Scooter Life

Happy New Year

Chuck — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:44:00 GMT

Happy New Year
I wish all of you a great year! Ride safe and may all your dreams and wishes come true.
Take care,
Chuck

Merry Christmas

Chuck — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas to All!
Well my scoot saga continues as I am riding and enjoying it more. I have over a 1000 miles on her now and I have found that I do not miss owning a car at all.(we do have a 2009 TDI Jetta). My wife uses the car for work and other odd errands we do in the car together but for my everyday life it's the scoot for me! We recently had a cold snap come through Florida complete with rain, cool temps and wind. My rain gear and a sweater took care of everything I needed to keep on trucking. This kind of scenario was one of the reservation's I had about making the leap to a scoot but it was really a non event and with the proper gear I enjoyed the day.
Have a safe and Happy Holiday!
Chuck

First Service

Chuck — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:35:00 GMT

Hi All,
I hope the holiday treated all of you well! I had to do without my scoot for the holiday as I was pass due for the first service. I dropped my scoot off Tuesday evening just before close so the service could be done. I got a call Wednesday saying the scoot was ready but as a cold front had moved into the area with thunderstorms and heavy rain I decided to pick it up Friday. It was great to get my scoot back though the ride up US 19 at 50 was a chilly one. The temp was 50 degrees with a North wind of about 10 MPH and guess what, I was headed North. With 764 miles on my scoot I am getting more comfortable with my lifestyle change. I ride the scoot everywhere at least 5 days out of the week. Weekends I spend my time with wife and as we are going places together we take the VW Jetta TDI on the weekends. My first months mileage was 725 miles and I am loving every minute and every mile. The savings over my last ride is significant, averaging (if things stay the same) about $18.45 for fuel. Some of you might be asking what sacrifices did you have to make to switch to a scoot. The answer is none and that surprises even me as I thought I would have to make some kind of change but I am able to everything I did in the 350Z.
Take care, Chuck

More Scooting

Chuck — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:25:00 GMT

Well this week brought some rain and gusty winds to sunny Florida courtesy of Hurricane Ida. Did I continue to ride the scoot? Yes and had no problems, I just gave things a little more attention and the cages more room. The rain gear I carry works very well with no leaks and dried quickly at the office. The pants are pull on with zippers on the legs to draw them tight and keep the rain out. The jacket has velcro cuffs that I can close to keep the rain from running up my arms. The ride covered about 30 miles that day and another first bit the dust (riding in the rain).
I put fuel in the scoot today, another gallon and my mileage for this fill up came to 91.8 miles to the gallon. I have 433 miles on my scoot and still need to do the first oil change at 600 miles. Still loving it!

My scoot

Chuck — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:26:00 GMT

Hi All, Just a short update on life on a scooter after 19 days of ownership, riding, and having fun. Lots of people have asked me aren't you scared riding in traffic? Yes, riding a scoot can be dangerous and it takes concentration and training to be safe. I have owned motorcycles off and on all my life. I attended a Motorcycle safety course with my last bike due to the time interval between ownership and I plan on going again with my scoot. The course was fun, informative, and made me a better rider. As a retired Commercial pilot I know the value of recurring training and my scoot is no different. I have discovered I am a better rider than driver because I am not laid back in a leather bucket seat with the radio rocking out, answering my cell, or fiddling with the GPS. I am way more in tuned with the road, traffic and all that is going around me. I leave room for the cage drivers, always have an out if someone should shoot into my lane or pull out in front of me. I have 400 hundred miles on my scoot now and while the journey is just beginning I am learning and enjoying every day.
Take care, Chuck

More Scooter Life

Chuck — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:36:00 GMT

Hi All, Well I now have over 300 hundred miles on the scoot and here is what I have found so far. I have been doing around 30 miles a day and at the end of the day I find my back is a little sore. I am going to put this down to being out of shape. I know the more I ride the better this will be just like any new exercise a person takes on. Now the 30 miles I am doing is not in a straight line it is all over town, light to light. The other thing I have found is how incredibly versitial it is. I made a run to Sam's today and was surprised to find a whole case of water fit right under the seat! Not 24 but 32 16.9 plastic bottles fit under the seat with no trouble. Yesterday was fuel day again ( see pictures in the album) and the 3 bucks of fuel I asked for did not fit in the tank so a short walk back in to the store for change,Loving It! More to come,,,,,,

Scooter Life

Chuck — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:07:00 GMT

Yesterday was a great day to be scooting! Florida weather was as it should be, sunny and warm. The scoot and I started the day with a trip to the gas station. Gas is now $2.64 a gallon for regular so after parking at pump six I walked in and asked for $2.50 worth. That got me a funny look from the cashier but with money exchanged I headed back out to pump my fuel. I think some background is needed here so,,,, I got my scoot on a Tuesday night from the dealer and they filled the tank for me. I drove it to work and around town the rest of the week and Saturday I put .9 gallons in the tank. The scoot had about 78.9 miles on her at that time. Yesterday I put in .89 of a gallon and had to go

back in to the cashier for my change! The look on his was was priceless and kept me smiling all day. I had 152.9 miles on her at the pump that morning. (see pictures). Life on a scoot is not only fun but economical and in my job as a Realtor I am finding that there are really advantages to scooting I had not even considered. It has become a great conversational piece with both buyers and other Realtors.

One Week

Chuck — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:20:00 GMT

Well a week has passed since I added a Honda Elite to my life. A year ago I had the chance to spend three weeks in Europe and to see for myself how people cope with high gas prices, narrow roads and hard to find parking places. How do they do it? a very large part use scoots as transportation, day in and day out. I have to admit I was fascinated with how well people of all ages manged everyday life without the SUV. Kids got picked up from school, groceries made it home, and all transportation needs were met all on the fuel efficient scooters. After my return to Florida I could never quite shake what I saw. The questions keep popping up, could I live with a scoot as my transportation? The short answer is yes, long term I am hoping the answer is the same. You will have to stay tuned for the final outcome, I will keep you informed of how I am doing.

Welcome

Chuck — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:20:14 GMT

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.