Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Dead of Winter

It is cold. Today was supposedly the coldest day in four years. The mercury didn't rise above 24 degrees. I didn't ride today because I did not want to mess with a frozen throttle. Were I able to keep my scooter garaged, I probably would have ridden to a meeting I had at work.

I did have opportunity to stop in at Trans-Am Cycle. I had two reasons for stopping in there. The first was to check their scooter supply, the second was for information on a lighting project I am undertaking.

They have several scooters, including two Kymco Sentos, a 50cc People S, a 50cc Agility, another Kymco scooter of which I cannot remember the model, a 400cc Suzuki Burgman (insert drool emote here), and my previous scooter, still apparently unsold, sitting at the back of the showroom (*sniffle*). The fact that they have so many 50cc scooters most likely has a lot to do with the weather. Not too many people are crazy enought to ride a scooter at this time of year. It will be interesting to see if they sell in the spring though, what with the recent rebound in fuel prices.

As for my aforementioned project, I am installing some LED pods on my scooter for additional visibility. It has been a long time since I wired a circuit, so this might prove interesting, but I see no reason why I can't do it. Two of the gentlemen at Trans-am suggested that I install the LED's on a separate circuit with their own switch so as to avoid any potential problems with the Po-Po. I have all the wires I need, I just need to find a toggle or clicker switch that will work. They are rated for 12 volts so it should be no problem to hitch them right into the battery. Once I finish the project, I'll post pics of the scoot, at night of course.

3 comments:

Lee said...

I have been looking at LEDs for my taillight and turn signals. They now have them specifically for the Helix, and others. I figured they would look good, and add a bit of spice.
I'll watch out for your progress.
I do have a garage, and both my scoots are there for now. No more super cold riding for awhile. I need to get a battery tender, though.

Robb Ware said...

As long as you stick to the color blue (steady on, non-flashing), you should be okay with the PoPo in PA. You should still have a switch though in case you go out of state.

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&sessYr=2005&sessInd=0&billBody=H&billTyp=B&billNbr=0901&pn=3978

Robb Ware said...

Of course Maryland allows all colors except for blue or red. Figures... I guess a multicolored pod might be the best way, just change to the color of the state you happen to be in at the time.

http://www.bikernewsonline.com/2008/04/maryland-limits-auxiliary-motorcycle.htm