As you can see by the video above I rode the scooter on a frigid day. There actually is a reason and it's not because I lost my mind. My faithful minivan suffered another parts breakage due to old age and the elements. I had the occasion to look the car over last week and noticed that one of the front shock absorbers, commonly called a strut, had broken and made the car hazardous. I slowly drove it to my local garage, they ordered the parts and I was without four wheels for several days. This past Wednesday I had a Dentist appointment for a cleaning and needed a way to get there. What to do?
Many years ago I rode a motorcycle full time to commute, travel and just generally get around. Yes, when it snowed I used the one car we had, but most of the time I rode. There were days when I rode that the temperatures were brutal and I learned what to wear for the occasion. You would be amazed to know that forty below zero wind chills are cope-able but I won't lie, it was painful.
Wednesday I took stock of what I had to wear, assembled the best cold weather pieces and got dressed. The 150cc scooter actually started with the first push of the button after I dragged it out of the garage. I then set off for town, a scant three miles away. I was immediately reminded of several things as I rode. One, fingered gloves just don't cut it at sub zero wind chills and of course I left my good leather mittens in the car at the shop. Two, jeans without long johns under them will be pierced by cold in no time. Three, Zipping the jacket all the way up is the best way to keep an icy blast off your chest, even with a neck warmer. Otherwise the ride was tolerable. But I had ideas on how to make it better if I was going to do again.
The next day it happened. I had to run into town to make a bank deposit. This time I put on ski pants over my jeans, donned my snow boots and dug Sara's very good mittens out of the garage. I was much warmer except for one thing. Sara's mittens are a little small on me and air space is very important to warmth. To make the trip home better I went to my car at the mechanic's and retrieved my leather mittens. Much better,
Since then I have gotten my car back and thanked my scooter for its loyal service. Chinese scooters may not be rated as "Best" but they beat walking. It has also made me appreciate, once again, heat in the car. It looks like Spring may not bring immediate relief, according to the long range forecast, but warmer than single digit temperatures are coming. I'm ready, the bikes are ready. Polar Vortex go home.