More Rover and scooter club

There was a super secret special session of scooter club tonight. So super secret that even though an e-mail was sent out, only three people showed up (that includes the gentleman in whose garage the club "meetings" are held).

Rover went with me and had his picture taken with a line of vintage scoots. Three are Vespas I believe and one is a Lammy.

Here is a better picture of the scooters. They are in various states of repair. Several of the club members have Vespas or Lambrettas that actually run. tee hee!


One of the members has this fantastic 175cc Honda motorcycle. I start to drool a little every time I see it.


I enjoy going out to the scooter club "meetings." I'm a bit of an oddball because my scoot is a lot newer, but I'm learning a lot and have the urge to, at some point, get ahold of an older scooter so I have something to wrench on with the rest of these good folk.

Chuck Mead Scooter video

Scooters, catchy tune, a bit of humor, what more could you ask for?



Alternatively, it can be found on "Vimeo" instead of Youtube if you're not able to view Youtube for whatever reason:


I Wish It Was Friday from Scooter Video on Vimeo.

Not terribly familiar with the artist, but the various scooters and mopeds in the video are fantastic. I love the old Passport. I WANT!!

Rover ...roves...

I took rover for a little ride after work today. I'd originally planned to take him to work with me, but that idea flew out the window when I was a little rushed getting out the door this morning. To make it up to him, I took a little ride through Amish country with him. We saw a covered bridge (admittedly closer to civilization than not), and some freshly mown hay fields. It was quite a beautiful evening for rambling around the countryside.

It was almost too hot though for a while. Even on the scooter, the heat was a little oppressive during the mid afternoon.

New Banner...random thoughts.

I changed my banner as any of my regular readers probably noticed already. As I've mentioned previously, I am a follower of Christ, the Risen One, and make no apology for it. I'd never mentioned it before, but the reason for my name choice for this blog was not because I'm some idiot riding a scooter (though that may be close to the mark), but rather due to my faith and the fact that many see faith in Christ as foolishness.

My faith defines me. It gives meaning and hope to my life. It may seem silly to some, especially in today's humanistic society.

I'd like to make some stickers for the scoot with the above design, including the web address of course. I just need to either figure out how to do it myself, or find a sign and sticker place that will print a few for me on the cheap. Either that or I'll paint the design on the scoot myself, but I'd rather just use decals.

On a completely unrelated note, I plan to have Rover ride to work with me tomorrow, then we'll probably run around the county a bit after 2:30. Should be fun.

A visit from Rover

The authentic ScootDawg has arrived. I am part of a "baton passing" initiated by a gentleman on the ScootDawg.com forums. The idea is to pass Rover from person to person, preferably transfering him via scooter, until he has made his way across the country. He will collect memorabilia on his journey until he finally reaches the end. So far he's made it through four or five folks and spent much of the winter in New Jersey. He made it to Philly two weeks ago, and now he is with me.

We went around a bit of Lancaster county with my son carrying rover on the scoot.
He is pictured above at the Strasburg Railroad.

Touring around Amish Country.


And our final stop of the day, tromping around Lititz, PA

Suzuki to bring mid range scooter to U.S.?

This morning I had a few errands to run and was scheduled to meet my Pastor in Terre Hill for a run to the Green Dragon Flea Market in Ephrata PA. I was running a little early, so I stopped in at the Suzuki dealership in New Holland.

They had an impressive array of bikes for such a small dealership, with two Burgmans on the floor (one 400 and a 650), several Boulevards, and a nice 250cc single.

I spoke with a gentleman there (the owner I believe), who stated that Suzuki has plans to bring a mid-range scooter to the the States sometime this summer. He said it looks somewhat like a Burgman and is supposed to be around 250cc. Perhaps it is similar to the 200cc Burgman available in Great Britain?

Time will tell. I can't seem to find anything online yet on the subject. It would be nice if they just skipped the Burgman 250 and Brought us the Gemma. Ooh that would be nice. It would certainly make sense since the Gemma looks really good and would certainly draw some looks from folks like myself who might be interested in a touring scooter for longer trips to complement their commuter.

I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Rain Gear

Today's weather forecast was more than a little gloomy. The forecasts I was able to find ranged from cold and wet to cold and mostly wet.

Turns out it was closer to the latter.

