My Expanded Scooter Family

My brother Tom got a scooter. I'm very excited for him! He is very practical and was looking for supplemental transportation for daily commuting. Since he lives in New Jersey, he'll only be riding part of the year. So, he chose a very basic inexpensive brand. As part of the shipping process, the scooter was not fully assembled. He needed to finish the assembly which included items such as the front wheel, speedometer, front breaks, handle bars and top case. He also needed to charge the battery by adding the acid solution. The company he bought if from told him it would take about 30 minutes to assemble the scooter. Two days later he got it all together, and took it out for a test ride.

While at first it seems unfathomable that a company would require this much "some assembly required". I really think it had a good benefit. Tom is now fully intimate with most of the parts of his scooter. This is some really beneficial knowledge which will come in handy when he needs to do maintenance. Many people pay 2-4 times as much for a scooter, and then have no idea how to do some of the most basic maintenance, such as changing the engine oil, gearbox oil, or replacing a tire. So maybe having to put it together himself, while at first seemed cumbersome, could end up being a valuable experience.

I really wish Tom many miles of fun on his new scooter, and I'm happy to see one more two-wheeler in my family. :-)

Tom on his new scooter

Scootin' on Honeymoon Island

Wednesday evening I took a ride to the beach at Honeymoon Island (a Florida State Park). It is really a beautiful island with multiple beach areas; one for pets, one with soft sand, and one with a lot of shells to find.

I rode up to the entrance gate and showed my annual pass. The two park rangers at the gate were very nice ladies. I sat there for about five minutes answering their questions about the Vespa. The said they saw the red color far away and watched me arrive. They were amazed when I told them that I can get up to 60 mph. They agreed it is a great mode of transport to the beach.

My first stop was to the main beach. It was moderately crowded for a weekday, but people do tend to come out for the sunset. I was able to find a spot right in front of the building. I was able to lock my cable to a sign post, but I was rather disappointed that there where no motorcycle/scooter parking spots. Maybe I'll pursue getting these added.

The beach was great, the water was warm, and the sound of the surf took the stress of the day away. I spent about 90 minutes on the beach, and then took off on a little ride around the island. Everyone was so relaxed, and gave me a friendly wave as I rode past. I stopped at the ticket booth for the ferry to Caladesi Island. It was closed, but I took a little walk around.

Finally, I took off to ride home in the sunset, feeling full of life after my trip.

A green day at the Dunedin green market

Today was the last day of the Dunedin Green Market, and it was a perfect morning for a scooter ride. I have some house guests visiting, and I thought they would enjoy some fresh fruit for breakfast. I woke up early and left the house at 7:45 to be there right at the 8:00 published start time. Although only four miles away from my house, it was a fun ride and the cool temps at that time made it even more enjoyable.

Main Street Dunedin is a great place, and I really like what they are trying to do with the Saturday Green Market. Vendors come in with local or "green" products to sell. Today, there were even two produce vendors. I got a great selection of pineapple, papaya and cantaloupe. I even got two great loaves of breakfast bread; banana nut raisin and carrot. Of course, I had to pick up some limes, an essential fruit for any Parrothead. The milk crate I bought (don't steel milk crates) came in handy bringing it all home. 

I was able to get in a great little ride, and serve up a true Key West style B&B breakfast to my guests. What a way to start the day!

Drying out at the beach

I feel like a drowned rat. It rained for about 5 days straight here in Florida. Fourth of July weekend was pretty much a bust. I think the least amount we got one day was 4 inches.  But the sun finally came out today. After work, Maureen and I took a ride to the beach. There is just something about feeling the wind in your hair, and smelling the sea air to take all the stress away.

Luckily, the BP oil spill hasn't hit the beaches here, and it was perfect weather to walk in the water while the sun was setting. It's interesting, all the things going on at the beach, but when a Vespa is riding by in the sand (parking on the causeway is in the sand) everyone stops to watch it go by. Maybe it is the symbol of total beach enjoyment, maybe it was the big guy in a Hawaiian shirt, or maybe (most likely) it was the big smiles on our faces.

Can you spot the scooter in the picture?

Finally back to riding

Finally after a few weeks of moving, I'm back to a daily scoot. I can definitely tell that I'm in a more populated area with the number of cars on the road in the morning. The good news is that I've seen a lot of motorcycle and scooters on the road. Maybe, it's being closer to the beach, but people definitely seem to be taking to two wheels. We are in full summer riding time. The early mornings are nice, and don't get caught riding in the late afternoon, unless you want to get wet. This week I've started my morning ride to my new workout place, and it's been a great start to my day.

May 7th is International Female Ride Day

Calling all female riders! International Female Ride Day is a campaign for women, whose sole purpose is aimed at highlighting and profile the female motorcycle rider. Its mission is that of building and underlining broad-spectrum (and public) awareness of female motorcyclists while simultaneously encouraging other women to take up the activity; demonstrating the ease of the activity.

The event shines a spotlight on women motorcyclists—it’s a synchronized global day for women, of women, everywhere. A day emphasizing the many numbers of females who ride motorcycles--supporting their diversities, agelessness, limitless abilities and the enjoyment embraced for the activity.

View more details about IFRD on MOTORESS.com (a site which connects women with motorcycling by engaging our readers within the passion they seek in every aspect of their motorcycling lifestyle.)

Hone your riding perception skills

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has published an online tool to help you train your mind to look for  and recognize, both road signs and collision traps hazard.

An experienced rider, I tried my hand at each of these. While scoring 100% on the signs test, I performed miserably on the collision traps hazard. The test gives you just a few seconds to look at a scene, and then answer a question. The nice part is that they give some really good feedback when you pick the wrong answer.

I encourage you to take the Rider Perception test. I know I'll be going back again to see if I can improve my score.