Rally Pics

Trail-bike Pics

Rally and trail-bikin'

Time for another update. I was bored last Saturday after having taken a load of branches and brush out to the branch and brush pit behind my truck terminal. Time for a ride!! I roade out Hwy 260 to Finnie Flats Road on the east side of I-17 and chased it into the town of Camp Verde. The town was originally "Fort" Verde and was a cavalry post designed to protect the local settlers from...well, the worst I've seen are those nasty javalina and the wolf spiders. I'd welcome a little protection in that direction any day. But again, I digress.

I hooked a left onto Montezuma Castle Highway that leads towards Middle Verde, where Cliff Castle Casino sits. Montezuma's Castle is a ruin left behind by the Sinagua Indians who hung around our neck of the woods some six to eight hundred years ago, I believe. Nobody really knows where they went, but they left behind a LOT of city-type ruins in the Verde Valley. The ruins are very similar to what you'll find in Colorado at Mesa Verde. Anyway, I didn't go there. I went to the casino where there was in progress a big biker rally...a "Toys For Tots" rally and poker run. I met a few great people who actually thought my Genuine Buddy was...well, if not "cool", at least acceptable. At a benefit. I wanted to check out the concert later that was featuring Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf and one of my all-time favorites; Blood, Sweat and Tears. I couldn't shake loose the thirty-five bucks required to get in, though.

I bailed from the casino and took Hwy 260 east towards Hwy 87, which goes north to Winslow or south to Payson. I just went to the top and took pictures until a likely bunch of Harleys thundered by. I just ripped up the asphalt chasing them down the mountain. They still won, though. Something about 1200 plus cubic centimeters and a straight road that leaves me choking on dust. I could hang with 'em in the corners, though.

I knew my buddy Steve at the Scooter Scoop (www.thescooterscoop.blogspot.com) would want action photos, so I fished the camera out of the glovebox and as I was cooking about 65 mph, I took a picture. It's the one with the brown blob at the top. That's my finger. The specks in the distance are Harleys.

Then, after fueling up in Camp Verde, I went back to the casine where I took a few photos. The Buddy and I; the Buddy, myself and a guy I met named Dan-knee, and one of the Buddy alone in a sea of black and chrome. Kind of a "where's Waldo" moment...

Then, having seen all there was to see, I headed home. Didn't make it. I found a dirt road near my house that seems to head directly for Mingus Mountain to the west. I just had to see. I went about 5 miles before my wife called and sent me home for some chores. Still haven't seen where the road goes, but I DID discover that a Buddy is an adequate trail-bike. Take it slow and it does just fine. Dust sure shows up on that black finish, though. Have to wash it someday.

I posted a few pics of that little sojourn as well.

Tomorrow, September 30th, is the day of the "Something For Nothing" rally that begins in Flagstaff, goes south through Oak Creek Canyon into Sedona, then west into Cottonwood, continuing west through Jerome to the "Potato Patch Campground" at the top of Mingus Mountain where the whole group will camp and party. Then on Sunday is the return trip. Last year we had, I'm gonna guess, about 50 scoots. What a GREAT time!

The Scarabs, however, are based primarily out of Phoenix and Tucson, so their plan is to motor up this afternoon (Friday) and camp tonight as well, then I'm riding up from Cottonwood in the morning to meet them just below the campground. From there we'll do the reverse version of the trip up to Flagstaff where we'll meet up with everyone else. Then after a cuppa joe, we'll all do the ride as a group (big group...much fun) to Mingus. Of course, there will be various stops along the way.

After they reach the campground, I'm gonna have to bail, since the band I play keyboards in (www.dryheatband.com) has a gig tomorrow night in Sedona.

A sidebar here; I had hoped to go on the Tucson-Nogales Fall Classic, this year, but the evil spirits of fate stepped in...Dry Heat has a gig that night, too. Gotta be there. Anyway, the Fall Classic is November 10th, 11th and 12th and promises to be a fabulous rally. Info can be found at the Scarabs' forum http://phxscarabsc.com/forum/index.php.

