skutergruven

New scooter...Rattler 110

2009-05-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

I did it. I sold off ALL my other scooters and bought another brand new one! I sold the '02 Bajaj, the '02 Kymco and the '86 Helix Pirate Ship. Then I went out and bought a brand new, '09 Genuine Rattler 110. Oh yeah!

"So what," you might ask. "What's so special about a Rattler?" Well, let me tell you...

First off, a Rattler sports a 106 cc two-stroke engine. Way fun! Then, it has a "European-styled-scooter-mated-with-a-dirt-bike" sort of look to it. Different. And I like different. Also, a new Genuine dealer just opened up in Sedona....a place named Scooter and Auto Source (www.scooterandautosource.com), run by a cat named Mark Tetreau. Nice guy. Made me a deal I couldn't refuse. And to top it off, Genuine offers a 2-year, unlimited mileage warranty on parts and labor PLUS 2 years free roadside assistance. I'm thinkin' I'm probably going to test the limits of their "unlimited mileage".

This scooter is probably the most fun I've ever had on two wheels. It may not handle the corners as well as some. May not be as fast as some. May not be as 'attractive' as some and probably not as comfortable as some. But this scooter isn't about matching up with somebody else's idea of what a scooter should be. It is simply a hard-chargin' two-stroke engine slapped into the smallest, lightest package they could find and topped off with nice, wide tires and some funky plastic bodywork. 203 pounds packed into a 46" wheelbase equals good times!

Top speed averages around 62 miles per hour...I've had it up to 68 downhill. Mileage is averaging 80 to 85 mpg, even with my twisted wrist! It cruises nicely at 57 or 58 mph. In other words...quite adequate. The entertainment is how it gets there. First, you're sitting at a stoplight. You rap the engine a little and get the giggles listening to the "ring-ding-ding" of the little two-cycle. The light changes and the drivers of the cars around you wonder what happened to the weenie little scooter that was right there, only to discover you left them sitting!
Pure fun! You slide the rear tire a little, getting a bit sideways around the corner into your driveway and laugh out loud. Then you think to yourself, "Didn't I see a little dirt road on the way home from work last night?" And you're gone again! Yes, those wide tires work just fine on hard-packed dirt roads. And the scooter slides very nicely and controllably in the soft stuff!

Why did I wait so long to get one???

But, me being me, I couldn't leave well enough alone. Rattlers come with a cute little grab-rail in the back, behind the seat that is great for manhandling the scooter. Only thing is, it gets in the way of using the gas cap. So it went away. Then I determined the handlebars were too wide for my taste, so I grabbed a hacksaw and took 2 1/2 inches off of each side. There...that's better! I took the badges off the sides and replaced them with "TEAM 918". 918 is our radio code at the jail for "mentally disturbed". It fits, I think. Then, after riding it at night and finding out that the bright blue light from the dash is VERY annoying, I moved it from the front of the handlebar clamps to the back. A little better. I also blacked out the unused portions of the screen, which helped a bit more. Okay, a good start. Now to do something about those huge, honkin' blinkers. I bought a set of real small, LED lights at Encore Performance and put them on the front. They looked like a ridiculous set of baby antennae, so I put them in back instead. Now THAT worked! In front, I simply removed the blinker mounts from the handlebars, then took the lights off of the mounts, drilled a couple small holes in the plastic body and mounted the lights on either side of the front cowling. They look okay. I'm still in the market for some smaller ones, though...

Now we're getting somewhere. Someplace along the line, I pulled the footpads off and painted them flat-black. Surprised? I'm not. Now then...what am I to do about those HUGE, moderately ugly mirrors? They're as big as the bike itself! Well, I tried a couple of different smaller ones. None really fit the bill. I took one of the mirrors I'd removed from the Pirate Ship and mounted it on the side of the glovebox. That was kinda okay, but it vibrated badly. What to do...what to do? Finally, yesterday I found the answer (I hope)! I mounted both Helix mirrors to the footpad mounts! Well, I'll be darned if it didn't work!! Very little vibration, good views and it got them off of the handlebars!

Well, folks...there you have it. My new scooter and some of the stuff I've done to it already. Now then, have I found time to ride it? I bought it on April 9th, took it on a rally on the 16th, it is now the 10th of May and I have 1774 miles on it as of this morning. Not bad for a month, eh?

The pics that follow are (I hope) in chronological order from purchase time to current looks.

C-ya, ride on!
--Keys

more Rattler 110

2009-05-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

Rattler 110

2009-05-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Frosty Balls and Frozen Boobs Poker Run

2009-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

I did it again. I just up and paid my money and rode in a "Harley Run". It was the 14th annual "Frosty Balls and Frozen Boobs Poker Run" held each January 1st in Arizona's Verde Valley. I believe there were over a hundred bikes that left K & A Cycles in Cottonwood this last Thursday...and one motorscooter. I rode the Bajaj that I recently picked up and customized. It ran great! The run went from K & A through Cottonwood west on 89A to Clarkdale, then through Clarkdale and into Oldtown Cottonwood on main street. We rolled the dice first at the Chaparral Bar then it was on to Sedona, some 20 miles away. Knowing I'd be the slowest on the highway, I smoked outa the Chaparral in front of the pack. I only got passed by maybe 10 bikes before I reached the second destination; the Sundowner Bar. Are you seeing a trend here? Yep...all the sites were at bars.

Left the Sundowner, heading north on 89A until we reached Hwy 179 south toward the Village of Oak Creek. It's a nice twisty-turny road for about 8 miles to V.O.C. and the Full Moon Saloon. On a road of that nature, the Bajaj was more than a match for the Harleys. At the Full Moon, I had one guy tell me that every time he looked in his rear view, there I was! He couldn't f#*king believe it! Another fellow came up to me and told me he had been a New York City cop for years and had begun his motor career riding a Vespa for NYPD. (an aside note here; Scoot! Magazine just had a big article on the NYPD scooter corps...VERY interesting that I'd meet one of the guys in the Village of Oak Creek, AZ.!). Got lotsa scooter love!

Blasted out of the Full Moon heading south again on 179 until I reached Beaverhead Flats Road. Hooked a right onto that and sailed southwest through some beautiful sweeping corners and fast pavement. What a GREAT ride!! Then I reached Cornville Road and took a right again, heading west into, yes, you guessed it...CORNVILLE! A stop to toss the dice at the Old Corral Bar and I was on my way again. Cornville Road ends at 89A north and south and I turned left (south) and back into Cottonwood. A last stop at the Rockin' B Bar for a final dice toss, an acknowledgement that I will NEVER win a poker run and a plateful of food. There was a raffle (at which I also failed to win) and a lot of good comraderie. The guys are all getting used to having a nutjob on a scooter there and I never catch any grief from anyone anymore! It's kinda cool.

The picture I have here is how the scooter looked for the poker run. I've plugged all the holes in the legshield and painted the plugs and afixed various badges to the scooter to make it look factory. Whataya think?

Anyway, that was Thursday. On Friday I took all three scooters out for rides...the Helix hasn't been ridden in a few weeks, so it was due and the Kymco is just too much of a "rational ride" to take on my fun forays. It's more of a 'grocery getter' or 'errand runner' scooter. It's still a kick in the pants to ride, but I guess I'll always prefer the small wheels of a vintage-style...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Rally pictures

2009-01-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

Changes, changes, changes...

2008-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

So, the last thing you heard from me was I got two more scooters; another '02 Bajaj Chetak and an '02 Kymco People 150. Now to get you up to date.

I fought with both scooters for a couple of weeks before I got the fuel systems cleaned out enough that they would run properly. The Kymco was first. Then the Bajaj. The carburetor had to be removed twice before I got it thoroughly cleaned out on that one. They were running well and happily. I began teaching my friend Colleen how to ride on the Kymco. She fell down. Got right back up again and continued on. She was trying to ride in tight circles in a cul-de-sac. Um...maybe we'll get back to that lesson.

Of course, I can't leave well enough alone. I wheeled the Bajaj into the garage, removed the cowl protector/crash bars, the rear rack and spare tire, the tailight and the license plate. Put the spare up under the left-hand cowl where I think it belongs, located the tailight up under the end of the enormously long stock Bajaj seat. Still looked stupid. Better, but stupid. Relocated the license plate up beneath the light. Tossed the rest of the stuff in a corner.

The next weekend, I decided to play Scootergod and change the configuration of the seat. I removed it, removed the seat cover and the foam and took a hacksaw to the base. Chopped it right where I wanted it, I did! I bolted an old piece of a license plate in the back to over the now open end, bought a new electric knife to slice the foam, cut the foam to a shape I liked and put the cover back on. Years ago I learned from my father, who was making a couch at the time, that the best implement with which to cut foam is an electric knife. Believe it! I tried several methods before breaking down and forking out the $10 for one at WallyWorld.

Now, back to my creation. It stunk. Badly. So, the next day or so, I removed the currently-ruined-beyond-all-possibility-of-repair cover and in a moment of divine inspiration pulled out an old black shower curtain from who-knows-where and cut it to approximately the right size. I then pulled out my handy-dandy staple gun and proceeded to discover it didn't have the poop required to drive staples into the plastic base. So, I bought some upholstery tacks and with a pair of channel-locks forced them through the classy fabric and into the base to secure said classy fabric to said plastic base. And it even worked!!! And now it looked...well, tacky. And still stunk. So I rode it like that for a couple weeks.

I had posted an emergency plea for a replacement seat from any large-frame Vespa or Stella on the Scarab's forum and lo and behold, Hot Tomato answered! Her hubby Tryg had given her a sweet sport seat for her Stella for Christmas last year and she still had the original laying around. I could have it for the price of lunch! I was all OVER that!

Then for Christmas I got a horncasting for a VNX Vespa, a "Rally" badge, some edging for the legshield (I have plans....), a VNX Fendercrest and some spare cables...you just never know....

So, again in a fit of creativity (or something), last night I reentered the garage (I could feel the scooters cringe), grabbed some paint and began work. I painted the horncasting black and the fendercrest red. Then I went down to Phoenix today and picked up the seat from HT. It was on the Bajaj (that I'd brought down in the back of my pickup) before I left her driveway. We then took a short ride so I could pay up on my lunch debt and she introduced me to Indian food. Good stuff.

Went back home. Tonight I pulled the Bajaj horncasting off so I could use it some time in the future as a snowplow, drilled a couple of holes and mounted the Vespa piece. VERY nice! I still have to find a set of turn indicators I like and hook them up. Then came the fendercrest. Again, just what I wanted. I still haven't added the "Rally" badge...I want to clean up the legshield before I do.

I've included some pictures of the "shower-curtain seat", one of HT with our two scooters and a few of the Bajaj as it sits in my garage tonight.

And yes, the Kymco and Pirate Ship are feeling a little left out. But if you listen closely, you can hear me rubbing my hands together and cackling evilly....

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

New Stuff - and FINALLY an update!

2008-11-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Alright, friends, I have to apologize for forgetting about you. Sorry.

There have been a number of updates since the last posting WAAAAYYYY back in June. First, yes, I trashed the engine in the Pirate Ship. The good news was that Damn Dirty Dave had an extra laying around his garage that somebody had given him. And he turned around and gave it to me! A couple weekends later it was in and running. It leaks a little oil and a little coolant, but not enough to worry me and it runs nice and strong. Since then, it's made a couple trips to Phoenix and Lord knows HOW many over Mingus Mountain to Prescott. I had a number of classes for work I had to attend in Prescott, so the trips were made on the scooter.

Let's see...what else happened...??? I am now thoroughly divorced. Since the last posting I have attended and competed in two Scottish Highland Games. I have a new lady in my life, Colleen, who agrees that riding a scooter may just be the next best thing to....well, you know where I'm going with this...

Oh yeah...I also rode in the latest Something For Nothing rally from the top of Mingus Mountain to Flagstaff and back. Colleen rode behind me from Cottonwood to the top of the mountain where we met a bunch of the others (I think there were 12 scooters up there that morning) and rode back down. Apparently, my propensity for speed scared the crap out of her and she had me take her home when we reached Cottonwood, so I did the rest of the trip solo. Great ride both up and back. No mechanical failures or crashes on the way up. We met the Pharoahs in Flagstaff, had some coffee and pastries and (after what seemed a 'forever' wait) headed back down through Oak Creek Canyon. A FAST and fun ride!!! I watched Wade on his amazing small-frame Vespa outrun just about everything there...including my 250 cc Pirate Ship!!! I could keep up, but it wasn't easy! Wade had his ipod going the whole time and was dancing all over the seat of his scoot and STILL kickin' butt! Good times! Kent and I blasted past tourist traffic through the canyon at breakneck speeds, grinning all the way! We hooked a left in Sedona onto Hwy. 179 south to the Village of Oak Creek, then over Beaverhead Flat Road to Cornville Road. Right then to Page Springs Road (where I ditched the group and headed back to Cottonwood for my pickup full of camping gear and Colleen) where they enjoyed 8 miles of beautiful curves. Then a left on Hwy. 89A back into Cottonwood. They fueled up and headed for the mountain.

I caught up with the group at the campsite where we all set up out tents and partook of adult beverages as we laughed and visited. Big bonfire and great eats that night. Some kind of fajita stuff that one of the Pharoahs made. FABULOUS!!! More stories, more beers, more laughter and finally bed. Next morning everyone got up, and those of us in cars moved on while those from Flagstaff prepared to ride home. As always, the Pharoahs put on a great rally!

Mostly my summer, though, has been spent in various classrooms for my eventual transition to sergeant in about a year and a half and getting on with my personal life. On that note, Colleen has expressed an interest in getting a scooter and riding with me, since riding cupcake scares her, so I asked around and my dear, sweet friend Vanessa had two to sell me! So last weekend I picked up an '02 Kymco People 150 and another (bless that girl) '02 Bajaj Chetak with only 2067 miles on it! I won't tell you what I paid for them, but I will say this; God has blessed me with some VERY generous and gracious friends! Thanks, V. They will be ridden and cherished. I included a few pics of my current stable of scooters. Both the Kymco and the Bajaj have been sitting for about 2 years with full tanks of gas, so they both need to be drained, the carburetors cleaned and new batteries. The Bajaj (being a 2002) needs a new voltage regulator which I have ordered.

Last weekend I drained the gas in the Kymco and replaced it with new and sprayed carb cleaner into the available orifices in hopes that would fix the varnish problem. I got and put in a new battery and, well...it KINDA works. I AM going to have to pull and clean the carburetor today. Oh well.

That's about it for now,
C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

P.S. And for those of you who may not believe I was actually competing in the games, I included a picture of me during the Prescott games...

Explosion time...

2008-06-08T04:47:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me, friends, but I haven't done a lot of blogging lately because...well, my life is in explosion mode.

I finally got the Sgian Dubh (now dubbed the Black Pearl, for reasons you will soon see) fixed up the way I wanted.

I got the airbox situation squared away. I tried removing the airbox and affixing the Uni pod filter directly to the mouth of the carburetor. Could never get it jetted right. So, I put the tube that had previously connected the airbox to the carb back on the carb (still no airbox) and bolted the Uni filter to the end of it...where the airbox WOULD have been. Better. But I still couldn't get it jetted just right and besides...the weight of the tube kept pulling the carb out of the manifold. Finally I put the airbox back on, removed the stock air filter and put the Uni filter on the stock air intake into the airbox. One jet size up and VOILA! Success! Works splendidly!! Apparently, with the open airbox, I have all the volume I want and with the Uni filter on the air intake I am drawing cool, outside air in through a low restriction filter. SWEEEeeeet! By the way, I also drilled 5 holes into the end of the muffler for less restriction and, of course, more noise. Doesn't sound half bad!

Then, I bought a bar-end mirror since the original was just too big and ugly, but since there were some bar weights in the handlebar I had welded on, I couldn't get it in. I messed around and messed around and finally found a place I liked down low on the cowling. It looks good and I still have good vision...around my air filter...

And of course, I couldn't forget the weaponry. A few chunks of PVC pipe and the judicious application of glue and paint and I had machine guns! Of course, the chrome skull on the front proclaims this one-man assault module to be a Pirate Ship. Hence the "Black Pearl" moniker.

Okay. Now comes the heavy stuff. Yesterday my wife filled out the divorce papers. No anger. No hatred. Not even any mild dislike. No infidelities or abuses. Let's just say we are fabulous friends, but not very good at the spouse thing. So, my mind was not really where it should have been yesterday afternoon. The day before, I had ridden the 50 or so miles through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff to renew my CDL license, then I had ridden the hundred or so miles to Phoenix to meet the Scarabs at the Rose and Crown (our new unofficial clubhouse). Fabulous shepherd's pies! Okay, so here I was the next day, about to head to the courthouse to do things that make me very sad when I decided to check the oil. I removed the dipstick and found the level to be a wee bit low, so I hunted around the garage for a bottle of 10W-40. Nope. I could only find 20W-50, which I use in my pickup. Crap. So I fired up the pirate ship and headed off to the courthouse (some 10 miles away), figuring to get a jug of oil on the way home. About 3 or 4 miles down the road, the engine quit. I looked down and discovered in my distraction, I'd never replaced the dipstick. All the oil blew out and I no longer had a functioning engine.

I called my friend Heather who came and picked me up and dropped me off at home so I could get the pickup and go get my scooter. I got it loaded okay and took it home. Dropped it off at D&K Service this morning so they could do a blow-down test. No compression at all. Dave stuck his little camera down in there and found a minute hole in the top of the piston. I hope that's all that's wrong...now I gotta scrape up the cash for a top-end job as well as deal with the rest of the crap in my life.

Although, the job is going better than it has any right to do...I've been chosen over several more senior officers for a couple of key postitions including Officer In Charge when there are no sergeants or lieutenants in the building, thereby putting me in charge of a 400+ inmate jail. Kinda sobering...

So, anyway, I've included some pictures of the latest incarnation of my one-man assault module...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Mummy Mayhem 2008

2008-04-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, friends, last weekend was the first annual Mummy Mayhem Rally...replacing the previous Skull Valley Rally because, well...I guess people were tired of the same route every year.

This year was a little different. We included the Pharoah's Scooter Club in the planning and operation of Mummy Mayhem so we could get a bigger turnout. It worked, too! Certain reports claim around 40 scooters attended!!

The rally began with a meet-and-greet at the Bikini Lounge in Phoenix on Thursday night. I didn't make it. More on that later. Friday morning we met at the 4 Peaks Brewery in Mesa and pretty much took up the whole block then rode down Main Street/Apache Trail (depending on which city you are in...same road, though) east to where it joined with Hwy 60 east. Then we just stayed on that through Apache Junction, Superior, Miami and finally, Globe, AZ. Splendid ride. Then we were led down numerous side roads until we came to dirt. Did we stop there? HELL NO!!! A couple more miles down the dirt roads...one resembled an moderately unused creek-bed to the campsite. The next day was a ride north on Hwys 188 and 288 to the Salt River for tomfoolery then back to Miami where we drowned a cafe in a sea of black Mummy Mayhem t-shirts a frivolity. Back to the campsite for more tomfoolery and jackassery. Sunday morning saw everybody packing up and heading home. This is just the start...details to follow...

Okay, some details as promised. I left Cottonwood at about noonish on Thursday and pointed the scooter uphill towards Mingus Mountain again. Over the hill, down into Prescott, THROUGH Prescott and down through Wilhoit, Peeples Valley, Yarnell, Congress and finally Wickenburg where I finally fueled up. 73 miles per gallon. Cool! Blasted out of Wickenburg and onto Hwy 60, then the Carefree Hwy. then south on Lake Pleasant Road to Bell road. East to 87th and south to Jes' Jim's house. I met the lovely Carole there and she allowed me to offload my gear (I would be spending the night) and I hit the road again. East to the Loop 101 East and all the way across the north end of Phoenix and through Scottsdale then south to Hwy 60 again. I took that to...well, the PLAN was to find Higley and go south to Guadalupe where I would meet the beautiful and enchanting Joni for my first foray into sushi eating.

Well, about a quarter mile from the exit my rear tires lost its air. I ended up walking/pushing it about 3 miles to the sushi place. I went in and washed my hands and joined Joni for dinner. And a FABulous dinner it was!! I particularly enjoyed the mussels!

The sushi place was right next to a Checker Auto Parts store and it was about 8 o'clock when we finished dinner. Walked over to Checkers, fully expecting them to be open since the one in Cottonwood is open until 9. Nope. Closed. So we climbed in Joni's car and went to a local Walgreens and got a can of Fix-a-flat. Squirted it in the tire and discovered the problem was (once again) the stinkin' valve-stem. Crap. Time for a drink. So we went to Molly Branigan's and Joni enjoyed a couple Irish Coffees while I sipped a single-malt scotch. I called Jes' Jim who recommended I call Damn Dirty Dave at the meet and greet, so I did. Just so happened DDDave had a rear wheel from a crashed (multiple times...including one requiring a helicopter ride) Honda Elite 250 that would fit. I told him I had the required tools and he sent the wheel and tire down to me with Jes' Jim in his Volvo station wagon. Yes, this IS an important fact.

Jim showed up and I pulled out my tools and discovered the bolts I needed to remove had been put on with an air wrench and my little open-end wrenches just slipped on them. I, in fact, did NOT have the required tools. Now what???

We decided to put the Helix in the back of Jim's station wagon. Don't let ANYone tell you it can't be done...it CAN!! Well, the Volvo was Miss Carole's and Jim didn't want to soil the carpet and out of the depths of her trunk Joni produced a big piece of plywood. PERFECT!!! Then, the problem was the centerstand digging into the carpet. Joni produced two pillows! Okay...we were set. Closed the rear hatch. Oops...no rope to tie it down. Nope, no bungies either. Joni produced a dog leash that worked perfectly!!

I hugged Joni and we were on our way. Jim suggested Joni needed a scooter to ride with us since she's such a resourceful lass and I told him her daughter has one. AND her son-in-law. He looked at me curiously. I said, "You know them, too...Sammy (Hot Tomato) and her new husband Tryg!!!" I was seriously chastized for not introducing her as such.

We showed up at the meet-and -greet where DDDave had the needed tools and I replaced the rear tire on my scooter in the parking lot at about midnight and we all headed to our respective places for needed rest.

Up early the next morning...Jim and I loaded the scooters with our gear and took off for DDDave and Sandy's place. Showed up in plenty of time to watch DDDave finish putting the engine from his Vespa Sprint into Sandy's scooter. He'd just started the night before!! We got the van loaded with everyone's camping gear and got ready to leave. There were a total of 6 scooters that rode from there to the 4 Peaks Brewery where we were to meet the Pharoahs and the rest of the Scarabs. We had a great time at the Brewery meeting new friends, shaking hands with old friends who we only get to see once or twice a year. Finally, everybody loaded up and headed out. We followed Main Street/Apache Trail (depending on where you are...) through Mesa and all the way out to where it meets up with Hwy 60. Nice little urban ride. Lots of stares at 30-some motorscooters in one group! Once onto 60, we could open them up and well, for motorscooters, fly! Between 55 and 65 mph was the average. GREAT ride. The highway begins as a regular 4-lane, quickly narrowing to a rural 2-lane highway. It courses through the mesquite and sagebrush in the east end of the Valley of the Sunstroke and gradually begins rolling over hills and on into the town of Superior. From Superior to Miami the highway becomes more of a two-lane mountain road with a pretty good climb. All the scooters did very well...no breakdowns and not even much 'holding-up-of-traffic'. Fabulous ride! We cruised through Miami and on into Globe where we hooked a left into downtown Globe, AZ. Some of you might not have recognized it as a downtown area, but those of us from small towns did. All the way through town we rode until we reached a road (I could never find again) that branched off to the right. We followed that, making a few other turns as we went, some 4 or 5 miles back...on both paved and unpaved roads to our campground where we met up with some of our Pharoah buddies who had driven out from Albuquerque that morning. More hand shaking and beer tipping and camp-site set-up commenced. Good times, good times...

Getting Going...MM2008

2008-04-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Salt River Ride/MM2008

2008-04-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Campsite/ MM2008

2008-04-20T06:12:00.001-07:00

Around the Campfire, MM2008

2008-04-20T06:09:00.001-07:00

Messin' Around At MM2008

2008-04-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Mingus Mountain

2008-04-06T03:31:00.000-07:00

You know, I've spent a lot of time on this blog revisiting my trips over Mingus Mountain to Prescott and have really failed to post many pictures of the fabulous road that it is! I intend to remedy that situation with the pics you have before you.

But first, a few updates on the Sgian Dubh. I (of course) hated the muffled lawnmower sound of the Helix muffler, so, with drill in hand I attacked it. Two extra holes in the rear gave it just the right sound...at least until I can have a new head-pipe made so I can use a slip-on muffler. That was a good start. THEN I decided I hated the ugly, heavy, restrictive airbox. So I bought a Uni-filter. I removed the airbox and put the Uni on. Ran exactly like crap. So, I replaced the 110 main-jet with a 112.5. Still ran poorly, so I put the airbox back on. Now it ran better than ever. Okay...now what? I made a mad dash to Flagstaff to Northland Motorsports and got a 120 main-jet. Put it in and it bogged badly. Oops...too far. So another trip over to Prescott to Encore Performance and the aquisition of a 115 jet. Put it in, removed the airbox and re-installed the Uni-filter. Wow! NICE!! Except...I could feel that it had more available somewhere. So I took my needle-nose pliers and opened up the air mixture screw 1/2 a turn...had to use the pliers since I broke the head of the screw off... Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!! The bottom end and mid range on this thing is more than I had even hoped for! Top end is still where it was...about 72 mph, give or take, but it launches from a stop and keeps hauling butt up to about 65. VERY nice.

