Lights out! And other stuff....

I guess I suspected it would happen sooner or later... My job requires me to arise at such ungodly hours as 11 p.m. or, if I get to sleep in, maybe 2 a.m. I, therefore, have to ride to work in the dark...regardless of what time of year it is. So, there I was this Tuesday past, just motoring along to work, enjoying the coolness of the night (and the lack of traffic) when suddenly the world went dark. A bit disconcerting, you might say. Fortunately, I still had a high beam and with a flick of my left thumb, I was able to annoy all oncoming traffic on my way to work for the rest of the week. Picked up a new bulb this afternoon and installed it. Who would have thought you'd have to disassemble the entire headset just to swap out the headlamp? You do, though, at least on a Bajaj Chetak! I once again have a full compliment of lights.

I've been looking at a new offering from Genuine Scooters, the folks who brought you the Stella. It's called (and I'm NOT making this up) the "Buddy". Whatever. Anyway, it is a re-badged PGO "My Bubu". Now "Buddy" is looking a little better. "Hey, hey, BooBoo...what'd the nice Ranger say...? But I digress. The Buddy is a 223 pound 125cc modern, automatic, plastic-type of scooter. PGO did a good thing by utilizing a pressurized oiling system and an automotive-type oil filter. Sure beats the screen on my Bajaj! Then, the engineers at PGO went a souped up the engine. I'm not kidding! That thing has a higher top speed than my 145cc Chetak! Of course, being thirty pounds lighter helps. Not me. The scooter. So, I called my friends down at Scoot Over in Tucson to see if they are carrying them and sho' nuff, they are! I feel a road trip coming on...let's see, about 240 miles one way...yeah, I can do it in a weekend. Maybe. I'm actually thinking this would be the perfect beginning scooter for my sister, RoadRash...I mean Shelly. Who knows, 60+ mph and 90-100 mpg and 223 pounds (I like my scooters skinny) might be enough to convince me to start scheming towards one of my own! After all, a two year warranty and one year roadside assistance and the dealer connections of Genuine look pretty good. And if I DO trade in the Bajaj, I still have the (still unrestored) Allstate for my "classic" scoot.

Another item; my dear friend (whom I also consider a sister), Jenn Chapman, rode her Vespa GT200 from Prescott, AZ. to Denver, CO. this week to attend the AmeriVespa rally. She did the 900+ miles in two days and pulled the interstates all the way. We're talkin' BIG BRASS ONES here. And she did it all by herself. Alone. Just up and went. I called her today and she was at the scooter swap-meet across from Sportique scooter center in...well, wherever it is. Aw man...a scooter swap-meet. Aw man! And I wasn't there! So anyway, her little Vespa did a fine job and appears no worse for the wear. Of course, she still has to make it home, but I have faith in the both of 'em. She's living on energy drinks and adrenaline and having the time of her life! If she and Michele (one of the Denver Scarabs) don't get arrested sometime this weekend, I'll be moderately surprised.

Later, all

C-ya...ride on! --Keys

4th of July, Flagstaff ride and TGB test ride

This post begins July 4th. My wife, Ski, and I went over to my sister, Shelly's house for a BBQ. Good food, good times. Then Shelly, her husband Joe, daughter McKenzie, son Orion and a couple of nephews joined us at the local Ford dealership (where Joe works) to watch the local fireworks. Ski and I rode our scooters, of course. Now, Shelly has been pretty interested in our scooters since the beginning but has never ridden one. She has experience on a quad, though, so I figured she would have some idea. Who would have guessed she was SO uncoordinated.

Shelly decided to try her hand on Ski's Helix, since it's an automatic and my Bajaj is a 4-speed. I pointed out where the brakes were and how they operated and where the throttle was and how IT operated. You know, I should have remembered that her car driving style is throttle on-throttle off-throttle on-throttle off...

