HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012 filled with blessings and moto adventures!!!!!!!

This year has been a wonderful year for me, one with many blessings for both my family and myself.  I have grown exponentially in 2011 and discovered the love of riding.  Even with its rough beginnings I learned that I am a strong person and can overcome and enjoy the thrill of adventure and challenges that motorcycling and scootering brings.  I have met wonderful new friends and am looking forward to actually meeting up with my blogger friends in the New Year!

It all started on January 21st, 2011 with a test drive of an orange Sym Mio, which unfortunately resulted in a wipe out, but I persevered and became Princess Scooterpie!  Yup a Moto Diva was born that day.  The scooter has made my personality bloom, if you look in the pictures below you will see where I actually became an unofficial entry into a parade - hint it is the pictures with balloons, it was a lot of fun.  The Admiral gave me a thumbs up as I tootled by the reviewing stand and proudly tooted my little scooter horn.  At the end of August this year I wrote my motorcycle learner's test and passed.  I signed up for a Novice motorcycle course and Traffic Safety Course through Vancouver Island Safety Council.  I was successful with my courses and took my road test on October 19th, passed and have not looked back since.  I remember in the beginning of all this that I thought my 50cc Yamaha Vino scooter was HUGE and would do me forever!  Once I discovered my new found passion, I knew I needed more cc's. I logged about 5,000km on my little scoot in the course of 11 months. Then along came my beautiful Honda CM450E Lucy.  She was an amazing first bike and I have enjoyed her immensely.  At Christmas I was surprised by Motorcycle Man and Moto Diva Jr with a vintage 1985 Honda Shadow VT500C, she is my beloved Miss Scarlett. 

I have also seen sadness this year with riders in the Victoria motorcycle community passing away due to MVIs on the Malahat Highway.  These incidents brought the riding community together and a new group was formed; The Rider's for Safety.  On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, we gathered and rode to the BC Legislature to let our Government know that we need concrete barriers on the Malahat to stop the increasing amount of  head on collisions.  It was impressive seeing 300 motorcyclists and scooterists from every section of the riding community being well represented. We continue to meet and will do so until the Government installs concrete barriers on this roadway.   I want the families to know that we continue to work on the issue of making the Malahat safer for all motorists and that their loved ones ARE NOT forgotten. 

Here are a few pictures of my journey in 2011.  I look forward to many more motorcycle adventures and sharing them with you.  Until then Peace, Blessings and Joy to you all in 2012.  Ride Safe!!

Vixen - Princess Scooterpie

I participated in my first scooter rally, way too much fun!

This was my first long adventure on the scooter where I decided

I needed more cc's!

I was overtaken by Canuck fever and unofficially entered a local

parade - Buccaneer Days - ARRRR MATEY!!

I was almost swallowed up by a monster Canuck Mobile.  See how 

much fun scootering is!

Summer was spent in Tofino and Motorcycle Man would 

not let me bring my scooter, so I went through withdrawal.

Kayaking to Meares Island was wonderful.

We went for a scooter & motorcycle family ride one beautiful

summer Friday evening.  It was wonderful!

This is in early September after I wrote my learner's permit
I rode around a lot in a parking lot close to my house.  

Motorcycle Man is a kind, gentle and patient teacher.  He bought me

Lucy after I almost dumped his bike affectionally named 'Monster'.

Motorcycle Man 

Lucy my beautiful 1984 Honda CM450E 

Vancouver Island Safety Council Novice Course graduates

October 2011!  

Lucy and I celebrated my successful road test with a 'Diva' cupcake!
I  HAVE MY CLASS 6!!!!

This pretty much sums up how I feel about motorcycles!

Riders for Safety event Saturday, November 5, 2011

The Victoria Riding community came together to remember all

those who have perished on the Malahat due to MVI.  Approximately

300 riders united for this event.  May those who died rest in peace, we

continue to work to make safety changes on the Malahat.  

Dave Rogers our gracious MC - 

Motorcycle Instructor for Vancouver Island Safety Council

My favorite picture;  Reflections

A very Happy Moto Diva!

Christmas 2011

My husband and daughter gave me Miss Scarlett on Christmas Eve.