Now, back to the trip over Mingus. I just wanted to ride. That's it. And test out the newly jetted and freer flowing Sgian Dubh. I blasted outa town and through Jerome...hoping and praying that the tourists slowing me down up to there would make Jerome their final destination. And it worked. The road was MINE!!!! BWAAaa haaa haaa!!! I cranked up the torque monster (for a Helix) and fairly flew up the mountain. Since this thing has the approximate wheelbase of a Greyhound bus, it won't take the corners like either the Mad Hornet or the Red Baron could, but fast sweepers are LOADS of fun! I topped the mountain...you can see the summit elevation sign in one of the accompanying photos...and cruised down the other side into Prescott Valley. I pulled into Encore Performance and visited with Matt for a few minutes, then on into Prescott. I then hooked a left and chased Hwy 69 south to where it intersects Hwy 169 east. I followed 169 the 15 miles to I-17 where I again took a left, heading north to the Camp Verde exit, which dumps out onto Hwy 260. I met some guys I work with in Camp Verde and we went out shooting for a couple of hours...had a good time. I agreed to buy Mark Tenniswood's Glock 23 .40 cal. for my primary weapon for the Sheriff's dept. and hopped on the scooter and blew outa there.

My wife had called while we were shooting and asked me to bring her an energy drink, so, thinking I needed to ride an additional 50 miles or so, I agreed. North on I-17 to the Sedona exit and onto 179 north through some of the world's worst road construction and tourist traffic. I made it, though...and still had most of my patience!! Ski bought me dinner and after I was done, I went home. That simple. I put on, I'm guessing, about 150 - 175 miles and the Sgian Dubh didn't miss a beat. Averaged about 65 mpg with most of it highway travel with the throttle wide open. Not bad...not bad at all. And it was just as much fun to ride at the end as it was in the beginning.

Okay...I should have another post in the next week or so...the Scarabs are having their annual rally this upcoming weekend. It used to be the Skull Valley Rally, but they tired of the same route, so this year it's Mummy Mayhem, going from Phoenix to Globe (east of Phoenix) then, I think north to Apache Lake...or something like that...I'll let you know. Anyway, it'll be 3 days of riding and camping with my club-mates on some new roads for me. I'll be sure to bring you pics and stories.

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

A short list...

2008-03-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just have a few minutes here, so I'm adding a short list of Sgian Dubh updates...

The rear tire was so worn I could see the air through it in a couple of spots, so I bought a new one at D&K. They mounted it and the next morning it was flat. I took it in and it took 4 new valve-stems and most of a perfect riding day to fix it. Even had to push it a mile and a half back to the shop the last time.

I've ridden over to Prescott and back twice and Ski and I rode through Sedona and up Oak Creek Canyon on our scooters last week. Had a nice visit with my friend Donna who works in a time-share booth at the infamous Oak Creek Dairy Queen.

Tried to use a Uni air filter on my scooter...even went so far as to remove the old system. I jetting the carb up and everything, but it seemed to be LOSING power, not gaining it, so I put it back to original...exCEPT!!!

Most motorcycles and scooters manufactured in the 80's were jetted WAY lean to meet governmental criteria, so I left the slightly bigger jet in. Fabulous choice...it runs MUCH smoother now. Original size (factory) was 110...I used a 112.5. Try it, you'll like it!

Also, the day that I had such an issue with the valve-stems, I bought a pair of handlebars from Seth that originally were on a mid-80's Honda FT500 Ascot. I cut my mini-apehangers at the bottom curves and just welded the new ones on. Love 'em!! No more backache!

Anyway, I have a trip to make this weekend to Las Vegas for the nuptuals of Hot Tomato and Tryg. I'm considering riding the Sgian Dubh. Guess it depends on weather. If I do, I'll be sure to post photos...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

...a little update.

2008-02-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

Not lots to say here, but the epoxy job on the intake manifold of the Sgian Dubh lasted, oh, 13 or 14 minutes. Made it home okay. Made it to the doctor's the next day okay. I actually rode it to Prescott and back last Saturday for a Big Brothers - Big Sisters fund raiser the Sheriff's Office is doing. It did NOT, however, run well. Not particularly slow or jerky or anything...just not right! Letting off the throttle then on again created a hesitation I knew wasn't supposed to be there, along with a few other telltale signs.

So, that night I removed the intake manifold again and sho' nuff, it was ALL busted up. So I used a pliable silicone based contact glue covered with black electrical tape. It worked alright, but I still (in the back of my mind) knew it wasn't right, so I ordered one from HelixParts www.helixparts.com/usa/ for the princely sum of about twenty bucks on Tuesday. They shipped it on Wednesday and it showed up in my mailbox today, Friday!!! Wow!!!

Well, I scurried to the garage and began untaping wires and removing seats and all of that stuff. The swap only took about 10 minutes. Big difference! Starts much easier without all that extra air getting in!!

Of course, with the seat removed I saw a major issue. I had originally bolted the tailight assembly to the seat base using self-tapping screws. They were holding okay, but I knew it was just a matter of time until one or more just dropped out, sending my tailight onto the back tire in a splash of plastic and rubber. Not my idea of a good time. Also, with the tailight bolted to the seat, I could only remove it as far as the wiring would allow, which, inevitably would NOT be far enough.

So, a quick trip to my local ACE Hardware store for a length of steel with holes already drilled in it and some zip-ties was in order. I got home and did a little measuring and cutting and doggone if it didn't just bolt right up! Of course, there was the always time consuming job of locating the correct nuts and bolts in the bottomless pit that is my garage. I know, I know...I should clean it out, but my deal is this; I go in there to fix stuff, NOT to hang out! And if stuff is fixed, I'm riding it, NOT hanging out in my garage. So you see, I just don't have time...

I got the bracket built just fine and with a minimum of fuss, but like always, I see what I could have done either better or differently, so I'll probably have to do it again sometime. Not right now, though...it's time to ride!!!

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Big Doin's

2008-02-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Had some big changes here at "Casa Del Keys" this month. I finally traced all my performance issues in the Buddy down to crappy wires. Yep...they just cracked and broke inside the insulation where you just couldn't find the break. Finally got that straightened out with the careful application of quality wire and wiring loom relocation. Apparently, over time, combined with heat, weight and bumpy roads, the seat bucket "settles" and bounces up and down on the wiring loom, thereby breaking individual wires.

Fixed it. Sold it last weekend to a nice young man from Tucson...I hope he's happy with it! Then, THIS weekend, I sold the '53 Allstate to Damn Dirty Dave. I guess forty scooters in his garage wasn't enough.

Bottom line is I took some of the money and bought my dear long-suffering wife some jewelry for Valentines Day (which just conveniently coincides with our anniversary) and spent the rest on my newest project...the "Sgian Dubh" (skee-an doo), which is gaelic for "Black Knife". The Sgian Dubh began life in my garage as a $600.00, 1986 Honda Helix with almost 32,000 miles on the clock and a rear hub in which the drive splines were stripped.

I loaded the Allstate into my pickup for a quick trip to Phoenix Thursday (Feb. 14th). I called DDDave, who met me at Bob's Used Motorcycle Parts (no particular web page, although you can find address and phone by googling the name). He slipped me some cash and I slipped him an Allstate. Then I went in a visited with a nice guy out in the yard who found me a couple of good Helix rear wheel assemblies. I grabbed the best one, paid $40.00 to get out the door and headed home. I stopped at D&K Service in Cottonwood where the Helix was and handed Seth the wheel assembly. He said it'd be done by 5 p.m. and I could ride it home.

Ski and I were going out to dinner, so we got all dolled up and swung by D&K. Seth told me he had discovered a wee bit of problems. No, not the wheel...it turned out fine...the rubber intake manifold between the carb and the head was cracked. Seth epoxied it and so far, so good. Have another on order, though...

I rode it home and noticed it didn't like to turn, but it was too late too mess with it...Alaskan King Crab was calling Ski's name and we had to go!

Well, we got home from dinner about 10:30 and Ski plopped in front of the tube and I headed straight for the garage. I started taking screws and bolts and nuts off like a madman! I removed the entire rear subframe and "trunk" (made my ass look too big, anyway). I removed the windshield. I relocated the tailight. Man, the dust was FLYIN'!!! Good start.

So, this morning, I rode it to a doctor's appointment I had. Did fine, didn't like to turn, still. I checked the air pressure in the tires and sure enough, they had less then 10 pounds in each. Topped 'em off and it handled fine. Started raining while I was at the doctor's office so I got soaked on the way home. Changed clothes and was back in the garage again.

I cut the tailight assembly to a more usable size, then I cut the windshield to a more sporty size...small. Relocated the mirrors for what I think is a sportier look...then came the paint. Yep, my favorite...flat black!! Eventually, I want to highlight it with red wheels and trim, but for now, it's all black!

Ladies and Gentlemen...I present for your viewing pleasure (or fear), the frankenscoot known as the Sgian Dubh!!

Just A Nice Little Ride

2008-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Just got home from a nice little ride. I got a call from my friend Jenn who lives over in Prescott and she told me one of her dear dogs had died a month or so ago and she had brought his body to the Humane Society in Cottonwood to be cremated. Well, his ashes were ready to be picked up today and Jenn's truck was broken down and she has been battling illness, so she didn't feel up to a scooter ride to Cottonwood. And of course, she knows my motto; "Any Excuse For A Ride!!!"

I heaped on the clothing since it was still in the low 40's, boots, t-shirt, sweatshirt, my Cortech jacket, gauntlets, balaclava, full-face Scorpion helmet, fired up the Red Baron and pulled out of the driveway. The Humane Society was full of people checking out the pets, but the nice lady at the counter found the time to deliver Bowser's remains to me. He went under the seat and I went on top of the seat and over Mingus Mountain we headed.

It was pretty darned cold out, but the sun was shining beautifully in a cloudless sky and I was just so happy to be riding. The trip was mostly uneventful...nice roads...just a wee bit of ice in the shadows, not enough to keep me home. Bowser and I just kind of did a delicate ballet on the Red Baron and never even slipped. I did, of course, go a little slower than I do when the roads are dry...

I reached the top of the mountain and began the descent into Prescott Valley when my old nemesis, the wind, reared his ugly head. It was coming HARD from the northwest, right into my face and dropped me a good 5-10 miles per hour! We just chugged along, annoying 4-wheelers who wanted to go way over the speed limit, but I didn't mind. I pulled into Jenn's driveway and as I took the package holding Bowser's remains out from under the seat I realized this was both Bowser's first and last scooter ride. I also realized I'd never had a more compliant and genial passenger. I thanked him for his indulgence and handed him to Jenn.

Jenn and I had a nice visit, talking work, scooters, health...you know, the stuff friends talk about and I decided I'd better leave before the roads iced over for the night. The wind had shifted during our visit and was now almost directly from the north...the direction I needed to go! Crap! I got on Fain Road headed north to where it joins Hwy 89A some 8 miles away. The posted speed limit on Fain Road is 65. I was lucky to be able to maintain 55! The wind was HORRIBLE!! After spending half the trip running on the shoulder to allow traffic by, I finally reached 89A. A right turn put me on the path for Cottonwood. I then rode with a severe port list due to the wind. I was going straight forward and leaning at least 20 degrees to the left! Once I made it to the mountain where it blocked most of the wind, I was able to maintain reasonable speeds. I just motored up and up and up some more to the summit, sometimes in the shadow, others in the sunlight...always with a grin on my mug. There was very little traffic this time of year, so I wasn't having to deal with that. I reached the top and eased on down the hill towards Jerome. I caught up to a pickup pulling a trailer, but he was moving right along, so I didn't mind. Just a nice little ride.

I cruised through Jerome and passed Paul and Jerry's Saloon where the new band I'm in will be playing tomorrow. We do sort of a rock/blues thing...shades of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Good stuff, lotta fun!

I looked in the windows of the shops as I passed through town, marvelling at what a dynamic pair the Red Baron and I make. The trip down from Jerome to Cottonwood was again, uneventful and pleasant. The scooter was running well and strong, the sun was shining, it was chilly but I was dressed for it and it was just a nice little ride. Gotta have 'em now and then. Nothing spectacular, nothing dramatic...just a nice little ride. Doesn't get much better...

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Nothing much

2008-01-03T21:30:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...it's been a LOOoooong time since I joined you here. Sorry. I just had nothing really to say!

It's been too cold here to ride much and the Buddy was still experiencing some issues. I, however, solved them! I brought it home from the dealer since they didn't seem to be capable of finding what the problem was and the owner was too insistant in continuing in a direction I knew wasn't right.

I first checked the carburetion and fuel lines again. They were okay. I did a little fiddling with it and rode a ways and it started acting up again. I stopped and messed around a bit with whatever I could reach. Discovered that when I moved one of the coil wires, the scooter would begin running badly again. I nursed it home and replaced all the coil wires with new wire and new connections. Better.

A couple more miles and the symptoms returned. Coughing, sputtering and generally just sick. I fooled with the airbox a bit...put it back in it's original configuration. Better. Briefly again.

Now what? I called my buddy at Scoot Over, Ron, and he told me he had one in the shop right now with the same symptoms and he'd done essentially the same checks I had; carburetion, air intake, fuel delivery, spark. He was going to try bypassing the evaporative canister for the emissions system and recommended I try it. I did. AND IT WORKED!!! The Red Baron is back!!!

So, anyway, I am still in the market to sell it and get something bigger.

I found a Kymco Bet & Win 250 in Prescott. Somebody has to quit letting these Taiwanese people name scooters for the American market... Back to the story. The scooter is an '06 and has about 1200 miles on it. It sold for about $4500 new and he wants only 2 grand! Hell of a deal...but I won't have that kind of cash unless I sell the Buddy....any takers????

Also found an '86 or '87 Honda Elite 250 in Phoenix for about eleven hundred. I see a lot of potential there...

Got nothin' new for Christmas that was scooter related. Just the luck of the draw, I guess...got stuff related to my job and to my music, though, so that was cool.

Wish I had more to tell you, my friends, but there just isn't much to say. Talk to you later...

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Strange brew

2007-11-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

To begin with, a lot of strange things have been going on in my world. First, the Red Baron took a crap. Yep, just up and started running badly. I cleaned the carburetor, replaced the plug, set the valves, drained the tank to check for junk, replaced the fuel filter, cleaned the carburetor, replaced all the fuel lines, drained the tank, checked the vacuum petcock, cleaned the carburetor (can you tell I did several of the things more than once???) and finally gave up. Took it to Encore Performance, the closest Genuine dealer, and said "fix it".

After two weeks and much going over what I already did, replacing a broken coil wire, re-jetting the carburetor, trying a new one, doing a bleed-down test to check for cylinder/piston integrity and who-knows-what-all, he finally decided it was MY fault for putting on the SuperTrapp muffler, which incidentally has performed just great for 10 months. I went back, and with the scooter still running poorly, just took it home.

Yesterday, I spent the best part of my day off working on it. I replaced the absurdly huge 100 main jet that had been put in the carb with a more reasonable 95 (the original was a 92). A little better. I then cleaned the carburetor AGAIN and removed the vacuum petcock and drained the tank AGAIN to make sure nothing was plugged. Replaced the fuel lines AGAIN with thicker walled tubing to prevent any collapsing. Rode it. It was better. Not good, mind you, but some better. I then turned around to go back home and it died. Wouldn't start again. Finally, I kick-started it and it sputtered to life, but if I gave it any gas, it would die. Then, while it was sputter/idling, I messed with the coil wires again. Miraculously, it would run good, then bad, then good again...but not good enough to ride. So I began pushing. A friend saw me and stopped. We loaded it in his pickup and he took me home.

I then hooked the battery up to the charger and while it was charging, stripped the wiring harness sheath from the coil up as far as I could go and snipped off what I believe to be the offending wire. I replaced it with new and a new connector. It fired right up and ran just like I wanted it to! By then, I had reached 5 o'clock and had to quit because I had a practice session with the new band I'm in; "The Bo Wilson Band" in which we all play the part of Bo Wilson. Confusing? Guess you'll have to come out to see us to understand...

Anyway, I took a short trip this morning in the rain and it, for the most part, ran well. There was some sputtering still, but I suspect that if I put the waterproof, rubber cover back over the coil wires it may cure that. Also, the dealer had altered the airbox in his quest and I will also put that back to original. We'll see.... It's still raining, so I'm going to wait a bit to do more.

Well, that was PART of my story. The other part involves the Helix. Now, I have NEVER been a big fan of riding the Helix because, well...it just wasn't FUN to ride. Smooth, yes. Fast, yes. Good handling? Like a Greyhound bus. Since the Red Baron was down, I was forced to ride the Helix and discovered (since I hadn't been paying it any attention) it was sporting a set of bald tires. In fact, you could almost see the air through the front one. So I went online tire shopping. I finally went to Tires Unlimited and hunted through their selection of scooter tires for 110/100-12 for the front and 120/90-10 for the back...just like Honda put on 'em. Couldn't find just what I wanted. They were either the wrong sizes or too expensive, so I did a little thinking and decided to experiment. I ordered a Cheng Shin 110/70-12 for the front and a Cheng Shin 4.00 X 10 for the rear. My thoughts were thus; the shorter, fatter sport-oriented new front size would put a little more bias on the front, perhaps making the handling a little more positive and the slightly narrower, taller rear would allow for quicker, less labor-intensive transitions while lifting the hindquarters a bit for less parts-dragging in the corners.

First to show up was the front and it made a HUGE difference. Easy turn in and out and much more confidence in the corners. A week later the rear arrived and I had it put on. I rode it and discovered the Helix was now as fun to ride in the corners as the Buddy!! And maybe even as fast!! At the moment I discovered that, my whole world changed. I was going to Phoenix to scooter shop!

That Saturday, the Scarabs were having a "End-Of-Season-Bowling-Ride", so I decided to go. Discovered I don't bowl any better than I did 20 years ago when I last tried the game. I had a great ride and we had a great time. The Helix easily cruised at 70+ all the way from Cottonwood to the VERY southeast end of the Phoenix metro area where I met Ruckuschick (also known as Pam) for lunch. She is selling a Kymco People 250S which I am interested in. So we looked at it and went up to her favorite Kymco dealer, AZDesertSports to talk financing. They looked at my credit and chased me out with a taser. Well, almost... Bottom line is, I didn't go home on a new scooter. Still looking for just the right deal though.

Along about midnight I said goodbye to Damn Dirty Dave, Sandy V., Hump, Jughead, Cristian, Shannon, Isaac, Marion, Elijah and Hot Tomato (if I left anyone out, I apologize) and headed north towards home. 'Bout froze my butt off by the time I made it, but it was worth it. And a note of record; the Helix was just as fun to ride as I was hoping it would be.

Now, there is a small, local independent motorcycle fix-it place here in Cottonwood named D&K Motorsports and I have some of my work done there and when I was in there with the Helix having the tires mounted I noticed a white Helix in the back of the shop with the rear wheel off. I asked about it and found that someone had replaced the tire at some point and left out some important spacer, allowing the hub to move around. And it did! And it stripped the splines in said hub. Dave, the shop owner, said he had a hub on order and that the guy would NEVER sell. I stopped in yesterday looking for a petcock (which he didn't have) and Dave told me he was unable to get a hub...they are just simply unavailable. So the guy may be interested in selling. Now then, I know where to find a used one.....

So. If you are interested in buying a used Genuine Buddy, let me know. I will make sure it is running well before I sell it, but I'm thinking a Helix just might be the ticket for me right now...

Let's see, new tires, a SuperTrapp exhaust (yes, they have one specifically for the Helix), a new set of variator roller-weights and clutch spring, cut down the windshield and add some lower handlebars and some custom paint...a long, low hot-rod along the lines of a mid-sixties Plymouth with a hemi. Okay, so 250 cc's doesn't quite measure up to a hemi, but you get the idea!

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

This and that...

2007-11-09T00:27:00.000-08:00

I took a ride over to Prescott a week or so ago. Just messin' around. Nice ride. Things changed on the way home, though....

As I was climbing the hill to the top of Mingus Mountain, a white van moved in behind me. About 2 feet off my tail! This guy was SERIOUSLY tailgating...and I was doing about ten over the speed limit!! Well, he passed me on a double yellow line just before a corner, just fool's luck he wasn't head-on'd!! Since he had probably 350 cubic inches under the hood and I had 125 cc's, he disappeared into the distance. I topped the summit and began the fast descent into Jerome, some 6 miles away. I caught up to the van about 2 miles down the road. He was behind a motorcyclist on a Buell who was doing, again, about 10 over the limit. Wasn't enough for the bozo in the van. He was tailgating the motorcyclist like I've never seen before! The Buell would go around the corners and the van was right on his ass, front tires squealing, he was leaned over so far. I surmised the motorcyclist, although he was riding a sport bike, probably didn't have all that much experience since I was easily keeping up with the two of them. He was more than likely scared to death by this moron on his tail light. This was absolutely one of the most dangerous scenerios I've ever seen on this road. If the Buell had hit some sand or a rock or something and went down, that van would have gone right over him.

At the pull off about a mile or so above Jerome the biker pulled over to let the van by and he did...me right behind him. I actually think the driver was suffering a bruised ego or something since he couldn't shake the motorscooter behind him. And NO...I was NOT tailgating him. I was just behind him and going the same speed as he.

He rolled up on a car going about the speed limit about a hundred yards down the road, and you guessed it, passed it on the double yellow IN A CORNER!!! Again, he lived to tell the story. We then entered the town of Jerome and he passed another car in the town limits. There are NO passing zones in the town of Jerome because you can't see around the corners and hairpins in the town. He did it anyway...oncoming traffic be damned.

I was able to keep him in view all the way down the mountain into Cottonwood where I followed the van (yes, I had the plate number) to a local mortuary. I parked and went in where I spoke to the directors about the incident and how their driver was obviously trying to drum up more business for them. About that time, the driver, an older guy, walked up and was confronted by his bosses. He admitted to passing on the double yellow, saying "everybody does it"!! Not true. Admitted to speeding to the point of danger. Claimed he wasn't tailgating the motorcycle. I pulled out my sheriff's department ID and told him he probably wasn't the brightest bulb in the place. His boss told him he wouldn't be driving the company vehicle again and the man apologized to me for his behavior. I left.

TODAY, I drove my pickup over to Prescott (another part of this story) and on my way back, who did I see? Still driving like a bat outa hell? The same guy. Same van. What can you do??

I know he's gonna kill someone.

Anyway, last week, the Red Baron, on the way home from one of my forays into Sedona began coughing and sputtering pretty badly. I pulled over and cleaned the carb out...an easy, quick job. No difference. Now THIS was different. I rode it home, unhappily, and began working on it. First, I checked the spark plug. It was white, meaning it was running lean, suggesting a fuel starvation issue since in the past it's always been a pretty tan...which is optimum. I pulled the carb clear out and cleaned every part of it thoroughly. I replaced the fuel filter with a new one. I made sure the fuel lines were clear. I drained the gas tank, checking to make sure it wasn't full of crud and replaced the gas with fresh. I adjusted the valves (just because I could). No difference. Well, I'd done all I could, so I took it to Encore Performance, a Genuine dealer ( http://www.epfguzzi.com/ ). Jim called me a couple days ago, saying he'd replaced a wire to the coil and he thought it was fixed. So I drove over the mountain this morning to get it and, now it didn't cough and sputter as bad, but the power was down, and when I hit about 55 mph, it began coughing a little. I took it back and Jim pulled the carb and cleaned the jets. Tried it again. No better. Checked the plug. White.

So we found a 95 main jet to replace the 92 that was in it and tried it again. If anything, it was worse. I personally think it was just getting worse as it got warmer. We pulled the plug again and discovered the bigger jet made no difference to the color of the plug. We still had a fuel starvation issue. I left it there. They are going to do a bleed-down test to determine ring/cylinder integrity and adjust the valves again.

Who knows, maybe I just wore the poor thing out...

Also, I have included a picture here of my scooter in it's "Sport Touring" incarnation. For those of you who are new here, the scooter is an '06 Genuine Buddy 125, the rear bag is an S/X item from Scooterwest ( http://www.scooterwest.com/ ), the saddlebags are Dowco Rally Pack bags ( http://www.chaparralmotorsports.com/ ) and the windshield is from Genuine, specifically designed for the '06 Buddy.

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Skutergruven T-Shirts

2007-10-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

I know everybody's been waiting for the spectacular unveiling of the new Skutergruven T-shirts. What's that?? You say you didn't even know about them??? Whatever.

To make a long story short, they are finally here. I will (eventually) have a web-site with a shopping cart and everything, but well...the guy who's creating it for me got a little behind. So, if you would like one, we're just gonna have to do the unthinkable and trust each other. You send me a check, cash or money order for $20.00 and I'll send you a shirt of your choice in the color (ink color, too) of your choice and in the size of your choice.

I have included here a couple pictures of some of them. These are all custom made to order (hence the big price), so give me a week or so. Just call (928) 274-1837 or (928) 649-0206 to order. If I don't answer, leave a message where I can reach you and we can work out the details. Sorry it's not a fancier way of doing business, but until my web-site is up, this is what I have to do...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Something for Nothing

2007-10-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

I've done a bit of riding lately. Mostly short, fast trips through the various canyons or over the various mountains around here. Nothing spectacular...just some beautiful rides of the sort I've described before...EXCEPT...

Last month was the Something For Nothing rally. The rally began (officially) in Flagstaff where we all grouped up and left, heading south through Oak Creek Canyon, into Sedona, south again on Hwy 179 to the Village of Oak Creek. A few miles south, we'd hook a right onto Beaverhead Flats Road for the entire 6 miles of its existance. Another right on Cornville Road would take us into Cornville where once again we'd take a right, this time onto Page Springs Road until it dumps out onto 89A...back to Cottonwood, through town and up to Jerome. Again, through town to the top of Mingus Mountain where an all night party was planned at the campground. Then back to Flagstaff on Sunday.

That was the plan.