I'll try to get all the pic up in this post and the next one or two. Still haven't learned how to put them where I want them. Give you something to do...sort 'em out.

C-ya, ride on!

--Keys

A Fine and Pleasant Scoot

My wife, Ski, finally got back on her Helix last Sunday! This is good news! You see, when she saw my sister, Shelly, bounce Ski's Helix off of that Toyota on the Fourth of July, Ski has been just a little scared. Now, Ski slid to an unglamorous stop in our driveway back in May and sustained a broken rib and some road-rash, but it's a whole different thing watching someone else bite the dust! Especially when it's somebody you care about...

Anyway, I had forgotten whether my delivery time Monday morning (for my day job) was 5 a.m. or 6 a.m., so after church and breakfast I figured I'd fire the Buddy up and run up to the terminal to check. To my surprise, Ski said she wanted to go too! On her scooter! So we did. My terminal is in Clarkdale, about 5 miles below Jerome and about 5 miles from home. We motored on up to Clarkdale and Ski had just the biggest grin on her face. "Forgot how much fun it is, didn't you?" I yelled over the wind. She just nodded.

I checked my schedule and left the terminal, pulling up to a 4-way stop about a mile down the road. While at the stop, Ski suggested an excursion to Jerome and of course, I NEVER turn down a ride, so we turned right and headed up the hill. Ski was impressed with the power and speed the Buddy displayed, but she'd still get that evil grin on her face, goose the Helix and leave me in the dust. She likes doing that. We circled the town a time or two, receiving looks of derision from all the Harley riders. Like I care. How many of them put over a thousand miles on their new bike in less than three weeks, like I did mine? And how many of them are actually passionate enough about their bikes to have a restoration project in their garage? Off my soapbox, now. We parked in one of the lower parking lots and walked to a little shop Ski had spied. She's in the market for a Halloween costume and this shop had several she was interested in. I kinda liked the "Woodland Nymph" costume, but nobody asked me. The shop is built in a building that in the early part of the century was a brothel. They have all kinds of memorabilia from both the era and the business. Fun to look at. However, it was a small shop and more than about 4 people just didn't fit, so I wandered across the street to a shop specializing in outdoorsy/hiking kind of stuff. Found some saddlebags might fit the scooter.

They didn't have Ski's size, so we hopped on the scooters again and headed down the hill to Cottonwood where we stopped at the American Legion. I'm a member there, but since I don't drink, I very seldom go there. They had a 2 piece country band there giving the World War II and Korean War era vets something to dance to. They were having a fine time. Ski marvelled at two dollar cocktails. I drank coffee and gazed wistfully out the window at the neglected scooters.

We left the Legion and Ski suggested we go down Cornville Road, which has a couple of spots where the curves are entertaining. We got into Cornville where I led us to Page Springs Road which (more or less) connects Cornville with Hwy 89A heading into Sedona. It is a beautiful ride of about 8 miles alongside the Verde River. Nice, tight corners; shady trees overhead. At the stop sign where Page Springs Road intersects 89A, I asked Ski if she wanted to to home or to Sedona. Sedona, it was!

With the Buddy hitting speeds of 65+ mph and the Helix displaying vulgar amounts of power up to 75 mph, we cruised into West Sedona. We enjoyed a pleasant ride through town to the "Y" where 89A connects with Hwy 179 south towards the Village of Oak Creek. Nice, windy road through the red rocks for about 5 miles. We rode through VOC to Beaverhead Flats Road and turned right. Good pavement, fast sweepers. This empties out onto Cornville Road, where we turned right again, rode through Cornville and went on home.

All in all, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours and about 70 miles. What a great, relaxing, enjoyable afternoon with my wife. I highly recommend it as couples therapy.

C-ya later...ride on!