It appears Santa and his Elfette couldn't wait until Christmas morning.

WOW WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!

The test drive!  I know what Cinderella feels like now, insurance

was only valid until mid-night, still looking for the glass motorcycle boot.....

Miss Scarlett - 1985 Honda Shadow VT500C  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

In Case of an Emergency **ICE

I have seen this on quite a few forums regarding scootering and motorcycling, I think it actually makes sense. It has been suggested that you program I.C.E (In Case of Emergency) into your cell phone. I have done this and have ICE1 which is my husband's cell number, ICE2 is my dad and both include My full name & address, contact info, drug allergies, current medications with dosage, blood type, health care number & GP's name. I have always carried this information on slip attached to my scooter insurance and there is one in my jacket pocket as well. It is really hard for emergency personnel to help you if they don't know who you are and this makes it easier for them to pull up your electronic medical records. So have you ICE'd yet? Tell me what you think of using this? Would you do it?

Here is a website that makes cool ID/Info bracelets roadid.com. Check it out. If you are a runner or rider or do anything where there is potential to need help this might be worth your while to consider.

5 Pet Peeve bad driving habits

Geoff James a fellow motoblogger asked us to post our 5 pet peeve bad driving habits.  His blog: Confessions of an Ageing Motorcyclist;  http://geoffjames.blogspot.com   Geoff is in the process of going for his IAM certification, which means he goes on observed rides and is graded on his moto performance capabilities and skills.  When he has completed this he will be the one observing & critiquing aspiring riders.

I modified his challenge a little because it was geared to car drivers and I happen to think there are a lot of bad motorcyclists and scooterists out there too who drive poorly.  So I will start with 5 bad car driver habits that make me particularly crazy when I am out on the road.  I primarily ride in city traffic and haven't ridden my motorcycle in a lot of highway traffic, so most of my peeves are geared to in-city.

Car Drivers


1)  Driver Distraction -  This has to be the #1 thing I notice when riding my motorcycle.  My biggest and most scary pet peeve is when I see people talking on their cell phones or texting while driving.  I have had drivers swerve into my lane because they just had to take the phone call.  I do let them know that I find this unacceptable and dangerous.  In the Province of British Columbia it is illegal to use handheld devices while driving.

2)  Driver's not paying attention at lights, particularly when making turns or when they run lights.  I always give myself a few seconds before advancing into an intersection because you just never know who is going to blow through and take you out because they are in a hurry or distracted by something in their car.

3)  Driver's not shoulder checking before making lane changes.  It is amazing what or who might be in a cars blind spot.  This is a basic driving skill and it is amazing how many people lose this skill when driving.  It is either just plain lazy or plain stupid on their part.  It only takes a second to shoulder check.

4)  Driver's not giving motorcyclists or scooterists space when stopped at a light or stop sign.  Do you really have to get that close to the back end of my bike?  I always keep a good space margin in front of me just incase I need an exit strategy because some doofus behind me gets rear-ended and pushed forward into me.  I am constantly scanning all areas around me for hazards and planning an escape route.  You need more than just plan A, you need plan A, B, & C when you are out in traffic.

5)  Driver's who  have forgotten the basic rules of the road, i.e. right of way at stop signs and what different road markings mean.  To every Victoria driver car, motorcycle, scooter, the solid white line on a roadway means that you can not lane change there.  Please for the love of Pete learn your road markings.

Motorcycles and Scooters


1)  Rider's who do not practice ATGATT.  I do not understand a rider's philosophy of not wearing gear when riding a motorcycle or a scooter.  This is particularly prevalent in scooterists, I get that they are the "urban" commuter and scooters were designed with the purpose of wearing street clothes, et cetera, but street clothes are not designed to protect you and keep your bones together.  When scooters first came out in the 50's there weren't the traffic volume issues and high speeds that we have today.  It does not take much to lose the surface of your skin when you are sliding down pavement in your civvies. Same goes for folks who choose to ride without gear on their motorcycles.  Luckily in BC helmets are mandatory.


