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 more like a Mustang. It's quick, nimble, changes speed and direction quickly as opposed to the locomotive nature of the big scooter.
The first thing I noticed in the dark morning on my way to work was how much light the Honda threw down the road. Its headlight is very bright Halogen and with the use of the high beam I was better able to dodge bumps and holes in the highway than I can with the big scooter.The second thing is the difference between the engines in both sound and fury. The Honda roars and rumbles like a small version of the bigger bikes of this world. The scooter drones like a motor boat. You know what you're on when you're riding either.
It was a good deal of fun traveling on the Honda. It always reminds me of the adventures I had in my younger, more motorcycling oriented days. It is much easier to keep pace with traffic, not be so concerned with cars behind me and practice my clutch/shift skills. Plus it allowed the Honda to shake off some dust. A very good ride.
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.
July 21, 2014
Just for variety I've been using the Honda Rebel in the garage to run some errands. I've been riding bikes for fifty-two years but since I sold the Kawasaki three years ago most of my miles have been on a scooter. While most people may think that motorcycles and scooters are the same to ride, it's not even close. Without getting technical a motorcycle and a scooter are built, work and ride completely differently. It isn't just the fact that a motorcycle has a manual gearbox either. This, of c...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
July 13, 2014
As this season wears on certain tasks must be performed as part of routine maintenance of the machines. I finally got up the nerve to take care of one this week and the results were quite gratifying. A year ago or so I returned Lazarus, the 150cc scooter, to life by replacing the cylinder head with an inexpensive replacement. That made the engine brand new in that area which requires a periodic check of the arms that open the valves in the engine. Since this was a bargain part I was expecting...
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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.
