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: