Rolling along nicely

Well, it's been almost a week and my scoot seems to be running like a top. The fixes the dealer suggested seem to have done the trick and I'm noticing none of the problems I had previously written about.

The Silver Streak is proving herself to be a very capable machine. She seems most comfortable between 40 and 45 mph, which is not surprising. The Flying Cranberry was similar in having a sweet spot at about 60-75% of maximum speed. While the Silver streak will attain a top speed of around 60 - 65 mph (reported as around 70 on the speedometer), she really shines under 50 mph, and for the roads I ride, that's absolutely perfect! I rarely need to go faster than 45, so the scoot has it where it counts, with more than a little wiggle room at the top end.

Here is my theory on scooter selection based on two factors.

#1) Will the scooter meet the needs of the rider?
#2) Will the scooter exceed the needs of the rider?

If you are considering the purchase of a scooter, it should fall under both criteria.

For instance, a resident of Lancaster City who will only be using the scooter within the city with no plans for ever taking it outside the city limits might find that a used Honda Metropolitan 2 with a top speed of 25mph will meet his or her needs; however, it will not exceed those needs as it is not capable of getting out of the way of traffic that might be moving at 30mph (very possible in the city despite the 25mph speed limit). A standard 50cc scooter with a top speed of 35 to 40 mph should exceed the rider's needs and allow them a very comfortable commute.

A second scenario would be my own. I commute 12 miles to and from work each day on country roads. Along these roads, the speed limit varies from 25 mph to 40 mph and there are several hills. I purchased the 50cc Yamaha Vino expecting that it would be "all I really need." Unfortunately for me, I learned the hard way that I actually needed some wiggle room at the top end so I could more effectively evade traffic. a 125cc or 150cc scooter is much more adequately suited to these roads as it does not bog down on the mild slopes of the hills I face each day and is able to accelerate out of the way of cell phone wielding soccer moms in their Hummer H3's. This type of riding would also be suitable for a 200 or 250cc scooter.

And yet a third basic scenario. Our third prospective rider has a 20 mile commute from Eden to Reading. This commute requires highway riding on route 222. A 150cc scooter is capable of maintaining 55mph on a highway without too much trouble, but the speed limit along 222 is 65mph, and the majority of drivers on that road exceed that speed by more than a small margin. In this situation, an engine capacity of at least 250cc is highly recommended. A 150cc scooter pretty much tops out at 65, and running the small engine at that speed for prolonged periods of time isn't going to help extend the engine's life. A 250cc engine has enough oomph to travel at 80 mph, but may travel more comfortably around 60mph. even this smaller engine may not be beefy enough to handle the job, and then there's the size of the scooter itself. Wind resistance really pulls on a rider at high speeds (I was nearly blown off the Silver Streak a week and a half ago). A larger maxi-scooter is really recommended 65 mph roads simply due to the greater wind protection and larger wheelbase. There are some maxi-scooters available in 250cc variants, but due to the larger size, 400cc and up would be the recommended engine size for these scoots.

So base your purchasing decisions less on "all I really need" and more on "a bit more than I really need." You'll find that the scooter you choose will serve you much better if it's best suited for all your needs and then some.