Thanksgiving
Posted by Jim Zeiser on Sunday, November 18, 2012
I know it's almost a week away but here the week will be quick. One stepson is home from college for the week already and the second one will be back soon. It's been cold lately so the big scooter has only been to the job once this week but it did cross 4,000 miles. I had the 50cc out the other day for a shopping trip and it showed, once again, its worth. The temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees and it was running a little strangely. I thought maybe it needed gas since I couldn't tell for sure how long it had been since its last fill up. I stopped at the local station and refilled it but it only took three-tenths of a gallon. Considering that I had used it a few times, and thought it needed to be refilled, that amount is just amazing. If we had used the car for these trips it would have been considerably more. It's fairly amusing that a cheap Chinese mini-motorcycle has saved us the wear, tear and fuel costs this one has. If it only went about five miles an hour faster the cars would sit a lot more, but then the gas mileage wouldn't be so great.
As I noted last week the mittens I'm using to ride the big scooter help a lot. The next phase would be either ski pants or long underwear for my legs and I could probably ride in even colder temperatures. I won't go any lower than the thirty-five degrees I'm riding in now though since motorcycles don't seem to be built for it. I'm already hearing speedometer cable noises out of the big scooter and I've had about four or five speedometer and cable breakages due to ridiculous temperatures jamming up the mechanisms over the years. I'll suffer a little leg chill and let that be the voice that says, "Take the car Jim, it has heat."
I'm a fan of convenience and technology but I have to tell you that sometimes it's over the top. I just spent over $1000 on my ancient minivan having the ignition timing sensors and associated equipment replaced. Basically the car would just shut off and restart when it darn well wanted to. I became familiar with names like "Crank Position Sensor, Flex Plate and Cam Position Sensor" that control when the spark plugs fire and if any one of those items, along with 18 miles of wiring, go on the fritz you're calling for a tow. The car is now running better than ever and I'm hoping that it will be a cooperative partner for a good, long time. It's such a pleasure to drive and it makes long trips a breeze. It's almost like the car version of my big scooter. Not very nimble but very comfortable.
I hope you have a good Turkey Day and have a lot to be thankful for.
As I noted last week the mittens I'm using to ride the big scooter help a lot. The next phase would be either ski pants or long underwear for my legs and I could probably ride in even colder temperatures. I won't go any lower than the thirty-five degrees I'm riding in now though since motorcycles don't seem to be built for it. I'm already hearing speedometer cable noises out of the big scooter and I've had about four or five speedometer and cable breakages due to ridiculous temperatures jamming up the mechanisms over the years. I'll suffer a little leg chill and let that be the voice that says, "Take the car Jim, it has heat."
I'm a fan of convenience and technology but I have to tell you that sometimes it's over the top. I just spent over $1000 on my ancient minivan having the ignition timing sensors and associated equipment replaced. Basically the car would just shut off and restart when it darn well wanted to. I became familiar with names like "Crank Position Sensor, Flex Plate and Cam Position Sensor" that control when the spark plugs fire and if any one of those items, along with 18 miles of wiring, go on the fritz you're calling for a tow. The car is now running better than ever and I'm hoping that it will be a cooperative partner for a good, long time. It's such a pleasure to drive and it makes long trips a breeze. It's almost like the car version of my big scooter. Not very nimble but very comfortable.
I hope you have a good Turkey Day and have a lot to be thankful for.
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