Somewhere, somehow I came across a review of the Road Guardians safety class. I put out some feelers and am now thinking of actually hosting a class at the community clubhouse where I live. Basically the Road Guardian class is designed to provide basic accident scene emergency training that is motorcycle specific. It is not a first aid or first responder class, but a class designed to assist EMS and the police in case of a motorcycle accident.
I was surprised to learn for example that when trauma results in the use of CPR there is only a 1% chance of survival and that many EMS technicians may not know how to properly remove a bikers safety gear (such as chaps). Or at least this is what is reported on the website.
At this point in my life I mostly ride alone. That may change in the future, and I do see a lot of bikers and scooters on the road. I also know that eventually I will see an accident because frankly I see a lot of idiots on bikes...to many. Being able to help in some way in case of an accident appeals to me. In 2007 for example, motorcyclists accounted for 13% of all traffic fatalities. That's a ridiculous number.
This class is a one day program and I should stress it's not going to give anyone CPR or first aid certification. If I feel there is enough interest in it, I may looking into bringing in a CPR/First aid trainer as well. I live one hour from Tampa, one hour from St. Pete and one hour from Orlando. So I'm centrally located and have access to a building that could be used to hold a class.
So I am going to put feelers out. Starting with the St. Pete Scooter Club and the Orlando Scooter Society. I figured a few other forums I belong to might spread the word as well. If there is enough interest then I'll look into it a little further. No harm in that is there?
June 1st is the official start to the Rainy Season in Florida. We need the rain badly, as the lakes are below their normal levels and countless turtles take their lives in their own hands to find a patch of mud on the other side of the blacktop. As much as we need the rain, as much as I want my veggie garden to thrive...I am weary of the rain as well.
I ride to work every day and if I didn't have my paper route to do two days out of the week I get the feeling that my car would sit for weeks without moving. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. I am planning on replacing one of my two cars eventually and using the bike full time anyhow. The problem is that my experience riding in rain is limited. Over the past two years or so that I've been riding some sort of scooter I can count the number of times I've ridden in the rain on one hand. One of the first things I bought when I got the Burgie was a good rain suit. It sits under the seat in it's pack...waiting. I have a 50% chance of getting wet tonight, a 70% chance tomorrow.
June 18, 2012 is also National Ride to Work Day. I'm always amazed that there are 3 or 4 other motorcycles at work, that I know of, and yet my old Scooter is always parked there. I do understand that there may be reasons why someone can not ride to work. I also understand that their are other alternatives - for example when I lived in Pittsburgh I rode the bus every day despite that fact that I could have driven in and parked for free. It was just easier to ride the bus. A girl at work owns a Prius and a Harley, yet the Prius gets better gas mileage than the hog...so yea, I get it. However it seems to me that if you own a bike, you should ride it. Not just on the weekends or from Tavern to Tavern but to work and to school and to the grocery store.
For example, the other day I was in Tampa on business and driving past an ancient woman riding a Peace scooter. Her toothless smile was so wide that you could get lost in it. She had a look of pure, simple, childish joy on her face. I could not help it and yelled out "YOU GO GRANDMA!" and got the biker wave in return. Some images you have burned into your brain and have to acknowledge them. I know that years from now I'll be riding somewhere with that same grin and sense of childlike wonder, I only hope that someone see's me and that I impress them as much as she did me.
That is one of the reasons I write. To share these impressions and images with others. One of the other reasons I write is to hopefully teach someone else something...anything really. What not to do, what to do. To just get them to think about something differently for a moment or two. One blog that does a fantastic job of that is "How to ride your scooter safely." If your riding any sort of two wheeled vehicle this is required reading.
Finally, if your not familiar with a site called Fuelly, you should be. It's designed to give you hard figures on your fuel consumption as well as tips on how to increase it. It's not hard to use and it should be interesting to see how my car's and bike compares to others over time.
I write this blog because I am still new to the joy and the art of motorcycling. I have questions and concerns and hopefully someone just as new or newer than me stumbles across my pitiful attempt at being helpful. If they gain some new knowledge or somehow avoid making a mistake that I made then wonderful.
So with gas getting close to and, as your reading this, probably over $4 a gallon I thought it best to give a little run down on what to look for if your thinking about life on two wheels. I’m not going to say Brand X is better than Brand Y, that’s not my job nor the purpose of this entry.
Basically, if you were to come up to me on the street and ask me for advice on buying a scooter my answer might surprise you.
1) Do not buy a scooter based on gas mileage alone.
Buddy's all in a row.
Okay, so you want to get somewhere between 50 - 100 miles per gallon. You want to save money I understand that. But do a little research first. For example what is the speed limit on the majority of roads you drive on? Is that speed limit more wishful thinking or is it accurate. If you’re driving a little 50CC over 50 miles round trip down the highway with cars zipping past you at 75 miles per hour…it may be time to reconsider your choice of scoot.
That being said, buy a motorcycle or scooter based on what you want to do. Don't buy something that is to powerful for you either. You don't need 1200cc between your legs to make you a man if your not comfortable with that type of power.
What do you plan to use your Scooter for? Commuting? Touring? Errands? I was very surprised to find that, over time, my riding changed. I started as a simple commuter, and now I would rather take the bike out than the car. Your mileage may vary.
