Moto Attitude

Scoot or motorcycle does it matter?

I have been thinking about this post for quite awhile now and have been trying to figure out a way to delicately broach this subject.  I started riding about two years ago on a little Yamaha Vino 50cc scooter and was looking for scooting buds and stumbled across a  local group or two and when I enquired if I could ride with them, I was told flat out "No" because I didn't have a particular brand of scooter.  I get that there may be  moto specific clubs, but honestly to not let someone ride or to give attitude over the type of ride they have in my estimation is a little extreme and ridiculous.  So I had a strike against me and rode solo for the first year. 

I did however go to a local rally where I was barely tolerated and at one point left the rally because no one would chat with me and it was quite disappointing to encounter this type of attitude.  I did meet a few very cool peeps, ironically though they didn't live in Victoria, they lived across the pond and these fellas didn't care what you rode as long as you wanted to ride and have fun.  *You know who you are :) At a rally a year later I was called a "Shifter" and was told "You don't belong here, go home" - my reply to that was -  I am hanging with my friends - get over yourself - I don't tolerate foolish people very easily and if you have ever been on the other end of my Moto Mama death look it can be pretty withering. 

It seems to me the moto riding culture can be a little bit harsh  at times and there is a lot of attitude across the moto spectrum and sometimes it is not very pleasant.  You get those who are brand specific riders and who buy into the whole identity of the brand and then you have those who don't like scooters and then you have those who don't like it that women ride and then you have those that are in a group of their own and have their own rules and usually don't have anything to do with anyone. 

Then you have a person like me who is an equal opportunity rider who doesn't care what brand/make/model you ride and I am pretty welcoming.  What is more important to me is how you ride your bike or scoot, the bike doesn't make the rider, its the other way around.   

I ride a Honda, I choose to ride one, and I love my bike, but that being said given the opportunity to try other bikes I embrace it and I love the diversity of bikes out there.   I have faced some  negative attitude from others who don't wear gear, I am a confirmed ATGATT-er and wear full gear and a full face helmet, because I have had a close encounter of the pavement kind and learned early on in my riding journey that I prefer to keep my skin intact, so it is a choice that is right for me.

I still love my scooter and think that scooters whether mini (50cc) or maxi are awesome bikes and offer so many advantages over motorcycles when it comes particularly to urban commuting and the maxi scoots can go long distances.  Its funny because once I got my motorcycle license I never judged people for what they rode and I still offer camraderie to those riders.  You have to start somewhere and if it is a small scooter - AWESOME!  I think my attitude comes from the perspective that we all ride two wheels, face the same challenges and road rules and I started later in life, which may give me a little different perspective perhaps.

About a year ago I started up a women's riding group and we are a very diverse eclectic group of female riders and our ages span the decades and the rides are varied from large motorcycles, vintage, sportbikes, cruisers, dual sports, maxi scoots and scooters.  For me it isn't about the type of ride someone has, its more about the rider and the sense of community we have when we get together and we support each other through the highs and lows.  We come together for social events, regular rides, encouraging new riders and charity events and to me that is what it should be about. 

Riding season is upon us here on the Island and is starting up in other parts of the country and everyone is thrilled to be getting back out their on their bikes or scoots.  Most of us get a thrill when we get the 'wave' and I must admit to feeling a little miffed when someone doesn't wave.  I always think you just never know who is under that helmet that you are snubbing, and  they may be on a scooter and have another bike or vice versa, something to think about. 

So if you come rolling my way I will wave at ya and I am happy that you are out and about on your gorgeous ride enjoying the asphalt ribbon.  Ride safe!

Ho Hum

I seem to have a case of PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome) and its side effect called the Ho Hums.  The weather has warmed up and I venture to guess spring is well on its way here to the Island, I am requiring less layers when I walk the doggis and it's staying light until after 6:00pm .  Miss Scarlet has been parked almost two weeks because I decided to wait a little to reinsure her, which in the end is crazy, because I rode her all through the wet rainy crap of winter.  Lately I have been taking the tin can to work and plugging into the iphone world and just enjoying the fact that I actually have fluffy curly hair when I get to work.  BUT all of the hair fluff factor is NOT taking away from my missing my sweet lovely Scarlet.  This weekend it was fairly mild and even a little sunny and all I could think of was going out to the garage and climbing on and going for an adventure, then I got a case of the "Meh's" and stuck to my decision to wait it out a little longer.  It's funny because I haven't meandered out to the garage to look at Scarlet or the scooter since I parked her at the beginning of February.  Motorcycle Man being the awesome moto protector had all three out of the motor lair on Sunday and started them all and gave them a little TLC.   I am finding my scooter crash injury has been acting up and probably putting a crimp into my riding desire.  I am thinking towards the beginning or middle of March reinsuring and getting back on the road again, I hope I can wait that long. If we get a good stretch of sunny weather I may be out there sooner.