Since my cronies from the Scarabs are based in Tucson and Phoenix, we traditionally meet Friday night at the campground, leave about 8 Saturday morning from there and meet up with the Flagstaff contingent at about ten or so and then make the ride back.

Well, that Friday, my new rollerweights and belt came in the mail. Finally. So, with much enthusiasm, I grabbed my new parts and went to where I used to work to coerce the mechanic into loaning me his air wrench. No problem, Roy was more than willing to help. So I took it apart, replaced the 11.5 gram rollerweights with my new 10.5 gram items and swapped out the old belt (which after 13,000 miles still looked brand new) with the new kevlar belt. Put it all back together and took it for a ride. No power. Well, some...I guess, but I was down probably 20%. I took it apart and put it back together two more times. Nothing changed. I made sure I was doing everything right. I even tried my (also new) 15 gram rollerweights. By that time, it was late and I needed to go to bed. Got up the next morning and it was cloudy. WAY cloudy.
I geared up with a leather jacket, full-face helmet and gloves and headed up the hill (slowly) to meet the club. I got to the meeting place before the rest had come down and decided to wait. It started to sprinkle. I moved the scooter under the canopy over a picnic table. It began to rain. Before long, I heard the sounds of the scooter coming down the dirt road from the campground. Still raining, although it had lessened a little. I fired the Red Baron up and we all headed down the mountain.

We all made it down through the rain-soaked corners okay...until Jerome. I was near the front, and just happened to glance in my rearview to see Hump slow his Bajaj down and go back up the hill. Jerome has several hairpin and just tight corners on the main road through town, and the rain had slickened up the old asphalt and yes, you guessed it, someone went down. It was Sandy V., Damn Dirty Dave's sweetie on her sweet little Vespa. It had just slipped out from under her and she'd torn up the palm of one hand pretty bad. Fortunately, the driveway in which we all parked was owned by the town Fire Chief, who came out and tended to Sandy's injuries. I loaned her a bigger glove to fit over her bandages (by the way, Sandy...where is that??) and we were once again on our way. On through Cottonwood and just about a mile out of Cottonwood on the road to Sedona, Mike's sweet Lambretta came to a coughing halt. Some wire had come loose and so he and I spent a few minutes wrenching while the rest kept going.

Mike and I rode together to Sedona and I couldn't believe how doggy the Red Baron was running. It was embarrassing! We caught the rest of the pack in Sedona and we rode the rest of the way to Flagstaff pretty uneventfully. Except my scooter was running like it was a 100cc. I was SERIOUSLY disappointed. I was being outrun by stock Stellas going uphill! This was BAD!

Breakfast and hot coffee in Flagstaff and a lot of catching up with the Flagstaff scooterists whom we only get to see once or twice a year. It began raining again in earnest and we sat it out. When it finally let up a bit, we loaded Sandy's Vespa on the trailer (poor girl was hurting) and headed downhill. Rain off and on all the way to Sedona. We fueled up in the Village of Oak Creek and took off again. At the end of Beaverhead Flats Road, Damn Dirty Dave lost the exhaust off of his Vespa Sprint and it was loaded up. Somewhere along the way, Ian had also lost the exhaust off his Allstate and it too was on the truck. As soon as we turned onto Page Springs Road, the heavens opened up in a spectacular monsoon-style gully-washer! I was following Mike on his Lambretta and cussing my Buddy for it's lack of power as Mike just ran away from me. For a while. Just before Page Springs Restaurant (home of the finest Prime Rib in Arizona) there is a bridge where the water was several inches deep. The Lambretta sucked in a big mouthful of that water and just up and quit. It was done for the day. On the trailer. At least my scooter, though powerless, kept going.

I'd been battling a cold for about a week and the soaking I was getting didn't help, so I headed home when we got to Cottonwood for a hot shower and dry clothes. I also took the transmission on the Buddy apart again. There just HAD to be something I'd done wrong. I was VERY diligent in putting it back together and, damn it, it still wasn't right. I pulled the transmission cover off again and just sat there looking at it for a while. I'd been assuming my problem was in the rollerweights all along. Maybe my train of thought needed to find a different track, so I removed the new, $75 belt and put the old one back on, along with the 10.5 gram weights again. Buttoned it up, took it for a spin and VOILA!! A mighty return of power!! The belt was wrong. It was a MRP product that they were claiming works for the Buddy, although it's not exactly the right one. WRONG!!! More power or not, the scooter stayed in the garage and I drove the pickup to the campground to tell lies around the fire and watch the others get drunk. Sandy said she wasn't in much pain, but her eyes told a different story. Finally, we said our goodbyes and I drove home. Not the best rally I've attended, but I did learn a few things. One; use the factory belts. Two; be very careful on old, nasty pavement that's wet. Three; even when they're not running right, Buddys will just keep chugging along and finish the ride.

Comforting.

C-ya...ride on,
--Keys

Scooter Time Machine

2007-09-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had one of the most poignant and meaningful experiences I've had in a long time and I have my scooter to thank for it...kind of indirectly, but it was responsible nevertheless.

It was pretty much a quiet day. My wife had to work at 1:30 and as usual, she slept until 11:30, leaving me to kick around all morning by myself. I went to Hobo Joe's for some scrambled eggs and coffee then rode to a local independent motorcycle shop who mounted my new rear tire for me (the third in a year...13,000 miles will do that). For ten bucks. Nice guys. Then I moseyed home and bounced around the internet for a while. Got bored. Did the dishes. Folded the clothes I'd run through the washing machine last night. Played the piano a little. Went to my sister's house to get my garage workbench and air tank that's been at her place for a couple of years. Went home. About that time Ski awakened and got ready for work. Said our goodbyes and I just looked around. Now what?

So, I trimmed some bushes, cleaned out the garage enough I could fit the bench in and still walk. Swept the driveway where the bush trimmings had fallen. Loaded them in the pickup and took them to where I used to work where there's a big ravine that everyone uses for bush trimming disposal and disposed of them. Moseyed back home. Looked at my scooter. Cleaned the bugs off the windshield. Then, with nowhere to go and nothing in particular to see, I put my helmet and "Wild Man" jacket on and headed out.

I headed northeast on 89A towards Sedona for a mile or two, then hooked a right onto Cornville Road which leads you to (you guessed it...) Cornville, Az. There are a few nice corners and curves on the way and the Buddy was running perfectly. New air filter, thoroughly cleaned carburetor, new fuel filter, new rollerweights in the transmission, new windshield and a new rear tire. I was STYLIN'! I crossed the Verde River in Cornville then went the additional mile or so to KC's Corner where I took a left onto Page Springs Road...an 8 mile, beautifully curvy piece of tarmac just calling my name. I took the corners just as fast as I could...easily doubling the suggested speed limits. Page Springs Road dumps out onto 89A again where I turned left again and neaded back into Cottonwood and home. Fabulous, albeit short (20 miles) ride.

Went home. Repaired the front door. Tidied up the garage a little more. Played some more piano. Was kinda lonely. TV didn't interest me (rarely does). By this time it was getting dark...about 8:00. Okay, time for another ride.

A couple of weeks ago, the city of Cottonwood sponsored a competition/festival/motorcycle rally called "Rythym and Ribs" in which the inhabitants of our small city tasted and declared which restaurant served up the best ribs. And at the same time got to listen to the Marshall Tucker band in concert. All for ten bucks! Anyway, a small place in Cornville named the Grasshopper Grill won the title of "Best Ribs". I voted for 'em. And this was a place I'd never been. Maybe I needed to check 'em out.

Bottom line; I headed for the Grasshopper Grill for dinner. Again I rode the fine curves into Cornville and hooked a left into the parking lot at the junction of Cornville Road and Page Springs Road, parked the scooter and hung up my helmet and went inside and was immediately taken 35 years back in time.

The Grasshopper Grill is a very small place, room for about 12 tables with a few outside in the backyard and a small bar. The decor was straight out of a hunting lodge somewhere in the mountains of Colorado...peeled log railings and walls, laquered wood tables and chairs and bar. Having grown up in the mountains of Colorado, I felt right at home. This was, of course, a Friday night and the place was packed. The great thing was, it was packed with families. Just being families. Over here were three families, including all their children and an extra man friend of the family. Over there were two more...and, well, you get the idea. The men were truck drivers, construction workers, mechanics...the guys who make our lives function everyday. They were out at this little place, eating dinner, having a couple brews and just being families. The men didn't ignore their wives. Nobody ignored the kids. The kids were playing the video games...one that had two plastic rifles where the players "hunted" game and accumulated points. One had card games.

I ordered the fabulous carnitas tacos and just reveled in the ambiance. A couple guys were discussing how to repair a piece of equipment. A couple more were talking about where they'd drawn their big game tags this year. Their arms were around their wives. When a kid came up, they got their hair tousled or got a hug. THESE were families. THEN it was karaoke time. Mostly classic country songs. Some the wives sang. Some the guys sang. A LOT was sung by the myriad of kids...sometimes all at once. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

Here were people just enjoying a Friday night together. Eating, talking, laughing, singing and loving. This place could have been in Red Lodge, Montana where I lived 35 years ago, just out of high school. Natalie's Cafe was in downtown Red Lodge, where I saw the same things so long ago, and as I thought about those days in Montana and tonight in Cornville, Arizona, I realized that THIS is what the human spirit longs for. And that I'd lost track of somewhere along the way. It's not the big, important position at the company. It's not the newest car or biggest house. It's having a family to belong to. With a tear in my eye, I texted Shelly (my sister) to tell her what I was experiencing and told her she and my niece McKenzie (I call her Mac) should be there with me and we shared, through texting, how important we are to each other and promised breakfast together in the morning.

I left the Grasshopper Grill reluctantly and followed Page Springs Road again to 89A and headed back towards Cottonwood, retracing my earlier steps. About halfway to Cottonwood, I realized I wasn't ready to go home yet and pointed the scooter in the direction of the mountain community of Jerome. I chased the curves up the mountain and through the town to a parking area about 2 miles above the town. I pulled in and parked the Red Baron, pulled my helmet off and leaned against the stone wall, just listening to the night and reflecting on what I'd seen.

A more beautiful autumn evening couldn't have been found. There was a full moon, shaded by some high clouds and faint, cool breezes cascading down from the 7000 foot summit of Mingus Mountain. Every now and then a car or truck would go by on their way to Prescott, maybe...or Cottonwood or Sedona. I could see through the "V" formed by the mountains on either side and be rewarded with the twinkling lights of Clarkdale and Cottonwood and off in the distance, Sedona. With the breeze almost lovingly caressing my face, I considered all the "family" I'd seen tonight. Something most of us don't have time for. Something we allow daily pursuits to get in the way of. Something we let our personal aspiration prevent us from appreciating. These families probably didn't own their own homes or a new vehicle, and if they DID own their own home, it was probably a house trailer. They didn't earn salaries in the 6-digit range. They just earned a living and spent the rest of their lives living. Where is my family, I wondered? Why do I so often feel alone? Where did I slip sideways? As the clouds altered the shadows around me and the breeze brought the fragrance of the cedars to me, I understood finally, that family is what the human spirit longs for. And that most of us push it away, because it is sometimes inconvenient. I realized, that in many ways, Shelly and her kids are the only family I'm close to...and believe it or not, we're not even REALLY family. Shelly and I "adopted" each other as brother and sister about 10 years ago...before I even knew my wife. We understood that that is our relationship and we both need it. And I am blessed to have what family I have.

I smiled at the moon and thanked God for the insight he gave me tonight and for the level of joy I'd seen. My friends, it IS possible. And it IS good.

I, reluctantly again, pulled my helmet on, straddled the Red Baron, fired it up and headed back down the mountain with a little better understanding of what's important.

...and it was a little red motorscooter, always pulling me down the road to new places, that led me to where I needed to be tonight and I am grateful.

--Keys

Promised pictures from last week's trip.

2007-09-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

I promised you pictures to cover the trips I took last weekend and here are some from the FIRST trip I took last Thursday from Cottonwood to Flagstaff, up Oak Creek Canyon.

Well, kids, there's the famous Sedona, Arizona. Proclaimed by someone (I forget who) to be the most beautiful place on earth. That person has OBVIOUSLY not been to Colorado. But I digress. The next picture down is just north of town looking to a sort of southerly direction at the spires just outside of Sedona. The next shows the bridge you have to cross to span Oak Creek...WAAAaaaaay down in the bottom. The last picture is from a vantage point under the bridge and looking down Oak Creek canyon towards Sedona, which can be seen climbing the hillside at the end of the canyon.

Pics from last week's trip...

2007-09-21T16:00:00.001-07:00

The top picture shows the pretty, narrow, tree-lined road from just north of Sedona to nearly "The Switchbacks". Then of course, in the middle of this little paradise is a Dairy Queen! That is the Red Baron handsomely posing in front. The third is a picture of the people all playing down on the river at Slide Rock state park.

New pics from last week's trip

2007-09-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

These pics are from the end of the trip, at the top of the rim. The top pic is at the edge of the rim lookin south towards where Sedona would be. Below it is...well, the Rim! The Mogollon Rim...some kind of volcanic structure. The third pic shows "The Switchbacks" and why they're called that. The one below it is just me standing on the edge looking down. Then the bottom one is looking northwest above the ranger station at Slide Rock state park.

What A Weekend!!!

2007-09-15T00:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, I must apologize. You see, my wife and my sister went to Las Vegas this last week for time away from everything and, well...my wife took the camera. Therefore, although the scenery I witnessed yesterday and today both rivaled the best ever, I have no photos. Bum'r. HOWEVER, I intend to do these rides again in the near future, with camera in hand.

I got off work at 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning, came home, slept until about 7:30 and dragged myself out of bed, just KNOWING I would ride SOMEwhere. I met my friend Pat down at Hobo Joe's for some biscuits and gravy and a large helping of B.S. And I'm here to tell you, when Pat and I get together, there is some B.S. flyin'! I left the cafe and stopped for gas and throttled the Buddy in a northeasterly direction out of Cottonwood, heading for Sedona. The scooter was running nicely and the ride was pleasant. I cruised through West Sedona (the industrial and lower rent part of town) and on into "uptown" Sedona...the tourist area. There is a shop there named "I Love Who" that I have commissioned to make my "skutergruven" t-shirts. I would like to take this opportunity to enlighten you as to the reason for the name; "I Love Who". Unfortunately, I can't. I don't have a clue.

Anyway, I decided to park the Buddy at the underground parking lot there in "uptown" and moseyed across Hwy 89A to the t-shirt shop. The guy behind the counter showed me the prototype of my shirt with the logo and my motto; "Proudly Ignoring Popular Opinion" and I was quite pleased. I asked if the prototype was for sale and they just gave it to me. In return I bought some new patches for my jacket. Fair is fair. So I changed shirts and proudly walked out with the very first "skutergruven" t-shirt. They should be available within a week or two, if you're interested. E-mail me at skutergruven@netscape.com if you want one. Prices should be pretty darned reasonable since I'm not trying for a big ol' profit. I'm just trying the finance the next batch of 'em.

Back on the scooter, I continued north on Hwy 89A towards Flagstaff...some 30 miles away and a 4000 foot climb in elevation...most of it in a 5 mile section called "the switchbacks". The Buddy purred nicely out of town as I saw some of the most spectacularly wind-sculptured spires and cliffs on the face of the planet. The red rocks and dirt were embroidered by the green of the scrub cedars climbing the hills and working their way down onto the banks of Oak Creek. I crossed the curved span of the bridge that carries one from one side of Oak Creek canyon to the other...a distance of several hundred yards and affording a view up and down the canyon that will just take one's breath away. There is a small parking area there where a person can stop to take pictures, or if you'd like, traverse the trail leading to the shaded bottom of the canyon. I believe someone once told me the trail goes for several miles. It is a pretty good climb to the nether reaches of Oak Creek Canyon, but it is a trek of almost unparalleled beauty.

With my little wheels spinning happily, I fairly flew over the sun-dappled pavement as the oak and cottonwood trees reached above to join leaves above me, granting me shaded relief from the Arizona sun. About 2 or 3 miles into the canyon, the Buddy began to cough and sputter a little. I have since come to recognize these symptoms as the scooter telling me the carburetor is getting a little dirty. I stopped in a little, shady pullout and pulled the seat bucket off the scooter, allowing me access to the engine. I grabbed a screwdriver and a can of carb cleaner from inside the seat bucket, removed the two screws holding the top of the carb on, removed the top, sprayed the carb clean, replaced everything, started it up and continued on my way. Five minutes, tops. Never had anymore problems.

Next I passed Slick Rock State Park. This is an area where Oak Creek courses over a series of...who would have guessed...flat rocks! I'd guess the creek is a good 20 yards across at this point and although it is fairly broad, it is pretty shallow. This makes for some good family fun! The place is PACKED every weekend in the summer with people trying to escape the heat and slide down the slick rocks in the cool mountain creek. Mostly these people just get in my way as I try to race the canyon.

I pulled into the Dairy Queen somebody put up in the middle of this scenic ride for a bottle of water. Why a Dairy Queen and why there, escapes me. So I popped my water and visited with my friend Donna who occupies a little shack there by all the Native American jewelry vendors, trying to interest the tourists in a friendly bit of time-sharing. At least, I THINK that's what she does there. Now, Donna has a healthy interest in motorscooters and was planning to pick up a used one with her income tax check when it came in, but wouldn't you know it, one of her 4 kids needed braces, so no scooter for Donna. She is a single mother trying to raise 4 kids alone and I think it would be great if someone could come up with some kind of a fund raising effort so we could help her out with getting a used scooter. Any ideas?? I could use some help, here...

Back on the road, I headed once again for Flagstaff. I passed the hairpin curve where last September Irish Tim wrecked his Stella on the Something For Nothing Rally (coming up again next Saturday). He's okay. The Stella's okay. All is good with the world. That is the start of "the switchbacks". The Red Baron climbed strongly and steadily to the top...in fact, my forward progress was hindered by a couple of cars. They pulled off at the scenic overlook to take pictures and babble excitedly over the Native American jewelry being hawked there. I didn't.

The road opens up there and it's a shallow climb for the eight or so miles into Flagstaff. For some reason, this stretch seems harder to climb than the switchbacks. I was averaging about 55 mph or so, but it sure seemed slower. I'd hit 65 now and then, but I'd also drop to 45 on occasion. I battled traffic through town to the "Flying Dorffini" motorcycle shop. They worked on my Buddy once last year, and they are a couple of great guys. Come to find out, Wade is moving to Nicaragua and Curtis is taking over the shop. We visited for a while and he said he'd be glad to carry my t-shirts in his shop and we said we'd meet up again next Saturday for the rally. I fueled up and headed home.

The ride home was uneventful except for some of the tourists being scared to death to actually negotiate a curve. Get them off of the superslab and they are completely lost! The temperatures were mild, the road was perfect, the scooter ran well, I got to visit with some friends and I'm wearing a "skutergruven" t-shirt. Does it get any better than this????

So, I get home and my buddy, Suds, gives me a call. Friday (today, by my watch) is the birthday of his wife Marina and Suds threw a last minute ride together with some of his Harley riding pals to go to Strawberry (a town in Arizona...NOT a shortcake) for breakfast to celebrate. Although I don't ride a Harley, Suds doesn't mind and invited me anyway. With Ski still in Vegas, I was down for another ride!

I showed up at his place at 8:30 this morning on the Helix. I decided to ride the Helix so I could at least pretend to keep up. Turns out, I kept up just fine! Just one other couple showed up to ride with us, so the group was small. A cup of coffee and some gas and we were GONE!! Eastward on Hwy 260 we went, through Cottonwood, past the jail where I work, over I-17 and through Camp Verde we went. I stayed at the rear, enjoying the song of the open-piped V-twins ahead of me. We climbed the infamous "goat-trail" to the top of the rim (the Mogollon Rim...a major landmark in Arizona) where the road flattened out. Climbing the goat-trail, I occasionally slowed to as low as 55 mph, but for the most part, we cruised at over 60 most of the way. After the road flattened out on top, we touched 80 a time or two. Traversing the rim is a spectacular ride! Open mountain meadows on either side of the road break up against big Ponderosa Pines and scrub oak on the far side, then to the south the land just disappears only to appear again about 30 miles away in the form of evergreen-covered hills and mountains that slowly fade on the horizon. If you didn't know, you'd never guess from the view that those mountains, just beyond the horizon slope down into the Salt River Valley where lies the great sticker patch known as Phoenix...in the Valley of the Sunstroke.

The temperature had dropped a good 10 - 15 degrees up there on the top of the rim and the crisp air felt SO good. Melissa and Marina, however, were considering jackets about that time. Eric, Suds and I thought it could get no better. Eventually, the meadows gave way to closely packed pines known as black timber. The cool air and the smell of the evergreens took me back to my home state of Colorado where I grew up at over 8000 foot elevation. I was home.

Hwy 260 ended, just as it always does, at the north-south Hwy 87. We headed south the 8 or 10 miles to Stawberry where we parked at the cafe for breakfast. Just as I finished up my spanish omelet, the waitress brought a banana chimichanga topped with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream and a candle. We all sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" to Marina...and very badly, I might add...and dug in! Good stuff!!!

Suds was thinking he needed a beer, so we continued south another 3 or 4 miles to the town of Pine, where we stopped at a nice little bar so he could wet his whistle. Back on the bikes and on the road to home. We stopped at a pulloff on top of the rim once to relax a little...there was a tremendous headwind and it took a little muscle to deal with. We joked around a little, told a few lies, teased each other and just enjoyed each other's company. A nice little break. We let Eric lead the way down the goat-trail into Camp Verde since neither Suds nor I see any reason to let a set of corners slow us down, but Eric does. We casually cruised into town, through town, out of town and on into Cottonwood where I headed home and the others headed to a local bar for more whistle-wetting.

A little side-bar here. My girl, Hot Tomato, has had a dream of becoming an Animal Control officer down there in the Valley of the Sunstroke and she was recently called in for a second interview (good news). She had put me down as a reference and gave me the heads-up that they might call today, which is why I headed home at this time. Sure enough, there was a message on my phone from the officer down there so I returned his call and gave Hot Tomato a glowing review. All truth, though. Truth is, there is NO one I'd trust more were I to be caught in a foxhole in combat. I could rest assured that my back was covered as long as she could still draw a breath. Means a LOT to me. I told the Sergeant that. Two hours later H.T. called me. She got the job!! Good on you, girl. You make me proud.

I made my call to the Sergeant and rejoined Suds, Marina, Eric and Melissa at the watering-hole (on the Red Baron this time) for an afternoon of tomfoolery. Water fights, stories, plans for the next ride and just good comradery.

I'm sitting here at my keyboard tonight writing this and just realized...I still have another day and a half of my weekend left!! What will happen tomorrow?!?!?

So far it's one of the best weekends ever. Only thing missing is you. ...and the camera, of course...

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Time to get after it again...

2007-09-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!!! I finally graduated from the Academy! And (to toot my own horn) with top honors as well! So, you might ask, WHAT does this have to do with my blog about SCOOTERS!!??!?!

Simple.

Now that I am out of the academy, I will be doing shift work. What this means is that I will be working Sunday and Monday nights from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Tuesday nights from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and Wednesday only 6 hours. THEN is the cool part...I get 3 1/2 days OFF!! In a row!!! Holy Scooting, Batman!

I will be able to tinker on my scooters (I've actually done a little of that recently) and a whole lot of riding! When I ride and tinker, I blog. That's just the way it works. So for those of you who read and enjoy my stories, I will now be able to add stuff on (hopefully) a regular basis.

Lookin' forward to it, my friends.

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

A Few Updates...

2007-07-21T16:49:00.001-07:00

I have to acknowledge my failing to update my blog recently. I started the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department Detention Officer's Academy on July 2nd and they are steadily attempting to facilitate my imminent demise. On a daily basis. And I thought Marine Corp boot camp was tough!! Of course, I was 19 years old then, not 52 like I am today...may have something to do with it.

Anyway, I have done a bit of riding. Went over Mingus Mountain to Prescott last Friday evening. I just LOVE night rides!! So I got about halfway up the mountain, just putting along at a happy, brisk pace, when I got passed by some squid on a Yamaha R6. Now, I grew up in the day of Mike "The Bike" Hailwood and his contemporaries and later the likes of King Kenny Roberts, so I know what a good rider looks right. I did a little roadracing back in 1975-1976 in southern California on an RD250 and crashed all over, so don't think I was one of their contemporaries. So, this kid blows by me and we both got stuck behind somebody in a car who was (of all things!) doing the speed limit! If the suggested speed limit for a corner was 20 mph, the car WENT 20 mph. Boring! Well, this kid in front of me on the R6 is making a grand show of slinging his butt from one side to the other in ANY corner at ANY speed. A 15 mph hairpin found his ass-cheek sliding off the side of the seat. Tickled me, it did! I then began to watch the rest of his body. It stayed right where it was to begin with. He didn't hang the inside knee out, he didn't move his upper body to the inside...just his butt! Now the purpose of sliding to the inside is to alter the centerline of your machine to the outside, allowing it to remain more upright while making the curve, since you have moved a lot of the dead weight (you) to the inside. Just one ass cheek just don't cut it.

The other thing I noticed was he would stay on one side of the lane through the entire corner. While dancing around on top of the bike. He had NO ability to determine a proper line to get him through a corner in the most expeditious manner, thereby making his dance routine totally superfluous!

One of the great things about Mike The Bike was his ability to find and hold a line through a corner. He never slid around on his motorcycle, he stayed centered on it as he flew though a race, utilizing instead a superior ability to find the proper line through any curve. King Kenny, then is the man who popularized the "hang off the inside" style of riding...WHILE utilizing the best line through the curve.

