General update

Spring has been here, and is almost gone. Yeah, I've been riding. I've been busy around the house. I did some planting about a month ago, and got this shot with my bikes in front of one of my gardens.


Aside from a week or two of warmer weather, the spring riding season has been wonderful. There has been rain in the evenings, but the days have been cool and enjoyable.

I missed this spring's scooter rally due to a family emergency. My wife was sick for three weeks during that time and was in the hospital the day of the rally, so it wasn't really a convenient for me that weekend. I was sorry to miss it but family comes first.


The cornflowers are out along the side of the road. My commute takes me past field upon field of flowers. It's really quite nice.


My family went black raspberry picking today. The sun was warm, but the air was cool enough to make it an enjoyable outing.

I've recently had to replace my classical guitar with a nice Ibanez acoustic. I've taken it a few places on my scoot, and I've been practicing with it. I have never been able to read music, despite trying for years to learn, so trading to an acoustic has allowed me to learn some chords. My fingers hurt like mad, but it's been a lot of fun. Chord changes are getting easier, and I'm actually to the point where I can sing along while I play.

Hopefully as the summer progresses, I can find some time to ride the scoot to a few of the local parks where I can play in the outdoors.

The summer's not even started, but I think it's going to be a good one.

Gonna shoot me a groundhog

Spring has been here for nearly a month, and yet, there have been so few pleasant riding days. This year seems to be all gloom and bleh. O.K., that may not be a word found in the dictionary, but it's the only one that really applies. After all, I went out to ride my scooter to work on April first, and there was a thin layer of snow on it. Talk about an April Fool's joke.

The Sabre has a new set of plugs in it, thanks to the sunny day on Friday. The previous plugs were well and truly carbonated as they had not been swapped since I bought the bike. Later in the week, I'll try to impose upon my brother-in-law to help me get the tank off so I can get at the air filter and swap that out. The Bike's Fuel economy is slipping a little, and while the new plugs have certainly boosted performance, a clean air filter won't hurt anything.

It is amazing what a difference the clean plugs have made. The Sabre almost seems to jump out from under me. It's reminding me why I love that bike so much.

The Scoot is not forgotten. She awaits an oil change, a new Air filter (which costs $20, but trying to vacuum off the gunk is no longer effective), and a fresh plug. I also need to pop the cap off the engine and take a peek at the valves, though the engine shows no signs that they need adjustment.

So, I need a sunny day. I think I need to go groundhog hunting. He promised spring would be early and he lied.

Gas and go...

It's one of the main talking points in the news again, just as it was three years ago. Gas is getting pricey again, by U.S. standards at least.

Another phenomenon has re-surfaced as well; folks are asking me questions about my scooter and talking about getting one for themselves.

Gas may not be as expensive here as it is in other parts of the world, but when you've only got so much budget to work with, spending above a dollar more per gallon than we were a year ago can make things interesting.

While it's not really the reason I own the scoot, it's sure nice to look at a $5.00 total instead of a $40.00 total when I stop at the gas pump. Filling up my wife's car threatens to send me into a panic, but the scooter, and to some extent, the cycle, are far less stressful at the pump.

My hope is that with this new surge of interest in scooters (and motorbikes) will come an influx of riders and fewer cagers. While there will be a learning curve for these new riders, I will cross my fingers and trust that they will come to enjoy their new mode of transport, thereby evening the odds against the crazies who want to kill us with their large steel and plastic enclosures.

Spring's inexhorable March

There are few times of year that I find myself longing for as much as spring since I started riding a scooter. Winter riding, while necessary for me with my limited vehicular options, is not necessarily enjoyable most of the time, especially this past winter which seemed colder than other more recent winters.

Despite the rain outside, it appears the groundhog may have been right this year and we have ourselves an early spring. For the last three weeks, I rode the Sabre almost exclusively, leaving my scooter under the protective cover of a friend's enclosed porch. I was unable to get my scooter back until a week ago, but have been using it again due to recurrent rain. I am so very thankful for that full fairing.

Today was a balmy 52 degrees, but very wet, so the Sabre sits neglected once again while I ride my trusty 9 horses to work.

The onset of warm weather has me longing for another sunny day to either meander along country roads with the sun on my back whilst astride my trusty Kymco, or to blast down the highway or around some local twisties upon my Sabre.

The fever of spring is upon me.

Winter blitz

I haven't written much this winter, but quite honestly, there hasn't been much to say.

It's been very cold. So cold that on more than one occasion, the scoot would not start. It simply protested and spluttered, but would not turn over for me. Riding has been utilitarian only. Even today, I will admit, I chose to use the wife's car to get to work, despite the 40+ degree temps.

The cover I bought last fall has been very effective and invaluable what with the ice and snow we've gotten this year. I do ride most days, despite the snow and cold, but it's not as pleasant as riding in warmer weather.

Today was the first day in a while that I can recall seeing more than one other rider, and rarely even that. About two weeks ago there was a squid on his rice rocket buzzing down Petersburg road at 100 mph (just a wild guess, but he was a blur) in 20 degree weather, but other than that, I've seen few other bikes, until today.

Today I saw four or five.

The Sabre sits in a friend's enclosed porch, out of the elements, waiting for pleasant weather, which should appear this week, but until it warms up to 50 degrees or more, it will stay where it is, and the scooter will remain the ride of choice.

Having a scooter has saved me a huge chunk on gas, and insurance. It's not, perhaps, the easiest vehicle to ride year round, but the benefits have outweighed the negatives. I do want a truck eventually, simply for the utility of having such a vehicle, but for now, the mighty scooter will keep ferrying me back and forth.