October 12, 2014
Even though I can't ride during this recuperation period it doesn't stop me from doing needed repairs. The other day I was out checking over the bike collection when I noticed a hair raising item. The big scooter was showing cord on the rear tire. For those of you not versed in tire construction, a tire isn't just a large rubber donut. The outside is covered in rubber but under that are layers of nylon cords that reinforce the rubber and give the tire strength. If you use a tire too long if will wear through the rubber and the nylon cords will begin to show. This can cause a sudden deflation and loss of control. The big scooter has a very small back tire and it wears rapidly in comparison to a motorcycle. In this case a scant 6,150 had passed since I mounted the tire seventeen months ago and it was toast.
I have done this once already so I knew what to expect. Removing the wheel took all of an hour or so and I had a replacement tire "In Stock" and ready to go on. For many years I would then remove the tire from the wheel and mount a new one. In this age of tubeless tires this is a task right up there with walking on hot coals, barefoot. I now take the wheel and new tire to my local Kawasaki dealer and pay them to do it. Their tire machine does in five minutes what usually takes me an hour of severe strain or more. It's worth it to pay them.
Replacing the wheel took no time and once I'm back on the bikes the big scooter will be ready to go again. I heard before I bought this style of scooter that the tires were only good for around 5,000 miles. Facts are a terrible thing to live with and I guess I will be very familiar with tire changes on this scooter. The front will need replacing soon too, but it is still serviceable at 10,000 miles so I won't be quite as well versed there. Ah, the joys of riding. It keeps your tools in motion.
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
October 1, 2014
Last week was a tumultuous week in my life and the end result as quite unexpected. It may come as a surprise to many of you but for the last thirty-five years of my life I've had a pacemaker implanted in the left side of my chest. Since nothing lasts forever it came as no surprise, on my last pacemaker monthly check, it appeared as if the battery inside the unit had reached the safety point and needed to be replaced. Many people are under the impression that they simply replace the battery in...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
September 21, 2014
Normally I write about using the scooters or the 50cc bike but hold on for something completely different. This morning was warmer weather than we've had in a while and I was in the mood for a different kind of ride. The Honda Rebel 250cc was gassed and ready so instead of the big scooter I pulled the Honda out of the garage. Despite their similar engine size the two machines are as different as night and day. The big scooter is like a Cadillac. Long, low, comfortable and steady. The Honda is...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
September 9, 2014
It finally happened today. My big scooter, Galileo, finally crossed the ten thousand mile barrier. That doesn't sound like a bunch of miles in this age of 200,000 mile automobiles, but for anything on two wheels that is milestone. It wasn't long ago when many motorcycles were parked with less miles than that. Bikes were cheap, service was expensive in comparison to purchase price and high mileage wasn't a priority in their design. Now Craigslist is littered with bikes that have forty thousand...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
September 1, 2014
It's a sad day today. Labor Day marks the end of Summer for most of the population. People go home from short or extended vacations on this day and the highway in front of my house is alive all day with vehicles heading south. Cars with roof boxes, travel trailers and motor homes have been passing by. For me it's a time to start thinking about how to extend the riding season. There will only be a few short weeks before cooler weather sets in. It wasn't too bad when I left for work around lunc...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
August 25, 2014
Every so often you have to throw a wrench on, not at, the rolling stock to keep them moving. The one task I have avoided is replacing the drive belt on the big scooter. It looked OK two years ago but a lot of time and miles have occurred since the last visual check. It's not a huge job to replace it but it is one of those tasks that can either be a breeze or a hurricane, depending on other factors. Well into the job I ran into a roadblock. To remove the belt you have to take the pulley it rid...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
August 15, 2014
It's been a long time since I did anything different on my Chinese fleet besides commuting or grocery runs. Yesterday was the day for another adventure. I felt that we needed something else for dinner besides meat and potatoes, but what to do. BURRITOS! I had seen a Moe's Southwest Grill in Vestal this past Saturday, we haven't had them in months and so the destination was set, but what to use? Ah, I know.
Lazarus. The 150cc scooter hadn't taken a long ride in years. Ever since I fixed it last...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
August 11, 2014
It's always painful to think about, but August, as they say, is the Sunday of Summer. I've just been riding all over the place, and loving it, but the signs of Winter coming are there. The first that hit me was the other morning when I rode into work before dawn. In June and July at near five o'clock the sky would start to brighten and the stars would disappear. Not in August. Now I get a brilliant display of stars and the sky stays dark. When I went into work on Friday the temperature hovere...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
August 4, 2014
As I told you last week my daughter Cheryl came for a visit and an early celebration of her birthday. She had just ended her employment with one company and had a few days before her next job started. After settling in she was eager to go for a ride on the 150cc scooter and so we did. It was a short trip to the grocery store but Cheryl was happy just to be up on two wheels again. The scooter is easy to ride and has a Metropolitan feel about it. I'm sure Cheryl would love to have it in New Yor...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
July 27, 2014
First and foremost my daughter, Cheryl, is coming to visit.Those of you who are long suffering readers will remember that last year at about this time she came here and learned to ride not only my 50cc bike but also the 150cc scooter. She graced me with a line that has stuck with me. We rode into town and a pair of riders on Harleys waved back to us when we waved to them. "Did you see the two Harleys waving to us?" she said. "I'm feeling pretty cool about now." The mere act of two riders wavi...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
If you wish to comment my e-mail address is h1500e@hotmail.com. I'd like to hear anything-good or bad-that anyone would like to say. As they said in college, we're all lifelong learners.