As I followed the squid on the R6, it occured to me that ultimately, it is more important to know how to find, hold and follow a line through a corner than it is to alter the center of gravity. If you learn how to find that line, and hold that line, you will probably outcorner 99% of the sport riders out there. THEN, and only then, learn the proper way to shift the center of gravity on your bike by playing monkey, because sliding around looks pretty silly when you don't even attempt to find a proper line through and you are just dancing on top of the bike.

Enough of that, now. My beloved Ski has been practically terrified to ride in any wind at all on her Helix since we bought it. Didn't make much sense to me since I enjoy a good breeze, myself...unless it's a headwind, of course. Now the Helix comes with a windshield created around the original design of a barn door. I suspected for some time that the wind would catch that big ol' thing and it would then function as a sail and throw the scooter around. I was right! I happened to ride both her Helix and my Buddy (with no windshield at all) on the same stretch of road on the same breezy afternoon. I scooted right through on the Buddy, just happy as can be to be riding. On the Helix, a couple gusts had me clamping on the binders wondering just what hit me!! This was a job for..."Handyman"!!

I went to WalMart, where I got a couple of 24 tooth per inch jigsaw blades...they are usually designed for metal cutting...a roll of 2 inch wide masking tape and a sharpie. I measured up from where the windshield connected to the body, and finding a point about 3 1/2 inches lower than the highest point on the windshield, applied masking tape on both sides of the plexiglass about 6 inches wide. I then took the sharpie and drew an outline of how I wanted the windshield to look on the tape. Firing up the old Black & Decker jigsaw, I then slowly (DON'T push it!!) chased my line around the windshield. Voila!! Instant shorter windshield!! I removed the tape, and using one of those sanding sponges, put a finished edge on the new upper edge.

The next day, Ski's Firebird ended up in the shop and she has had to ride the Helix the 20-some miles to work in Sedona every day. She is amazed that that little 3 1/2 inch cut made SO much difference! She rides through cross-winds now and never feels a thing! A happy little rider is she! You might think of a similar cut on yours if you are experiencing uncomfortable wind buffeting.

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Birthday stuff!

2007-06-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, June 29th, was my birthday. For the first time in my life I'm playing with a full deck...52! Anyway, my loving and incredibly indulgent wife, Ski got me some good scooter stuff. I got a Cortech DSX Denim Jacket by Tourmaster. Vents all over it, armor in it, zip-in quilted liner for winter...stylin'! Then she up and got me a set of the Dowco Rally Pack saddlebags. These things rock!! Once I got them set up, it takes maybe 12 - 13 seconds to mount or remove! Velcro secures the top straps with quick release buckles on the lower straps. I included pictures here with the top straps just thrown across the seat, but after I took the pics, I popped the seat up and laid the straps across the underseat bucket opening and reclosed the seat. It took a wee bit more effort to secure the latch, but when mounted like that, they are SECURE!! Another bonus to latching the seat over the straps is they are then locked to the bike...can't take 'em without either using the key or taking the whole scooter. Which I'd rather not think about.

They appear to be durable and are large enough, that when coupled with my recently aquired S/X rear bag, I could probably haul a cord of wood. The zippers are enhanced by velcro closures at the ends of the openings for a little extra security. The teardrop shape matches the lines of the Red Baron nicely and when secured under the seat, actually look better! They come with aluminized panels that can be mounted to the "bike-side" panel of the bag to protect against exhaust-pipe meltdown. The price? $52.99!! Less than some folks charge for shipping!! Ski ordered them from Chaparral Motorsports ( http://www.chaparralmotorsports.com/ ) and they only charged $6.99 for shipping. They got the package out and to us in short order and didn't mess up anything in the order. As an extra bonus, they sent me two big ol' catalogs with all the stuff they sell.

Checking through the catalogs, I found winter face and neck protection, a smoke shield and air draft protector for my Scorpion helmet, some Maxxis racing tires for my scooter (scooter tires in a motorcycle catalog!!!) and even some pin-up girl stickers, should I have a need for such things. Chaparral Motorsports seems to have a lot of the stuff we all look for and need and can never seem to find when we DO need them. Give 'em a look-see. Based on the quality of the the items I got, the shipping professionalism and the availability of items that are sometimes hard to find, I'd be happy to recommend them.

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Reason for trip? New job...kinda...

2007-06-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start this post. Okay, I'll go back to the beginning. When I was a child, I loved animals more than ANYthing. Even scooters (I didn't know any better back then). I wanted to become a zoologist and be a zoo keeper. Well, my chance has come. I start the academy on the second of July to become a detention officer in Yavapai County here in Arizona.

What in the heck does THAT have to do with scooters, you may ask. Well, I had to get uniforms and that meant a rousing romp to Phoenix once again on my Buddy, heretofore known as the Red Baron. Any excuse, you know... Also, fellow Scarab Hump and his lovely wife Lee had posted an invitation for any and all Scarabs to join them at the Dubliner, the Irish pub where Hot Tomato works as a chef. They were featuring a soul/blues band that night called (I think...) Night Shift. And they were moderately acceptable. Back to the trip, now.

I packed my newly aquired S/X rear bag and a sleeping bag on the scooter and blew out of town at about 3 p.m. on the evening of June the 15th. I headed east on Hwy 260 towards the town of Camp Verde and the previously mentioned "Goat Trail" up to Hwy 87. I took a couple of pictures of the trip up the Goat Trail...they are the first and second pictures in the previous post entitled "In The Beginning". The second one shows the mountains off to the south that I would eventually have to cross.

It was a nice uneventful, though laborious trip up to Hwy 87. Laborious because of the stiff headwind I had to buck. I've mentioned before that Hwy 87 (also known as the Beeline Highway) goes north towards Winslow or south through Payson into Mesa, an eastern suburb of Phoenix. I happily slowed traffic down all the way up to the Beeline. Once on 87, though, it goes downhill for a while into Strawberry and Pine, where I got to show the cars the proper way to negotiate a hairpin curve. Outside of Pine the hills began again and the cars all had the opportunity (which they took) to blow by me as the road briefly offers a turnout situation for slower traffic...ie; overloaded Buddys bucking headwinds.

Nothing else really was an issue. I rolled into Payson where I topped off the fuel tank with .94 gallons. Only 77 mpg. What a gas hog!!

I hit Fountain Hills just before dusk and turned westward onto Shea Blvd where I once again began searching for a gas station. I found one and topped off again, taking the moment to call Hump for the address to the Dubliner. I have a 52 year old memory and things have a tendancy to fall out... Hump clued me in and I headed west again to Hayden where I went north to whatever road it is that the pub is on. Once again, I forget. West again to the little strip mall where sits the Dubliner in all it's glory! I know I was at the right place because Hot Tomato's new Stella was sitting on the sidewalk in front. I slipped my scratched up, dirty, hot Buddy up next to her shiney Stella and went in. I was surprised to see as many Scarabs and friends there as I saw since nobody had really commited to come. In picture 3 in the "In The Beginning" post are, from the left, Hump's wife, Lee, Hump, Sandy V. and Cristian. In number four, again from the left nearest me are Tryg, Cris, Sandy, Lee's friend Karen, Lee, Hump and with her back to me (I can NEVER get a good picture of her...) is Hot Tomato, chef extrordinaire. In fact, she sent us out a dish she concocted that was steamed scallops with candied bacon in an orange sauce that was FANTASTIC!! I truly became a pig for awhile.

Later, Hot Tomato led me to Hump's place where I was spending the night. Hump and Lee stayed out longer than I was able to, so with an apartment key and their blessing I headed for bed. HT's Stella used to belong the Skimch, the founder of the Scarabs and that boy knows how to tune a scooter! She and I blasted through the desert night in the city at high rates of speed for, I'm guessing about 30 miles. It was in the mid-seventies out at around midnight and it was scooter heaven!! What a fabulous ride. We'll both be grinning about that for a long time! I'd be proud to ride with that girl any time!

I stuffed the Red Baron into the cubbyhole where Hump keeps his Bajaj and went to bed. I'd gotten up at 1:30 that morning to go to work and I was toasted! Up early and packed for my sojourn to the uniform store. I got what I needed after first hanging around a little coffee shop clubmate Isaac had recommended. They had a nice breakfast coffee with cream and dark chocolate that just hit the spot. Believe it or not, I was able to pack my overnight clothes, sleeping bag, two pairs of trousers, seven shirts, a belt, a pair of handcuffs and case, a tie and a pair of boots onto that little scooter. Good thing I didn't have to cross any interstate scale stations!

Back out Shea to the Beeline, I went. North on the Beeline, stopping for fuel at Ft. McDowell casino. Sorry, no slots...just gas. I rumbled up the hills toward Payson, some 75-80 miles away. About 15 miles south of Payson, though, is a little town called Rye. In Rye is a big motorcycle boneyard. He also has a number of older cars and trucks, but the majority of the stuff is two and three wheeled. I have to admit to confusing myself with the next 3 posts. The next one to look at is actually the fourth one, entitled; "At The Boneyard". The first picture shows the loaded up Red Baron in front of a dwarf racer and a chopped Honda 360 (I think...). The second is the 3-wheeled truck from Lord only knows where that you have to pass to enter the yard. The third pic shows the poor lonely scooters on the other side of the fence. Four and five are two of the Lambrettas I found languishing there.

Go back up to the 3rd post titled "More", where in order are pics of a P200E Vespa, two more Lambrettas, a Fuji Rabbit (kinda rare in these parts) and a picture of an actual World War II Army Cushman. The Army commissioned these to be built for the express purpose of airlifting them into combat situations. They were tough and easy to use, making them ideal for military use. I have NO idea how it ended up in Rye, Arizona.

The last post from the boneyard is the one entitled; "Off The Wall". There were a number of unusual vehicles there that (in order of pic placement) show two DKW motorcycles. Really odd looking devices, but way cool anyway. Then there was an actual factory built 3-wheeled Tote Goat. Most of you are probably not old enough to know what a Tote Goat is, but essentially, it was the for-runner to the modern Honda Ruckus. You can just barely see one of the rear wheels on the right side of the vehicle. I'd never seen one before. Then there is a picture of a carnival ride motorcycle. Hmmm...a scooter engine...hmmm... Anyway, the final pic is of a couple of the Isettas he had sitting there.

The final post, entitled; "On The Way Home" had a scenic picture of me topping the hill before the descent into Camp Verde, some 30 miles away. Beautiful! This is why I love my long rides! The next picture is proof that a Genuine Buddy can top 70 miles per hour! I have to admit to seeing 80 on the speedo in the past, but not this trip. Three and four are just scenic pictures taken from the Beeline Highway just north of Ft. McDowell casino.

Well, there it is. Another long trip on the Red Baron. 376 miles, 5.08 gallons of gas for an average of 74.60 mpg. Not the best I've seen, but the little scoot was WAY loaded down and I was bucking a headwind all the way down and SERIOUS hills on the way up. From about a thousand foot elevation in Phoenix (maybe) to over 7000 feet at the top of the Beeline. Tough going for anything in 90-some degree weather and my little 125 cc scooter passed up all kinds of broken down vehicle from SUV's to a couple of Harleys. $2500 well spent, I'd say...

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

...in the beginning...

2007-06-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

Off The Wall Vehicles

2007-06-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

...more...

2007-06-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

At The Boneyard

2007-06-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

On The Way Home

2007-06-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

New Project!

2007-05-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I may have bitten off more than I can chew... My dear friend Jenn came over to my house today with her main squeeze, Frank, and brought me a new project. A 1953 Allstate. Now, the Allstates of the day were known as "Cruisaires" and were basically the same as the Vespa "handlebar models". They sported a 125cc engine and 8" wheels and Sears came to the conclusion that shock absorbers were not needed on the front end, so no Allstates were ever marketed with a shock. Kinda scares me...

So, we pulled this little scooter out of the back of Frank's SUV and set it on the driveway. HOO boy!! Wiring is non-existant. Cables, too. And for the life of me, I can't see how the throttle works. Apparently some ol' farmer thought the same thing, since he mounted a steel rod on the right side of the seat with a hand throttle on it. Kinda like a cheap Sears lawnmower. Looking further, there are no cowls. Anybody know where I can pick up a couple of cowls for a handlebar model Vespa? And check out the wheels!!! They are hardware store 6" wheels for some kind of a cart or wagon. However, the brush applied red paint is quite attractive...

Let's see...what else does it have? Umm, no seat. No levers. It DOES however have the original headlight and tailight in good condition. The body (except for the legshield) is in decent shape. It still rolls. Kinda. To be honest, I don't know if it will ever come together. Make a fine coffee table, though...

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Skull Valley Rally III

2007-05-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, May 19th - 21st, was the world famous Scarabs Scooter Club Skull Valley Rally III. And YOU missed it! C'mon, now...get it together! Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, Steve!

Anyway, I blew out of Cottonwood at about eleven Friday morning, heading over Mingus Mountain once again towards Prescott. I filled the tank just before leaving to see how far I could get. So, over the mountain, through Prescott, south on Hwy 89, past Wilhoit, through Peeples Valley and Yarnell. Finally, as we rumbled into Congress at about the 96 mile mark I stopped for gas. 90.6 miles per gallon. 175 smiles per gallon. There was a young man filling the tank on a pickup there who asked me about a hundred questions about scooters, so being the unofficial scooter emissary to the unenlightened, I patiently told him that yes, it could do about 65 and cruise at 60 mph. And yes, it gets 90 mpg. And yes, I paid about $2500 for it brand new. And yes, I rode all the way from Cottonwood and ain't gonna stop until I run into Phoenix. Finally we parted...me with a full tank and on a mission and him with a thoughtful look on his face.

I grabbed Hwy 60 in Wickenburg and plowed southeast in search of the Great Sticker Patch known as Phoenix. I found it, too! Next on my agenda was food, so I stopped at a Burger Whopper in Surprise, Arizona for some grub. After eating, I climbed back on the Buddy and headed out. As soon as I hit 62 miles per hour, the engine quit. I futzed with the throttle and the engine kicked back in again. It did this several times...just up and felt like I'd hit the kill switch (which, by the way, I did NOT). I nursed it down to Glendale Avenue in (of all places) Glendale, Arizona...a suburb of Phoenix and followed Sandy's directions to hers and Damn Dirty Dave's house. Sandy and I visited a little and I made aquaintances with a dog and a couple of rabbits while she got ready for the Meet-N-Greet to be held that evening at Hollywood Alley (www.hollywoodalleyrocks.com) in Tempe...clear on the southeast end of the Valley of the Sunstroke. About 30 miles away! Along about six, Jes' Jim showed up and the three of us climbed on our scooters, Jim on his Piaggio BV 500, Sandy on her Bajaj Chetak and me on the Red Baron. With Sandy in the lead, we flew through traffic (she's FAST), across overpasses, through intersections and I just don't know what-all, but eventually we ended up at the club. The Buddy only cut out on me twice.

At the club I renewed aquaintances with Cheese and Potatoes (Irving and Cristian Rubio), met our own personal DJ's; Victor, Marble, Scott and Ben. Anyway, they did a fabulous job. The Meet-N-Greet pictures are in the first group of photos just below. In order, they show the DJ's, Scott, Victor, Marble and Ben; the second one has a casual Monkey on the left and Sandy on Damn Dirty Dave's lap. Number three is Irving and Cristian. Cris is the one with the grin. Four shows Elvis (also known as Tryg) and Chicken Little (Hot Tomato). The fifth one shows Brandon on his way from wherever he is...he just ran out of beans before he made it. And Hump showed up and Skimch and Rick and...well, just all the right folks! We had a great time! After hanging out for a while and buying a rally pack, I once again found myself chasing Jes' Jim and Sandy back to the Sandy/Dave house where I was spending the night. We stopped for gas since I was about out...I hadn't added any since Congress. Sandy tried to get gas, but neither she nor Jim or I could get the seat up on her Bajaj. It has a Vespa seat and the latch just wasn't cooperating. She had enough to get home, though. Barely.

We once again pursued our high-speed passes over the streets of Phoenix and found ourselves at the Sandy/Dave house. Jim headed home and Sandy went to bed, leaving me to dig out my tools and try to fix whatever needed fixed. First, I got the seat up on her Bajaj. It's amazing what a hammer can do! Then I pulled the seat bucket on the Buddy and commenced to disconnect the carburetor. I pulled the bowl off and cleaned the jets. Didn't look bad, but better safe than sorry. Then, since the problem only happened at high speeds and felt like fuel starvation, I adjusted the floats up a little. Put it back together and IT STILL RAN!! Never had another problem, either! About that time Damn Dirty Dave and Irish Tim showed up. Tim was in from Tucson with his Stella (yes, the same one that wiped out in front of me on the Something For Nothing Rally last September) and was also spending the night. I moseyed on to bed and Irish Tim and Damn Dirty commenced working on Dave's ratted out Elite 250 until about 3 a.m.

Next morning, Isaac on his Buddy and Shannon on her Stella showed up and joined Damn Dirty, Irish Tim, Sandy and I on the ride over to the breakfast place from whence the ride would start. In the second batch of pics, you'll see four of the scooters in front of the Sandy/Dave house just before we left. They would be, from the left, Shannon's pink Stella, Isaac's Buddy, my Buddy (the Red Baron) and Tim's Stella. The rest of the pics were taken at the breakfast place (called, appropriately enough, The Place). The fourth picture shows Tryg in the forground, left. Behind him is Isaac and to the right of Isaac is Sandy taking a picture of me. At the far right is Shannon. There were 19 motorscooters (and a Honda Leadwing somebody sneaked in) and two vehicles in our group. Jayme and Ian were there, and Jenn, Scott's wife, and Mrs. Monkey (Angie) and all the others I've mentioned heretofore, plus probably others who escape me right now...Then...WE'RE OFF!!

What a kick it is to ride in a big pack of scooters! We stopped to gas up to the amusement of all onlookers. I figured that all of us together probably spent less than one of those onlookers spent filling the tank on their SUV... We had a fabulous ride from Phoenix up through Wickenburg and north. Not one of the scooters broke down, nobody had ANY problems at all! Nineteen scooters just buzzing happily up the highway. Okay, here's the breakdown of all the scooters that were in our group that day; 5 Stellas, 3 Buddy's, 3 Bajaj's, 2 Vespa GTS250's and one each of the following; Honda Elite 250, Vespa P200, Yamaha Majesty, Piaggio LT150, Kymco People 250 and a Vespa LX 150. And EVERY one of them kept up!

We motored on up through Congress, Yarnell and Peeples Valley without mishap. THEN came Kirkland Junction, where we make a left to go through Skull Valley. I was fourth from the front and made the left, where we pulled over to regroup. At this time, Hot Tomato rode up and said something to Sandy who took off, heading back to the actual junction at a dead run. Suspecting something was wrong, I spun the Red Baron around and howled back to where the rest of the pack had stopped. Damn Dirty Dave was down.

Apparently, his air intake was working loose and he looked down for a moment to brace his foot against it and when he looked up, all he saw were brake lights (for the corner). He grabbed handsfull of brakes and at that very inopportune moment, he hit a little rock that was in the road. As the front-end unloaded over the rock, the wheel locked up and when it hit ground again (still locked), the bike flipped into a high-side crash. Dave went down head-first. When I got there, he was awake and asking questions..."What happened?" "How's my bike?" and just as those questions were answered, he asked them again. Yep, he had a doozy of a concussion! He had a fair bit of road-rash, but by far, the worst injury was to his head. I checked out his helmet and it was ground down so far I could push my finger through! Tryg and Irish Tim are both EMT's, so he was in good hands. Then some guy stopped and prayed in tongues over him. NEVER turn down an offer to help...you never know what will work! Then the local fire chief happened by, then about 6 highway patrol cars showed up with an ambulance. THEY in turn called a helicopter for him to take him back to Phoenix. He was loaded in the chopper and his and Sandy's scooters were loaded in Ian's pickup for the trip back.

In the third set of pictures, the first one is where we say goodbye to Damn Dirty Dave for the day, the second one is where he's being worked on by the EMT's...check out those stylish drawers! The line-up of scooters is shown in the third picture, followed by a picture of what's left of the Elite. In the last picture, we're on our way again...only 17 scooters, now.

Along about 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon, Jes' Jim led us on a back road to a place on the outskirts of Prescott called T-Lo's Ultimate Off-Road (www.mogsrus.com). He is a purveyor of Mercedes Unimogs, Pinzgauers, and the like. He also has a great collection of mopeds! He took all who "ain't skeered" on a demonstration of what a 6-wheel drive Pinzgauer is capable of. And lemme tell ya, his place is well named...Ultimate Off-Road!! That beast did stuff I didn't think was possible within the laws of physics!! What a ride!! Hot Tomato and Jughead (Justin) supplied a lunch for us of wonderful cold-cuts and breads. The picture group entitled "At T-Lo's" has two pictures of some of the mopeds followed by two pictures of a chopped moped they made. It was wild! It has a shovel blade for a seat! Why did I post 2 pictures of the same thing? I don't know. Don't know how to remove one, either. That's the same reason for the fifth picture being the same as the first. The last picture is of a custom 1930 Rally race car. It sports a Ford flathead V-8 and an underslung frame and some fabulous bodywork. T-lo took Jes' Jim, Jar Jar and Hot Tomato for rides. HT came back with tears streaming from her eyes and a grin that took about 3 days to get rid of. T-lo estimated the value of the car to be around $100,000!!

A local scooterist with ties to the Scarabs showed up to finally meet us. Thanks for showing, Kyle! We got back on the scooters after packing up lunch and went our separate ways to our rooms. I bunked with Irish Tim at the Vendome Hotel...a bed and breakfast place. VERY nice! If you're ever in the neighborhood, I highly recommend it. The piano player doesn't do enough boogie-woogie, though. We hung around a bit, sipping coffee (me) and a couple of brews (Tim), then moseys across the courthouse square to Brian's Irish Pub just off of Whiskey Row where we met the rest of the group...except Jes' Jim who had gotten sick. T-lo met us and we followed him to some place for dinner that he recommended. Good food, great company! Got a phone call to let us know Damn Dirty Dave had been released and was at home. Still a little fuzzy, though. Most of the group filed out, heading back to Brian's. I stayed and visited with my good friends Ian and Jayme who had shown up late after delivering Sandy and DDDave's scooters to their house. We eventually met up with the crowd, though. Most of 'em were well on their way to getting well plowed as a three-piece rockabilly band pumped them up! Good times! I think it was around midnight when Irish Tim and I went back to the room. He woke up at about 3:45 thinking I'd inhaled my sleeping bag. A couple throw pillows nailing me in the head shut me up. Sort of.

Sunday morning we met at the cafe in the St. Michael's Hotel for chow, then across to the Courthouse park for our raffle. A very nice old lady of probably 70-some years saw the scooters parked and rode over on her pristine 1986 Honda Elite 250. DDDave's might have looked that good sometime...I kinda doubt it, though. I called my dear friend Jenn (of riding her GT200 to Denver fame) and she and Frank showed up. The raffle went off without a hitch and our wonderful sponsors showed what generous people they are! I even won something!! I won an S/X rear bag from Scooterswest! I was planning on asking my wife for one for my birthday in June!! SCORE!!! Hot Tomato won a Corazzo jacket, ...in fact, I think EVERYone got something! Damn Dirty Dave called during the raffle and expressed his displeasure (on Skimch's speaker-phone) at not getting to win anything. Tryg told him nobody else won a helicopter ride! End of THAT conversation! The last set of pictures shows the Red Baron sporting it's new bag in the first pic, followed by a photo of my dear Jennifer. The third is a shot of the scoots with Tryg and his Buddy in the foreground, next to Hot Tomato by her Majesty. The fourth is another shot of the line-up with Rene's Elite 250 in the street. Once again I repeat myself in the fifth. Once again I repeat myself in the fifth. Wait...didn't I just say that???

Time for me to be on my way. I shook a bunch of hands, got more than my share of hugs, fired up the Red Baron and went on my way. I got home with no problems, unloaded the scooter and flopped in my chair with a cold coke to think about one of the best weekends ever!

452 miles. 4.99 gallons of gas. Average mileage for the weekend: 90.58 miles per gallon. Average throttle placement; Wide Full Out! I get more impressed with that little Buddy every time I take a trip!

Well, I'm going to bed...
C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Meet and Greet SVRIII

2007-05-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Starting Out

2007-05-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Damn Dirty Dave in the dirt

2007-05-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

At T-Lo's

2007-05-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning

2007-05-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

A Day or Two at the Races...

2007-04-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my sister, Shelly, had some business that needed taken care of in Phoenix this last weekend, April 20th and 21st. So I offered to take care of it. In return, she gave me a ticket to the Nextel Series NASCAR race held Saturday evening at Phoenix International Raceway. Wow! Now, I'm not too big on NASCAR, after all, they have too many wheels, but free is free and you know me, ANY EXCUSE FOR A RIDE!!

So I overloaded the Buddy with tent, sleeping bag, slicker, clothes, tools and pretty much anything else laying around (including a scooter buyers guide) and at about 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning I bailed out of Cottonwood, chugging up the hill towards Jerome and ultimately Prescott. The little 125 cc engine just plugged right along in the (very) cool morning air. Just above Jerome I stopped a snapped a couple of shots of (if you look at the post just below this), in the left hand shot, one of the hairpin turns with some old copper mining buildings and equipment behind and in the right hand picture a view down between the cliffs into the Verde Valley wherein Cottonwood sits. Check out the twisty road I'd just ridden up! Love that ride!!

It got colder as I climbed Mingus Mountain in the cloudy morning, but we kept at it...keeping up with most traffic. Fortunately, there wasn't much of it. Although it was cold and cloudy and we were a little slower than normal, due to the extra weight, I was enjoying every second of this...the first long ride of the season! Over the mountain and then down, chasing the four-wheelers to the bottom. With the little SuperTrapp muffler growling happily, I motored through Prescott Valley and Prescott where I did my first fill-up. Point seven gallons. See if your SUV will go 50-some miles on less than three quarters of a gallon of gas. In the mountains!