Dr. Keys

Over the Hill Ride

This whole story starts with an invitation to attend a meeting of the Scarabs Scooter Club ( www.scarabsc.com )steering committee this Saturday evening past at Dave and Vanessa's home in Phoenix. I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I'd go and my beloved Ski said "JUST GO!!" So I did. Friday, I begain experiencing a sore throat and some unpleasantly sore sinuses. I told Ski I may have to call the Scarabs and tell them I can't make it. She gave me "that look" and said, "Don't give me that! You KNOW you're going!" She knows me so well....

I was up at seven Saturday morning and had the Buddy packed in, oh, maybe 8 or 9 minutes. Now what? I didn't intend to leave until eight! So I stopped and had a MacBurrito and some MacCoffee, fueled up and set to! It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the seventies there in Cottonwood, so I coughed and hacked a little and commenced on my ride "Over the Hill" to Phoenix, some 150 miles away, by way of the back roads I was taking. The first place I came to was the old copper mining town of Jerome about 8 miles above Cottonwood. And when I say above, I mean above! Now, I'm from Colorado, and they build some towns on the side of mountains there, but Jerome is equal to the best of them! It's now kind of an "artsy-fartsy" kind of place except on Sunday afternoons when all the bikers show up on their Harleys (and Harley wannabes) and overtake the Spirit Room. I love parking my scooters in the midst of the Harleys and annoying them. So, anyway, the second picture in the previous posting is of Jerome from just below it. You will discover I haven't the foggiest idea of how to put the pictures in order.

So, I started up Mingus Mountain above Jerome to a pull off about 2 miles above town that overlooks the Verde Valley through a cut in the cliffs. A spectacular view! That particular photo is at the top of this posting. Don't know WHAT happened.

Then, I stopped about halfway up the mountain to take a picture of the surrounding country, that would be...let's see...the FIRST picture in the previous post. I also took a picture (the fourth one) of the road winding through the forest. And of course, what travelogue would be complete without a picture of the scooter at the top of the mountain under the elevation sign? Picture 5. Picture #3, in case you're wondering was a picture of the sign telling one that they have a quick (and fun) ride down through the curves, corners and hair-pins into Prescott Valley. I had a picture of the road leading into Prescott Valley, but it just didn't have enough pizzazz, so I left it out. Also, I ran out of room.

I headed out through Prescott Valley and Prescott proper to the west side of town where I picked up Hwy 89 heading south towards Peeples Valley, Yarnell, Congress (not the political entity) and Wickenburg. I was supposed to meet Jes' Jim (Scarab extrordinaire) somewhere around Peeples Valley. I was supposed to go straight down 89 to meet him. Somehow (I'm still a little hazy on this...) I ended up on the road to Skull Valley! That area is depicted in the seventh picture. The roads end up in the same place, but if Jim had been five minutes faster, I would have missed him since I met him about two miles south of where the Skull Valley road intersects 89. Clean livin' and righteous thought will bring about serendipitous events every time! Jes' Jim spun his Piaggio BV 500 around (more cautiously than I would have, I might add) and chased me on into Peeples Valley for my first fuel stop. We took a couple of pictures there, the scooters with Jim (picture # eight...with helmet) and the scooters with me (pic #9...without helmet). We swapped scooters there and rode into the little burg of Yarnell.

I discovered that 350 more cc's and about 260 more pounds makes for a rather substantial machine! The BV 500 had a fine write-up in the spring issue of Scoot! Quarterly. They really liked it! It's a big, touring machine capable of nimble handling, which most of the "Maxi-scooters" are not. It sports large diameter wheels, liquid cooling and a very comfortable seating position. I would guess, though, that if you are a tall guy, the quarters would be somewhat cramped. But, hey, this is a machine capable of almost a hundred miles per hour! You can put up with a little crampage! Anyway, the power was impressive to me...a fan of small scooters. You can tell from the pictures the discrepancy in size. Jes' Jim, however, was a gracious rider who didn't leave me in the dust.

