As much as I love my scooters I still have a motorcycle side. The little 50cc satisfies part of that but I occasionally have to throw a leg over the 250cc Honda Rebel to satisfy it fully. The only bad part in that is that it stirs up the desire for something bigger. I rode larger motorcycles for forty years before turning to a scooter life style but the embers still smolder for a bigger bike. When I ride the Honda the wind in my face and the sound of the engine rumbling beneath me only fans the embers threatening to start a fire of desire for a big bike.

I certainly can't complain about the way the big scooter has been running lately. After the recent valve adjustment it's like a different machine. There are small hills on my way to work where I was only able to maintain or slightly lose speed where the scooter can now even accelerate a bit. The most telling thing are the recent fuel mileage figures. Before the valves were set properly I was getting about 71 mpg. This last tank load achieved 80 mpg using the same fuel I always use. If I went on a trip with it, the way it's running now, I would only have to stop for fuel every 200 miles which, in motorcycle terms , is about every four hours. I would need a “Leg Stretch top” in half that time.

Despite the virtues of the scooter the sound and fury of a motorcycle is intoxicating enough that even a short trip on a tiny 250cc motorcycle is sure to snare my interest. That's why the Rebel spends so much time idle waiting for use. It's a bad influence.