Well, the wind decided to pick up, now. And a headwind for the most part. Bum'r. Anyway, we took Hwy 89 south out of Prescott and down, through Wilhoit, Peeples Valley, Yarnell and Congress. Somewhere between Wilhoit and Yarnell four Arizona Highway Patrolmen on their big ol' motorsickles passed me and with big grins on their faces gave me the thumbs up. I rumbled past them as they dined at the "Buzzards Roost" cafe in Yarnell. I have a picture of the place in the third post down (entitled On the Way Home) at the top there. Quaint little dive. Jes' Jim and I stopped there on one of my previous forays into the Valley of the Sunstroke. Once again I filled my tank in "Historic" Wickenburg. If you are to believe the signs, every town in Arizona is "Historic". To somebody. Somewhere. I think the scooter took almost a gallon that time. I called Jes' Jim from Wickenburg and got directions to his house. I got there about one in the afternoon and he and his lovely, charming wife, Carol and his delightful grand-daughter Olivia took me out to lunch. Pastrami on rye. Heaven!! I waved goodbye to my friends and took what has to be the LONGEST route to the racetrack from Peoria, AZ. that has ever been found. Easy to do when you aren't aware that there isn't a single road that goes through to anywhere. Many twists and turns and detours later, I stopped again for gas and got directions. Shoulda done that earlier! Got to the camping areas at the track at about 3:30. Over 200 miles today...

In the second post down, I have a couple pictures from my campsite. One has a great view of the light trailer and the porta-potties just across the way from my tent. Near the porta-potties was a good thing. I also discovered that when you only take up about a six foot diameter space, they don't charge you to park or camp! SCORE!!! The other pic from my tent-site shows a sea of vehicles and campers flowing out towards the track in the distance. I also discovered that while everybody else had to walk to the food centers or the merchandise concourse or wherever, I could just putt through the swarm of humanity on my scooter. I loved it. There were an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people there for this event. And most were on foot. I saw about a million bicycles, one Whizzer and two other scooters...one of which was a left-over from the '80's Honda Gyro. I hadn't seen one of those in years!

I cruised all over the area that night and went to bed listening to the soothing sounds of a kegger going on in the space next to mine. It rained most of the night, but my tent kept me dry and cozy and I had brought the cover for my scooter, so it too was dry and cozy.

Up the next morning and more cruising. Found coffee and doughnuts. Food fit for a god! Enjoyed a fairly cool day in Phoenix. About 1:00 p.m., my friends and fellow Scarabs Scooter Club mates from Tucson, Tim and Tina showed up. I had saved them a parking space, but their pickup was longer than my space, so they had to find one two cars down. They grabbed huge armfuls of "stuff" and I grabbed my camera and we took a tram down to the track. We spent a couple of hours looking at the merchandise and eating four and a half dollar hot-dogs and five dollar lemonades until the race started. They were in a different section from me, so we said our goodbyes (until the Skull Valley Rally next month) and found our seats. In the second post down there are two pre-race photos...one of the starting lineup with Jeff Gordon (the eventual winner) in the post position. The other photo shows a parachuter or paraglider or whatever they call them coasting down with a huge American flag. Spectacular! There were four of them and those guys put all four down within about 20 foot circle!

The first post shows the boys in the cars mixing it up, the next photo shows them flying by with flames shooting out the pipes. I didn't know they did that! I want my scooter to do that! Anyway, sometime after the first wreck and the second pitstop, I left. I didn't know what was going on anyway and who was doing it. Besides, they all had too many wheels. So I cruised the scooter around the evacuated camping area (everyone was at the race). You cannot imagine the number of people and campers that were there. If just boggles the mind. I'd estimate at least 4 miles from one end to the other. The final pic in the first post is from a rise somewhere in the middles of the R.V.'s, looking past a Saguaro Cactus into the sunset as the lights from the campers glimmer below.

After another night of the sounds of joyful partying, I arose before most of the others (I wasn't sleeping off a night of debauchery, wild potions and luscious maidens), broke camp, loaded it back on the Buddy and headed north. I found a pretty direct way through west Phoenix to Wickenburg this time. Maybe a map would have been a good idea... Anyway, fuel and biscuits and gravy in Wickenburg and I was on my way again. Uphill on an overloaded 125 cc scooter while battling a headwind (again) can be time consuming. I reached the town of Congress and looked towards the mountain I had to climb. Third post down, third pic shows what I had to climb...the other one was the view from near the top. That's all the pictures, kids.

It was a pretty uneventful (and slow) trip the rest of the way home. I climbed Yarnell Hill and various other hills into Prescott. More fuel. Then over Mingus Mountain, down through Jerome and into Cottonwood. Over 150 miles today. I figured my mileage for the trip home right at 80 miles per gallon. Uphill. And overloaded.

What a fabulous machine that little Genuine Buddy motorscooter is! I thrashed it completely, running hard for over 400 miles in three days, fully loaded and over mountains, hills and deserts and it never once even missed a beat.

I can hardly wait for my next trip!!!

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

On My Way to the Races

2007-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

During the Race

2007-04-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Before the Race

2007-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

The Trip Back Home From NASCAR

2007-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Been awhile, huh?

2007-04-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...it's been a LONG time since I've added anything here... Life just sometimes gets in the way of what you want to do, y'know what I mean?

Anyway, it's been a VERY difficult winter for us this year, financially speaking. The work at my job just flat hit bottom...there were times I'd have two or three days off in a row...days off I didn't need with creditors calling me every day! I never stopped riding the scooter, though...

Back and forth to work with the occasional foray into Oak Creek Canyon or up Mingus Mountain. I did a couple up the mountain when it was cold enough to have a build-up of that "freezy skid-stuff" in the shadowed parts. In fact, I rode enough this winter to have completely worn out the palm area of my winter gauntlets! Had to throw 'em away last week.

I had an issue with the Buddy about three weeks ago I should share. At about 2 in the morning, I rode it to work as usual. And, as usual, I parked it in front of my Kenworth while I started the truck and did my pre-trip inspection. No problem. It ran well going to work. It started well and ran well when I was through with the truck inspection. I (again, as usual) rode it over to the covered parking slab for motorcycles and parked it in it's usual spot. I went into the driver's hut and secured my helmet, jacket and gloves and grabbed my scooter cover. I went back out to the scooter to administer said cover and to my horror, there was a pool of oil underneath the engine on the concrete. And it was (considering the engine only holds a quart) a BIG pool!! Being as how it was 2:00 a.m. and dark out, I couldn't see what the problem was. So, with my mind full of all kinds of horrific possibilities, I headed down to the Phoenix area to deliver my first load of the day. I got back to the yard about 9 a.m. and grabbed one of the mechanics and casually strolled out to my scooter at a dead run. Alex and I rolled around on the concrete for several minutes before I just happened to bump the screw-on oil filter. It moved. It took a moment to register, but yep, that was NOT supposed to do that! The oil filter had, indeed backed out...apparently from vibration...and had allowed all my oil to escape. Since I use only full synthetic oil, I wasn't about to mix petroleum based oil with it inside my engine, but the only full synthetic they had at the shop was a 30 weight oil. I filled the scooter with that and at the end of the day rode it home and changed the oil to the right stuff, putting on a new filter at the same time. Of course, I've been hearing every bad engine sound in the world now coming from my little scooter...but it's probably just my imagination...or is it? It's been three weeks and I've ridden it every day...a few trips to Sedona and one to Prescott this morning and it runs just fine and hasn't seemed to have lost any power. I took the valve cover off to make sure there was no galling or burn marks or anything and it all looks okay to me. ...but...what's that noise????

Speaking of my trip to Prescott today, I went over to visit my dear friend, Jenn...of "riding her GT 200 Vespa to Denver" fame. She and her sweetie, Frank are big fans of "Dry Heat", the band I'm in and we just released our first CD, so, of course I had to take a copy to her! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A RIDE!! Temps in the mid-seventies, not much traffic and a winding mountain road! I was able to ride with just my patch-filled jean jacket...no sweatshirt underneath...no insulated long-johns...no insulated gloves!! I felt forty pound lighter! I kicked it through the curves and hairpins at a swift, comfortable pace...not crazy, but not loafing either. Transitioning smoothly from one curve to the next while watching the hawk overhead or the quail flap clumsily to the road's edge. Almost made me forget the issues facing me everytime I look in the checkbook. Then again, isn't that one of the main reasons we ride?

I'd also like to let anyone reading this know that the Scarabs Scooter Club out of Phoenix is sponsoring the third annual "Skull Valley Rally" from May 18th to the 20th. There will be a meet and greet on the evening of the 18th, then the famous ride from the Valley of the Sunstroke across the Carefree Highway (Hwy 74) west to Hwy 60 north to Wickenburg. Somewhat north of Wickenburg, we pick up Hwy 89A and take that on up through Skull Valley to Prescott with a stop in Congress for coffee and conversation. There will be 3 or 4 new people inducted into the Scarabs in Prescott that evening, to be followed by much debauchery, drinking of wild potions and cavorting with luscious maidens. Whatever. Anyway, we expect to have a good time. Most will overnight there at the St. Michael's Hotel on Prescott's famous "Whiskey Row". I, however, will go over and annoy Jenn and Frank for floorspace for my sleeping bag. Maybe listen to a "Dry Heat" CD. I hear they have one... So, for more information, go to www.phxscarabsc.com and click through until you find it. I know it's there! And we would welcome you with much enthusiasm!! Good weather, GREAT roads, good times and great people...you'd enjoy it.

C-ya...ride on!
--Keys

Buddy Rally? Did they REALLY make one?

2007-02-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so they really DIDN'T make a Buddy Rally. But I did!! About a week ago, my club-mate, Samantha (also known at Hot Tomato...it's a good story) called me to tell me the stickers she ordered for me had arrived and in the interests of a good scooter ride, said she'd run them up to me that following Monday. So, on that Monday, at about 2:30 in the afternoon our beloved Hot Tomato arrived in my driveway on her Yamaha Majesty. She hung around for a short time to meet my wife and listen to some cuts from Dry Heat's new album (the band I'm keyboardist in), then she was back on her Majesty and rolling for home in Tempe, AZ.

Back to the stickers. One was simply the saying "If it's not Scottish, it's crap". I had seen the sticker on the back of Hot Tomato's pickup when she came up to pick up the '66 Allstate she bought from me (more on that later) and since we are both of Scottish extraction, I commented that I liked it. She told me there was a little shop in the mall near her house that made custom stickers and upon hearing that, I order one. THEN I got the idea for my new Rally Stripe! Being a keyboardist, it was just natural that I'd get a sticker in the form of piano keys. These were what Hot Tomato brought to me.

That evening, I applied the Scottish saying to the inside of the front shield just in front of and above my feet. I then applied the keys to the nose section of the front shield from the horn cover down. It was about a week later before I got to apply them to the short section from the horn cover to the top of the shield. Well, it's done now, and I humbly submit a picture for your perusal.

Now then, about the Allstate. Yes...it's gone. Along about the first of December the bottom just flat dropped out of the housing market here in Arizona. I drive a truck that delivers dry cement powder to various concrete batch plants throughout Arizona. They discovered they didn't need much, which filtered down to me...the lowly delivery driver. I began receiving weekly checks that went as low as $64.00 and averaged around $200.00. Tough to make a living on that! Finally, about the middle of January, I was about to have my car repossessed since I couldn't make the payments...it was all I could do to make rent! So, I advertised the '66 Sears Bluebadge project I had on the Scarab's Scooter Club forum. Several phone calls later, Hot Tomato and her significant other, Tryg, decided they needed it. The following day Hot Tomato showed up in my driveway with her pickup and the asking money. She took the project and I get to keep the Chrysler one more month. The two of them are really excited since this is their first restoration project. It went to a good home with good parents who I believe will take good care of it. I'm happy.

Well, that's what's up for now. More as the weather allows...

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

It was COLD outside!!

2007-01-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

A few little things have happened on the scooter-front. In my last post I mentioned that my Z1R Metro helmet had broken at a hinge-point and that I had re-attached the "T" shaped hinge-pin with model airplane glue. The first time I glued it, it stayed on for approximately 12 minutes. The second time, I used not only the glue, but a C-clamp to hold it until it dried. It is still holding strong! I'm pretty happy. Z1R DOES, however, need to look into this little design flaw....

The next thing to arise was the increasing failure rate of the center mounting point of the Genuine Scooters aftermarket rear rack. Now my dear wife gave me one of the racks for Christmas and I had experienced no problems, but then again, I haven't carried anything bigger or heavier than a coat on it. My friends Tryg and Isaac, who both live in the Phoenix area and ride Buddys with the aftermarket racks, both had their center mounts break. I offered to either fix them myself or have them fixed, so one fine Friday, they showed up at my door with racks in hand hoping for some help. I took them up to where I work and showed the racks to the shop foreman, who is a fabulous metal fabricator. Eric said he'd make short order of the problem and to come back in a little while. We did as he asked and were presented with some well thought-out reinforcement on our racks. Genuine is now aware of the problem and according to one source will warranty any racks experiencing a mounting failure.

Then, I was riding home from Sedona last Thursday and was cruising at an indicated 70 mph down a short hill when the rear-end of the scooter began doing a slow dance I've become familiar with over the past number of years. The hindquarters began swishing around with a grace I'm a little uncomfortable dealing with. Yes, folks, I'd picked up a nail in my rear tire and it was going flat. I wanted to ease it over to the right side of the road to work on it, but it let me know it was going to the left and would disregard any input from me. So I went left. I waited for traffic to break and ran it back across the road to where there was enough room to work. I popped the seat and pulled out my handy-dandy tubeless tire fix-it kit (specifically designed for motorcycles and sold at Wally-World) and, following the instructions, successfully patched the tire. I then pulled out my handy-dandy CO2 tire fill-it device (specifically for motorcycles and sold at Wally-World) to fill the tire only to find out my step-son had exhausted the CO2 cartridge in his go-ped.

"Well, crap," I said.

I called my dear wife (who works in Sedona) and she came to rescue me with a foot-pump purchased at a local hardware store. About 10 minutes before she arrived, though, a kindly gentleman named John stopped and, after assessing the problem, pulled a little electric air pump from the rear of his Jeep, applied one end to his battery and the other to my tire and in moments, I was sporting a reinflated tire. Ski showed up with the pump, I put it under the seat, expressed my undying gratitude and affection, smooched her and sent her back to work. I jumped on and raced the remaining 15 miles home. No problems. I recommend everyone who rides a scooter with tubeless tires carry a tubeless tire fix-it kit and a CO2 reinflation kit. Just don't let your step-son know you have it...

Then on Saturday, I took one of my spare tires and strapped it to my newly revised rack and headed out to Prescott to have it mounted. I took it to the dealer from whom I purchased my Bajaj; Encore Performance (www.epfguzzi.com). They are a Bajaj, Kymco, Hyosung, Moto Guzzi, Royal Enfield and Gas Gas dealer. Whew!! Anyway, for twenty bucks, they mounted the tire for me. It would have been more had they needed to remove the muffler and tire themselves, but I brought along the neccessary tools to do the removal myself and did so in their parking lot.

Anyway, I left Cottonwood at about 9:30 a.m. and the temperature was in the low 40's maybe. Darned chilly, I'd say! I rode up through Jerome and decided that wearing my balaclava under my helmet would be a good idea, so I pulled over and donned said garment. BIG difference!!

I discovered that, although this IS Arizona, that the same rules apply that applied when I lived in Colorado. If there is moisture on the road, the temperatures are in the low 30's (at the 7050 foot summit of Mingus Mountain) the road will have ice on it in the shady spots. Zip-zip!! Entertaining, but not debilitating. I moseyed on over to Encore and got the job done. Stopped at a place in Prescott Valley for a fabulous plate-full of biscuits and gravy. A little fuel and I'm on my way home. Ended up following a mini-van who's driver had NO game. His level of incompetence seriously pushed the envelope! I think he spent more time with his vehicle halfway over the double yellow than he did on the correct side of the road. There were times that, as he was going around a blind turn or even hairpin to the left that he was ENTIRELY on the wrong side of the road. It was just the luck of a fool that he wasn't head-on'd by some SUV! People tend to view Hwy 89A from Prescott to Jerome as a raceway that is to be used to hone one's roadracing skills. Even people in cars. Therefore, like I said; the luck of a fool...

Made it on home in one piece, though and in time to get ready for our gig that night at Relics in Sedona. Great time that night, too, but nothing scooter related, so I'll let it go...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Helmet update and Rim Country Run

2007-01-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

...a little about my new Z1R Metro helmet. As I related previously, the visor has a screw that is removed, the visor then flips up and two "T" shaped hooks slide out of two "T" shaped holes in the helmet to remove the faceshield. Well, here's the lowdown...those two little "T" shaped hooks are plastic and have one little bitty screw each to hold them onto the visor. They are easily broken. I simply lifted my shield one time and that was enough force to snap the hook off. I have since repaired it (maybe?) with model airplane glue and a "C" clamp. It hold still, but then again, I've not tried to swap shields yet. We'll see how it works then. I'll let you know.

Next up on the agenda; I am planning an early spring (sometime in April, probably) rally up here in central Arizona...with some movement up into the northern section of the state. "Skutergruven's Rim Country Run" will begin in Cottonwood, head east on Hwy 89A through Sedona and north through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff...a distance of 70-some miles. I'll hook a right at Lake Mary Road and head east to Mormon Lake where we'll probably camp for the night. In the morning, again we'll head east on Lake Mary Road for probably another 50 miles to where it dead-ends at Hwy 87. South on 87 for about 21 miles will get us to the 87, Hwy 260 junction where we'll turn right (west) and chase the hill for about 45 miles down into Cottonwood. It will be a fast ride with some of the finest scenery in the southwest. Should promise to be a trip you'll remember for years. I hope to make it an annual thing.

So far about 7 people have commited to go, if you'd like to make it and need more info., just e-mail me at skutergruven@netscape.com or leave a comment here with a way to get the info to you. Two days, about 210 miles and nothing but beauty and curves. Doesn't get any better than that!!

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Frosty Balls, Chilly Boobs poker run

2007-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, so don't blame me...I don't name these things! Anyway, the Verde Valley's annual New Years Day Frosty Balls and Chilly Boobs poker run was held yesterday and as I saw the Harleys gathering, it occured to me, they needed a splash of color in the form of a red Buddy. And of course, there aren't any others in the U. S. of A., so it was up to me to provide said color! My dear wife was still in bed, so I rode home, kissed her goodbye and said I'd be back sometime in the afternoon. She said, "Mmmmffph." I took that as a blessing and split.

It was a bright sunny day in the 50's and just PERFECT for a ride. I donned my new Z1R Metro helmet that Ski bought me for Christmas. A little on the helmet, here...I got the silver model with a clear faceshield. One of the features I like about the Metro is it is an open-face helmet with both a visor AND a flip up shield. The design is such that the faceshield slips up under the visor. Sweeeet! Knowing I live in Arizona and the sun sometimes shines here, I also ordered a smoke shield. Perfect day to try it out. The replacement procedure takes all of about 2 minutes. The visor has a screw on the top that can be removed with either a screwdriver or even a coin. Rotate the visor upwards and two "T" shaped hooks slip out of the helmet and you just lift the visor off. The faceshield itself just slips onto two round protrusions. Re-insert the "T" hooks, rotate the visor down, apply screw. It's THAT easy!

The fit of the helmet has so far been just right (for my little round head) and is easy to get on and off over my glasses. The protection from the wind is good...not as good as a full-face, of course, but not as claustrophobic, either. On those cold early morning commutes when the temps are only in the teens, I still wear a balaclava under the helmet, basically to keep my neck warm. So far, it is an excellent helmet.

Back to the ride, now. The ride began at K&A Cycles in Cottonwood, owned by my friends Steve and Rita. I visited for a moment with Rita and headed out towards the first stop; Boler's Bar in Camp Verde...approximately 17 or 18 miles away. I arrived to find I was about the last one! No coffee for me here! I headed north on Montezuma Castle Highway towards Cliff Castle Casino, where the highway intersects I-17. I caught up with Steve and Rita on their Harleys as we approached the casino. The morons at the Arizona Dept. of Transportation, in all their wisdom, inserted one of those stupid round-about thingys at the junction of I-17, Montezuma Castle Highway and the casino driveway and paved it with bricks! As we reached the round-about, a Jeep Cherokee was getting off the northbound freeway and was circling in the approved direction. He saw Steve and Rita, stopped in the middle of the round-about and waved them on. They went. I was right there with them, but as I moved to follow, the guy in the Jeep went. I had to lock 'em up and the front wheel slid on the slick bricks. Down we went. I was unhurt and the Buddy suffered only minor scuffs to it's new paint, but I was both pissed and embarrassed.

North we went on I-17 for about 5 miles, me in a full tuck, barely maintaining 60 miles per hour (uphill, you know) and Steve and Rita just loafing along. We jumped off at the McGuireville exit and headed east towards Rimrock and Lake Montezuma for about another 5 miles to Flinn's Bar and Grill. There I met up with some other friends of mine; Suds and his sweet german wife, Marina. You can see them both in the second photo in the preceeding post. The last photo there is Marina and me...Suds doesn't get ALL the fun!! Also there were a couple other friends, a guy I only know as Mike and another fella named George. Now George is known by the handle Alaskan and was the best man at mine and Ski's wedding. He is standing next to his ride in the fourth pic. Tough lookin' old hombre, huh? And one of the nicest folks you'd ever want to meet.

Somewhere I have a picture of my Buddy there at Flinn's next to a yellow Sportster.

I stayed at Flinn's and had breakfast with Suds, Marina, Mike, Troy and Samantha. Actually, they had breakfast, I had coffee. Then just before they were ready to leave, I headed west on Cornville Road towards Cottonwood so I could get a jump on them. About two miles down the road several Harleys were pulled to the side, so I stopped to offer help. The 1938 Harley flathead in the bunch had spit off it's muffler and they were wiring it on. They were good, so I bailed. While I was stopped, though, Suds and Mike blew by me...I never had a chance. I caught up with them at the next stop; The Old Corral Bar in Cornville. We used the head and I jumped on and left them again, attempting to stay ahead. Never saw 'em again!!

I went on to the Chaparral Bar in Cottonwood where I met up with Glenn, a bartender at the 10/12 club in Clarkdale...a place where the band I'm in plays. He was real interested in my upcoming ride to Baton Rouge, LA. and wanted my blog address! We're gettin' around!!

Next stop was the American Legion in Cottonwood where they had a big pot of beans and a big plate of cornbread just waiting for us. The first photo in the previous post shows my scooter lined up with some of the bikes. I saw a couple of guys I work with there, both on their bikes and then, surprise, surprise...Bernie showed up on HIS Harley. Why the surprise? You see, about 5 or 6 years ago, Bernie and his wife were riding home from...um, I guess I don't know...anyway, they were in Sante Fe, New Mexico and a sweet little nun driving a car ran into Bernie. He bounced off her car and into the retaining wall and back and she hit him again just to make sure. He shattered his left knee, elbow and shoulder and has endured many surgeries since. He has been working again, driving a truck where I work for about the past 4 years. Finally, the pain was just too much and the doctors decided to replace the knee...which they did in November. The pain is worse now, but he still was able to ride to the rally. Good on him!!

I sucked down a bowl of beans, visited with a number of friends (I'm a member of the Legion there) and just had a fine time. Then it was time to go home and tell my wife I crashed.

What a GREAT ride on a GREAT day! Wish you had been there!!! Put it on your calender for next year...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Frosty Balls, Chilly Boobs poker run pics

2007-01-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

Something different pics

2006-12-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

...And now for something different...

2006-12-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

You know, strange things happen when I'm alone with a scooter on a cold, snowy day. And to clarify the matter, although I DO live in Arizona, I still see snowstorms now and then here. It doesn't stick for long though. I think it stayed on the ground yesterday for all of, oh, twelve or thirteen seconds. It snowed for about an hour though. Once again, I digress.

So there I was, with nothing to do but wrap Christmas presents, clean the kitchen for company Christmas day, do the laundry, change the oil in both scooters, clean the guest bathroom and vacuum the living room. Plus do the shopping for Christmas dinner for about twelve or so. So see, I really needed something to do. So I decided to paint the Buddy.

I began to disassemble it; headset, seat bucket, speedometer assembly, and attempted to remove various plastic parts that proved to be smarter than me and stayed on the scooter. So I broke out the masking tape and, after about 3 rolls, had the parts I wanted to remain black taped off.

Then I moved to my "paint shelf" and grabbed a couple cans of Krylon Fusion paint in the color red. This paint is advertised to be specifically designed to be used on plastics with no need to prep. So I didn't. I just cleaned everything moderately well and commenced to spraying. The headset, nose piece, side rails and rear wrap-around were all sprayed a shade of red that had a bit too much orange for my taste, but, hey...it's what I had! Then I sprayed the speedometer bezel, passenger footboards, rear grab-bar and headlight bezel black. Someday, the fork legs will be black, the rims will be red and there will be a racing stripe of black down the center of the nose-piece. Anyway, it didn't turn out too...um, well...I've seen worse. But they used a broom. Naw, it ain't too bad. I'm happy with it and I think it looks better than it did. And the bonus...it's the ONLY one like it!!

I like that part!

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Pretty quiet around here...

2006-12-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

I don't have a lot to say today. I haven't had much of an opportunity to do much riding...it's been fairly chilly. Looks like rain for the next couple of days, too. I did however,enjoy two or three short, 30 to 40 mile rides from Cottonwood, through Cornville (again...WHO thinks up these names....???) and onto Beaverhead Flats Road which I followed through the sweepers to the end...a mere six miles. To be honest, I haven't even done any messin' around with the Buddy except to label one panel "Flux Capacitor". Probably makes it faster. I still have to put a label on the engine compartment proclaiming there is a "Warp Core Generator" inside. Of course, I'm still considering painting the scooter Olive Drab and mounting two faux machine gun barrels poking through the holes in the front that are designed to mount a rack. I'd also like to see a couple of photon torpedoes on either side. ...give ME the finger, will ya? The ultimate "Urban Assault Vehicle".