We dined at a cafe in Yarnell called "the Buzzard's Roost" or something like that. Pleasant waitress, decent food. Jes' Jim had a big ol' breakfast and I had a cuppa joe and a biscuit. Dang cold was affecting my appetite!

We scooted out of Yarnell and over the edge of Yarnell Hill, a piece of road that is good asphalt, steep downhill, and corners of varying radii. Some sweepers, some tight ones. I just turned the Buddy loose and touched 75 mph in a couple of spots leaving Jes' Jim to try to catch me. Of course he did, when we hit to open road at the bottom. I would have taken pictures of this hill, but I was having too much fun to stop. You'll have to make the trip yourself if you want pictures.

We cruised along at about 65 miles per hour for a while and stopped at a rest area just north of Wickenburg. I got a pic of Jes' Jim on the phone to his beloved, Carol...another long-suffering wife of scooter trash. That would be the sixth, and I think, final picture..

South of Wickenburg (a haven of speed traps) we caught State Highway 60 south to Hwy 74 (also known as the Carefree Highway, of rock and roll fame). That was a little hairier for my little bike. The speed limit is 65 so everyone does only 80. I put my chin down on the speedometer to cut the wind and again saw about 75 a time or two with a good average of just over 65. Jes' Jim, of course, just cruised...sitting straight up and with what could have been a slight smirk on his face. A vulgar display of power. We jumped on 99th Avenue south to...well, how should I know? Jes' Jim was leading! Anyway, he was able to find his home where we downed a few gallons of water (it was quite hot out), listened to a couple CD's by the band I'm in; "Dry Heat" www.dryheatbluesband.com, and he chatted with a pleasant young lady who called and asked him to participate in a phone survey. Eventually we got back on the scooters and hit the Loop 101 Hwy that kind of circles Phoenix from the northwest to the northeast and then south. It's also known in the Scottsdale area as the East Valley Raceway. There have been motorists clocked at speeds over 140 mph there. Fortunately, they stayed home Saturday.

We moseyed on into Scottsdale to Scottsdale Vespa where Jes' Jim will be starting as a mechanic in a couple of weeks. They were closed, so we had Kung Pao Chicken at Panda Express. Then we called Scooter Invasion, since they are the local Buddy dealer and I'm trying to find an oil filter. They, too, were closed. So we went the a freindly Kymco dealer named Gary at Az Desert Sports. I'd give you his web address, but I lost his card. Great guy! If you live in the Phoenix area and are looking for a quality scooter dealer, he's the man! Though neither Jes' Jim nor I currently ride Kymcos, Gary was more than happy to spend about 45 minutes visiting with us. He is VERY Scarab friendly and hopes to be able to go to one of our rides soon. We would be honored to have him ride with us.

We left Gary's and headed towards Dave and Vanessa's through urban traffic. Since I don't live in a city, I found this to be a great adventure. Jes' Jim and I were on ultimate Urban Assault Vehicles! What a great time! At Dave and Vanessa's home, Dave brought out the feed bag and we dined on BBQ chicken, beans, coleslaw, rolls, etc. Had to get the best stuff before the rest of the steering committee showed up! We had a fine visit, then Vanessa got home from work. More dining. Then Damn Dirty Dave showed up followed by Cheese and Potatoes Rubio...also known as Irving and Cristian. We met and what we talked about is none of your business. You want to know, you have to join the Scarabs. Nanner-nanner-nanner.