2) Get endorsed and Gear Up
To make it as simple as possible, this might save your life. It will also break you of some bad habits. Well motorcycles and scoots are great fun and a form of cheap transportation the truth is that jackets, helmets and other things are not. A good “cheap” armored jacket might run you $125. A really good helmet about the same. Gloves vary in price and frankly I'm not sure why. Find a pair that fit and your comfortable with. Boots can be found cheaply (for example I got mine at Wal-mart), just make sure they are waterproof and have oil resistant soles.
These are a one time expense. Wear them all the time. Hence the term "ATGATT" which stands for All The Gear, All The Time.
Scooters and motorcycles are dangerous, have a lower profile than your car and don't react like a car does. Preparing for that moment when something goes wrong, and it will go wrong, just makes common sense.
3) Are you a gearhead?
I’m not a gear head but I learned a few things because motorcycles and scooters can be expensive to work on. For example an oil change in your car can be done by your local mechanic for roughly $20 US dollars. An oil change on your bike might be twice that. You can go through life not ever learning how to do something, learning to change the oil and other basic maintenance is just part of owning a bike. Motorcycles and scooters are not that common (yet) and frankly your local mechanic may not be qualified to work on your ride despite the fact he's worked on your car for 20 years. Learning how to do basic maintenance is a requirement of owning a bike. If your not willing to do that consider public transportation.
4) Are you willing to suffer?
You will be hot. You will be cold. You will be wet. You are exposed to the environment and have to make a choice to accept that.
5) Are you willing to have a smile on your face for the rest of your days?
Because you will.
If your willing to take some advice, then I think your going to not only save money but have a hell of a good time doing it.
Growing up in the 70's and early to mid 80's when my Dad had a problem with his car he took it down the road to a guy named Dan. Dan worked out of a barn in the back of his house, or on a warm spring or summer day, under a big old oak tree my brother and I loved to climb. He was literally a shade tree mechanic right down to the ever present bottle of beer.
I am not mechanically inclined. It's not that I don't understand the principles of it, the weird thing is that in my life I've been a lab rat. I worked for years as a civil engineering tech and now work for a GPS company. I understand tech. I speak tech.
Just don't ask me to actually fix or repair anything. I find humor in the fact that I know more about how the road under my wheels is constructed than the machine I'm riding on it.
When I bought my scooter I knew that had to change. I've done minor repairs in the car, "How difficult could it be to change the oil?" I thought. Well truthfully in the Burgman, not hard at all. Although I did quickly learn that some things I would have to do in the future were going to require more than a Phillips head screwdriver and a wrench.
The oil change itself was pretty simple and my thanks go out to Gary for walking me through it the first time, although after watching him do it I think I could have handled it.
He also pulled apart the CVT which started me thinking how little about the machine I decided to ride. If there is a squeal I know I can sit and think about it and identify where it's coming from...even be pretty sure what's causing it. Fixing it...not so sure and mechanics love to see a rube like me coming!
I understand the physics of it...the principles of my bike. I know that if I take the time and invest the energy I'll be able to fix the minor problems, change the oil and even seek shade under that old tree. If I invest the time and energy.
OK, maybe not the shade tree mechanic I had in mind
What modern car dealers don't want to tell you is that, Dan - remember him - does not actually exist. Things today are all electronic do dads and whatit's. The mechanic today is more of a computer diagnostics person than the proverbial grease monkey. Watching people work on their bikes harks back to a simpler time.
Their is an amazing community of "gearheads" out there. When a strange black streak appeared on my variator the first thing that popped into my mind was that the belt was not seated properly and rubbing against the metal. That could either result in a broken belt or replacing the variator itself.
As it so happened that mark appears to be a normal thing, as Gary posted the pics and question to the Burgman USA forums and had an answer within a few hours. So I feel pretty confidant moving forward that if I have a issue or question I can get the answer. I feel that I can work on this bike, or at least ask the right questions if I do take it to a mechanic.
When I was just a wee lad growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania I didn't know anyone that rode. In fact, it wouldn't be till I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina right out of University that I even knew anyone that owned a bike.
As I grew older my circle of friends grew to include bikers, many of whom were serious about their Harley's, BMW's and one guy I knew even collected Indian's. Hell, even my ex wife rode! Yet I still did not understand what the big deal was.
My reasons for getting the scooter I did were more economical than anything but I know understand why they would take off for a weekend and just ride with no particular destination in mind. In a way I'm sorry I didn't "get it" before. So when I decided to upgrade from a little 125cc to the bigger 400cc Burgman I knew I would get my endorsement.
In Florida you can either get your motorcycle endorsement on a 150cc scooters or on a 250cc motorcycle licence. The licence will allow you to ride either. I decided to take the class on the motorcycle, after all you never know when you might move up right? For someone like me who has never really ridden before it was an eye opener of sorts. Where I thought the scooter was challenging enough learning how to work the controls of a motorcycle were a whole new challenge.
We also had to learn it in the pouring rain and howling wind over a short two day period, not the ideal condition's but I was looking at it this way; if I did well now...I know I could it in better conditions. A opinion that seemed to be shared by my fellow trainees.
So after a few mistakes and a few realizations that "Yes, I've been doing this wrong!" I worked hard on correcting those mistakes. Breaking habits that I somehow picked up - like covering the front brake handle with my hand. While I'm not happy with my final score (I am my own worst critic) I can say that I did OK.
So I have the insurance, the licence, the experience will come with every mile under my wheel. I'm part of the brotherhood now, for better or worse. I took the class through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and highly recommend it to anyone thinking about riding, or who has ridden illegally for a while.