I'm getting a new helmet from my wife for Christmas...I know this because I ordered it. When it came in, though, she wrapped it and won't let me open it until Christmas! It's a Z1R Metro open-faced helmet which has both a visor and a faceshield. It is specifically designed for the discerning scooterist and I will give you a thorough and honest evaluation. It comes in about six or seven colors (I ordered silver) and is DOT approved. They didn't mention a Snell rating, so I would assume it either doesn't pass their criteria or Z1R just didn't try. I was reading in one of the motorcycle magazines this week that when they tested full-face helmets, there was virtually no better protection from Snell rated helmets than DOT rated helmets. They still didn't endorse the little skid-lids, though, even if they're DOT rated. No mention was made of open-face.

I'm currently in the market for a reasonably priced all-weather jacket. I currently have a jean jacket that is covered with rally patches and pins and is not very good at keeping me warm on those 20 degree mornings and a beautiful Marine Corp emblem emblazoned leather bomber jacket. I kinda hate to subject that to the abuse I tend to deal out, even though it IS warm. I found a really neat leather motorcycle specific jacket by Fast Company (the same folks who bring you Draggin Jeans). It is called the Cutlass and comes in a number of colors. It has several pockets, the sleeves are slightly curved and rotated slightly forward for more comfort at the handlebars. It has a quality zipper and snap collar and sleeves and a zip-in, fully sleeved liner for warmth. And it is on sale (just the colored ones...not the solid black) for only $150.00!! I was WAY excited!! THEN I went to the web-site. They only have XL and XXL. Of which I am neither. Bum'r. Still lookin'.

So, that's all the news that's fit to print. Just getting ready for Christmas and a visit from my brother whom I've not seen a WAY too many years...he lives in Redding, CA. He is a regular reader of this blog and a supporter of my scooter endeavors. Until later...have a GREAT Christmas, and if I have nothing to say until then, a fabulous New Year!!

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Bigger, Badder, Louder!!

2006-11-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I cannot own and ride a scooter without messing with it. There. Is there a 12-step program for that?

This affliction has now manifested itself upon my Buddy 125. I actually did just minor surgery, but the difference is major! I simply replaced the original (about 20 pound) muffler with a cute, little SuperTrapp slip on muffler. I first saw this muffler (a short tale of woe) hanging on the wall at Encore Performance in Prescott when I bought my Bajaj...which after manifesting my affliction on it became the renowned "Mad Hornet". I remember thinking that really belonged on a scooter...preferably mine...when I saw it. I never got around to buying it, though, but my Scarab buddy, Jes' Jim did. He suffers from the same affliction. Anyway, he put it on his modified Kymco People 250. And subsequently removed it. It seems no matter what spring he used between the end-cap and the end-nut, the heat adversely affected its "springy-ness". It no longer sprang. Or whatever. So Jes' Jim removed said SuperTrapp and put something else on he didn't have to constantly mess with and sent the 'Trapp to me. I never did find a was of mounting it on the Bajaj, but the Buddy was a different matter.

This last Wednesday evening, I rode the scoot up to the truck terminal where I work and commenced borrowing tools from one of the mechanics; Bo. I borrowed his little pneumatic cut-off tool and a couple of sockets and a ratchet wrench. I unbolted the muffler where it bolted to the engine sub-frame then fired up the cut-off tool and cut the head pipe off right under the engine. In the following pics you can see where the 'Trapp has slid over the pipe. When the muffler fell off (denting the concrete in the process) I test fit the 'Trapp. It fit like it was designed that way!! A tight slip-fit!

Next step was to take a little piece of 1/4" X 1" strap iron and put two bends in it. Again, that is depicted in the following pics. I put the holes in where I wanted them and bolted one end to the sub-frame and the other to the SuperTrapp. It was that easy. I added a couple shots of high temp flat black and there it was it all its glory!

I originally used all eight of the diffuser plates that came with the 'Trapp, but after two days and about 250 miles I decided that was a little overkill. It was as loud as most straight-piped Hardleys! So, in the interests of community spirit (and also because I thought it was just a tiny bit lean), I removed 2 of the plates. Brought it down slightly to a more appealing sound (still loud, though...just not obnoxious) and made it run just right.

Oh, and about the spring...I simply went to the dirt-bike shop owned by a friend and rummaged through his "spring bucket" until I found a clutch spring (which will withstand the heat) the right size and when I removed the two plates, I replaced the existing spring with this one and I haven't had to touch it yet!! Score!!

Thursday I put a couple hundred miles on it going to Yarnell with the full 8 plates. It sure ran well in the mid and upper range. The next day I remove the two and on Saturday I put well over 400 miles on riding to Phoenix and back. I lost next to nothing in power and it was much more pleasant to ride. It ran flawlessly at all altitudes from 6500 ft. to whatever Phoenix is...maybe 1000 ft. I highly recommend this change. HOWEVER!! Pay attention, class.

Genuine seems to be VERY picky about its warranty honoring system. I suspect they will not honor the warranty on ANY modified Buddys. Check it out before you do this.

Pics are just below...

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Bigger, badder, louder pics

2006-11-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

Marathon day - Saturday

2006-11-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

Ruckuschick, of the Scarabs scooter club posted a desire to have an impromptu ride on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. She got a few definite maybes and another maybe from me. My wife told me to go...it isn't often I get 4 days in a row off. So, yesterday at about 7:45 a.m. (with the temperature hovering around 38 degrees) I gassed up and went. Now you have to realize the ride was to be held just south of Phoenix in an area called Queen Creek. This was to be a RIDE!!

I headed east on Hwy 260 through Camp Verde and on up the goat trail to where it meets Hwy 87. I've described this junction before...about 6500 ft. elevation and heavily wooded with big ol' Ponderosa Pines. The road goes north to Winslow or south to Payson. I went south. Beautiful ride through the pines and the corners and curves and hairpins to the town of Strawberry, on through Pine then into Payson where I fueled up again. From Payson down to Phoenix proper is about 80 or so miles of mostly 4 lane highway with a 65 mph posted speed. I averaged about 55 or so due to a hellacious headwind. There was little enough traffic that there was plenty of room in the hammer lane to get around me.

I thundered into Phoenix around eleven or so, jumped on Shea Blvd to the west, followed it to the Loop 101 (also known as the East Valley Raceway) and went south to Indian School Road. Jumped off, heading west again to a little ATV/go kart/go-ped shop where I got a new tire and tube for my stepson's go-ped. I called Ruckuschick to let her know I was in town and the crew waited patiently at a Starbucks in south Phoenix for me. I made it there about 12 or 12:30. We said our hellos and made all the appropriate noises about everybody's new scooter or what they had recently done to their old one. Met a few new folks, too.

Ruckuschick led us south and east on a bunch of roads I didn't recognize to a little grill called San Tan Flats. No, I don't think we were in Japan, although the name might suggest it...

Expensive burgers, but good ones. We had some great conversation, some good food and a lot of laughs. A good time. Along about two we left San Tan Flats and Ruckuschick led me back to Country Club Road which, if you follow it north far enough, it turns into the Beeline Hwy...previously refered to as Hwy 87. One by one, Sean and Crys, Ruby and Jeremy, Tryg and Ruckuschick peeled off leaving me alone once again.

I continued north to the Ft. McDowell Casino where I hit a little Conoco store for gas. Coupla bucks, maybe. The next stop wasn't for another 75 miles when I blew into Payson once again. It had been getting pretty cold for the past 20 miles or so, so I was ready. I stopped, checked my messages and found one from Lucas, my son, so I called and chatted with him for a bit while I gassed up and put on more cold weather gear.

Speaking of cold weather gear, I wore my work boots, long-johns, jeans, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved button-down shirt, two sweatshirts, a jean jacket and finally my leather bomber. A leather-faced ski mask, skier's headband for my ears, my brain-bucket and goggles...topped off with some riding gauntlets. Even dressed like this, my butt is laying in a ditch somewhere north of Payson where I froze it off!

It was dark when I left Payson and the trip to where it intersects with Hwy 260 wasn't a bad trip. I turned left onto 260 towards the west and started on towards Camp Verde. A few miles down the road some moron in an SUV got on my tail because 5 over wasn't fast enough for him. High headlights right in my rearviews and him right on my tail annoyed me. I didn't slow down, but I didn't speed up for him either...I was going a sane speed considering how cold I was, how dark it was and how curvy the road was. He finally was able to pass and he did. Seems I forgot to dim my lights when he did. I refuse to reward idiots for their bad behavior. A couple miles up the road he was pulled off for some reason...sure enough, about 5 miles further, there he was again...right behind me. Again, he passed and again my headlight stayed on high. Of course, the headlight on the Buddy is anything but bright, so maybe he didn't even notice...

I cruised back home about 7 with the temps again in the thirties. Cold, yet wonderful ride. I'd do it again in a minute. Just under 12 hours, 412 miles and an average of 96 mpg. What a DAY!!

As for pics, I must apologize, I was about halfway to Camp Verde when I realized I'd forgotten the camera. I promise I'll make the trip again...this time with a camera.

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Yarnell pics

2006-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

Not sure how these pics dropped off the previous post, but here they are now...

It's Baaaack.....!

2006-11-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I got my Buddy (Urban Assault Vehicle) back from the dealer last Sunday. Turns out the whole problem...all the time...was simply a bad ground wire from the coil to the main wiring harness ground. Ron, the mechanic at Scoot Over simply took the ground wire from the coil and grounded it by itself onto the engine. VIOLA!!! Instant spark! They rode it around for a couple of days and then I picked it up Sunday.

Back and forth to work all week, no problems. Cool! Took it to work Wednesday night and one of the mechanics and I applied a SuperTrapp muffler to the exhaust system. Man-o-man...what a sound!!

Thursday was, of course, Thanksgiving and my beloved Ski had to work. In the past, I was allowed to join her and dine with her in the dining room there where she works. This year the new boss said "NO". Now Ski just couldn't bear the thought of me spending Thanksgiving alone (didn't bother me...) so she made me promise to spend the day with my adopted sister, Shelly (of crash and burn fame) and her family in the almost-a-town of Yarnell, AZ. I agreed because I love the ride to Yarnell. And because I love Shelly and her family, but enough of that...back to the ride.

At 9:30 a.m., the temperature was about 48 degrees, but I gassed up anyway and headed over the mountain. Since the day was warming up nicely, the temp stayed probably pretty constant to the top. No traffic, gorgeous roads. I was in about as perfect a state of mind as possible. I don't even remember any cars annoying me much. Blasted down the mountain into Prescott Valley where it felt a little colder than it had on the mountain. I wove my way through Prescott to Hwy 89 south. The last time I did this, I hooked a right where I should have gone left and ended up in Skull Valley. This time I did the "left" thing and went right where I wanted to. Go figure.

I got stuck behind a huge RV going out of Prescott and down the hill, but it was going a good pace, so that didn't bother me much. What DID bother me was whatever was leaking out of the beast and blowing onto my face!! Don't know what it was...don't want to. At the first opportunity, I passed him, rattling his windows with my new muffler. Take THAT!!!

Down the hill, fast, through the corners that vary from sweepers to hairpins just as fast as the Buddy would take them. Exhilarating! I hit the bottom where the road straightens out and levels out a bit. Still a few hills, but since they're straight and not curved, they lost some of their appeal. I averaged an indicated 65 mph, which, allowing for the 10% optimism of my speedometer was just shy of 60. Good pace for a 125cc scooter. I reached Peeples Valley where I fueled up and calculated (based on my optimistic odometer) about 96 mpg. I rode the remaining 4 miles on into Yarnell and had a great time with, oh, about 35 pseudo-relatives. In my case, they're probably preferable to actual relatives, for the most part. Good food, good company. Got to hold a few babies and toddlers. Listened to a little karaoke. Went for a walk with my pseudo-brother, Ray. Just a great day. Headed home about 4 in the afternoon. Pretty chilly, it was...

I climbed the hill above Peeples Valley and Wilhoit (where do they get these names???) , slowing down traffic a little, since it's a steep hill and I still have only 125 cc's. Hit the corners at the top, though and I outran those cars behind me...even uphill. What a great equalizer a hairpin turn can be!! On into Prescott where I put a whole dollar's worth of gas into the tank. With the SuperTrapp growling, I snaked my way through Prescott and Prescott Valley and started up Mingus Mtn. I noticed a BMW coupe behind me in my mirrors, so I stepped up the pace a little through the twisties. I must admit he did an admirable job of keeping up, but I also noticed he was rolled over so far on his suspension in the corners I thought he was going to lift the inside wheels!

I stopped a couple of times for pictures which are included here. Click on them to make them big...some great scenic views. Also one of the Buddy just before we left home, showing the new muffler.

I reached to top of Mingus just as darkness fell and discovered the guys at Scoot Over had readjusted my headlight so I was spotlighting owls. I'll fix that today. Anyway, I was forced by my headlight to hold it down to just over the speed limit. Got home about six, chilled to the bone but still in that fine state of mind I'd been in all day.

I have so much to be Thankful for...

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Not much...

2006-11-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

You may wonder why I haven't posted for awhile. Well, my scooter has been broken down (the stator problem), brought back to life (for 3 days) broken down again (again the suspected stator problem) and now brought once again back to life. I actually gain possession of it once again the day after tomorrow. I'd do it tomorrow (impatience, thy name is Keys), but I have promised to do a piano bar at an old folks ho...wait a minute...that's not politically correct, is it? I guess you call them retirement villages now. Whatever. Old folks who dig jazz and blues live there and I play for them and get paid for it.

So, I rode my scooter home on Tuesday, October 31st. A 70 mile run down from Flagstaff through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona to Cottonwood. A fast, chilly ride...down in the 40's. It ran GREAT!! I subsequently rode it to work and home on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then I headed back to work on Friday to get my paycheck and a mile from work, POOF! No spark. Again. Just like before. I pushed it to work and got a lift home from a guy with a pickup.

Genuine required I send it to Tucson to Scoot Over this time, so it rode down in Wade's pickup. Wade, if you will recall, is the cat who runs the Flying Dorffini motorcycle and scooter repair shop in Flagstaff. He was going to Tucson anyway for the annual Fall Classic Tucson to Nogales scooter rally. Which I wasn't able to attend. Crap!

I called down there on Tuesday the...um...that would be the 12th and talked with Ron, the mechanic. He spent some time with a continuity tester and determined the problem was not the stator after all! Apparently, the ground wire for the coil feeds into the main wiring harness which has one main ground wire for...well, almost everything! As it turns out, the connection was bad where the coil ground joined the harness. So, I'd hit a bump just right and an instant absence of spark occured. Slapped me down every time. Ron then made a new ground for the coil alone and grounded it directly onto the engine. Instant spark. Instant go. He's been riding it around for the past few days just to make sure he corrected the problem. These guys definitely go the extra mile for customer service.

Anyway, Shelby was going to Phoenix this weekend anyway to visit her mother and is bringing the Urban Assault Vehicle with her. I'll meet her there with a friend's pickup, have coffee with some of my Scarab friends, load up my scooter and go home.

It's time to continue the terrorization of the Verde Valley's cagers...

C-ya...ride on,
--Keys

Some disappointment, some victories

2006-10-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

My scooting is fraught with disappointment right now. The Buddy is STILL in the shop waiting for parts to show up! Therefore, there is nothing to update on there...

However, as mentioned before, I am planning a May trip from Cottonwood, AZ to Baton Rouge, LA to visit my son. I am planning to give regular updates on my blog and hope to peddle an article on touring with a motorscooter. I am also seeking sponsors for my trip who can be advertised both on the blog and in the article. So far, Scoot Over in Tucson (my dealer) and the Flying Dorffini (my mechanic in Flagstaff) and a design studio on Phoenix owned by my friend and fellow Scarab, Dave Creech have signed on. THEN I stopped to visit a friend of mine who runs the local Chevron station and HE offered a gift card towards my gas! BONUS!! So anyway, although I'm not riding my Buddy right now, I am still moving forwards on my proposed trip.

C-ya...ride on,

--Keys

Day after "Something For Nothing"

2006-10-08T15:51:00.001-07:00

The Sunday following the Something For Nothing Rally was not a good one for the Buddy. Ski and I decided to ride up to Jerome after church to search for a halloween costume again. About halfway up, the Buddy just "up and quit". Just like I'd turned the key off. And in case you ask; no, I didn't. I turned it around and coasted back down the hill (at the speed limit, I might add) to the #1 Convenience Store at the bottom. I sent Ski on up to Jerome by herself to look while I tried to determine the source of my problems. By the time she got back, I'd narrowed it down. I had good compression and I had plenty of fuel. That left spark.

I utilized my Genuine roadside assistance card to get a tow-truck to take me home. The truck they brought could have carried, oh, I don't know...maybe 40 or 50 Buddys! When I bought my Buddy, I received, along with my two year warranty, one year free roadside assistance. And it works! Thank you, Genuine! I had just gotten the card in the mail the day before!

I did a little checking Monday and discovered I had power to the keyswitch, power to the starter relay, NO power to the coil! What the....?

On Tuesday, I called Ron, the mechanic at Scoot Over and he guided me through the testing procedure. Along the way, I got a crash course on Capacitive Discharge Ignition systems. It seems that within the stator (the source for all electricity on my scooter) are three coils. One is the charging coil; which keeps the battery charged. The second is the source coil, which supplies power to the CDI unit itself (which is just a large capacitor, or short-term storage facility). Then, finally, there is a pulse coil, which gives the signal to the CDI to release it's stored energy to the coil, thereby causing the sparkplug to fire. The pulse coil on my scooter no longer have any signals at all. So the CDI had plenty of energy, just nobody to tell it what to do with it. Bottom line? No spark, no go.

I called Shelby to let her know the prognosis and we tossed around the ideas of me getting the scooter the 250 miles to Tucson or of me replacing the stator myself. Well, I don't own a pick-up for transporting, nor do I own a flywheel puller for the removal of the flywheel. Then inspiration struck. Shelby...not me. There is a shop in Flagstaff (only 50 miles away) that is in the process of becoming a Genuine dealer. The shop is called 'The Flying Dorffini' and is a repair shop that specializes in European motorcycles (you should see the WW II BMW's there) and motorscooters. Wade Dorffi and Curtis Smith are Certified Techs in BMW, Triumph and Ducati motorcycles among others. For more info, you can e-mail them at flyingdorffini@msn.com. Anyway, Shelby called Wade, who agreed to do the warranty work, then she called Genuine who agreed to authorize Wade to do the warranty work! That Shelby is ONE smart cookie! That customer service is why I would recommend Scoot Over above all other scooter shops I know of. So I borrowed a friend's pick-up on Thursday and took the Buddy to Wade. I have had to ride Ski's Helix all week. Don't know how much longer I can hold out......I'm jonesing BAD!! As nice and stable and as nice as it rides and as fast as it is, a Honda Helix still corners like a Greyhound Bus. I miss my little Buddy.

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Something For Nothing Rally

2006-10-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday, September the 30th, the local chapters of the Pharoahs Scooter Club sponsored a rally that began in Flagstaff, followed Hwy 89A south into Sedona, then into Cottonwood. Staying on 89A, they rode into Jerome to wet their collective whistle, then cruised up the hill to the top of Mingus Mountain where they camped and partied. My end of the story is somewhat different, but very entertaining nonetheless.

Six of us from the Scarabs committed to ride this year; Mike, Chris, Tim and Will, all from Tucson; Jes' Jim from Phoenix and yours truly from Cottonwood. Mike, along with his wife, Shelby are owners of Scoot Over in Tucson, where I bought my Buddy and Chris is their head salesman...who incidently bought my old Bajaj Chetak; the Mad Hornet. And once again, it lived up to it's name...I was SO proud. Tim and I have ridden together on several rallies and thoroughly enjoy racing each other. Will is a new guy who I just met that day. You met Jes' Jim on my "Over the Hill" blog.

The day started at the campground at the top of Mingus Mountain where the Tucson contingent had spent the night in anxious anticipation of Saturday's ride. Jes' Jim and I met at the parking area below the campground at 8 a.m. and waited. And waited. Finally, we decided to mosey on up the horrible dirt road to the campsite and were met halfway by Tim on his GB model Stella. He told us Mike's old, restored Vespa (with modern drivetrain) wouldn't start. We followed Tim to the site where Mike confirmed...the CDI unit pooped out. Major bum'r! The (I think it's a VBB) was loaded on the back of Mike's Suburban (subdivision...including it's own zip code) and with the trailer attached to the truck, we headed down the hill. Tim and I (as usual) led the way.

We hit pavement and the ride was on! Since I live in the area and ride the road frequently, they had me lead and I set a brisk, but not totally stupid pace. If I recall, we had to force a 4-wheeler or two to the side so we could continue unhindered. We stopped at a pull-off about a mile above Jerome to let everyone catch up. Will, who rides a Vespa GTS250 (and rather well, I might add) answered to the affirmative when I asked if it was a good road..."kinda scary, though..." he added. I sometimes forget that not everyone gets to ride on such superior roads all the time.

We rode through Jerome to Cottonwood where we stopped at my house for the camera I had forgotten. In the following post, the second picture is the five Scarab scooters in front of my garage. From the left; Chris, Mike on Tim's Stella, me, Jes' Jim and Will. Then on into Sedona where we fueled up in anticipation of the 50-some mile ride up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. Since I just RIDE to Flagstaff and don't really go into the town, I'm rather unfamiliar with the streets and I knew I'd excell at getting us lost, so I let Tim (who once dated a NAU co-ed) and Chris lead the way. We blasted out of Sedona at a good pace, with no traffic to annoy us and began enjoying the road. Oak Creek Canyon is full of turns; some smooth sweepers; some tight corners and some hairpins. About halfway up the canyon is one left-hand hairpin that left one of us with scars that day. Good thing chicks dig scars!

Anyway, Chris, on the Mad Hornet was leading and was going fast and on the left side of the lane. Tim was following on his Stella, fast, and on the right side of the lane. I was right behind Tim on the left side again. You get the picture...we were staggered, just in case... Well, "just in case" happened. Tim, on the outside of the corner and right on the edge of the tread on the sidewalls of his Continental Zippys, got into some gravel. I watched the Stella fishtail, then disaster! He went down. At about 45 mph in a 20 mph corner. He kicked away from the scooter and the Stella went ass-over-teakettle and landed about a foot and a half from a rock-filled arroyo. If she'd have gone over, there would have been nothing left. Tim got up to discover he had only bruised his hip and gotten a bit of road rash there. Painful, but not debilitating. We picked the Stella up and Tim announced it was done. He'd tried to push it and it wouldn't move. I suggested taking it out of gear. He did. Kicked it once and it started right up. So, with a slightly dinged clutch lever and a scraped up cowl and front fender, the two of them completed the ride. If ya gotta go down, that's the way to do it! Tim is my hero. He IS, however, slightly slower than before.

We arrived in Flagstaff at closed to the suggested time. Fortunately scooterists run on their own brand of time, so after several creative ways through town, we finally found the Pharoahs hanging out where they'd said they'd be. And since time schedules really don't mean anything to scooterists, we went down to a local bagel place and got something to eat before we left.

I got a couple of pics of the group leaving Flagstaff...let's see; they would be in the second set of pics to follow; the first one and the last one. Then down the canyon! The third pic in the second post is one I took at about 65 mph behind a kitted Lambretta and a kitted '63 Allstate. Those guys could fly! I'm not convinced they could out-corner my Buddy, though. The remainder of the pictures were of a stop we made so the Lambretta could be re-jetted. From then on, it was just a fabulous, un-eventful ride! Fast, too!. We took a left at Hwy 179 and stopped in the Village of Oak Creek for gas, then on over Beaverhead Flats Road. At the end of Beaverhead Flats, Jes' Jim peeled off, heading back the I-17 and Phoenix, since he had prior commitments the next morning. The rest of us flew out Cornville road to meet up again with 89A into Cottonwood. Since my band; Dry Head (www.dryheatbluesband.com) had a gig that night, I had to go home too. The rest of the group (from what I understand) stopped in Jerome for a drink or two and went up to the campsite for some serious partying.

Now then. About my Buddy. This little scooter ROCKS! It was able to outrun all the 150cc scoots in every condition. Uphill, downhill, flats. This included a Stella with a Sito pipe, my old modified Bajaj and a couple of Vespa 150's. I don't think anyone was able to out-corner me, either. Tim marvelled at the angle of lean I was able to get. I don't think there is a scooter out there that is more suited to my style of riding. And it looks good! I couldn't be happier with it!

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Something for Nothing pics 1

2006-10-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

Something for Nothing pics 2

2006-10-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Don't get no better than this!!

2006-10-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

Two Thursdays ago I got the contact I've been hoping for for years...my son, Lucas, returned an e-mail to me that I sent over a year ago! He's 25 and it's been since, I think, he was 18 since I've heard from him. Various forces outside either of our control kind of kept us apart...a condition that lead to great grief on my part. Lots of self-condemnation..."I should have done this better, or that better". You know the way it goes. But the bottom line is; he contacted me and there is NO animosity there. He seemed as genuinely glad to hear from me as I was from him. Fabulous!!

So, you may ask, what does this have to do with scooters? Here goes; Lucas lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana now. So? Well, I don't have the means to fly out there to see him, and visiting him is something I HAVE to do! Therefore, I am tentatively planning a road trip out there from here in Cottonwood in (I'm hoping) May. On my Genuine Buddy 125. "CRAZY", you might cry! Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before...