So my question to you is if you don't wear gear, "Do you know how much it hurts to hit pavement? Have you seen what happens to your skin when it gets burned off by road rash?  Do you know how important armor is in protecting your hips, knees, back, shoulders and elbows?  Usually when you smack the pavement chances are one of the above is going to take the impact first.  What about good motorcycle gloves and boots how they protect your hands & feet?"  I have made the choice to ride ATGATT, even in hot summer temperatures, I would rather sweat than bleed.

2)  Motorcyclists and scooterists that don't take a motorcycle safety course.  These courses are valuable in giving you the techniques to save your life and know how to drive correctly and safely.  If you have been riding for a long time and haven't taken a course, most schools offer experienced rider courses which solidify what you are doing right and correct what you are doing wrong.  These courses build on your current skills and expand your skill set and knowledge base.  IMHO our roads are dangerous enough and you are making constant split second decisions that could have life long ramifications, at least with a good solid skills you will be able to make those decisions in any given road situation.

3)  Motorcyclists who drive recklessly, speed and tailgate.  YOU GIVE THE REST OF US WHO PRACTICE GOOD DRIVING SKILLS A BAD NAME.

4)  Motorcyclists/scooterists who do not make their intentions clear.  You have to be clear of what you are doing when you are around cars.  Turn your signal off after completing a turn,  don't leave it going for a block, it confuses all drivers.  Cars are bigger, meaner and less forgiving, usually you don't come out of a collision well.

5A)  Lane position.  This drives me nuts when someone is not in the correct lane position.  This is all basic stuff which is right in the manual.  Why would you not ride in the best lane position?  It is important in traffic so no one is confused and everyone SEEs you.  Riders need to take the theory of 'Ride like you are invisible to heart' and part of this theory is about lane positioning.

5 B)  Motorcyclists/Scooterists who do not shoulder check.  This is one of the biggest things they drill into a novice rider, when you stop you shoulder check, before you move you shoulder check, before you turn  you shoulder check.  CHECK, CHECK, CHECK AND CHECK!!!!  This one single act does save lives, you never know who is going to be in your blindspot or if you are in theirs.

(So I cheated a little on the number of peeves.)

Let me introduce you to Miss Scarlett

Miss Scarlett my new baby!

Here is my beautiful new bike.  She is gorgeous and I am still pinching myself as I still can't believe that she is really mine.  I will be sad to see Miss Lucy go, I learned a lot and she was a great first bike.  Here is the back story of Scarlett.  She is a 1985 Honda Shadow VT500C, she has approximately 11,000 km's and has only been owned by two people and has been garage kept her entire life.  According to Honda her color is called Candy Glory Red - I wonder who thinks up the names of the colors- the names are interesting to say the least.  After I purchased Lucy I stopped by my neighbor's to see if she was riding yet because she had a baby a few months before.  I hadn't seen her bike yet and when she showed me, I was almost knocked over at how nice it was. She said she was thinking of selling it, but wasn't too hard pressed to, she wants a dual sport or enduro.  She had purchased Scarlett about 2 years ago from a fellow who lived in Calgary.  He used to come to the island for the summer and drove the bike while he was here. About 3 weeks ago a Scarlett was being ridden past our house, Motorcycle Man flagged the neighbor dude down and was chatting him up.  Apparently he was going to sell it to his brother-in-law he was getting her ready for him to test drive.  Motorcycle Man said "Then she is not sold yet and can I test drive her?"  The neighbor dude let him drive her and that is when he decided that she was going to be my new bike.  She is in show room condition and absolutely beautiful.  He has been keeping this secret for 3 weeks and I am surprised that no one spilled the beans in our house.  

It is funny when I sat on Lucy my 450 I knew her name instantly, but not so with the newest edition to my '2 wheeled fleet' of bikes.  I think I was so surprised, it was unexpected and it also made me a little overwhelmed too.  So I have been mulling over names for the last few days, we have gone from Baby, Delilah, Layla, Redzilla, LucyII, VT Vixen, but I decided that there could only be 1 Lucy and 1 Vixen and it wasn't fair to reuse the names. Poppy was a front runner for awhile, but Motorcycle Man said it wasn't bad-ass enough - lol, me a bad-ass - hardly think so.  I even went so far as to look at names on red lipsticks and nail polishes because some have pretty far out wild names.  Also googled what people call their bikes and I have to say some people have some pretty stupid bike names and some even have pretty rude names as well.  I even looked at my baby book for names and fell in love with Scarlett.    It makes me feel pretty daring too!  I love the color she is and she is perfect!  So please welcome Miss Scarlett to my 2 wheeled family.   

