SUCCESS!!

No pictures of this, but I successfully negotiated the scooter out of my neighborhood, down the street, and about four miles to the home of our friends! It was a gloriously sunny day, and my husband and kids followed behind me in the minivan (the kids cheering all the way, I am told).

Hooray! I didn't even scratch the bike, nor lose my balance, nor drop it anywhere. My purse fit in the underseat carrier, and I wasn't even cold! Woo!

My M endorsement class is this coming Saturday and Sunday. By next week, I should be able to ride this scooter to work and on errands! Now I need a really good bike lock...

Sadness and Woe.

My scoot has fourteen miles on it.

The snow melted here, after hanging around for a week. (Hey, that's a looong time for snow to hang around in Richmond!) I decided that since the neighborhood streets, local roads and a close-by parking lot were all clear of snow and ice and most of the wet, I would take my new scoot out for some practice riding. I am taking my MSF class next weekend, so this would be perfect, right?

Wrong.

Ok, well, it wasn't that bad. I did great for a long time, rode all over my neighborhood, then got brave and went up a local road to a complex of office buildings that has a huge parking lot. This being Saturday, it was empty, so perfect for practicing stuff I know I have to do for the class. I did some quick stopping, and some turning in both directions, rode slow, and faster, parked in a parking space, and just generally enjoyed the ride. Then I got a wild hair and thought, hey, I should practice a few u-turns. There's plenty of room, and this driveway is wider than my driveway at home, so it should be good. I started with a turn to my better side, turning left. Just as I was coming around the U of the turn, I realized I was getting too close to the curb on the other side, and going just a hair too fast...I lost my balance, couldn't correct in time, and ended up falling to the outside of the turn, scraping along the curb.







It's not really that bad, and you can't really see it unless you look, but STILL. Sigh. I am sad. Oh, and I did not get hurt, except for a big grass and mud stain on the knee of my jeans where I fell into the grass. That's good. Mom, you can relax now. I am fine.

I guess I've made it mine, now, though. Hope I never do it again.

*cries*

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!! Enjoy yourselves, don't eat too much, and scoot safely if you are able to go out!

The snow is melting, and that means I'll be able to scoot soon! Hooray!

My new Buddy!

It's MINE! Mineminemineminemineminemine!

I picked up my new Buddy 125 today from my friends at Scoot Richmond. My dad and I went down there with his big pickup truck and brought it back.

Chelsea brings the bike out:


There it is!! Hanging out in the shop...


I got the rundown on the buttons, switches and operation of the bike from super-helpful scooter guy, Brandon (I think that was his name....), and learned how to take the bike off and on the center stand and the side stand. Then my dad backed his truck up to the loading dock and he and Brandon got it in.
Getting it tied down in the back of the truck...it literally didn't move at all as we went down the road. I learned something new, too, that you should tie the bike down so the forks are compressed and it won't move.


We got it home and my husband and my dad and I rolled it out of the truck using a ladder and a board. Yay! It's living in my garage right now because, well, this is Richmond, and I am terrified someone will rip it off, even right out of my backyard.

Of course, I would have to pick up my new scooter on the day that a major winter storm is coming to the area, but heck, I love snow, and we don't get that much in our winters, so I can't complain. My husband and I did each get to take the Buddy out for a spin around the neighborhood before the snow started. I love it, but MAN! It was C-O-L-D!!! I really wished for an Armadillo coat and a lap blanket, and some windproof gloves. I couldn't even manage to get much over 28mph because I was frozen. :(

Not too frozen to smile, though....


I'm thinking about personalized tags...maybe PKINPI? GR8PKN? Must think more on it....

I just might explode...

My new scoot is HERE!!! In Richmond!!!

*happy dance*

I went down to Scoot Richmond this afternoon to square up the paperwork, sign stuff, and write the big check. The scoot (as yet unnamed...) is still getting spiffed up and put together, so I won't be able to pick it up until tomorrow, but I did get to see it. *grin*

I. Am. So. Thrilled!

I think we might bring it home in my dad's truck, or I might borrow a friend of mine who has her M endorsement to accompany me and ride the scoot back to my house. Then I will put about 100 miles on it riding it around my neighborhood while I wait to take my class.

Could I smile any more? Probably not.

Pictures to come.

The Waiting....it is the hardest part....

Stiiiiillllll waiting. The Buddy is on it's way, I know it, but HOLY COW, it's like being five years old on Christmas morning all over again! My fabulous scooter dealer (enabler?) Chelsea told me the shipment is expected pretty much any time, but may be as late as Wednesday. Sigh.

I should go to the DMV and take the written test for the M class endorsement. At least then I could ride along with someone who has a license, and I have a friend with a tangerine Buddy who said she'd ride home with me. Hmmm....but then, I'd have to wait 30 days before I could get my full endorsement, and what if the MSF class is available before then? What to do....

Anyway, it's DAMN cold here (21F) so riding would be painful at best. Gonna go have more coffee.

Almost.....almost....

Okay, I wasn't going to say anything until I had the photos to prove it, BUT...

My new 2009 Genuine Buddy 125 is on it's way to Richmond as we speak!!!!



It's tangerine.

I'm getting the chrome accessory package that Genuine is offering for this season. It will have the front and rear racks, the footpegs and rear chrome fender, and the color-matched topcase. (I am not getting the windshield or the front bumper -- don't want them)

I canNOT wait til next week.

My parents are not aware of this latest development (well, they are now, as I just posted this to my Facebook page). My parents are not motorcycle enthusiasts in the least.

Thank you Chelsea. I am so glad to have supported your shop, and even happier that I am joining the ranks of the scooter-loving, scooter-owning public!


