May 8, 2013
I just checked the score sheet that I use to keep track of commuter trips and saw that I had reached ten trips. The ramifications of that, while minor, are sometimes pretty sobering. For one thing ten trips to work means that I saved $60 in gas over using the minivan. It also means that I didn't put 350 miles on the aging vehicle. While that distance doesn't sound like much it's approximately a trip from New York City to Rochester, NY. Since we only recently started having bike riding weather it could eventually add up to a cross-country trip. Being able to shift miles off my 1997 minivan will allow me more years before I have to replace it. Not only that but I do get the enjoyment of riding too.
In other commuting news Sara has been able to ride her Honda to work on two occasions recently. Sadly for her the weather hasn't been so cooperative. In the mornings temperatures have been hovering around thirty-two degrees when she has to leave for work. That would put rolling wind chills in the sub-zero area for her and makes riding both unpleasant and dangerous. Stiff body parts don't react as swiftly as necessary should an emergency arise. I would imagine better days are coming and the Honda's tires will get in a lot of rolling time as Spring proceeds as will mine.
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
May 5, 2013
Sometimes you can only put off a job for so long and then it catches up with you. I finally ran out of weather and time excuses yesterday and had to replace the rear tire on the big scooter. While it wasn't exactly torturous, it was time consuming and I learned a few things along the way about the scoot. In removing the wheel from Galileo, my name for it since "Fashion" just doesn't cut it for me, I found it was in need of another muffler bolt. One of them had sheared in half and was just han...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
May 1, 2013
This is what I call weather. It's 70* right now and a perfect day for riding. I got in two trips to town today on the 50cc bike and my big scooter. You see when the thermometer starts to climb and the sun hangs out all day my grass takes that as a sign to shoot up quickly. I had to make a run into town to fill up a pair of gas cans and get some groceries. Since I don't believe it's healthy to stuff gas cans and food into the same box I made two separate trips. The gas run was first with a pai...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
April 24, 2013
I know I promised to cut back on the weather reports but it's so nice today I just can't resist. Take a look at this picture
I put the two motorcycle types on the driveway in warm, brilliant sunshine. The 50cc bike on the right has been back and forth to town many times, the Honda on the left has been champing at the bit waiting to be used. The weather in the mornings has been bitter, a scant 32 degrees this day, unlike the 62 degrees at present. It's day will come. As I noted recently the H... Continue reading...
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
April 17, 2013
Today is finally the fulfillment of a season's promise. It's about 50* outside and the sun is blazing in the sky. I keep looking for a reason to ride into Town or take the scooter or small bike out on an important errand, but there aren't any. I had another chance to ride the big scooter to work on Monday and it felt great. It's nice to have something I can cruise along on at 60 mph just like the rest of traffic. After two years on either a 150 or 50cc two wheeled conveyance, hugging the shou...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
April 10, 2013
I'm hoping that this will be the first of many ride reports that actually involves more than a weather report. While today is gloomy and rain is about to start, yesterday was a peach. Sara and I knew that the weather was supposed to be in our favor so I had both bikes ready to ride. I disconnected my big scooter from the trickle charger and filled up Sara's Rebel with gas after starting them both to make sure they were ready to roll. Sara's bike always amazes me. I hadn't fired up the Honda i...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
March 31, 2013
When I set up this blog I hadn't foreseen anybody actually writing to me so I accepted the messaging capability that came with it. Today I actually got a response from someone outside my circle of friends. They usually comment on Facebook when they want to tell me something. The response came from a man named Dan who it turns out is a fellow 250 CF Moto owner.
Hello my name is Dan and I am starting my third season with a CF MOTO Fashion, identical to the one on this website. I put 12,500 miles... Continue reading...
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
March 27, 2013
Sorry that it's been so long since I last wrote. I feel silly after a while saying, "The weather stinks so I didn't ride" so I tend to stretch out my entries. The temperatures are finally looking up so I've been itching to have a reason to hit the road. Today I made one trip into town for groceries in the car since it was about 29 degrees this morning but it warmed up this afternoon. I discovered I had missed a few items and given the incredible gas mileage of my 50cc mini-motorcycle I didn't...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
March 16, 2013
There are some seasons that just overstay their welcome and Winter is all of them. After the lovely weekend a week ago I was really sure that Spring had arrived. No such luck. After a couple of warm days we were back to snow, cold and cloudy weather. Yesterday the forecast was for 37 degrees and it never got above 32. Today is much the same with a high of 30 in the forecast and an actual high of 28 to this point. Too cold to even think about riding so my cars are getting a workout.
I've been ... Continue reading...
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
March 9, 2013
The promise of Spring is in the air today. It's forty-five degrees and the sun is actually shining. I sucked up my courage and worked on my garage door installing a new spring. After a couple of hours, many unhappy words and frustration at the system of pulleys and cables it uses I finally triumphed and had it back together. It evens feels easier to lift. Hopefully I did it right and it will continue to operate in a righteous manner.
To work on the garage door I had to put the 50cc bike out o...
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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.