I'm looking at about an 1800 mile trip across northern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, into Arkansas and south into Baton Rouge. I'm trying for secondary roads for obvious reasons. Now then, how many of you have heard of a 3600 mile trip for a 125cc motorscooter? Yeah, me either. So I'm going to try to find sponsors for such incidentals as, say, oil...tires...maybe even gas if I find the right guy. I'd welcome t-shirts, stickers, jackets, helmets, gloves...any gear. I also hope to contact the right person at Genuine and see if I could get mechanical and parts back-up from them if needed.

So what would a sponsor get out of this? Aside from helping a father reunite with his son after WAY too many years? First; I intend to maintain my blog and advertise for my sponsors heavily. Second; I also intend to write an article (with pictures, of course) of my journey that I would try to sell to various motorsport magazines...from Scoot! to Cycle World to Arizona Highways. I also hope to send articles to our local newspaper. And of course, much advertising for those who sponsor my ride. It's the best I can do, guys...

This may be a trip I make alone. Jes' Jim from the Scarabs Scooter Club (www.scarabsc.com) MAY go with me as far as Texarkana, but that is still up in the air. This should prove to be quite a trip with many good stories and probably a few bad...but it's all part of the game. I HAVE to see Lucas.

So far I have 2 committed sponsors; one is a design studio in Phoenix, owned by Dave Creech, another Scarab and the other one is the Flying Dorffini, a motorcycle and motorscooter repair shop in Flagstaff. I am hereby soliciting others who may be interested in sponsoring a totally fooling old man with a dream to see his son. Thanks for your consideration.

C-ya...ride on!

--Keys

Rally Pics

2006-09-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

Trail-bike Pics

2006-09-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Rally and trail-bikin'

2006-09-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Time for another update. I was bored last Saturday after having taken a load of branches and brush out to the branch and brush pit behind my truck terminal. Time for a ride!! I roade out Hwy 260 to Finnie Flats Road on the east side of I-17 and chased it into the town of Camp Verde. The town was originally "Fort" Verde and was a cavalry post designed to protect the local settlers from...well, the worst I've seen are those nasty javalina and the wolf spiders. I'd welcome a little protection in that direction any day. But again, I digress.

I hooked a left onto Montezuma Castle Highway that leads towards Middle Verde, where Cliff Castle Casino sits. Montezuma's Castle is a ruin left behind by the Sinagua Indians who hung around our neck of the woods some six to eight hundred years ago, I believe. Nobody really knows where they went, but they left behind a LOT of city-type ruins in the Verde Valley. The ruins are very similar to what you'll find in Colorado at Mesa Verde. Anyway, I didn't go there. I went to the casino where there was in progress a big biker rally...a "Toys For Tots" rally and poker run. I met a few great people who actually thought my Genuine Buddy was...well, if not "cool", at least acceptable. At a benefit. I wanted to check out the concert later that was featuring Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf and one of my all-time favorites; Blood, Sweat and Tears. I couldn't shake loose the thirty-five bucks required to get in, though.

I bailed from the casino and took Hwy 260 east towards Hwy 87, which goes north to Winslow or south to Payson. I just went to the top and took pictures until a likely bunch of Harleys thundered by. I just ripped up the asphalt chasing them down the mountain. They still won, though. Something about 1200 plus cubic centimeters and a straight road that leaves me choking on dust. I could hang with 'em in the corners, though.

I knew my buddy Steve at the Scooter Scoop (www.thescooterscoop.blogspot.com) would want action photos, so I fished the camera out of the glovebox and as I was cooking about 65 mph, I took a picture. It's the one with the brown blob at the top. That's my finger. The specks in the distance are Harleys.

Then, after fueling up in Camp Verde, I went back to the casine where I took a few photos. The Buddy and I; the Buddy, myself and a guy I met named Dan-knee, and one of the Buddy alone in a sea of black and chrome. Kind of a "where's Waldo" moment...

Then, having seen all there was to see, I headed home. Didn't make it. I found a dirt road near my house that seems to head directly for Mingus Mountain to the west. I just had to see. I went about 5 miles before my wife called and sent me home for some chores. Still haven't seen where the road goes, but I DID discover that a Buddy is an adequate trail-bike. Take it slow and it does just fine. Dust sure shows up on that black finish, though. Have to wash it someday.

I posted a few pics of that little sojourn as well.

Tomorrow, September 30th, is the day of the "Something For Nothing" rally that begins in Flagstaff, goes south through Oak Creek Canyon into Sedona, then west into Cottonwood, continuing west through Jerome to the "Potato Patch Campground" at the top of Mingus Mountain where the whole group will camp and party. Then on Sunday is the return trip. Last year we had, I'm gonna guess, about 50 scoots. What a GREAT time!

The Scarabs, however, are based primarily out of Phoenix and Tucson, so their plan is to motor up this afternoon (Friday) and camp tonight as well, then I'm riding up from Cottonwood in the morning to meet them just below the campground. From there we'll do the reverse version of the trip up to Flagstaff where we'll meet up with everyone else. Then after a cuppa joe, we'll all do the ride as a group (big group...much fun) to Mingus. Of course, there will be various stops along the way.

After they reach the campground, I'm gonna have to bail, since the band I play keyboards in (www.dryheatband.com) has a gig tomorrow night in Sedona.

A sidebar here; I had hoped to go on the Tucson-Nogales Fall Classic, this year, but the evil spirits of fate stepped in...Dry Heat has a gig that night, too. Gotta be there. Anyway, the Fall Classic is November 10th, 11th and 12th and promises to be a fabulous rally. Info can be found at the Scarabs' forum http://phxscarabsc.com/forum/index.php.

I'll try to get all the pic up in this post and the next one or two. Still haven't learned how to put them where I want them. Give you something to do...sort 'em out.

C-ya, ride on!

--Keys

A Fine and Pleasant Scoot

2006-09-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

My wife, Ski, finally got back on her Helix last Sunday! This is good news! You see, when she saw my sister, Shelly, bounce Ski's Helix off of that Toyota on the Fourth of July, Ski has been just a little scared. Now, Ski slid to an unglamorous stop in our driveway back in May and sustained a broken rib and some road-rash, but it's a whole different thing watching someone else bite the dust! Especially when it's somebody you care about...

Anyway, I had forgotten whether my delivery time Monday morning (for my day job) was 5 a.m. or 6 a.m., so after church and breakfast I figured I'd fire the Buddy up and run up to the terminal to check. To my surprise, Ski said she wanted to go too! On her scooter! So we did. My terminal is in Clarkdale, about 5 miles below Jerome and about 5 miles from home. We motored on up to Clarkdale and Ski had just the biggest grin on her face. "Forgot how much fun it is, didn't you?" I yelled over the wind. She just nodded.

I checked my schedule and left the terminal, pulling up to a 4-way stop about a mile down the road. While at the stop, Ski suggested an excursion to Jerome and of course, I NEVER turn down a ride, so we turned right and headed up the hill. Ski was impressed with the power and speed the Buddy displayed, but she'd still get that evil grin on her face, goose the Helix and leave me in the dust. She likes doing that. We circled the town a time or two, receiving looks of derision from all the Harley riders. Like I care. How many of them put over a thousand miles on their new bike in less than three weeks, like I did mine? And how many of them are actually passionate enough about their bikes to have a restoration project in their garage? Off my soapbox, now. We parked in one of the lower parking lots and walked to a little shop Ski had spied. She's in the market for a Halloween costume and this shop had several she was interested in. I kinda liked the "Woodland Nymph" costume, but nobody asked me. The shop is built in a building that in the early part of the century was a brothel. They have all kinds of memorabilia from both the era and the business. Fun to look at. However, it was a small shop and more than about 4 people just didn't fit, so I wandered across the street to a shop specializing in outdoorsy/hiking kind of stuff. Found some saddlebags might fit the scooter.

They didn't have Ski's size, so we hopped on the scooters again and headed down the hill to Cottonwood where we stopped at the American Legion. I'm a member there, but since I don't drink, I very seldom go there. They had a 2 piece country band there giving the World War II and Korean War era vets something to dance to. They were having a fine time. Ski marvelled at two dollar cocktails. I drank coffee and gazed wistfully out the window at the neglected scooters.

We left the Legion and Ski suggested we go down Cornville Road, which has a couple of spots where the curves are entertaining. We got into Cornville where I led us to Page Springs Road which (more or less) connects Cornville with Hwy 89A heading into Sedona. It is a beautiful ride of about 8 miles alongside the Verde River. Nice, tight corners; shady trees overhead. At the stop sign where Page Springs Road intersects 89A, I asked Ski if she wanted to to home or to Sedona. Sedona, it was!

With the Buddy hitting speeds of 65+ mph and the Helix displaying vulgar amounts of power up to 75 mph, we cruised into West Sedona. We enjoyed a pleasant ride through town to the "Y" where 89A connects with Hwy 179 south towards the Village of Oak Creek. Nice, windy road through the red rocks for about 5 miles. We rode through VOC to Beaverhead Flats Road and turned right. Good pavement, fast sweepers. This empties out onto Cornville Road, where we turned right again, rode through Cornville and went on home.

All in all, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours and about 70 miles. What a great, relaxing, enjoyable afternoon with my wife. I highly recommend it as couples therapy.

C-ya later...ride on!

Dr. Keys

Over the Hill Ride

2006-09-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

This whole story starts with an invitation to attend a meeting of the Scarabs Scooter Club ( www.scarabsc.com )steering committee this Saturday evening past at Dave and Vanessa's home in Phoenix. I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I'd go and my beloved Ski said "JUST GO!!" So I did. Friday, I begain experiencing a sore throat and some unpleasantly sore sinuses. I told Ski I may have to call the Scarabs and tell them I can't make it. She gave me "that look" and said, "Don't give me that! You KNOW you're going!" She knows me so well....

I was up at seven Saturday morning and had the Buddy packed in, oh, maybe 8 or 9 minutes. Now what? I didn't intend to leave until eight! So I stopped and had a MacBurrito and some MacCoffee, fueled up and set to! It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the seventies there in Cottonwood, so I coughed and hacked a little and commenced on my ride "Over the Hill" to Phoenix, some 150 miles away, by way of the back roads I was taking. The first place I came to was the old copper mining town of Jerome about 8 miles above Cottonwood. And when I say above, I mean above! Now, I'm from Colorado, and they build some towns on the side of mountains there, but Jerome is equal to the best of them! It's now kind of an "artsy-fartsy" kind of place except on Sunday afternoons when all the bikers show up on their Harleys (and Harley wannabes) and overtake the Spirit Room. I love parking my scooters in the midst of the Harleys and annoying them. So, anyway, the second picture in the previous posting is of Jerome from just below it. You will discover I haven't the foggiest idea of how to put the pictures in order.

So, I started up Mingus Mountain above Jerome to a pull off about 2 miles above town that overlooks the Verde Valley through a cut in the cliffs. A spectacular view! That particular photo is at the top of this posting. Don't know WHAT happened.

Then, I stopped about halfway up the mountain to take a picture of the surrounding country, that would be...let's see...the FIRST picture in the previous post. I also took a picture (the fourth one) of the road winding through the forest. And of course, what travelogue would be complete without a picture of the scooter at the top of the mountain under the elevation sign? Picture 5. Picture #3, in case you're wondering was a picture of the sign telling one that they have a quick (and fun) ride down through the curves, corners and hair-pins into Prescott Valley. I had a picture of the road leading into Prescott Valley, but it just didn't have enough pizzazz, so I left it out. Also, I ran out of room.

I headed out through Prescott Valley and Prescott proper to the west side of town where I picked up Hwy 89 heading south towards Peeples Valley, Yarnell, Congress (not the political entity) and Wickenburg. I was supposed to meet Jes' Jim (Scarab extrordinaire) somewhere around Peeples Valley. I was supposed to go straight down 89 to meet him. Somehow (I'm still a little hazy on this...) I ended up on the road to Skull Valley! That area is depicted in the seventh picture. The roads end up in the same place, but if Jim had been five minutes faster, I would have missed him since I met him about two miles south of where the Skull Valley road intersects 89. Clean livin' and righteous thought will bring about serendipitous events every time! Jes' Jim spun his Piaggio BV 500 around (more cautiously than I would have, I might add) and chased me on into Peeples Valley for my first fuel stop. We took a couple of pictures there, the scooters with Jim (picture # eight...with helmet) and the scooters with me (pic #9...without helmet). We swapped scooters there and rode into the little burg of Yarnell.

I discovered that 350 more cc's and about 260 more pounds makes for a rather substantial machine! The BV 500 had a fine write-up in the spring issue of Scoot! Quarterly. They really liked it! It's a big, touring machine capable of nimble handling, which most of the "Maxi-scooters" are not. It sports large diameter wheels, liquid cooling and a very comfortable seating position. I would guess, though, that if you are a tall guy, the quarters would be somewhat cramped. But, hey, this is a machine capable of almost a hundred miles per hour! You can put up with a little crampage! Anyway, the power was impressive to me...a fan of small scooters. You can tell from the pictures the discrepancy in size. Jes' Jim, however, was a gracious rider who didn't leave me in the dust.

We dined at a cafe in Yarnell called "the Buzzard's Roost" or something like that. Pleasant waitress, decent food. Jes' Jim had a big ol' breakfast and I had a cuppa joe and a biscuit. Dang cold was affecting my appetite!

We scooted out of Yarnell and over the edge of Yarnell Hill, a piece of road that is good asphalt, steep downhill, and corners of varying radii. Some sweepers, some tight ones. I just turned the Buddy loose and touched 75 mph in a couple of spots leaving Jes' Jim to try to catch me. Of course he did, when we hit to open road at the bottom. I would have taken pictures of this hill, but I was having too much fun to stop. You'll have to make the trip yourself if you want pictures.

We cruised along at about 65 miles per hour for a while and stopped at a rest area just north of Wickenburg. I got a pic of Jes' Jim on the phone to his beloved, Carol...another long-suffering wife of scooter trash. That would be the sixth, and I think, final picture..

South of Wickenburg (a haven of speed traps) we caught State Highway 60 south to Hwy 74 (also known as the Carefree Highway, of rock and roll fame). That was a little hairier for my little bike. The speed limit is 65 so everyone does only 80. I put my chin down on the speedometer to cut the wind and again saw about 75 a time or two with a good average of just over 65. Jes' Jim, of course, just cruised...sitting straight up and with what could have been a slight smirk on his face. A vulgar display of power. We jumped on 99th Avenue south to...well, how should I know? Jes' Jim was leading! Anyway, he was able to find his home where we downed a few gallons of water (it was quite hot out), listened to a couple CD's by the band I'm in; "Dry Heat" www.dryheatbluesband.com, and he chatted with a pleasant young lady who called and asked him to participate in a phone survey. Eventually we got back on the scooters and hit the Loop 101 Hwy that kind of circles Phoenix from the northwest to the northeast and then south. It's also known in the Scottsdale area as the East Valley Raceway. There have been motorists clocked at speeds over 140 mph there. Fortunately, they stayed home Saturday.

We moseyed on into Scottsdale to Scottsdale Vespa where Jes' Jim will be starting as a mechanic in a couple of weeks. They were closed, so we had Kung Pao Chicken at Panda Express. Then we called Scooter Invasion, since they are the local Buddy dealer and I'm trying to find an oil filter. They, too, were closed. So we went the a freindly Kymco dealer named Gary at Az Desert Sports. I'd give you his web address, but I lost his card. Great guy! If you live in the Phoenix area and are looking for a quality scooter dealer, he's the man! Though neither Jes' Jim nor I currently ride Kymcos, Gary was more than happy to spend about 45 minutes visiting with us. He is VERY Scarab friendly and hopes to be able to go to one of our rides soon. We would be honored to have him ride with us.

We left Gary's and headed towards Dave and Vanessa's through urban traffic. Since I don't live in a city, I found this to be a great adventure. Jes' Jim and I were on ultimate Urban Assault Vehicles! What a great time! At Dave and Vanessa's home, Dave brought out the feed bag and we dined on BBQ chicken, beans, coleslaw, rolls, etc. Had to get the best stuff before the rest of the steering committee showed up! We had a fine visit, then Vanessa got home from work. More dining. Then Damn Dirty Dave showed up followed by Cheese and Potatoes Rubio...also known as Irving and Cristian. We met and what we talked about is none of your business. You want to know, you have to join the Scarabs. Nanner-nanner-nanner.

Finally everyone left. During the course of the meeting, it had been raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock. Dave estimated the water level in his pool rose and inch and a half. Well, due to my cold, I had promised Ski I wouldn't ride home if it was raining and I always keep my promises to her. She's worth it. So the dogs (Max and Wiley) and I shared an air mattress until about 4:30 a.m. when they decided I was taking up altogether too much room and booted me off. I dragged on my clothes, wrote a note to Sir Dave and Lady Vanessa thanking them for their hospitality and headed home. The roads were still damp, but it wasn't raining. This time I headed straight up I-17 to the north. I figured that it would be relatively safe to take a scooter on a rural freeway at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I was right. I annoyed nobody much and they pretty much left me alone. I stopped about 35 miles from home at a MacDonalds in Cordes Jct. where I again had a MacBurrito and some MacJava. Then, uneventfully, I scooted home. From Deer Valley Road in north Phoenix, where I gassed up, to Camp Verde...12 miles from home...I used .911 gallons of gas and averaged over 65 mph. It was about 90 miles. I went home with a cold in my head (still) and grin on my face. What a fabulous time! A trip of about 320 miles (including running around Phoenix) on a 125 cc scooter. I loved it and hope to do it again soon.

Hmmm. We are riding on our Fall Classic ride in November...I'd have to ride from Cottonwood to Phoenix, to Tucson, spend the night, then on to Nogales where we'll camp, then back to Phoenix and ultimately back to Cottonwood. I'd tell you how many miles, but I can't count that high....

C-ya. Ride on!

--Keys

Over the Hill Pictures

2006-09-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

Over The Hill Pics

2006-09-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

New scooter pics

2006-09-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the pictures didn't show up as advertised...here they are...

--Keys

The new scooter

2006-09-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been awhile since I've posted here, so here goes... I kept pestering Shelby at Scoot Over in Tucson about getting me a Kymco Agility 125. Finally, after many phone calls, she is told by KymcoUSA that it would be perhaps mid to late September before dealers would get any. Some issue with the kill switch. Like, maybe there wasn't one or something. Anyway, the DOT shut down all shipments until they are fixed. Well, I didn't want to wait until possibly the end of September with the warranty expired on the Bajaj in August, so I just sucked it up and asked Shelby if she still had a black Genuine Buddy. She said yes and I said to hold it for me. This was on or about the 17th of August. Being all anxious, I told her that I'd meet her Friday afternoon down in Phoenix to pick it up. Everything was cool. Except...I couldn't find a pickup to borrow. Finally, I called her back and said I couldn't find any wheels and all I had was my '96 Chrysler Sebring convertible. I had taken measurements from the internet on the Buddy and administered them to the Sebring. DANG! The think would fit in the back seat!! However, the Bajaj to be traded in wouldn't fit. Shelby said she'd trust me for the Bajaj and just bring down the notorized title and bring her the Bajaj in a week or so. I took her up on her offer and, with the top down (no air conditioning), I headed out. Forgot a hat for my poor bald head. MAJOR sunburn!

Shelby was about an hour late...it seems as soon as she was getting ready to leave, people started pouring in. She sold 5 scooters before she was able to get away! And I had lunch at Whataburger.

She showed up and the Buddy went into the back seat easily. Of course, the front end was sticking in the air rather conspicuously. No top-up driving for me. More sunburn. As I was making the 100+ mile trip home, I got more grins from passersby than I think I've ever received before! In fact, one of those little Scion boxes went by, the lady driving giving me the ol' "thumbs up" and the guy in the passenger seat taking pictures with his camera phone. I thought I was being completely reasonable getting my new scooter home that way. Guess I was a little out of the ordinary. Who would have guessed?

Got it home and put about 5 miles on it before going to bed. Had to work Saturday morning. After work, I decided to visit my wife at work in the Village of Oak Creek (a bedroom community for Sedona). I hit the 25 mile mark and the scooter up and quit. Just like that! I looked and discovered gas pouring out the overflow tube from the carburetor. I stuck a stick in the tube and headed for home. Got there just as I ran out of gas. I spent the next 2-3 hours trying to find a fix. Apparently, the assembler at the Mikuni Carburetor factory forgot to tighten the bowl drain screw and it backed out on me and went away. This particular carb requires (of course) a SPECIAL screw that seats into another apperature to prevent the running out of fuel through the overflow tube. Hence my problem. No screw...much drainage.

I have a friend who runs a little dirt bike shop in Cottonwood who had a used screw that would just plug the drain hole. It wouldn't seal the other apperature, though, so I had to seal off the overflow tube. I did so and ran it for a week like that until the correct screw arrived in the mail from Scoot Over.

I picked up my Buddy on August 19th. Today is September 1st and I have just about 650 miles on it and two oil changes under it's belt. I have taken it over Mingus Mountain to Prescott once and was favorably impressed with it's handling. It doesn't feel as "planted" as the Bajaj and tends to slide a little easier on gravel or dirt, but I think that's a function of being some 30 pounds lighter and over 4 inches shorter in the wheelbase. Overall, though, I was quite smitten with the handling. I took the corners at least as fast as I could on the Bajaj. The ride is smoother and the grip of the stock Cheng Shin tires seems to be good. I averaged higher speeds overall than I did on the Bajaj...uphill as well as on the flats. I even saw an indicated 72 mph. Factor in the approximately 10% optimism built into the speedo and it still was about 64 mph. Averaged just under 100 mpg. Not bad for a 125 scooter.

Fit and finish on the Buddy is excellent for a plastic scooter. The quality is rivaling the best of the Japanese products, in my opinion. The seat is comfortable and the under-seat storage is large enough to hold my 1/2 helmet, my jean jacket, my goggles, gloves and the garage door opener. Bungees are in the front compartment which is big enough to hold a bottle of water, a calculator (so I can give you accurate mile-per-gallon figures), sunglasses and a big mac. A take out container of Kung Pao chicken and another of steamed rice are easily carried in a plastic bag hung from the hook mounted just above the front compartment and held in with one's feet on the floorboards. In other words, I don't need no stinkin' car!

Except for the aforementioned carburetor snafu, I have NO mechanical complaints! It goes well and powerfully and is easily accessible for maintenance. I had the carburetor out and apart three times that Saturday and it took maybe 2 minutes to get it out. I have changed the crankcase oil and the gearbox oil both and they were both simple, mere minutes jobs. The spark plug is easily accessible and the valve lash doesn't need adjusted. What could be simpler? I have considered mounting my little SuperTrapp muffler on the end of the stock pipe, but haven't really decided it would be worth it. It runs so well now I'd hate to screw it up!

I did, however, remove the ugly, headset mounted DOT turn indicators and plugged in the European lights mounted on the body. Looks much better. The lower wattage bulbs in the European lights make it blink faster, but I like anything that stands out and gets attention. SEE ME!! I'M ON A SCOOTER!! DON'T RUN OVER ME!!! I think the faster sequencing accomplishes the "SEE ME" thing. It's different enough to get attention. I also cut the "extra" rear fender that hangs down (WAY down) beneath the license plate. The tire has a little fender over it, so I could see no reason for the tail to remain. Zip! In the trash! Other than those two little things, the scooter is as Shelby delivered it and I really can't see any reason to change it. Maybe add stickers or some paint or something, but as a fun, functional scooter, it can't be beat out of the showroom.

The engine has won many awards in Taiwan and features an anodized piston, a pressurized oil system and a spin-on automotive-style oil filter. All of these should be significant in terms of reliability. Again, I'll let you know.

I have a major ride planned for tomorrow over to Prescott, down Hwy 69 through Congress and Yarnell to Wickenburg and on into Phoenix for a Scarabs Scooter Club meeting at 6:30 p.m. I'm leaving about 8 a.m. to enjoy the trip and play in Phoenix all day. Then the ride home at night. Should put on about 300 miles tomorrow. I'll be taking pictures and writing up a report. By the way, I'm putting up a couple of pics of the Buddy here.

C-ya later. Ride on.

--Keys

P.S. In the picture of the rear of the scooter, you will see the letters; "2 COOL". Those have been replaced with, of all things, "skutergruven".

Sometimes ya just gotta change...

2006-08-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

I believe I told you all about Jenn riding her Vespa GT200 to Denver a couple of weeks ago for Amerivespa. Well, as it turns out, she broke down about 50 miles south of Denver on I-25. The centrifugal clutch part of her variator transmission stopped sliding on it's shaft, seizing in the "high gear" position. Well, the bottom line is that it totally fragged the belt and cooked the clutch to a toasty well-done. She sat alongside the road for about an hour and a half before her friend reached her with his pick-up. I just happened to call while she was waiting and we had a few laughs just to while away the time. She left the scooter with her friend and rented a car to get home. Her friend has since fixed it and someday she'll make it back to pick it up.

I also believe I mention my possibly getting a Genuine Scooters "Buddy" in the near future. Well, the evil gods of finance have stepped in and put a kabosh on that idea. It would have required my Bajaj and $1400.00 to consumate said deal. I have exactly $1000.00 available for a new scooter (otherwise it goes to bills) so, after talking with Shelby down there at Scoot Over, we discovered I could get a Kymco Agility 125 http://www.kymco.co.uk/scooters/agility125.html for the money I have available. I realize that this is a UK site, but these are the best pictures I've found of the Agility 125. They are available for the first time this month, so I'll end up with one of the first ones in Arizona. It is a small (about the size of the Buddy...220 pounds, give or take) European styled scooter riding on 12" diameter wheels instead of 10".