I picked up a yellow rain jacket and black rain pants when I was at Valley Powersports in Northampton Mass.. They worked rather well. Not only is the yellow jacket weather-proof, it's also...well, yellow. It even has a reflective strip on each of the arms and accross the back.

I was glad to have the jacket, but the pants didn't work very well when I got into a downpour near Norristown, PA. They didn't work very well because they were in my backpack rather than on my legs.

In all, the trip took close to 12 hours because of rush hour traffic in the Philly area. Of course, the traffic signs or lack thereof in CT and NJ didn't help any. The trip up actually took a bit less time (11.5 hrs), and it wasn't nearly as direct a route.

On a completely unrelated note, when I crossed over into New Jersey, I noted a very interesting phenomenon, which I think is probably unique to the U.S.A.. On three adjacent lots, two on one side of the road and the third accross the street from the second, there were a Hindu temple, a Lutheran Church, and a Jewish Synagogue. How's that for multicultural? And no holy wars to boot!

Home again

I made it home just a bit ago. I didn't take as much video on my return trip since I was trying to save time. Unfortunately, it took me longer than the trip up due to traffic.

I'm finding that I could really benefit from a GPS if I am going to do more long distance riding. I got a bit turned around a few times in Connecticut and New Jersey due to poor signage. New York and PA seem to have much better road sign placement.

Here is my final video blog from the trip:

Berkshire ramblings - take 2

Due to the size of the previous file, I was forced to split up the video for my trek through the Berkshire mountains.

Here are the three resulting vids, in order:

Flying high

Despite earlier weather forecasts to the contrary, this morning dawned sunny with partial clouds. I rode out to find an air filter for my scoot, and after finding that the local dealers were all closed, I wandered around a bit.

As I was riding, there was this sudden roaring, and I looked up to see an F-18 whizzing by overhead, less than 100 feet up. The shock of its passing sent chills all up and down my spine. It was exhilarating!

I stopped to take some video:

Sunday Video Blogs

It's a little long, but it follows much of my travels through the Berkshires, prior to my stop at the Blandford country store.

I had to rework the long video because Youtube had an issue with the length. Not a big deal, I'll just split it up and post it again once my computer gets it all compiled.

Here is the video I took after leaving Blandford:

Berkshire ramblings

I'm sitting in yet another coffee shop. This one is in Blandford, MA, in the Blandford Country Store. I'm tapped into wi-fi from the library accross the street. It's a beautiful day out. Right around 60 degrees. Warm enough that I don't need my fuzzy cowl, but chilly enough that I'm glad to have my heavier jacket.

I wandered around through several of the towns from my childhood. The scenery was beautiful. I took about 17 minutes of video. Unfortunately it was too much for my little 2GB SD card. I had to delete the pics and vids I'd already downloaded to my computer, then when I stopped, I had to clean it off again. It's good quality at least.

I find myself lusting after a helmet cam or something I can mount on the front of my scooter. I saw one yesterday for $160 and was sorely tempted, but I really can't afford one right now, so I resisted the urge.

If you watch the video I took, you'll hear me say something to this effect, but I grew up very close to rushing water. That sound is somehow comforting to me, which stands to reason I suppose, since it was a constant part of my early childhood. That and trains. I feel a great sense of peace when I hear a train whistle, but then, the main line from Springfield to Albany ran practically on my front doorstep when I was a kid.

In a way, my journey was sad today, but it was also peaceful. The places I know from my youth have changed. In many ways they are much more run down then they were. The field below my childhood home is now almost entirely filled with weeds and saplings. The home of my youth is now a different color. The home of a childhood friend is boarded up. The church building where my father preached God's word for nearly 30 years, is a decaying husk of a building.

On the other hand, I've been able to spend quality time with my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and nephews. I'll be reconnecting with my brother this evening and two of my mentors from my youth and teen years.

So, a sad time, but full of promise.

Sunday morning

I had a nice ride up the "General Knox Trail" this morning to the lovely little town of Blandford Mass.. Blandford is yet another small town in the Berkshires, but I spent a lot of time there as a kid. My best friend (from my toddler years until I was about ten years old) lived there, and I entered several paintings in the Blandford Fair.

I attended Church at the Blandford Congregational Church. It was pleasant, though I'll admit, I did fall asleep, I mean...I was meditating!