Finally everyone left. During the course of the meeting, it had been raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock. Dave estimated the water level in his pool rose and inch and a half. Well, due to my cold, I had promised Ski I wouldn't ride home if it was raining and I always keep my promises to her. She's worth it. So the dogs (Max and Wiley) and I shared an air mattress until about 4:30 a.m. when they decided I was taking up altogether too much room and booted me off. I dragged on my clothes, wrote a note to Sir Dave and Lady Vanessa thanking them for their hospitality and headed home. The roads were still damp, but it wasn't raining. This time I headed straight up I-17 to the north. I figured that it would be relatively safe to take a scooter on a rural freeway at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I was right. I annoyed nobody much and they pretty much left me alone. I stopped about 35 miles from home at a MacDonalds in Cordes Jct. where I again had a MacBurrito and some MacJava. Then, uneventfully, I scooted home. From Deer Valley Road in north Phoenix, where I gassed up, to Camp Verde...12 miles from home...I used .911 gallons of gas and averaged over 65 mph. It was about 90 miles. I went home with a cold in my head (still) and grin on my face. What a fabulous time! A trip of about 320 miles (including running around Phoenix) on a 125 cc scooter. I loved it and hope to do it again soon.

Hmmm. We are riding on our Fall Classic ride in November...I'd have to ride from Cottonwood to Phoenix, to Tucson, spend the night, then on to Nogales where we'll camp, then back to Phoenix and ultimately back to Cottonwood. I'd tell you how many miles, but I can't count that high....

C-ya. Ride on!

--Keys

Over the Hill Pictures

Over The Hill Pics

New scooter pics

Okay, so the pictures didn't show up as advertised...here they are...

--Keys

The new scooter

Okay, it's been awhile since I've posted here, so here goes... I kept pestering Shelby at Scoot Over in Tucson about getting me a Kymco Agility 125. Finally, after many phone calls, she is told by KymcoUSA that it would be perhaps mid to late September before dealers would get any. Some issue with the kill switch. Like, maybe there wasn't one or something. Anyway, the DOT shut down all shipments until they are fixed. Well, I didn't want to wait until possibly the end of September with the warranty expired on the Bajaj in August, so I just sucked it up and asked Shelby if she still had a black Genuine Buddy. She said yes and I said to hold it for me. This was on or about the 17th of August. Being all anxious, I told her that I'd meet her Friday afternoon down in Phoenix to pick it up. Everything was cool. Except...I couldn't find a pickup to borrow. Finally, I called her back and said I couldn't find any wheels and all I had was my '96 Chrysler Sebring convertible. I had taken measurements from the internet on the Buddy and administered them to the Sebring. DANG! The think would fit in the back seat!! However, the Bajaj to be traded in wouldn't fit. Shelby said she'd trust me for the Bajaj and just bring down the notorized title and bring her the Bajaj in a week or so. I took her up on her offer and, with the top down (no air conditioning), I headed out. Forgot a hat for my poor bald head. MAJOR sunburn!

Shelby was about an hour late...it seems as soon as she was getting ready to leave, people started pouring in. She sold 5 scooters before she was able to get away! And I had lunch at Whataburger.

She showed up and the Buddy went into the back seat easily. Of course, the front end was sticking in the air rather conspicuously. No top-up driving for me. More sunburn. As I was making the 100+ mile trip home, I got more grins from passersby than I think I've ever received before! In fact, one of those little Scion boxes went by, the lady driving giving me the ol' "thumbs up" and the guy in the passenger seat taking pictures with his camera phone. I thought I was being completely reasonable getting my new scooter home that way. Guess I was a little out of the ordinary. Who would have guessed?

Got it home and put about 5 miles on it before going to bed. Had to work Saturday morning. After work, I decided to visit my wife at work in the Village of Oak Creek (a bedroom community for Sedona). I hit the 25 mile mark and the scooter up and quit. Just like that! I looked and discovered gas pouring out the overflow tube from the carburetor. I stuck a stick in the tube and headed for home. Got there just as I ran out of gas. I spent the next 2-3 hours trying to find a fix. Apparently, the assembler at the Mikuni Carburetor factory forgot to tighten the bowl drain screw and it backed out on me and went away. This particular carb requires (of course) a SPECIAL screw that seats into another apperature to prevent the running out of fuel through the overflow tube. Hence my problem. No screw...much drainage.

