This popped up on the instructor e-mail list the other day. Where to credit the photo isn't known. However, I find I sort of identify. As a matter of fact, it really hit home with me. Hit me where I live, if you will. If you ride a scooter, please remember that this is offered in the spirit of fun and tongue in cheek. Some of you are pretty wild about this stuff, especially you daredevil accountants!
I can see the fun and practical side of owning and riding a scooter. I've even toyed with the idea of actually buying one myself. For some reason, I just never seem to be able to pull the trigger on the deal. Now I have an inkling of why.
When Orin and I had lunch we talked about how folks "brand" themselves by what they ride, own, or wear. I scoffed at the idea that I could be one of "those people". I'm secure in my manhood, riding skills, and Warrior persona. Turns out, perhaps my scoffing was hypocrisy.
Maybe ole Darth and I are too rooted in our Warrior personas. Which means we actually have become "labeled" more than we want to admit. Even worse, is it possible that beneath our respective outer armors ( Darth's mask and cape, my helmet and 'Stich ) lies extremely fragile egos?
No, it can't be that. Perish the thought. Darth and I are secure in our Warriorhood. No, I think it's more the picture of how the world should be. Anything different makes us uncomfortable. That's okay. Haven't you ever looked at something and said to yourself,
"That's just not right!"
This is a good thing. It keeps everything right and proper with the world.
I mean, come on, can you imagine John Wayne on a Shetland Pony?
I rest my case.
Miles and smiles,
Dan
19 comments:
Dan size matters not come to the scooter side you must. :)
Your really missing out.
For type of riding a Kymco people 250s would be a good fit
And you can fit all kinds of camera gear under the seat
Old F
I just can't get over the tiny wheels. Really, I tried.
(But, you know what they say about those with tiny wheels...)
I'm not sure what "they" say about "those tiny wheels", but size does matter. I can't imagine myself riding a machine I can barely keep upright with both feet on the ground standing still. like a Harley. Never-mind negotiating heavy city stop and go traffic on 30 degree hills during rush hour. Scooters have their place, in my humble opinion.
I recall a two-wheeled parking issue meeting at the Seattle City Council chambers a couple years ago when one of the attendees, a Harley dealer and rider from the area said he "envied the maneuverability and agility" of the many scooters that passed him on the city streets as he rode downtown to that meeting.
Forgive me as I do realize your post was more about style and not the actual ride ... but ... I've got to say the more comfortable you are on any given vehicle the better off you will be as well. Assuming, of course, that the mode of transportation is suitable for the given riding conditions. I agree a 50cc scoot doesn't cope well with busy arterial (read that speeding) conditions.
My 2¢ worth.
Scooters feel like you're on a barstool, steering your way through traffic ...
*yuck*
;-)
It's all in the head, because it's iddifuclt to see what you are riding as you ride it.
I really like the NX700 Deauville, a "baby" ST1300 but it lacks what the Bonneville has which is a connection to my youth. I like the modern reliability and the old fashioned looks and weather protection is obviously not a priority for me.
However one major drawback with scooters is the lack of respect they engender on the roads, if they look like scooters. I suffered from that even on the GTS which I rode well over the speed limit much of the time. Yet the Bonneville protects me from assholes tailgating and cutting me off. Weird but true. In Key West itself locals are sued to scooters obviously but Highway is full of tourists who aren't.
And with your personality you'd end up shooting them.
We are talking about personal
stile.
I have always been a bit well more than a bit of a none conformist .
I just don’t buy in to bigger is always better hype that big manufactures have been pushing for to many years.
Scooters have been a god send for me be it 50cc or 650 they allow me to thumb my nose at a so called establish norm.
As if riding any thing on two wheels can be called normal : )
Old F
Dave,
Must I remind you that cell phones are the only thing men brag about having the smallest of?
Although I did ride a People 150 and liked it. In downtown Salem.
Stacy,
I agree with you. The small wheels worry me, too. However, the wheel size is creeping up on some models.
No, I don't know. What do they say about people with tiny wheels, anyway?
Take care,
Dan
Chuck,
You make a couple of excellent points. In fact, one of the reasons you cited is what draws me to a scooter purchase.
