March 2, 2013
I'm sitting here as a light snow falls and the temperature outside is hovering at twenty-four degrees. Too cold to even think about riding. Not only has the weather conspired against me but so has my garage. The other day, after placing my new tire for the big scooter in the garage, I closed the door and heard a loud bang. I had an idea what had occurred since it had happened before but I tried to open the door and it wouldn't budge. One of the assist springs on the door had broken and flew out hitting the door making it nigh unto impossible to raise it. I opened the other door to be sure, and yup, there was the broken spring resting on the runner. I have since purchased a new spring at the local hardware store but I'm waiting for better weather to do the job. Hopefully it will go well since this will be the first time I'll do the job by myself. The last time a local handyman did it for me but he no longer lives nearby. Until I get around to it the bikes are being held prisoner by the wounded garage door....and bad weather.
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
February 23, 2013
After using the 50cc bike twice last week I thought that the riding season had finally arrived. "Not so fast Mr. Zeiser", said Mother Nature. This past week has been a mixed bag of single digit and below zero wind chills, light snow and freezing rain. Not exactly conducive to riding anything. Even the dogs are tired of this weather and my cat won't even go near the door to try and visit the great outdoors. Worse yet is that the price of gas has risen about twenty-five cents the last couple of...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
February 14, 2013
Even though there's still snow on the ground out there the weather finally became hospitable enough for a ride on something two wheeled. With temperatures soaring up to a sizzling thirty-seven degrees and some very light shopping in order I fired up the 50cc bike and went to Town. I was a little leery about being under-dressed but no worries. I didn't feel the customary breeze blowing through my shoes and pants and my gloves were more than adequate. The bike felt a little stiff and not as re...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
February 9, 2013
After an epic week with a major trip to Columbus, Ohio in my aging minivan, the east coast has been hit with a major snowstorm. Unlike other places we only got eight inches of the white stuff but today the wind is howling causing wind chills around three to five degrees. Winter is really putting up a fight right now and keeping my two wheeled fleet locked up in the garage. The only two wheeled, gas powered machine I'm using is the snow thrower. Whoever invented the capability to let a machine...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
January 31, 2013
After a week of cold, then warm and raining, I almost got to ride today. It started out this morning at around 40 degrees and sunny with just one deterrent, wind gusts up to 45 mph. I was all set to keep my string of riding months going but it was just too windy. I've taken a ride on something at least once a month since a year ago. Sadly I haven't ridden at all this month and it ends today. As a personal consolation I fired up the 50cc bike just to hear it run. It started after a few cranks ...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
January 25, 2013
The temperatures this week have hovered near zero and I walk past the garage wondering what my two wheelers think of this weather. I haven't even attempted to start anything since I fear something might break in the attempt. The last two times I started the big scooter it made a loud screeching noise that is probably the clutch engaging on cold metal. When it warmed up a little the noise vanished. I was hoping to ride the 50cc a few times to the store by now but the cold has made that impossi...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
January 15, 2013
The only activity I've indulged in lately is going out to the garage and firing up the big scooter and I have to tell you it's a sad substitute to riding. We had a brief thaw this week with some light showers and incredible fog. Most of our foot of snow is gone but the weather report for the foreseeable future is for cold. It is January after all so I would expect bad weather. It's just depressing after the mild winter last year when I had already ridden a few times by now.
I have had a chanc... Continue reading...
Posted by Jim Zeiser.
January 2, 2013
I hope you all had a happy New Year. I'm sitting here with the tally sheet for two wheeled commuting in 2012. While it won't knock your socks off, I'm fairly content. The 150cc scooter was used 27 times for trips to work before the cylinder head started to seriously leak and stopped it. The ill fated Yamaha 250 was used once. The Honda Rebel made eight trips while the 50cc mini-motorcycle made nine runs over the hills. Lastly we have the big scooter, Galileo, at a colossal 43 trips between th...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
December 29, 2012
Happy Holidays everybody! I hope your holidays have been fruitful and enjoyable. Mine have. I'm sitting here listening to the soothing tick of a new cuckoo clock that Sara bought me. It's a real hanging weight, German made model and it's a beauty. The scooter and Cub clone sit in the garage with several inches of white stuff clogging up the driveway. Unlike last year this hasn't been a mild winter. Temperatures in the teens and twenties have kept my two wheeled fleet in dry dock and all I can...
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Posted by Jim Zeiser.
December 19, 2012
Yes, I know it's not winter until Friday but when it's 32 degrees outside and I ride, that's close enough. I needed to get a few groceries at the store and even though it was tempting to take the minivan I decided that I was taking the 50cc grocery getter. I was dressed warm enough for a seven mile ride but I had a few minutes there at the start to make me wonder. You know how you feel when you jump in a pool on a hot summer day. It feels like a refrigerator for a minute until you get used to...
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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.