In the meantime I stopped by one of the local motorcycle shops and spied this precious beauty. 

Stupid things I see car driver's do when I am riding my bike to work

Stupid things I have seen when riding my bike to work:

1) Dude balancing his cellphone at the top of his steering wheel playing a  video game & not paying attention to the road - UGH - ironically he was playing a car racing video game instead of driving his  real car.  (yesterday)

2) Woman with a bowl of cereal & spoon eating breakfast. (today)

3) Dude shaving.

4) Woman applying make-up.

5) Person reading a book balanced on their steering wheel.

6) People texting.

7) People talking on their cell phones.

8) Drinking your morning bevie or stuffing food in their mouth.

9) Playing with the GPS.
10) Making erratic lane changes across three lanes of traffic on a 1 way road without shoulder checking - Ummm Hello?!

Being a motorcyclist I am acutely aware of my surroundings and who is sharing the road space beside me, in front of me and behind me.  Every motorcyclists I have talked to has a story of some of the dumbest/scariest things they have witnessed on the road by someone not paying attention while driving a car.  Some of these incidents are funny, but some are downright scary because it usually means the motorcyclist has had to take some sort of evasive action because of someone else's lack of judgement.  Tragedy results from incidents such as people chatting on their cell phones because they drift into your lane and don't see you.   I  don't know about you, but I get pretty nervous sometimes when I see the 4,000 pounds of rolling death coming my way and the driver isn't paying attention.

I am not saying all car drivers are bad, on the contrary I see quite a few great drivers who are courteous,  and completely engaged in the act of driving. 

Driving a motorized vehicle is one of the most complex things anyone can do, it requires the driver to process information quickly, make decisions based on that information and act appropriately.  Where things go wrong is when you add some sort of distraction into the mix - i.e. a  handheld cell phone or eating and then your brain does not process critical information that helps you make good driving decisions.

Your car is NOT your office, your kitchen, your bedroom, your livingroom or your bathroom- it is for transportation - DRIVING attentively. The life of most motorcyclists would be less complicated if people just concentrated on driving.

Think about this the next time you get behind the wheel, your inattentiveness could result in someone NOT going home to their loved ones because you just had to take that call or text or slug back that last bit of coffee, or one of the many other things you are doing while driving that takes away your focus from the road and your ability to not make critical driving decisions. 

It is illegal in the Province of BC to use handheld devices  while operating a vehicle.

Feel free to add what you have seen.

Moto date! wandering Vancouver Island - Cowichan Bay - Part 1

Motorcycle Man is the love of my life and we went on a moto date Sunday!

Sunday arrived and it was beautiful, stunning in fact.  We got up and had a leisurely breakfast and I prepped ribs and popped them in the crockpot for dinner.  Scooterpie Jr didn't feel like riding and had a friend over.  Motorcycle Man and I took advantage of having some time to ourselves and headed up Island.  We had no particular destination, but didn't want to make a marathon expedition, so we zipped over the Malahat and rode to Cowichan Bay.  

Private marina where we first lived aboard our lovely little floathome.

When we first moved to the Island we lived in an apartment on a busy street, it also happened to a route the ambulance took regularly.  We were ready to move out of it within 9 months.  We stumbled across an ad for a floathome that was for sale and we were intrigued and ended up purchasing it.  The house was moored up in Cowichan Bay, lovely little spot, quaint coastal community and we were welcomed with open arms.  We loved our little seaside retreat, but eventually the 90 minute commute was getting to us so we towed our house down to Victoria and happy lived aboard for 10 years and the precipitating factor for moving back to dry land was our wee baby daughter who was starting to toddle.  We needed grass under our feet instead of water.  

Sunday we headed off and went to some of our old haunts and strolled the village.  It was like going home again and made us both homesick for our floathome. Cowichan Bay is an eclectic little village with wonderful little shops and great restaurants.  Our favorite was the Rock Cod Cafe when we lived there and their crab nights were legendary, all you could eat crab for $10.  We stopped there and had a cold drink and some appies.  

Aren't they a cute couple...

This floathome belonged to a friend and is moored in the spot our house was.

 Looking over Cow Bay from the Government Wharf

 My hubby in Hecate Park

 View from Hecate Park

 Miss Scarlet sunning herself.

