Post by sillylittleboy on Jun 10, 2016 23:02:13 GMT -5
Howdy! New guy to the boards here AND new guy to motorized two-wheel action. Don't let my handle fool you. I can be plenty of silly and there's a little boy in me who still loves playing with toys, but they're just bigger and better toys.
Surprisingly in my long and varied existence I've never owned any moped, scooter, motorcycle, ATV, or even a golf cart, but that's four wheels and not the same. I've driven dump trucks and 5-ton trucks. I've operated armored military vehicles from the M60 Patton Tank to the M113A1 Armored Personnel Carrier, but I've never really rode any gas-powered two-wheeled vehicles... until now.
I've always fancied a scooter and with me working exactly 2.1 miles from home, a scooter seemed like a much better commuter than my big 5.0L V8 Lincoln Mark VIII or our 3.5L V6 Nissan Altima. Took my time with the PDI. Stripped it down to the frame, inspected it thoroughly, dielectric grease for connections, silicone in other places, and some locktite and a reseat for nearly every nut and bolt. Replaced whatever was in the engine and gearbox with the proper oil for each and replaced the drain/fill plus with magnetic versions to catch those little metal filings.
Filled it with gas, turned the key, switched it on, and hit the electric start and after a few short cranks it kicked right over. I'm keeping it in the garage at a friend's (I live in a condo) and I go visit it every night and take it for a short ride on the residential streets. Getting in some ridin' time and experience before I commit to a morning commute, no matter HOW short it will be. It's been about three weeks and today I got it registered and have my monogramed plate (it's got my initials on it - vanity plate). I think I may do a practice run to work this weekend - without any traffic - and might just give 'er a go on Monday morning.
ANYWAY... that a bit about me and my new scooter life. OH... one more thing, I'm very familiar with Chinese manufacturing and lack of QA checks/testing. One of my many hobbies is RC Flying. All of my stuff for that comes from China, in fact I bought their version of the DJI Phantom 3 drone/quadcopter that cost me $200 vs. $800 (stripped down bare version) to $1500 for the Phantom. As long as you do the due diligence and baby and pamper them just a bit, then they're just as good as the real thing.