She grabbed a handful of throttle and commenced to weave a quick, though unsteady trail through the parking lot ride towards the brand new Toyota Matrix owned by the couple about 100 feet away from us. Choruses of "BRAKE!! BRAKE!!" rang out...to no avail. Shelly was wearing flip-flops and the one on her brake foot hooked over the brake pedal, preventing her from being able to step on it. And of course, this had to happen during a throttle-on period. Sister and Helix both ricochetted off of the Toyota's front bumper sending both into a high-side slide. The scooter just got scratched up, the Toyota got black marks from the underside of the scooter on it's bumper (Geico will deal with it...) and Shelly got a pretty good collection of road-rash all up and down her right side. McKenzie freaked out for about 45 minutes, Ski dealt with the owners of the Toyota and I apologized my ass off. Shelly just laughed and sopped up the precious bodily fluids running down her arm and knee. She is still dead-set on getting her own scooter. Joe says she doesn't have the flesh to spare.

THEN today, I rode up to Flagstaff again through Oak Creek canyon. Again saw where the fire had ravaged the area. It seemed to look worse to me today than it did right afterwards. Maybe it was just my mood today. Beautiful ride up through the canyon until I reached about a half mile south of the Slide Rock Recreation area. It seems that a great numlber of people wanted to turn left into the area and the folks in the money-taking hut were operating very slowly. Traffic on the two lane Hwy 89A was at a dead stop for a half mile. I, however, being on a scooter, just slipped off to the right and rode the white line past them all. Several cars attempted to ease over to the right to cut me off, but they had packed in so tightly, they couldn't move much. They people in the cars were seriously annoyed at me. Here's the deal; our lives are determined and defined by our choices. I chose to ride a scooter. They didn't. Deal with it!

Got up to Flagstaff and found the local dealer for TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee...the Taiwanese equivalent of the Italian Vespa, or wasp). They graciously allowed me a test ride on a 150cc R9 Laser...I told them I was checking them out for my sister, which was true. The fit and finish was miles ahead of the Chinese scooters...very close to the Kymco. It had just five miles on the odometer, but it still had good acceleration. Mechanically, it felt very solid. No clanks, shudders, jerks or anything. Just a good, smooth operation. The CVT transmission didn't seem to engage at a low enough rpm for me...easily fixed with different weights on the clutch. Overall, I was impressed with the mechanicals. I shouldn't be surprised, though, since TGB manufactures the CVT's for Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia and others. They know their stuff.

I was, however, disappointed in the feel and riding position. The seat is very high off the ground...I'd say a good inch and a half higher than my Bajaj. Then, the floorboards lock your feet in one position which put my knees up high with an uncomfortable bend in them. The whole feel was one of a very high center of gravity which, if it's really as high as it feels, could interfere with spirited cornering...one of the joys of scooting!

Overall, I'd give it a 7 or 7 1/2 outa ten. Mechanicals and power a good 9. Very close to the Kymco in power delivery. Comfort; 5.

Hit some rain leaving Flagstaff, but it quit soon and I was dry before I reached Sedona. The cars heading south were VERY uncooperative and kept me to the speed limit or less all the way. Made me very grumpy.

Stopped in at my wife's work in the Village of Oak Creek, just south of Sedona to say "hi" and put the top up on her Firebird (yes, she drove the car today...thank God!). Just as I was strapping my skid-lid on, the heavens opened up. If you've never witnessed a monsoon in Arizona, it can be spectacular! Well, this one waited until I was on the road to let loose. All of a sudden I was hit with gale-force winds and the accompanying sand and dirt and somebody dumped an entire lake on my head. Visibility was ZERO! I made it less than half a mile before I went back, defeated and with my tail between my legs. Windstorms I can handle. Rainstorms I can handle. Both at once tend to curb my enthusiasm. Soaked and cold, I allowed my wife to feed me. Then I took the Firebird home. Came back when it all quit and ride the Bajaj home. Fine ride home.

Tonight, I bought a new spark plug and gapped it a put it in. Since I was under the cowl anyway, I wanted to try some carburetor adjustments I'd been thinking about. Ever since I altered the air filter system, it had been bogging out a little on the top end. I was suspecting that it was running a little lean. Since the 120 jets that come stock in that carb are the biggest available, and since I don't have the right machinists drill to open the hole in the jet a wee bit, I just raised the needle a notch and tweaked the air mixture screw a little. I think I'm on the right track. I'll need a little more testing, but my initial seat-of-the-pants test ride suggests a little better acceleration as well as less top-end boggage. I just invented a word! It seems to reach and hold a slightly higher top speed up a slight incline to my workplace. Every little bit helps!!