 Moi very happy and contented after an afternoon of moto wandering.

Scarlet's New Shoe

Metzeler Lasertec

Since I started my scooter/motorcycle journey I have been bitten hard by the riding bug.  I am approaching the two year mark between the scooter and motorcycle.  I ride a lot, every day in fact, through all sorts of weather rain, fog, winter, spring, summer, I commute and do a lot of 'tootling'.  Motorcycle Man was inspecting my bike and decided I was due for a new rear tire.  We shopped around and ordered a Metzeler Lasertec tire.  Motorcycle Man has had Metzeler tires on his bike for a few years and really likes them.  He is sold on them for riding in the rain because they move the water really well and are fairly sticky for a street tire.  I ordered the new one online because no one had it in stock and they were on back order until November, I guess it is  pretty popular tire. When it arrived I went out to Kenco Motorcycle in Sooke and they installed it in a jiffy and the service was GREAT and very reasonably priced. I am a happy Moto Mama now and today I went riding with two of my girlfriends.  We logged about 200km, I have to wear off the coating on the new tire ;)  The tire is fabulous, it makes a huge difference to the ride and steering seems better.  So I am pretty happy.  

Motorcycle Man out in the Moto Lair  taking off the old shoe.

Checking out the wear - diagnosis no tread 

Old shoe - well worn

New shoe being put on.

 Balancing act

Voila! lets hit the road baby!  

(I had to wear the coating off, so I rode 200km's today)

New Shoe for Scarlet

I wish I could say I was getting a glorious sexy pair of red strappy sandals, but I am not.  I am getting Miss Scarlet a new rear shoe.  Motorcycle Man has been looking for awhile, we have called around to the local places and they can't get the tire he is after until October.  Unfortunately Scarlet needs a new rear shoe NOW!  Motorcycle Man has told me I need to stop riding so much, because I am racking up the kilometres and burning through tires.  My response was, "Yeah Baby!" 

Ice cream summer time tradition

Victoria's Ice cream tradition - Beacon Drive In

The Beacon Drive-in is an old fashioned drive-in restaurant across from Beacon Hill Park.  Summer has finally arrived in Victoria and we decided to hop on the bikes and go for ice cream.  Finding parking around the Beacon can be a little tricky at times, but when you travel by motorcycle or scooter there is always a little 'squish-in' space.  We actually lucked out and parked in the lot - *NOTE to self avoid parking in the lot because it is tight and squishy and car drivers can't seem to manoeuvre around in the space.  

One lady came perilously close to bumping into our moto babies and Motorcycle Man was giving her the hairy eyeball.  We met a fellow on a nice green and white Bonnie and of course we chatted about his bike for a bit.  He loves his Bonnie, but hates the gas mileage. If your in Victoria pop by the Beacon for ice cream it is delicious!

Very popular place 

on a beautiful summer evening. 

Misadventures of a Shadow VT500 - Scarlet's 'little' owie

Broken hearted.......I don't think epoxy will fix this.

Scarlet has an owie.  Tuesday night was a gorgeous night for a ride and I decided to go to watch supermoto out at Western Speedway, but then got distracted by the thought of doing a nice twisty road.  On the way out I was happily zooming down the highway into the wind and the right side cover came off and bounced down the highway.  Two dudes in a pick-up honked at me and pulled up really close and it made me a little nervous so I didn't pay too much attention.  I wish I had, they were trying to tell me that the side cover had come off.  I finished my long beautiful ride and when I was putting the bike away noticed the side cover was missing, much to my shock and horror.  I went into the house to tell Motorcycle Man and he said, "How could you not notice it fly off?" Very valid question, but I don't know about the rest of you, but when I am riding I am not looking down at my thigh, my eyes are on the road generally.  Then his next question was, "Where did it come off?" Another valid question and I looked like a stunned deer in headlights when he asked me this and my response was, "I dunno."  So then he asked me where I had been rambling and I told him, "Oh about 83 kilometers of rambling."  I seriously don't do little rambles, ask the Ride To Eat Scooter Crew, I could ride forever it seems without needing to stop.

Off I go to retrace my steps, problem is during my little sortie I kind of got lost on some of the back roads out in Langford.  So how do you find where you got lost too?  I have no sense of direction and definitely need to start using GPS.  Honestly if you asked me what direction I was traveling I would probably say 'somewhere'.  Off I go down the highway scanning the road which is hard when you are supposed to be doing 90k down a very busy 3 lane highway.  I spotted some red bits on the side of the road pulled over and to my disappointment it turned out to be bits of an old broom.  I did the entire loop out to Langford then back up to McKenzie out through Victoria University, down Beach Drive, by the waterfront, through downtown and then to home.   83kms give or take.  When I made it home I was feeling sad and dejected, I have to say it has been a bit of hard go with Scarlet and her little foibles.  I did find a pair of sunglasses on the beach where I stopped and put an ad on Found Victoria to help return them to their owner.  Wednesday night I went and searched the highway again and nothing, zilch, zippo, no side cover.

