Scooters are the soul of simplicity. There's no clutch so acceleration is steady and seamless. The riding position is comfortable yet can be aggressive if need arises. Scooter engines are small and easy to maintian.
Riding to work, running small errands, riding just for fun; it's all possible on a scooter. Add to that list long distance ridig, with the proper sense of adventure, and they are the perfect little machine.
On top of that, you can surprise random people on a scooter. Today I popped into Manheim to grab something from the auto parts store. I'd been buzzing along back roads and came to a stop light. A guy in a 3 series Beemer pulled up alongside and expressed his shock at how fast my little rattle-trap can go. This led to a short conversation about what make my scooter is and so on.
A couple weeks ago, I went for a ride with a friend. He has a 250cc Yamaha V-Star and he had a buddy along on an old Goldwing 1100 trike. Both were amazed that the little 150 kept up, and even out-accellerated both of them. It made for great conversation, and it shows just how good Honda engine design really is, not to mention the testament to Kymco's build quality.
There's a lot to be said for simplicity. Things don't need to be complicated or flashy to surprise people; they just have to work well.
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2 comments:
You're so right about simplicity, Paul. And it's not only that simplicity occasionally causes a nice surprise. I'm getting to the point where a much simpler lifestyle in general is starting to sound tempting to pursue. In many ways, such a shift would be like returning to my childhood years. Perhaps when I finally decide to go for it, my mind will already be there.
"Things don't need to be complicated or flashy to surprise people; they just have to work well."
Very true. As you know Paul I have Chinese scooters that have served me well and continue to rack up miles successfully. The 150cc has 8,300 and the 250cc has 9,075. My first choice for most errands is a Chinese 50cc Cub clone with 3,600 miles. The auto clutch and foot shift make it much peppier than it should be and the very big crate on the back has it carrying large amounts of groceries easily. At low initial cost and cheap insurance these things have saved me much money in car wear and gas. I expect years of use from them and the stigma of riding Chinese doesn't bother me a bit.
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