My mother broke my...meditation...with an elbow to the ribs and I remained focused for about two minutes before I was...meditating again.

After Church, I descended from the mountain top via route 23, left my scooter at my Mom's house and treated her to a nice lunch at Applebee's. It was quite pleasant.

Now, I'm off to ride again. I'm hoping to meet up with another scootster, but am waiting for a call. If not, I've got plenty of places to go.



Here is another video blog from yesterday of Southampton Mass.:

Trip video blog #2

Here is the video from today's travels

I'm sitting in a little cafe in Westfield MA. It's a nice little place called the Tea Pot Gallery. There's a guy playing the blues over yonder and I have a piece of chocolate cake and a cup of tea to keep me company. Life is indeed good.

I spent some time with my sister and brother-in-law. It was pleasant to see them. One of my nephews was fascinated by the scooter. He kept looking at my helmet and climbing on the scooter's seat.

My sister served some fish and chips, and I drank a tall cup of orange Crush...or something like that.

Well, my chocolate cake is done. The tea's still sitting there though. I think it's looking at me...oh...nevermind, that was just the money I could be saving by not switching to Geico.

Hopping place this is. Seems to be lots of younger folk, but also a good mix of older adults as well.

I wish I'd brought my harmonicas...I'd ask the guy who's playing if he wanted a little accompaniment, but they are back at my mother's house. Oh well.

Saturday journeys

Last night I set my alarm for 7:30. This morning I hit the snooze nine times. I know this because my Blackberry snoozes for 10 minutes and I didn't get up until 9:00. Well, as they say, “the best intentions of mice...” (my more geeky readers will get that reference).

After making this morning's blog entry, I headed to Northampton, MA, and wandered around a bit. I purchased a bottle of green tea from a Dunkin' Donuts. There was a Vespa parked out front, which is the singular reason I stopped there.

I eventually made my way to Valley Motorsports, where a kindly gentleman helped me find a bottle of Amsoil. Unfortunately, they didn't have scooter oil specifically, but motorcycle oil will work. The differences are minimal enough as to not matter at all, I just prefer to use scooter oil because I do. How's that for logical reasoning? Don't question my OCD tendencies and I won't question yours!

Moving on...

The Silver streak then carried me to the grounds of the Church building where I attended school from kindergarten to fourth grade. The Church is still there but the school closed 24 years ago. I knocked on the door to the parsonage, and the pastor was more than willing to give me the grand tour. The building seems so small, of course, things look a lot bigger when you're three feet tall. I spoke with one of the ladies who had been involved with the school. It was nice to see someone I had not seen since I was ten years old.

After leaving the Church property, I made my way down S.R. 66 to Westhampton. I took some pictures of the Congregational Church and made my way back to where I now sit. Outlook Farms is a little general store/deli in Westhampton Mass.. They have a few tables and a booth, so I sat down for a sandwich. One italian sausage sandwich (with mustard and horseradish) later, and I am unfit to be around civilized people. Which is just fine with me.

I think I will hop back on the scooter and find civilized people just so I can annoy them.

Safely to my destination

I made it to Westfield MA safely. I took some video of my trip, as well as some regular photos. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi hotspots aren't all that common in rural America, so I stuck all my videos together in one compilation.

Once I upload this, I'll be heading up into the Berkshires. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see a lot of the places I remember from my youth.

Preparing for departure

Well, tomorrow is the day. I can hardly believe it's already here. All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...but it's a scooter, not a jet plane. I recorded a brief video blog as well. The quality isn't fantastic, but I knocked it down a bit so it would upload faster.

I wish I'd thought of this earlier...

Well, my trip is two days away, and my plans are starting to come together and fall apart. I had planned to do some camping, then stay with my mother for a day or two. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any open campgrounds in that area until the first of May.

I called the Mass. dept. of parks and recreation, and was unsuccessful in obtaining a campsite at any state parks. Not that there are no campsites available, but rather because they don't open their camping facilities this early in the year.

I've e-mailed a few private campgrounds. I'm hoping that one of them will jump on the chance to make a little extra outside their normal season. We shall see.

Trip planning

Well, my journey to my natal land is soon upon me. I've had to change my route a little, so I can participate in a little baton passing. I'll be packing tomorrow and Thursday.

I am looking forward to my trip. It should be a lot of fun.

Here is my planned route. I may depart from it here and there, but we shall see.