Pictures to come.

Exposure!

My husband is out riding the POS scooter we have, because the four days of literally constant rain has stopped and the sun is out, and I was reading through my RSS feeds when I came upon this post from Scooter Swag.

Scroll down a bit, past the cool 'Vesperado' t-shirt, and there it is, a shot of my very own Red Scooter Love bead up on my Etsy shop site!!

Woot!!

Now, don't you think it would make a terrific holiday present for that special someone who loves scooters? It would. And I can do other colors, too. :)

My Other Obsession

I love scooters, it's true.

BUT, I also have another obsession, one that I have been feeding for years. I am a glassworker, and I make glass beads and small sculptures using a torch that heats to over 1500 degrees. The other day I thought, heck, I can probably figure out a way to get a scooter on a bead. I did. This is what my first one looked like:


I made more, and I have listed two of them in my Etsy shop, which is here. Not to do too much shameless self-promotion, but I can make the beads in just about any color. Of course, I started with the Genuine Buddy colors, but I can also do cobalt blue, yellow, gray, whatever. Anyway, there it is.

Fall Riding on the POS

So, after several days of crappy weather, Travis and I finally got a chance to take the little 50 out for a neighborhood spin. Pretty much that ALL we can do with that, but still, at least it's something.

The leaves are all just past their peak around here, but I am still in love with the colors of this maple on the next street over.


Watching out for piles of dry leaves (and the wet and slick ones) makes for interesting riding, even at a top speed of 30mph. I am always surprised at how much my confidence has grown since I have been riding the Little 50. My neighborhood is awash in speed mountains and I can easily and confidently negotiate them now, even adjusting my position on the bike as I ride. I don't have a death grip on the handlebars. I can use the turn signals and adjust the choke while I am moving. Turns are much smoother, and I feel less like I am going to fall over, or not make a tight enough turn. I can turn that little bike around in my driveway without touching the grass on either side now!

I hope this means I am ready for my M endorsement class.

It sure does make me happy, though, riding this thing around the neighborhood. My oldest daughter even said, as I pulled up in the driveway, "Mom, I can tell you're smiling!" even with my full-face helmet on.



Nice.

Helmets Obtained, Jackets tried on

In our quest to approach our scooter-riding safely and incrementally, we have obtained our helmets. Purchased at Ultimate Cycle, here in Richmond, we got a Fulmer for me and a not-as-large-as we-thought HJC. They are both full-face with flip-up face shield, and very comfortable. Also, not too dorky-looking, which is very important. Heh. (Not really....ok, well, sort of....)


One other piece of equipment Travis and I are both looking for is a decent armored riding jacket. Both of us have fit issues; his are related to the fact that he is a largish individual with broad shoulders, and mine are related to the fact that I am short with brood shoulders. Also, I do not like pink. Apparently my not liking pink is some kind of affront to the motorcycle jacket industry, as women's gear tends to come in various shades of white, pink, or baby blue. While the men get the pick of a variety of decent colors, women have to scour the internets for attire that will not make them (me) look like ten pounds of cotton candy stuffed into a five-pound bag.

We ended up shopping at our favorite scooter shop, Scoot Richmond, last week. We periodically go in to visit with Chelsea, who is as cool as they come, and to pet the scooters that we are saving up to buy. Chelsea definitely had a number of solutions to our jacket dilemmas, and none of them involved pink. She had me try on a few Corazzo jackets and a giant Armadillo parka (warm as hell!), and I have found that I can wear a men's size small and still have all the armor in the right places. Joy! Travis tried on a few jackets too, and found a few options as well.

I checked out Corazzo's site when I got home and discovered that the 5.0 comes in a number of nice colors...one of which is flaming bright orange! I love it! Next time I go into the Scoot Richmond shop, I am going to try on a 5.0 and see how I like it, because this looks like my jacket! It is pricey, but armored, and if it is comfortable and good-looking, well, it's worth it.

Startin' Them Early

My son, enjoying a brief up-and-down the driveway ride on my eldest daughter's Razor scooter:

Joining up

I don't have my scooter yet, but I am getting ready to be a new scooterist (I love that term!). So far, I have done multiple thorough internet searches for information germane to my demographic and choice of scooter model. I've joined Modern Buddy and most recently, Scooter Diva. I like to read and occasionally post on internet forums, and reading these two over the last few weeks has shown that they are probably pretty decently covering the topics I want to read. At least I can feel like I am learning and getting information, so that when I do finally have my tangerine Budy 125, I will be ready to go.

Now I just need to find a decent-looking motorcycle jacket and a helmet I like.

Starting the saving.....

I want a scooter.

For this, I blame my husband. He made mention a few months ago, when gas prices were ridiculous, that he would like a scooter. He works about four miles from our house, and while riding his bike would theoretically be possible, in reality, there are too many busy roads on his route to ride his bike. We talked about it, and said we should have our friend bring her scooter over so he could try it, but we didn't really go anywhere with it.

Then, a few weeks ago, we revisited the idea, and did have our friend bring her scooter over. My husband had a fabulous time riding it around our neighborhood. Then Jennifer took me for a ride, and that was all it took. I was hooked. What a fun ride! We decided to go to our local scooter shop, the same place our friend bought her scooter. About a minute after walking into the showroom, I saw MY scooter.

This is the scooter that I want, although I want it as a 125cc and not a 50cc.


That is a Genuine Buddy scooter, in Tangerine. I love love love that color. It's so me.

We had hoped to make scooter purchases that weekend, but we were foiled by the current credit climate, so no loan. *cries*

No matter. We are saving the cash, so that by next spring, I'll be scooting all over town, and my husband will be riding to work in style on one of these!