SANTA BABY BROUGHT ME A MOTORCYCLE FOR CHRISTMAS!!!! REALLY!!!

What a surprise!  I was practically spinning around the yard making a huge commotion!

IT ALL STARTED WITH A LITTLE BLUE BOX!!!!!!!!!!!  

SANTA BABY AND DIVA DAUGHTER gave me the ultimate Christmas present!!!  They handed me a little box with "Tiffany & Co" on it.  I didn't know what to think, because I have all the baubles a girl could want.  When I opened the box inside was motorcycle jewellery, a motorcycle key.  Santa Baby (Motorcycle Man) & Diva Jr, told me to come outside, they had painted Lucy.  They made me cover my eyes and when I opened my eyes there was a beautiful 500cc HONDA SHADOW!!!!!!!!!!  She is candy apple red and oh so sparkly.  I was spinning like a top and squealing!!!  I was so excited I couldn't believe it!!!!!  I still can't!  I am trying to figure out if I was naughty or nice this year (I DIDN'T THINK I HAVE BEEN THAT GOOD THIS YEAR) 

SANTA BABY YOU REALLY ARE A GOOD MOTORCYCLE MAN!!! DIVA DAUGHTER YOU ARE THE BEST BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN SO PATIENT WITH ME THIS YEAR!  

PS:  SANTA even brought me new motorcycle boots!!!!!!  

The ULTIMATE Moto Diva earrings

Obsessed much?

There is another facet to Princess Scooterpie/Moto Diva, one of my hobbies is to make jewellery.  I love to work with silver wire and crystals and make everything from bracelets, earrings and necklaces. We all know that I am a little obsessed/addicted to motorcycling and scootering.  Now I can still indulge in my obsession when it is too chilly out or miserable.  PS the wheels do work.  I just couldn't resist.  They would be perfect if I could get the horn & headlight to work....only kidding.

Christmas yummies and more!

Our tree is beautiful - it is not fussy or organized, it is a tree of memories.  There are ornaments my daughter made in grade school and a paper chain that she made when she was 2 1/2 with me,  every year I carefully put it away to ensure it survives.  It is getting a little faded, but it still is beautiful!  I am a sentimental Christmas elf. 

Our tree is trimmed, presents are wrapped and the house is decorated.  It looks like a Christmas bomb went off in my living room and exploded ornaments, tinsel and other Christmas goodies everywhere.  I must admit Christmas has always been my favorite time of year since I was little.  I guess I am an elf at heart.  I love the carols and everyone just seems a little nicer despite the busyness of the season.  Now that my daughter is older and loves to cook I have passed over the baking and chocolate making responsibilities to her, she is my kitchen diva.  Today she decided to hand dip pretzels and dust them with crushed candy cane.  Gingerbread cookies are next on her list and then her famous chocolate peppermint cake.  She has her trusty sidekick Skye here and the two of them are baking fiends.  Best part is I get to sample and eventually scarf all the delectable treats.  I am sitting here at the computer sipping on a candy cane martini and feeling more festive by the minute.  Here is a wee peek of Christmas at my house. My family and I - Motorcycle Man and Motorcycle Diva Jr, wish you all the MERRIEST of CHRISTMASES and a very happy and healthy 2012!!!

Every little Village needs a scooter and motorcycle. 

In MY world Santa DOES bring motorcycles to a good little  Princess Scooterpie.

In my village piggies do have wings and can fly!

Elvis is alive and well, he lives in my village and every once in awhile you can hear "Blue Christmas"
coming from his little house - see his pink caddy....

Notice the license plate.....

I have my own baking elf!!

The Elf has an accomplice.....

She is the best candy cane crusher and sprinklerer......

OMG I can just feel the calories looking at these.....

The perfect Santa treat; hand dipped chocolate pretzels and a candy cane martini

                     (Of Course You knew I was going to sneak a motorcycle in here somewhere)