View Larger Map

Things are not always as they appear

There are some things in life that surprise us in their incongruity. From an unassuming caterpillar's cacoon springs a butterfly, from a brown shriveled bulb springs a beautiful flower, and from a 47 year old Brittish woman, comes this:

We are often quick to judge based upon appearances. The woman in the video that I linked to, appears ordinary, perhaps even frumpy, but her voice is anything but ordinary.

I am not one to watch reality TV, and this was aired in Great Britain, so I would not have seen it anyway, but in this case, I believe that a reality show did a great service for society by reminding us that many times, our first impressions are far from accurate.

Sunday ride

I took my son out to ride his dirt bike again yesterday. He seemed to have a blast. Here are a pair of videos I took.

Something smells like money!

It never takes long. As soon as something becomes popular, politicians suddenly see it as a way to make money. Of course, they couch it in such things as "protection of public safety," and so on, but really? Do they think we are that stupid?

By now, all of my readers should be aware that scooter sales hit record numbers last year. That isn't even counting the sale of Chinese scooters. Since then, several states have moved to change their laws concerning these vehicles. Mopeds and scooters fall under varying degrees of regulation, depending upon the state in which they are used. Some states, like Pennsylvania, have a fairly clear definition of all motor vehicle types and have been requiring registration on scooters for a long time. Others, like California, treat even small 50cc scooters as motorcycles and require the same of riders of Goldwings or Vespas. Still others have little to no requirements for riders of scooters or mopeds, and may even fail to properly differentiate between the two vehicle types, simply labeling both as "moped," despite the obvious lack of operable pedals on a scooter.

North Carolina is making changes, and there is a bill on the table in Nevada. There are rumors of changes to Massachusetts law and I vaguely recall something about changes to Virginia's regulations as well (but cannot find reference to it at the moment). These states previously had little to no requirement for these vehicles. No registration, insurance, and, in some cases, no license. That is all changing.

Personally, I don't see it as a bad change. Scooters are motor vehicles, and are just as dangerous as any other motorized conveyance. It makes sense for scootsters to have a motorcycle license and insurance. Registration is a bit of a non issue for me, but a licensed and insured operator should go without saying.

There is, of course, a bit of an outcry from those who are facing these changes, and to some extent, I understand, but on the other hand scooter registration is nothing new for most of the rest of the country, so stop whining (I'm only teasing of course).

He is Risen

This morning's sunrise is a reminder of the risen Son of God. A substitutionary sacrifice on the behalf of all mankind. His life given so we would not have to die. His life taken up again, so we might live indeed.

That was yesterday...

And yesterday's gone...

Unfortunately, this morning has dawned very wet. My in-laws are visiting from Western Pennsylvania and I had plans to go a few places with my dad-in-law. I am blessed to have parents-in-law with whom I get along very well. I know many folks who cannot make that claim. It is my hope that we can run up to Cabela's later today. I'm not in a position to purchase anything there at the moment, but the place fascinates me whether I have the money to buy anything or not.

If you have never visited one of Cabela's retail locations, you have missed out on a fantastic experience. Cabela's not only retails outdoors gear, they also have what amounts to a natural history museum, replete with live fish of various types, right in the store. Even if one is not interested in hunting, fishing, camping, or whatnot, the animal displays are certain to impress.

I was able to get out for a nice ride yesterday. It was only about 40 miles, but the weather was nice and it was a very pleasant time to be out in the elements.
As is my general habit, I took at least one road I've never been on, and found myself crossing a bridge over Chiques Creek. The view (despite the guardrail) was picturesque, so I stopped to shoot one with my little Canon.

The road took me up to Esbenshade road, just east of Mount Joy, which is close to the "Lazerdome," a local teen/pre-teen hangout, where an old friend of mine happens to be one of the managers. I didn't stay very long. There were too many adolescent hormones running around in that place, and too many kids hanging on each other for my comfort (can I get an "EEEEWWWW" from the congregation?). There is something about the goopy-icky-sappyness of teen romance that makes me want to relieve myself of my last meal. Aside from that, if one enjoys loud, dark places with flashing lights and tons of video games, well, the Lazerdome certainly has that in abundance.

