chinese versus any other "country of origin" and such. But sometimes, we all need to just take a breath and relax, and remind each other of the joy of the ride. After all, this site IS called "ItIsTheRide"! Whether we finally got our motorized bicycle running right, and are getting around the campus, ranch, retirement village or farm... or we actually made it a full season on our Chinese 150 without getting stranded (I actually DID finally get a Chinese 150 reliable and running sweet for over five years! Yup! DID it...) or even snuck our crotch-rocket past the 200 mph "double-dime" without getting killed, or facing a $2-grand traffic ticket... LOL!
The secret to enjoyable transportation is to just relish the moment, no matter whether that moment is spent on a 50 cc ride, crotch-rocket, or a big highway cruiser. (My Wife was born in Rural Maine 83 years ago, and rode a HORSE to get around, all the way through high-school.) She'd go back to old Dobbin yet today if she could... She never has liked cars. Just last month, she was perusing the site with me and asked: "Gee, don't they make HORSES in China?"... OOOHH-KAAYY, dear... Ya jus' GOTTA love THAT kind of logic.
So... Enjoy the wind in your hair, smile on your face and bugs in your teeth... And always remember: It IS the Ride!
Leo (still ridin') in Texas
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Post by shalomdawg on Mar 25, 2015 16:44:29 GMT -5
howdy and howdy
yup, i just need to see lotsa new threads from people out from winter hibernation and out to see what has changed in the world.
ken
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Post by JerryScript on Mar 25, 2015 17:57:27 GMT -5
Went to pick up my niece after school today, and wouldn't you know it, we missed the turn home! Had to take a long detour around the golf courses and man made lakes, and of course a stop at the ice cream shop. Guess I should get GPS so I don't miss those turns and get home on time, but I just don't think it's in the budget!  |
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mph! I closed the wide-open throttle just enough to slack the cable and let the variator finish its squeeze on the belt... 89, 
... 92 mph and THAT was all she wrote. WILD! That was an actual 