Firstly, the comfort thing. You are absolutely correct. Comfort, and the size of the bike versus body size are a vital consideration.
Secondly, it's the town errand thing that makes perfect sense. If I lived in a place like Seattle, for example, where there are more attractions to ride to I would probably own a scooter by now. Here where I live there really isn't much to go and do.
If I want to go downtown I can walk in a half hour. Otherwise there are mostly big box stores on the other side of town. I do most of my business on the way out of town or on the way home so the big bike works best.
Personal circumstances vary and scooters work best for a lot of those.
Yes, I was talking about style and not function. I gotta have my style, you know, even if other things would be more practical!
Take care,
Dan
Abraxas,
A bar stool on wheels? Interesting picture. Could you fix me up with a pint while I'm at it?
Conchscooter,
That's exactly why I only wash Elvira's windshield and gas tank. I can't see the rest while riding.
I don't know about shooting a cager from a scooter. Not that I wouldn't. Just wondering. Is the scooter big enough to absorb the recoil?
Take care,
Dan
Dave,
A rebel non-conformist on a scooter? That's right. We bad!
Seriously, I like it. Everyone should make decisions based on what works for them, not slick ad hype or peer pressure.
You rebel, you.
Take care,
Dan
You know I'll jump on anything with two wheels and love it all to pieces.
I get a huge kick out of riding our Vespa (the little one, too). Zipping around is fun. They're awfully small for me, though. And after a week or two, I start to really miss going fast.
At the end of the day, the Triumph is "home."
Speaking as an Ironbutt scooterist, I must say the "small" wheels (the GTS sports 12-inchers, which are what my 1980 Honda Civic had) have never been an issue. The 10-inchers were never an issue on the PX, but it was slow...
I find the chair-like riding position of most scooters more comfortable than most motorcycles I've sat on--I once did think about a Kawasaki Ninja 250, which size- and weight-wise is closest to a large scooter, but the crotch-rocket ergonomics nixed it, in spite of its very attractive price. I've long lusted after an R-series BMW, but then I look at the spec sheet and go, "six HUNDRED pounds???" The GTS, at 325, is at times a bit of a handful.
Unfortunately, in the U.S. all 2-wheeled motor vehicles are so completely fetishized, people not so secure in who they are are going to sneer and guffaw at anything one might choose to ride. One kinda nice thing about the GTS is how some who sneer and guffaw look at the instrument cluster and go, "dude, does this thing REALLY go 100 mph?"
__Orin
Scootin' Old Skool
I have four bikes: SV650, WR250R, Ural, and my Super 9 scooter. They all have their place and usefulness.
I like the scooter because it is easy to park anywhere and entertaining to ride. The super9 is the sport bike of 50cc scooters. It's slow speed also forces you to enjoy the ride and look around more. Great for dense urban areas.
Orin sounds like we mite be kindred spirits.
Want to form a club : )
No that wouldn’t work I am suspect of any club that would
Have me as a member : )
Old F
I always thought I looked like the meanest, coolest SOB on two wheels astride the Vespa. Am I missing something??
Seriously though -- my scooter fills a purely utilitarian role. And so far, nothing else I have ridden comes close to it's functionality for the riding I do.
Except the MP3. And the KLR. And probably the Triumph Bonneville. Oh yeah, the Tiger was pretty good too...
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
Combining this and your preceeding post, Google: Burgman Scooter. Hydrogen Fuel Cell.
Suzuki have got the first Fuel Cell Bike/Scooter to market. Yes it is an urban commuter at the moment, but put the technology into a 600cc 'Super Scoot' like a Honda Silverwing and you have got something that could play in serious traffic on any Interstate/Motorway.
I agree though they still have a serious image problem with other road users other drivers don't take them seriously. Which ironically makes them more dangerous as no one gives you any room.
If I am a punk for riding a scooter, then I must be a daredevil punk, LOL
Dan,
I saw this photo today, and I thought it fit perfectly
-Chris
Chris,
I like the photo. Especially if my FJR sport tourer fits into the bottom right frame!
Take care,
Dan
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