I continued my journey down 722 to Mount Joy, then off toward Elizabethtown. Before I made it that far, I turned off onto a side road (I can't recall the name), and made my way up to Kinsey's Outdoors (similar to Cabela's but on a much smaller scale, and without the fish). I've purchased a revolver from them previously (a Daniel Wesson 357 with removable barrel), and have been very happy with it. It's actually the firearm I use for deer hunting.

My son called while I was there to alert me to the fact that his grandparents had arrived, so I hopped back on the Silver Streak and headed home. Despite my better instincts, I decided to take route 283 since it would be faster than the back roads. I was pleased to not that it was not as bad as I had expected and my scooter held onto a respectable 72mph indicated on the speedometer (probably about 64-65mph actual). The ride was completely stable and solid. I have my windshield back on, so the scooter handled very well.

One of my readers suggested that drilling a hole at the end of each of the cracks should stop them from spreading. I did so, and re-installed the shield. Riding without it was not at all something I would like to repeat.

Yesterday was a wonderful day for riding and tomorrow promises more of the same. Perhaps today's weather is a good reminder of the somber nature of the day. Yesterday was Good Friday, the day on which we followers of Jesus Christ commemorate His substitutional death on the cross of Calvary. According to the teachings of Scripture, His body lay in the tomb of a rich man through the sabbath day, and on the first day of the week, He rose victorious from the grave, offering salvation to all who would accept it. So, today is a day for introspection, and perhaps the weather is well suited for that.

The above picture is one I created several years ago using Photoshop. If you wish to use it, please ask permission and give credit to the source.

Honda hikes prices

It was inevitable, and there have been winds of rumor about this for a few months, but Honda has finally done it. The Metropolitan scooter now retails for $2,399, the Ruckus retails at $2,499, and the silverwing is at $8,499. The venerable Rebel has even seen a price hike from $3,399 to $3,999. Those are only the scooters and the Rebel. I don't have any info on the prior pricing of their other bikes to work with.

I found speculation this morning on Urbanscootin.com as to the reason for the price hikes, but it seems the wind of opinion ranges from, "Honda doesn't care about their customers." to, "perhaps it's the exchange between the Yen to the Dollar."

Personally, I'm inclined to think it has more to do with the current economic slump and the value of both the Dollar and Yen. I would think that cutting costs within the company, starting with the perks at the top, would be more effective than hiking the cost of products in an already weak economy. Of course, if scooter sales did as well in the first quarter of this year as they did in the last two quarters of last year, that may be a moot issue. I'm fairly certain the numbers were not nearly as good, simply judging from the scooters still sitting in showrooms at local dealers.

It will be interesting to see how this effects Honda, and how other companies react with their own pricing.

Aniversary ride

Since it has been a year since I purchased my first scooter, I decided to take a celebratory ride. I stopped at Lee's house from the "Life is Good" blog to see if he would like to come along. He was in the middle of some frustrating plumbing work, so he gladly agreed to take a break, hopped on his Honda Metropolitan, and we were off to galavant around through the farm country of north-western Lancaster County.

It was a pleasant day for it with 60 degree weather and bright sunshine. Riding along behind a 50 brought back very fond memories of my Yamaha.

We rode for a good 45 minutes, but as I am still recovering from my respiratory distress of earlier in the week (and spent a good part of the ride hacking my lungs up, so it was shorter than I would have liked. Still, it was fun, and I enjoyed myself immensely.

One year

Well, the day is here. One year ago, on this very day, I purchased my first motor scooter, and thus started an extremely enjoyable journey.

With the purchase of my shiny "new" 2006 Yamaha Vino (which depreciated by about $800 when it arrived in my driveway), I entered a unique class of motorists and enthusiasts, which was somewhat unexpected at the time.

Looking back, if I had it to do over again, I think I would have purchased a Kymco Agility 50 as my starter scooter, simply for the fact that it would have cost me $200 less out the door (OTD), and been a 2008 model. As it was, I lost a good chunk of money when I traded my Vino for my People 150. At this point, I certainly don't regret starting out with a 50cc, as it helped me to master the fundamentals of safe riding. When I upgraded to the Kymco People 150, I was better prepared for riding a faster, more powerful machine.