Tonight I went to look at a mesh jacket that was advertised on Used Victoria and was riding down the Island Highway with Motorcycle Man and guess what we found?! The side cover, smashed to smithereens, but back in my possession.  I wasn't really expecting to find it or find it whole in any event.

Tuesday night after I got home from my misadventure I did an ebay search and found a used side cover and purchased it. I think I am going to add some velcro tabs to it to make sure this doesn't happen again.  I need to go out and have a little heart to heart with Scarlet and let her know that losing her bits is not acceptable.

Moto repair update

WE HAVE IGNITION Houston!! The CDI arrived from the Czech Republc on my birthday - WOW! What a present. Motorcycle Man picked up the parcel and then meticulously spent the afternoon putting Scarlet back together. Kiwi Deb and her good friend Brian came by for a visit. While they were visiting we were ready to see if Scarlet's CDI was going to work. I held my breath when Motorcycle Man twisted the throttle and hit the switch - she purred to life! I was back in business, it was the longest 6 weeks I have ever endured.

All is good in my moto world! We went 2up for a test rip and there was a terrible squealing sound 30 seconds into the ride, it turned out the wheel well came loose and was rubbing against the tire. We fixed that and off we went.

IT WAS GLORIOUS!!! We went out for dinner to Fisherman's wharf & then back home and I went for a solo ride. She is running better than when I first got her, clutching is better, she purrs and sounds better and acceleration - OH MY GOSH! She was so much more pep. Motorcycle man is going to sync her carbs and thinks she will be even better. I am such a happy moto mama right now!

PS - I had the best birthday breaky chocolate cake French toast - yup you read it right, CHOCOLATE CAKE FRENCH TOAST!

ITS ON ITS WAY!!!!

My bike may be back on the road within the next few days!  Keep your fingers crossed!  The CDI unit we ordered from Ignitech in Czech Republic has been sent.  Currently it is in Prague.  This motoing diva needs to have a ride fix.  I have been riding wee Vixen and feeling the love again, but it is definitely not the same as it was a year ago.  But then again I have to say it has been a treat parking her in the bike-lock up because there are no 6 point turn manoeuvres needing to be done to get the bike parked.  So keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer for luck for me that all is well after we get the unit.

Tracking Delivery Progress of CDI unit:

UPDATE THURSDAY, JUNE 14TH - IT IS IN RICHMOND!!!!!! 

UPDATE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13th it is in Cincinnati - Getting closer!

Now @ 3:41pm:  It is in Leipzig Germany - woo hoo
1)  As of early this afternoon it was in Prague

Moto Funk

I am in a complete moto funk.  I have been without my beautiful bike Scarlet for a month.  We have narrowed the problem down, but are having trouble sourcing the part.  Vixen was insured yesterday and I have to say I am not in the least little bit excited about riding a 50cc scooter.  NOT AT ALL.  I remember how I felt last year about her, but things have changed so much since then.  Today when I rode her to work I felt uncomfortable, the scooter feels too small and there is not the stability of the bike or the acceleration.  In fact I actually feel vulnerable riding her.  It is funny how things change in a year. 

I think the Moto Universe is sending me a message.....

I am still dealing with a sick bike, Scarlet is still down with her bike ailment with no end in sight. I have been riding Motorcycle Man's 1983 V45 Magna 750, UNTIL tonight. I rode to a meeting I had, all was okay until I got home. I was going to put Monster away & tuck her in for the night and that is where things fell apart. I was going to put the bike in neutral & park. I pulled the clutch in all the way and was gently toeing up when there was a loud 'snap' sound and the shifter went floppy. NOT GOOD. Oh my goodness I just about had a heart attack on the spot & threw up, I hurt Monster. But the worst is yet to come.

So who rounds the corner but Motorcycle Man, all I can say is UGGGGHHHH!!! How do you tell a guy who has been good naturedly letting you go freewheeling on his bike that there is now a problem. I told him what happened and let's just say he is NOT a happy camper right now. I am officially dubbed the 'Bike killer'.(Let's just forget that the bike is 30 years old) He rolled Monster to the fixing spot under the deck and started taking it apart, the shifter linkage snapped off and needs to be welded or a new/old/used one found. I have already looked on eBay and located some. I am going to phone the motorcycle salvage place tomorrow & see if they have the linkage assembly/shifter/footpeg.

