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Post by oldchopperguy on Feb 27, 2016 23:50:28 GMT -5
Well boyz & gurlz...
Today it got up to over 70 degrees and sunny... So I ran over to Wally-World for some unnecessary groceries... LOL... took a quick turn around Grapevine Lake, and a short tour of my little town. Just needed to get the old "knuckles in the wind"... LOL!
And, I may have finally figured out just what it is that I like about small wheels (other than the classic scooter "look"). It's the fact that they "carve" the low-speed curves! Just a twitch of the handlebars, lean a tad, and the scoot flicks left and right like a slalom skier.
It's a micro version of the 150 mph "grooving" of a crotch-rocket on a fast road-course. The little 10, 11 and 12-inch wheels however, provide it at 30 mph on a winding woodsy path, or just "dropping the hammer" from a red-light while leaning into a curvy intersection!
This hard-to-describe phenomenon accompanies 50's, 150's and such, but is just a little more pronounced on a 200cc or bigger scoot with small wheels because the larger engine provides a lot more "giddyup" when you twist her ear...
The small wheels are still fine at highway speeds so long as they're wearing good tires and are well-balanced... But it's that irresistible "haul her over, twist her ear, dig that little front tire in and dust off the chicken-strips" experience that makes the small-wheel scooter as much fun around town as a big-bike on the highway!
They carve, and groove at city speeds like a big-bike on the open road... And THAT is the illusive reason I like the small wheels!
It took me eight years to figure that out! 
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by wheelbender6 on Feb 28, 2016 12:27:03 GMT -5
Agreed, Leo.
_On a small wheel scoot, you don't have to be actually going very fast to feel like you are going fast.
_Also, I can park mine in the virtually the same amount of space as a bicycle.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Feb 28, 2016 19:54:08 GMT -5
Agreed, Leo. _On a small wheel scoot, you don't have to be actually going very fast to feel like you are going fast. _Also, I can park mine in the virtually the same amount of space as a bicycle.
As the old "Ambien Beaver" would have said: "AB-SO-LOOT-LEE"...
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by rockynv on Feb 29, 2016 1:07:00 GMT -5
The adage hold true that its more fun to go fast on a slow bike than to go slow on a fast bike.
I was out on the interstate doing about 80 Saturday and a kid in shorts on a Sport Bike had to pop a wheelie to prove the superiority of his bike with an extra 1,000 cc's over my 250. The cross winds coming into the bay with the evening sea breeze almost took him down which with the saggy shorts he was wearing would have left quite a few marks. At least the concrete road surface would not have been as rough on him as asphalt until he came to the steel expansion joints. I was not impressed. He was upset since on the two lane on-ramp I had passed him and he had missed his downshift so it took him some time to collect himself and catch up.
I had more fun tooling about, looked at the new Honda DCT bikes, saw the leftover Piaggio BV350's being offered with 0% financing from Piaggio (tempting you to get one and not loose interest on your money in the bank) and ended up stopping at Walmart to get a a new folding cane since my old one that I keep in the topcase had broken the rubber cord again so that it was not holding together very well however got some ciabatta rolls, boneless buffalo wings and Colby cheese for my dinner. Toasted the rolls and melted the cheese over the boneless buffalo wings inside the rolls. Had some popcorn shrimp on the side. Moral is never go shopping hungry.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Feb 29, 2016 22:05:11 GMT -5
Rockynv,
Oh my... HAVE A BONE! Sounds like you and I are both Wally-World addicts... LOL!
Yeah, those kids on crotch-rockets in shorts and sandals are flirting with the plastic surgeon... First time I took Minnie Mouse on the freeway, I was entering on a STEEP downhill entrance-ramp with a gal on a rocket right behind. Nothing on but Daisy-Dukes, halter-top and flip-flops...
She downshifted several gears and gave it ALL Tojo put in it, and LAUNCHED the bike OVER me, landing 10 feet in front, on the back wheel... CHEESH! She was still bangin' gears and riding on the back wheel as she wild-moused the traffic and went over the horizon.
It takes a WHOLE LOT of ponies to wind up the tire and suspension and launch an 800 pound bike OVER somebody without a launch ramp. I've seen that done once before by a road-warrior at a stoplight... The guy did it to a POLICE CAR, which attempted "pursuit" with zero luck... Talk about "dissing" the cop... He totally trashed the cruiser's light-bar as he went airborne... LOL!
Those new Piaggio 350's ARE tempting! Nice rides!
I have one of those folding canes myself... Candy red! Enjoy the wings and ciabatta rolls (love 'em, almost like English muffins...).
Keep both wheels on the road... LOL!
Leo
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Post by rockynv on Mar 1, 2016 1:03:22 GMT -5
I ended up with the stodgy black folding cane to better fit in at the office. They are already freaked out enough when I suite up in my silver gray riding gear and walk out with the aid of a cane.
The Aprilia Sport bikes are all around 400 or so lbs giving them a better power to weight ratio which freaks out the kids when a 900 something cc Aprilia blows away their multi-liter near to half ton bikes.
Aprilia just upped their V4 Tuono to 1100cc this year though with good results.
It's probably a good thing my knees are not up to the task any more.
Perspective is interesting as the rocket riders view the 15 inch wheels on the Sport City as Small Wheels.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 1, 2016 1:41:15 GMT -5
Woo-HOO!
It's probably a good thing that NEITHER of us have knees up to boarding these toys... LOL!
VERY cool 1100! And NO chicken-strips... What MARVELOUS TOYS they make today...
Thanks for posting!
Leo
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