Starting with a 50cc also taught me to enjoy the ride. While it is certainly arguable that even faster bikes allow for enjoyment of the ride, there is something to be said for the plodding pace of a 50. At a top speed of between 35 and 40 mph, it is easy to look around and absorb one's surroundings. I have found that on my 150, a little of that is lost. If I could afford it, I would love to buy my old Vino back from the dealer I traded it to as a secondary scooter for liesurely rides, but I can't, so, there she sits.

I've become somewhat active in a local scooter club. I am something of the "odd man out" as I do not have a scooter or cycle that qualifies as "vintage," but, eventually that may change.

I've also had a change in my perspective, thanks to my scooters. When I need to go someplace, or pick something up, I think, "how can I do this on the scooter so I don't have to take my car?" Scooters have changed my lifestyle, for the better.

Who knows that the next year holds. Perhaps at this time next year I will have added an old Honda to the stable to sit alongside my Kymco as a casual rider. Perhaps it will be a Yamaha Majesty or a Burgman 400. Time will tell.

Feeling winded

I love spring...but I hate spring allergies.

I woke up this morning with a tickle in my throat, but thought the day would go just fine regardless. We went to Church and I practiced with the worship team (I play the harmonica), after which I started to cough...hard. So, now I am at home resting, instead of outside riding.

I had a nice ride yesterday morning, despite periodic wind gusts. My Church had a work day, so the Silver Streak and I made our way to Terre Hill. I parked her in front of the Church, on her center stand, and went inside to help put tiles in a drop ceiling. About an hour later, my pastor came to say that the scoot had fallen over in the wind. I brought her into the foyer so that wouldn't happen again, and was disappointed to see a few scratches, but did not have time to inspect the damage closely. Later, when I was about to leave, I noted a few more scratches and a crack in the windshield. Once I sat on the seat and attempted to start the scooter, I discovered that the left brake lever had bent down about half an inch.

The ride home was interesting. Not only had the wind picked up, but the windshield brackets had come loose. So there I was, fighting the wind and having to deal with a flopping windshield. When I arrived at home, I removed the windshield since I didn't want the crack to get worse. I'm going to see if it can be repaired, but it's plexiglass, which I'm not certain can be fixed.

So, here I am, with my scooter blown over yesterday, and me feeling blown out today. Well, there's always tomorrow. Perhaps it will be a better day.

Scooter clubs, spring, and Chinascoots

Spring is finally here, and while the weather is not what I would call, "fantastic," it sure beats Winter, hands down. With the end of winter, I've started going back to the informal scooter club in Lancaster. I did not attend this week, but last Wednesday, I successfully removed and cleaned my sparkplug. The Silver Streak was chugging a little, but after cleaning the plug thoroughly, all is well again.

Simple mechanical tasks on a scooter are turning out to be very easy and satisfying. It even got me in the mood to work on my lawnmower myself this year.

My flowers are starting to come up and It will soon be time to once again start planting some annuals. I also need to do some mulching. This is one of the reasons I've decided to sell my car and use some of the proceeds to buy an older pickup truck instead. I put an add up on Craig's list and got one little nibble, but the guy never followed up with me once I responded to his original e-mail. Oh well, perhaps it will sell eventually.

My best friend pulled his Wildfire scooter out of his shed about three weeks ago. Amazingly, his little Wildfire R8 started right up this spring without any troubles. He was riding it around up until last week when it suddenly started leaking gas all over his back patio. From what he has told me, the idle screw popped out. He called the dealer and will be getting a replacement screw in a day or two. He'll also have the dealer look it over to make sure all other bolts and such are properly torqued down and that the hoses are in good condition and so on. He was smart to purchase from a dealer whom he trusted to give good support.

I spoke with Larry from Bachman's auto sales a few weeks ago and he stated that he has been having some difficulty selling his scooters since late last year. PennDOT is now requiring a majority of Chinascoots to be fully titled before they can be registered. Here is a link to a document on PennDOT's website that explains their reasoning. It doesn't do a very good job of explaining though. Here is another cryptic, uninformative document from PennDOT's website that offers little in the way of clarification.

This whole thing is a fiasco for Chinascoot dealers and anyone who might want to purchase a Chinese built scooter in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, Mr. Bachman and others like him are left sitting on several thousand dollars worth of inventory that they cannot sell since very few people want to wait for PennDOT to process a title so they can ride the scooter they just paid $1200 for.

Perhaps it is time for PennDOT to update their computer systems and revamp their processing. It's past time that they joined us in the 21st century.