Tomorrow getting to & from work is complicated by the fact I have no transportation to get to/from work. I am going to have to cancel the insurance on Scarlet because I have no idea when or if she is going to be fixed. My scoot is not insured and that in itself is complicated because I can't insure it because Motorcycle Man is on the title & he has to do it. I am feeling exasperated, frustrated and completely overwhelmed by my 2 wheel transportation issues. I don't know if the moto universe is sending me a message that the riding thing needs to stop or it's just bad bike juju, I just dunno.

I wish the bike fairy would plop a bike on my doorstep......

Capital City Scooter Rally 2012 Part 2

Most of you have seen my previous post regarding the rally.  The Capital City Scooter Rally is very diverse and spans the generations of scooters and even the occasional 'shifter' as I was referred to on Saturday night due to riding a cruiser motorcycle.  There was everything from beautifully restored vintage Vespas and Lambrettas to more 'earthy' needing lots of TLC kind of scooters to modern day Vespa, Piaggio, Yamaha, Honda, and Kymco to name a few.  

I am an equal opportunity rider, I love them all and could care less whether it was a motorcycle or scooter, as long as it has two wheels I am in love.  My roots in two wheeling came from riding pillion for 29 years, but my own two wheeling history started with the little 50cc Yammy Scooter which I rode in my first rally last year.  My adventure has changed so much in a year and I have grown by leaps and bounds.  Last year I was trying to get lost in the pack and keep up and not being a poser.  This year I had the pleasure and honor of leading two group rides. On the evening ride when I looked in my mirrors it was a breathtaking site to see 14 maxi scoots behind me and my dear friend Bob was riding sweep.  It was a blast!  I think scootering will always be in my blood and after riding with the Vancouver Scootering Crew on their maxi scoots, I am pondering my two wheel future and wondering if there is room for a larger cc scoot or even a vintage Vespa.  Hmmm.  While I ponder this have a look at some of the vintage scoots and other lovely little scoots I came across.  PS: I also earned the nickname 'Grand Mistress Dar' - lol - that makes me smile.  

 I wonder if the driver ever gets sea sick looking in all those mirrors?

You definitely have every angle covered thats for sure.  

 They are all beautiful whether they are rusty or perfectly restored.  

Can't you just see the potential lurking under the surface?

 Dinner meet-up at Ross Bay Pub, but my scooter crew wanted Chinese food. 

 I am so glad I went with them, dinner was delicious! 

 I love this particular scooter with the fighter jet on the front fender. 

I was admiring it last year and was happy to see it again.  

    Loving this scoot's license plate mount.  

This little Ruckus picture is for my friend Deb of Ruckus Scooter Love.

 I saw this and had a chuckle and thought she would appreciate the picture.  Love the horns!

It was an excellent weekend and so much fun.  I think I am going to be saving up for a bigger cc scoot or even a vintage one.  There is something romantic about scootering and just a little quirky.  Until you've ridden one you don't truly understand the mystique and cache of everything scooter.  So go on, I know you want to try one, but beware once you do, you'll be hooked!

Capital City Scooter Rally 2012 - Part 1 - Bob & The Vancouver Scooter Crew

Today was an awesome day!  I was out all day with scooter peeps.  Motorcycle Man kindly let me ride Monster for the day and I met up with Bob and his troop of Vancouver Scooter Club friends.  It was awesome.  They were riding beautiful maxi scoots and I have to say I would seriously consider buying one of these in the future when I want to change it up.  We rode out West Saanich road and chased some twisties, then out to the West Shore and rode down to Esquimalt Lagoon.  After  our ride the fellas were feeling a wee bit peckish so we stopped at A&W for burgers and rootbeer.  I had a great time with Bob and the boys.  At one point one of them called me the "Mistress Goddess" gotta love that!  We had a lovely chinese food dinner and then went on another more leisurely evening ride and finished it off at Tim Horton's.  Its all about food!  Ride to eat!  When it came time to say goodbye and call it a night, we were all sad and wanted the day to continue.  Sun, friends, 2 wheels and twisties - who could ask for anything more?!

   
                                         Me and the boys at Esquimalt Lagoon.

                                                         Fabulous dinner

  Evening ride along Beach Drive.  Tonight as I was leading the group and looking in mirrors it was a pretty awesome sight seeing 14 scooter headlights following behind you.  The group rode beautifully and it was a pleasure sharing the road with them!