Hey, C-ya later...ride on!

--Keys

Just piddlin' around...

Not a whole lot to write about. I took a ride up Oak Creek Canyon yesterday to see where the fire just north of Sedona burned. You can see evidence of the fire and one spot about a hundred yards long where it actually came down to the road. The firefighters did a fabulous job of protection. They deserve some well deserved kudos!!
I kind of got ahead of myself here. You see, I took the ride up the canyon on Saturday, the first of July. The day before, I rode over Mingus Mountain again to Prescott where I had the tires I had ordered for my birthday present from Ski mounted. I got a set of Michelin S83's. Love 'em! I think I set a new personal best record from the top of the mountain down into Jerome...at least before that stupid Lexus slowed me down. And that was on wet pavement! Yes, I got soaked on the trip over to Prescott, but I wasn't going to let a little rain deter me! I got the tires, strapped the old ones on the back of the seat (they will be going on the Allstate when the time comes) and headed home...no rain on the way back!
Then today (Sunday) after church and breakfast at Cafe Dlano's, Ski and I went home where she proceeded to plop herself in front of the TV in her comfies and the cats on her lap. I was able to endure this rigorous, non-stop excitement for approximately 16 or 17 minutes then, with my wife's blessing, I checked the oil on the Bajaj and blasted outa there!
I headed east on Hwy 260 out of Cottonwood, heading towards Camp Verde...about 20 miles away. I topped off the tank and continued east on 260 up what we truck drivers call "the Goat Trail". Hwy 260 climbs up out of 3200 ft. elevation Camp Verde to over 7000 ft. elevation in about 15 miles. It's about the curviest road that trucks are allowed on in the state of Arizona. The climb usually has my Kenworth (in loaded condition) down to about 14 - 15 mph. I was able to hold about 45 - 50 on the Bajaj with occasional periods of 35 mph on the real steep stuff. What made it worse was I had quite a headwind, too. Yes, a storm was a-blowin' in. I reached the top where 260 intersects with Hwy 87 north and south. I went south about, oh, maybe 3 miles when I got stuck behind a slow moving tourist in an ugly Kia. Come to think of it...are there any good looking Kias? Anyway, here I was on a road with very tight curves and going downhill and some knucklehead has to ruin the trip by going 35 mph. So I followed him down into the (very) small town of Strawberry where I hoped he'd turn off. No such luck. Ended up chasing him another 5 miles into the slightly less small town of Pine. They have a GREAT little place there that is a combination antique shop/ice cream parlor...with homemade ice cream! I didn't get to enjoy it this trip though, as the rain clouds were piling up on the very near horizon. I topped off the tank again and headed back north. Then, back west again on Hwy 260. I got passed quite a bit up on top. The speed limit is 55, which I could hold, but most people run about 65 or 70. That was out of my range. I just let 'em go. Then the road begins a slight descent before the serious downhill. I was able to coax about 63 mph out of the little scooter. I'd scoot down into the "Hornet Tuck" behind the headlight to cut the wind and at one point I think I saw about 67 mph on the clock! Then...rain! I stopped and donned my goggles and jacket and took off again. About 3 minutes later the rain stopped, but I was gonna be danged if I'd stop to put my gear back in the glove box. I just cruised on into Camp Verde where I filled up again and got rid of the jacket and goggles and motored back into Cottonwood. Ninety-some degrees in Cottonwood...low eighties up on top. A trip well worth the time! Beautiful meadows on the flats near the top changing to thick black timber about 8 miles from the junction of 260 and 87. All big, old Ponderosa pines. It smelled SO good between the pine scent and the recent rains. Wish you all had been along for the ride.
P.S. If you are considering new tires for your scooter, I highly recommend the Michelin S83's. They have a classic tread design with a soft enough compound to let you get crazy in the corners, yet they work well in wet weather. A good all-around tire, I'd say.