The winter season is getting closer and riding will be curtailed very shortly. I'm thinking of putting the big Chinese scooter on the Die Hard battery maintainer I have just to preserve it though the non-riding season. Of course that will have to wait until after I stop using it. As previously noted it is a very useful device for foul weather transportation and it is a much warmer two wheeler than any I've owned before. Honda was really on to something when they created this design back in 1986. While not a lively creature it's much more utilitarian and practical than most scooters and motorcycles. It makes riding in cool temperatures much more liveable.
My car is in the shop for a major repair and there were no cars around this morning when Sara called me from her job. She needed something brought to her and despite the thirty-eight degrees outside I didn't hesitate to jump on the scooter. In deference to the cold I pulled on a heavy pair of gloves. I needn't have bothered. Sitting in the bubble of air created by the windshield and front plastic, the air blast is kept to a minimum and wind chill was kept at bay. I won't use words like balmy or cozy but I was fairly comfortable. The thirty-two mile round trip passed quickly and the scooter was back in the garage in no time.
I checked my score sheet in the garage today and I've hit some mentionable numbers. The CF Moto has hit thirty round trips to work and my total for two wheel commutes so far this year has reached seventy-five. In financial terms I've saved  about $450 in gas by not using the car. I just used a calculator and it tells me I've ridden 2,625 miles in commutes. Factor in the other miles I've gone and you have almost 3,000 miles so far. While not epic it is one of the most active riding years I've had in awhile. That represents a decent fuel savings as most of those miles were task oriented and not joy rides. It's been a very good year-so far.