I have a friend who runs a little dirt bike shop in Cottonwood who had a used screw that would just plug the drain hole. It wouldn't seal the other apperature, though, so I had to seal off the overflow tube. I did so and ran it for a week like that until the correct screw arrived in the mail from Scoot Over.

I picked up my Buddy on August 19th. Today is September 1st and I have just about 650 miles on it and two oil changes under it's belt. I have taken it over Mingus Mountain to Prescott once and was favorably impressed with it's handling. It doesn't feel as "planted" as the Bajaj and tends to slide a little easier on gravel or dirt, but I think that's a function of being some 30 pounds lighter and over 4 inches shorter in the wheelbase. Overall, though, I was quite smitten with the handling. I took the corners at least as fast as I could on the Bajaj. The ride is smoother and the grip of the stock Cheng Shin tires seems to be good. I averaged higher speeds overall than I did on the Bajaj...uphill as well as on the flats. I even saw an indicated 72 mph. Factor in the approximately 10% optimism built into the speedo and it still was about 64 mph. Averaged just under 100 mpg. Not bad for a 125 scooter.

Fit and finish on the Buddy is excellent for a plastic scooter. The quality is rivaling the best of the Japanese products, in my opinion. The seat is comfortable and the under-seat storage is large enough to hold my 1/2 helmet, my jean jacket, my goggles, gloves and the garage door opener. Bungees are in the front compartment which is big enough to hold a bottle of water, a calculator (so I can give you accurate mile-per-gallon figures), sunglasses and a big mac. A take out container of Kung Pao chicken and another of steamed rice are easily carried in a plastic bag hung from the hook mounted just above the front compartment and held in with one's feet on the floorboards. In other words, I don't need no stinkin' car!

Except for the aforementioned carburetor snafu, I have NO mechanical complaints! It goes well and powerfully and is easily accessible for maintenance. I had the carburetor out and apart three times that Saturday and it took maybe 2 minutes to get it out. I have changed the crankcase oil and the gearbox oil both and they were both simple, mere minutes jobs. The spark plug is easily accessible and the valve lash doesn't need adjusted. What could be simpler? I have considered mounting my little SuperTrapp muffler on the end of the stock pipe, but haven't really decided it would be worth it. It runs so well now I'd hate to screw it up!

I did, however, remove the ugly, headset mounted DOT turn indicators and plugged in the European lights mounted on the body. Looks much better. The lower wattage bulbs in the European lights make it blink faster, but I like anything that stands out and gets attention. SEE ME!! I'M ON A SCOOTER!! DON'T RUN OVER ME!!! I think the faster sequencing accomplishes the "SEE ME" thing. It's different enough to get attention. I also cut the "extra" rear fender that hangs down (WAY down) beneath the license plate. The tire has a little fender over it, so I could see no reason for the tail to remain. Zip! In the trash! Other than those two little things, the scooter is as Shelby delivered it and I really can't see any reason to change it. Maybe add stickers or some paint or something, but as a fun, functional scooter, it can't be beat out of the showroom.

The engine has won many awards in Taiwan and features an anodized piston, a pressurized oil system and a spin-on automotive-style oil filter. All of these should be significant in terms of reliability. Again, I'll let you know.

I have a major ride planned for tomorrow over to Prescott, down Hwy 69 through Congress and Yarnell to Wickenburg and on into Phoenix for a Scarabs Scooter Club meeting at 6:30 p.m. I'm leaving about 8 a.m. to enjoy the trip and play in Phoenix all day. Then the ride home at night. Should put on about 300 miles tomorrow. I'll be taking pictures and writing up a report. By the way, I'm putting up a couple of pics of the Buddy here.

C-ya later. Ride on.

--Keys

P.S. In the picture of the rear of the scooter, you will see the letters; "2 COOL". Those have been replaced with, of all things, "skutergruven".