The first thing is that the big scooter is really perking along this season, as if you didn't know. Last night on the way home the odometer passed 7,000 miles. This is more miles than I've done on anything in a long time. I use 1,900 miles as the start mark of when I got it from Marc which means that I've put 5,100 miles on it since July of last year. I haven't done 5,000 miles on anything in ages. To put that in perspective; the other scooter, my 150cc Bashan, now has 7,500 miles on it since August of 2008. Up until I got the big scooter the Bashan was my big mileage bike in the garage, outdistancing even Sara's Honda Rebel. I should pass the Rebel by next Summer at this rate and be in the rarefied miles of 10,000+. The scooter is running like a Swiss watch and always answers the call to start. Of course it does need a drive belt replacement soon. That item is waiting in my stock of parts to be mounted.
If a Chinese scooter is only supposed to last one mile for every dollar you spend, I've gone just a tad beyond that prediction. At 5,000 miles I've gone over four time that. It's why you do your homework, find the best value for your money and choose a brand that works.
I used my steed to go to the Bike Night again at Gilligan's Island, an ice cream shop, in Sherburne. The round trip ride is 99 miles and takes me two hours. It's always nice to see motorcyclists together and I even got to see two other scooters in the crowd. Both smaller vehicles than mine but higher up on the price chain. A 125cc Yamaha Vino and a 150cc Genuine Stella that looks like a 1970s Vespa. Next year I'm going to bite the bullet and take the Bashan. It's now running well enough to make the trip and it will be a chance to show that bargain scooters can do long trips, at least to me if no one else. It's too far and hilly for the little 50cc bike so I can't use that, much as I would like to. The season is far from over so I may even surprise myself with the trips and miles to come. You may be surprised too.