I test rode a 50 cc version of the Agility today at Encore Performance, where I bought my Bajaj. http://www.epfguzzi.com . They won't get a 125 until probably sometime in September whereas Scoot Over is getting two in on Tuesday, August 15th. I already have dibs on one. I don't care what color...I'll probably change it anyway!

As for the test, now. The 50 cc is a dog. Just flat SLOW!! I was able to reach 40 mph, but it took forever to get there. However, that being said, I wasn't testing it for the engine, I just wanted to see if it handled well enough for me to be happy and to check the comfort level. It seemed to take corners well, the rubber is significantly wider than that on my Bajaj (which is the standard by which all scooters will be judged in terms of handling) and gripped well. The ride was choppy and stiff, but I attribute that to the fact that the scooter only had 4 miles on it when I took it out (came back with 9) and the shock and forks have not had a chance to break in. If you are the sort to perch on the front of the seat, you won't like this scooter. Kymco has determined that a full-face helmet should fit under the seat in the little compartment there. That's well and good, but to make that amount of room available, the put a severe hump in the seat pan right at the front which allows for, oh, maybe 3/4 of an inch of padding there. If you ride a little further back, it should be fine. Kymco DOES however use very hard foam! Be warned...it may LOOK fluffy, but it ain't! The Agility is not quite as bad as Kymco's People 150 for locating your feet in one place. Only. Therefore, I give the comfort level a slight edge on the People. The People 150 is one of the most popular scooters in America, so the comfort level must be offset by the (surprising) power and reliability. The People will be offered in 2006 as a 50 cc, a 125 cc (same engine as the Agility), a 200 cc and a 250 cc with more modern and in my opinion more attractive styling. I tested a People 150 about a month or so ago and found it to be uncomfortable, but MUCH more powerful and faster than my Bajaj. It pulled a hill in Prescott at about 55 - 60 that I climbed today at only 45 on the Bajaj. I'm hoping that the Agility will also be impressive...although it's 25 cc's smaller, the scooter is about 20 - 25 pounds lighter. I'm also hoping that the engine is the same one that used to be the 150. There are some SERIOUS performance upgrades available for the 150. I've even heard of a 190 cc kit. Ooooo! 190 cc's and only 220 pounds!?!?! Someone could lose an eye!

I brought it back and was discussing some of the attributes of the Agility with the salesman, Matt and the mechanic, Will. We poked and prodded and marvelled at the little "buddy seat" behind the main seat that flips up into a backrest. Cool! However, nobody really knows if that will show up on the 125 or if it is just a 50 cc item. Guess I'll find out next week. Then we discussed the fact that the suspension will need to be beefed up to handle the (massive) power and speed developed by the 125. I did a little hunting on the 'net when I got home and lo and behold, somebody at Kymco agreed! The 125 will be sporting 2 shocks instead of just one. Both on the same side...single sided swingarm, you know...

Some of the specs:

52 inch wheelbase (just about right, in my opinion), 1.3 gallons of fuel (not enough...Kymcos don't get the best mileage), 12 inch wheels with what seems to be competant rubber and (thank God) analog guages. I just don't trust digital guages in the element-suseptible dash of a motorscooter. One drop of water in the wrong place and BOOM...instant darkness...or maybe instant stop. Maybe I'm not being realistic, but I'm old enough I can be a curmudgeon. More good; Kymco has an almost legendary reputation for reliability in the scooter world and their scooters also come with a 2 year, unlimited mile warranty. It does NOT, however, have available the free 1 year roadside assistance plan that Genuine has in place for the Buddy. Bum'r.

I'll let you know when I get it and give you my impressions. I'm hoping for the best, since I'll have it for at least 2 years.

Now then, let's see, I have a small supertrapp muffler in my garage, and the Kawasaki dealer in town carries K&N air filters, Encore carries a full assortment of carburetor jets...WalMart carries Krylon...MAN! The possibilities are endless!!!

C-ya...ride on!

Keys

Long Ride and a little catching up.

2006-08-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

Took a long ride today. Since most of it was on the freeway, the Helix got tapped for duty. I rode from Cottonwood to Tucson. 450 miles round trip. I left at about 5:30 this morning and made it the 100 miles to Phoenix before hunger pangs drove me to the nearest Waffle House. A waffle, some bacon and coffee and a fill up for the Helix got me back on the road. I motored on into the parking lot at Scoot Over (www.goscootover.com) at about 9:30. Big hug from Mike Stirrat, the owner and on to some serious scooter talk. And testing. He told the salesman, Chris, to just hand me the keys to anything I wanted to ride. What a guy! First, I rode a little pink (ick) Buddy by Genuine scooters (www.genuinescooters.com). What a fabulous little scooter! It is a 125 cc, four-stroke, automatic scooter. Now, the initial impression one would have is; "So, it has a top speed of what, 45 maybe?" Well, one's initial impression would be WRONG!!! I had the tiny thing up to 65 in the space of about a block or so on a side street. PGO out of Taiwan manufactures the Buddy and they have done their homework! My helmet fit under the seat with room for a jacket, gloves and my goggles left. Maybe even a leftover burrito, too! I tested the kickstarter since no one had and one kick was all it took. Putt-putt. It weighs about 40 pounds less than my Bajaj and is several inches both shorter and narrower. Small, it is. Intrigues me a lot!

Next up was the 150 cc GTR by CPI. C'mon, SOMEbody buy a vowel! This scooter, um, I mean motorcyc...well, not really. Hmm. Kinda hard to catagorize. Anyway, I don't have a link to this one. The description (to the best of my abilities) is as follows. The GTR is available with either a 50 cc and 150 cc 4-stroke engine. It has large diameter wheels and tires and a trellis-type frame ala Ducati, replete with low handlebars and rear-set pegs. Yep. Pegs...not floorboards. Sound like a small sportbike, huh? Well, now, the engine is a horizontal cylinder layout, just like the scooters, and is an automatic with a CVT transmission, just like the scooters. The ride is very "motorcyclish", if you will. Turning radius is similar to that of a small motorcycle. On the road, the rearsets put one's feet up high and far back, which in turns slides one's family jewels forward onto the tank. I can visualize "uneven pavement" signs being replaced with "nutcracker ahead". Some moron came hauling butt through a parking lot I pulled into and I can attest to fine brakes on the GTR. It is a fantastic looking machine that handles well and would be a gas for short, fun rides. I would have hitchiked to Tucson before I would have ridden the GTR that far though. I spend a LOT of time in the saddle and the GTR would not be my choice.

Got a little information on the Rattler that Genuine is coming out with. It is based on the Black Cat 50 cc scooter, but is somewhat stripped down and will have a 110 cc 2-stroke engine. Could prove to be a very tasty product. Won't be available until 2007. I have a pic here somewhere of it. It is the black one with motorcycle-style handlebars and wide knobby-type tires.

Now on to the "catching up" section of this blog. Some of the previously forgotten websites I have used.

TGB - www.cobrasales.com

A comparison review between a Buddy and a Yamaha Vino 125 - www.justgottascoot.com/buddy.htm

Buddy and Rattler pics - www.motostrada.com

...and finally, a pic of me, and one of the Mad Hornet which may, indeed, be traded off.

As you can tell, I'm still learning to put photos on my blog. NOW I just have to learn how to place them where I want them....

C-ya, ride on...Keys

Lights out! And other stuff....

2006-07-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

I guess I suspected it would happen sooner or later... My job requires me to arise at such ungodly hours as 11 p.m. or, if I get to sleep in, maybe 2 a.m. I, therefore, have to ride to work in the dark...regardless of what time of year it is. So, there I was this Tuesday past, just motoring along to work, enjoying the coolness of the night (and the lack of traffic) when suddenly the world went dark. A bit disconcerting, you might say. Fortunately, I still had a high beam and with a flick of my left thumb, I was able to annoy all oncoming traffic on my way to work for the rest of the week. Picked up a new bulb this afternoon and installed it. Who would have thought you'd have to disassemble the entire headset just to swap out the headlamp? You do, though, at least on a Bajaj Chetak! I once again have a full compliment of lights.

I've been looking at a new offering from Genuine Scooters, the folks who brought you the Stella. It's called (and I'm NOT making this up) the "Buddy". Whatever. Anyway, it is a re-badged PGO "My Bubu". Now "Buddy" is looking a little better. "Hey, hey, BooBoo...what'd the nice Ranger say...? But I digress. The Buddy is a 223 pound 125cc modern, automatic, plastic-type of scooter. PGO did a good thing by utilizing a pressurized oiling system and an automotive-type oil filter. Sure beats the screen on my Bajaj! Then, the engineers at PGO went a souped up the engine. I'm not kidding! That thing has a higher top speed than my 145cc Chetak! Of course, being thirty pounds lighter helps. Not me. The scooter. So, I called my friends down at Scoot Over in Tucson to see if they are carrying them and sho' nuff, they are! I feel a road trip coming on...let's see, about 240 miles one way...yeah, I can do it in a weekend. Maybe. I'm actually thinking this would be the perfect beginning scooter for my sister, RoadRash...I mean Shelly. Who knows, 60+ mph and 90-100 mpg and 223 pounds (I like my scooters skinny) might be enough to convince me to start scheming towards one of my own! After all, a two year warranty and one year roadside assistance and the dealer connections of Genuine look pretty good. And if I DO trade in the Bajaj, I still have the (still unrestored) Allstate for my "classic" scoot.

Another item; my dear friend (whom I also consider a sister), Jenn Chapman, rode her Vespa GT200 from Prescott, AZ. to Denver, CO. this week to attend the AmeriVespa rally. She did the 900+ miles in two days and pulled the interstates all the way. We're talkin' BIG BRASS ONES here. And she did it all by herself. Alone. Just up and went. I called her today and she was at the scooter swap-meet across from Sportique scooter center in...well, wherever it is. Aw man...a scooter swap-meet. Aw man! And I wasn't there! So anyway, her little Vespa did a fine job and appears no worse for the wear. Of course, she still has to make it home, but I have faith in the both of 'em. She's living on energy drinks and adrenaline and having the time of her life! If she and Michele (one of the Denver Scarabs) don't get arrested sometime this weekend, I'll be moderately surprised.

Later, all

C-ya...ride on! --Keys

4th of July, Flagstaff ride and TGB test ride

2006-07-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

This post begins July 4th. My wife, Ski, and I went over to my sister, Shelly's house for a BBQ. Good food, good times. Then Shelly, her husband Joe, daughter McKenzie, son Orion and a couple of nephews joined us at the local Ford dealership (where Joe works) to watch the local fireworks. Ski and I rode our scooters, of course. Now, Shelly has been pretty interested in our scooters since the beginning but has never ridden one. She has experience on a quad, though, so I figured she would have some idea. Who would have guessed she was SO uncoordinated.

Shelly decided to try her hand on Ski's Helix, since it's an automatic and my Bajaj is a 4-speed. I pointed out where the brakes were and how they operated and where the throttle was and how IT operated. You know, I should have remembered that her car driving style is throttle on-throttle off-throttle on-throttle off...

She grabbed a handful of throttle and commenced to weave a quick, though unsteady trail through the parking lot ride towards the brand new Toyota Matrix owned by the couple about 100 feet away from us. Choruses of "BRAKE!! BRAKE!!" rang out...to no avail. Shelly was wearing flip-flops and the one on her brake foot hooked over the brake pedal, preventing her from being able to step on it. And of course, this had to happen during a throttle-on period. Sister and Helix both ricochetted off of the Toyota's front bumper sending both into a high-side slide. The scooter just got scratched up, the Toyota got black marks from the underside of the scooter on it's bumper (Geico will deal with it...) and Shelly got a pretty good collection of road-rash all up and down her right side. McKenzie freaked out for about 45 minutes, Ski dealt with the owners of the Toyota and I apologized my ass off. Shelly just laughed and sopped up the precious bodily fluids running down her arm and knee. She is still dead-set on getting her own scooter. Joe says she doesn't have the flesh to spare.

THEN today, I rode up to Flagstaff again through Oak Creek canyon. Again saw where the fire had ravaged the area. It seemed to look worse to me today than it did right afterwards. Maybe it was just my mood today. Beautiful ride up through the canyon until I reached about a half mile south of the Slide Rock Recreation area. It seems that a great numlber of people wanted to turn left into the area and the folks in the money-taking hut were operating very slowly. Traffic on the two lane Hwy 89A was at a dead stop for a half mile. I, however, being on a scooter, just slipped off to the right and rode the white line past them all. Several cars attempted to ease over to the right to cut me off, but they had packed in so tightly, they couldn't move much. They people in the cars were seriously annoyed at me. Here's the deal; our lives are determined and defined by our choices. I chose to ride a scooter. They didn't. Deal with it!

Got up to Flagstaff and found the local dealer for TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee...the Taiwanese equivalent of the Italian Vespa, or wasp). They graciously allowed me a test ride on a 150cc R9 Laser...I told them I was checking them out for my sister, which was true. The fit and finish was miles ahead of the Chinese scooters...very close to the Kymco. It had just five miles on the odometer, but it still had good acceleration. Mechanically, it felt very solid. No clanks, shudders, jerks or anything. Just a good, smooth operation. The CVT transmission didn't seem to engage at a low enough rpm for me...easily fixed with different weights on the clutch. Overall, I was impressed with the mechanicals. I shouldn't be surprised, though, since TGB manufactures the CVT's for Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia and others. They know their stuff.

I was, however, disappointed in the feel and riding position. The seat is very high off the ground...I'd say a good inch and a half higher than my Bajaj. Then, the floorboards lock your feet in one position which put my knees up high with an uncomfortable bend in them. The whole feel was one of a very high center of gravity which, if it's really as high as it feels, could interfere with spirited cornering...one of the joys of scooting!

Overall, I'd give it a 7 or 7 1/2 outa ten. Mechanicals and power a good 9. Very close to the Kymco in power delivery. Comfort; 5.

Hit some rain leaving Flagstaff, but it quit soon and I was dry before I reached Sedona. The cars heading south were VERY uncooperative and kept me to the speed limit or less all the way. Made me very grumpy.

Stopped in at my wife's work in the Village of Oak Creek, just south of Sedona to say "hi" and put the top up on her Firebird (yes, she drove the car today...thank God!). Just as I was strapping my skid-lid on, the heavens opened up. If you've never witnessed a monsoon in Arizona, it can be spectacular! Well, this one waited until I was on the road to let loose. All of a sudden I was hit with gale-force winds and the accompanying sand and dirt and somebody dumped an entire lake on my head. Visibility was ZERO! I made it less than half a mile before I went back, defeated and with my tail between my legs. Windstorms I can handle. Rainstorms I can handle. Both at once tend to curb my enthusiasm. Soaked and cold, I allowed my wife to feed me. Then I took the Firebird home. Came back when it all quit and ride the Bajaj home. Fine ride home.

Tonight, I bought a new spark plug and gapped it a put it in. Since I was under the cowl anyway, I wanted to try some carburetor adjustments I'd been thinking about. Ever since I altered the air filter system, it had been bogging out a little on the top end. I was suspecting that it was running a little lean. Since the 120 jets that come stock in that carb are the biggest available, and since I don't have the right machinists drill to open the hole in the jet a wee bit, I just raised the needle a notch and tweaked the air mixture screw a little. I think I'm on the right track. I'll need a little more testing, but my initial seat-of-the-pants test ride suggests a little better acceleration as well as less top-end boggage. I just invented a word! It seems to reach and hold a slightly higher top speed up a slight incline to my workplace. Every little bit helps!!

Hey, C-ya later...ride on!

--Keys

Just piddlin' around...

2006-07-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot to write about. I took a ride up Oak Creek Canyon yesterday to see where the fire just north of Sedona burned. You can see evidence of the fire and one spot about a hundred yards long where it actually came down to the road. The firefighters did a fabulous job of protection. They deserve some well deserved kudos!!
I kind of got ahead of myself here. You see, I took the ride up the canyon on Saturday, the first of July. The day before, I rode over Mingus Mountain again to Prescott where I had the tires I had ordered for my birthday present from Ski mounted. I got a set of Michelin S83's. Love 'em! I think I set a new personal best record from the top of the mountain down into Jerome...at least before that stupid Lexus slowed me down. And that was on wet pavement! Yes, I got soaked on the trip over to Prescott, but I wasn't going to let a little rain deter me! I got the tires, strapped the old ones on the back of the seat (they will be going on the Allstate when the time comes) and headed home...no rain on the way back!
Then today (Sunday) after church and breakfast at Cafe Dlano's, Ski and I went home where she proceeded to plop herself in front of the TV in her comfies and the cats on her lap. I was able to endure this rigorous, non-stop excitement for approximately 16 or 17 minutes then, with my wife's blessing, I checked the oil on the Bajaj and blasted outa there!
I headed east on Hwy 260 out of Cottonwood, heading towards Camp Verde...about 20 miles away. I topped off the tank and continued east on 260 up what we truck drivers call "the Goat Trail". Hwy 260 climbs up out of 3200 ft. elevation Camp Verde to over 7000 ft. elevation in about 15 miles. It's about the curviest road that trucks are allowed on in the state of Arizona. The climb usually has my Kenworth (in loaded condition) down to about 14 - 15 mph. I was able to hold about 45 - 50 on the Bajaj with occasional periods of 35 mph on the real steep stuff. What made it worse was I had quite a headwind, too. Yes, a storm was a-blowin' in. I reached the top where 260 intersects with Hwy 87 north and south. I went south about, oh, maybe 3 miles when I got stuck behind a slow moving tourist in an ugly Kia. Come to think of it...are there any good looking Kias? Anyway, here I was on a road with very tight curves and going downhill and some knucklehead has to ruin the trip by going 35 mph. So I followed him down into the (very) small town of Strawberry where I hoped he'd turn off. No such luck. Ended up chasing him another 5 miles into the slightly less small town of Pine. They have a GREAT little place there that is a combination antique shop/ice cream parlor...with homemade ice cream! I didn't get to enjoy it this trip though, as the rain clouds were piling up on the very near horizon. I topped off the tank again and headed back north. Then, back west again on Hwy 260. I got passed quite a bit up on top. The speed limit is 55, which I could hold, but most people run about 65 or 70. That was out of my range. I just let 'em go. Then the road begins a slight descent before the serious downhill. I was able to coax about 63 mph out of the little scooter. I'd scoot down into the "Hornet Tuck" behind the headlight to cut the wind and at one point I think I saw about 67 mph on the clock! Then...rain! I stopped and donned my goggles and jacket and took off again. About 3 minutes later the rain stopped, but I was gonna be danged if I'd stop to put my gear back in the glove box. I just cruised on into Camp Verde where I filled up again and got rid of the jacket and goggles and motored back into Cottonwood. Ninety-some degrees in Cottonwood...low eighties up on top. A trip well worth the time! Beautiful meadows on the flats near the top changing to thick black timber about 8 miles from the junction of 260 and 87. All big, old Ponderosa pines. It smelled SO good between the pine scent and the recent rains. Wish you all had been along for the ride.
P.S. If you are considering new tires for your scooter, I highly recommend the Michelin S83's. They have a classic tread design with a soft enough compound to let you get crazy in the corners, yet they work well in wet weather. A good all-around tire, I'd say.

Odds and ends

2006-06-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

About three weeks ago, I needed a Saturday ride, so I checked over the little Bajaj and made sure everything was....well, if not in tip-top shape, at least moderately acceptable. Fired her up and zipped over to the Sedona "suburb" known as "the Village of Oak Creek". They keep trying to burn that town down with all these wildfires lately. Anyway, my dearly beloved; Ski, works there, so I stopped in to pay a visit. Nice sweeping curves on Beaverhead Flats road getting there, by the way. I left VOC and took the tight curves into Sedona proper...about 5 miles. Took a right at the intersection of Hwys 179 and 89A and took off for Flagstaff. It is a ride of about 30 miles through the awesomely beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. It was expected to be over 90 degrees in Cottonwood, so I thoroughly enjoyed the 70-some degree weather up the canyon. The road follows the creek through forests both deciduous and evergreen. The cottonwoods grew tall on either side of the lower canyon, touching tops high above creating a gorgeous sunlight-dappled macadam palette over which my little wheels spun. Then the intoxicating scent of the pines overtook my senses. The cars were accomodating to me, fast enough to be entertaining, but not so fast as to be stupid. Fabulous ride. Had lunch in Flagstaff with a friend of mine then back down the canyon. The canyon goes from about a 3500 foot elevation to over 7000 feet in Flag. Temps in Flag in the upper 70's. Just a great and pleasant ride.

Nothing new on the Allstate front...been working between 60 and 70 hours a week plus playing in the band on weekends. Toss church into the mix, and I have some pretty limited free-time!

This weekend I did, however, drill another hole into the muffler of the Bajaj, which added a throatier bellow from the awe-inspiring 145cc mill. Oooooo! THEN, I checked out the airfilter, which consists of a screen and a VERY dense slice of foam. The foam was soaked with oil from the blow-by, so in a fit of inventiveness, I went to WallyWorld and got some of that white foam sheeting ($2.67 a pack) that is used in your heater vents. I took one sheet out of the package and folded it over. I replace the dense foam with this (much) less dense foam. Put it all back together and buzzed over Mingus Mtn. to Prescott. Why, you might ask? Because I could. ENORMOUS power gain! I picked up probably 5 mph up the hills and through the curves! I think that foam was a MAJOR detriment. So I have to replace my foam pretty regularly...at $2.67 for 10 replacements, I think I can handle it! I had Matt at Encore Performance ride my new "Beefier Bajaj" (not to be confused with "Beefy Bajaj") and he immediately noticed the extra noise...followed by evidence of the increase in low-end and mid-range punch. I don't think I picked anything up in top-end, but what I got is sure entertaining! I rode to VOC with Ski Saturday as she took her Helix to work and I damn near kept up! Her words were; "Where did all that power come from?" and "...that thing is LOUD!" I was quite satisfied!

C-ya later! Ride on!

--Keys

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

I began the day by taking a load of trash to the dumpster at work where I began B.S.'ing with the mechanics. One of them said he'd heard about a Memorial Day biker's run. Being the annoying kinda guy I am, I thought it's be fun to run my scooter with the Harleys, so I asked about it. He said it was starting at the American Legion at 10:30. Hmmm.

Well, I'm a member of that post, so I figured they wouldn't dare kick me out, so I showed up at 10:30. Since I have a history with various motorcycle clubs, including some outlaw clubs, I decided the proper etiquette was to ask permission to ride with the presiding club, the "American Legion Riders". I got the attention of the Sgt at Arms who said "sure, you can ride with us..." THEN I mentioned I was riding on a motorscooter. His whole demeanor changed. You could just FEEL the elitism pouring out of him. He was about to tell me I couldn't ride with them...even after I showed him my membership card and my Vietnam pin...but before he could, the Chaplain of the ALR's (who just happened to be standing there) said, "Why not? You're in the wind and we're all here for the same reason...to honor our fallen brothers. Just try to keep up."

So I rode with the Harleys in the big Memorial Day procession to the cemetary for a Vet's service. I got some looks and some guys just refused to acknowledge me at all, but like it or not, I was there!

A little side-note here...one of the guys with a flag bungeed to his bike had the flag slip and stopped to fix it. I stopped to help him. We got it straightened out and I took off before he did. I was strokin' it down Mingus Ave., trying to catch up with the pack when a car turned left directly in front of me from a side street. I grabbed both binders hard and leaned over to the right, sliding the Bajaj like a flat-tracker. He finally saw me and hit the gas. I let up on the brakes, straightened it out, cussed like the former Marine I am and went on my way. I am very grateful for the handling prowess of that little scooter. Again. It was the easiest accident-avoiding maneuver I think I've ever made. Light weight and small wheels (AND the anti-dive front-end on the Bajaj) certainly have their up-sides!

Anyway, it was a successful day for me. I got to hang with other service vets on Memorial Day, ride in a procession, hear a fine service dedicated to the vets AND annoy the Harley guys!

Another, side-note; finally got the headset off the Allstate today...had to cut the cables and wiring...everything was WAY too corroded to slide out. So, I got that off and the front-end off. Bearings were shot. Only about half the balls were in their cages! Little bit at a time...

--Keys

Skull Valley Rally

2006-05-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Scarabs Scooter Club had their annual "Skull Valley Rally" last Saturday (May 20th) and we all had a blast! Two days before the rally, however, my beloved Ski slid to an unglamorous stop in our driveway, scraping up the Helix and giving herself some roadrash and a cracked rib. She rode on the rally anyway! THAT'S my girl!!

Anyway, we left Cottonwood about eight a.m. and soared over Mingus Mtn. Now, I've done this dozens of times, but this was a first for Ski and her Helix. She did great! Slower in the turns than I'd go, but I have a bit of the berserker in me... We called our friend Jenn Chapman (who rides a Vespa GT200) when we got to Prescot Valley but she was running about an hour behind us. We took a Scootour of Prescot Valley and saw the sights at the local K-Mart (Ski wanted a pair of riding gloves).

Jenn caught up with us, we fueled up and took off. We motored through downtown Prescott and caught Hwy 89 heading south on the west side of town. This is one of the finest scooter roads ever designed! Smooth pavement, mostly downhill and a curve every 50 ft. (or so it seemed). Jenn hung with Ski as her "wingman" (I ended up calling them Maverick and Goose) and I led the way. Finally, I came to a section of what is called Yarnell Hill that I just couldn't ignore and I let the little Bajaj go. If the "suggested" speed limit sign read 25 m.p.h., I went 40, etc. What a GREAT section!! I did, however, have some significant waiting time at the bottom since Ski and Jenn were a little more reasonable about their riding.

We cruised down to Congress (a small town, not a political entity, thank God) through some highway-type roads where Ski and Jenn kicked my 145cc butt. Ate lunch at the Congress Cafe (imaginative name, no?) and met up with the other Scarabs out of Phoenix.

Eventually we all got our poop in a group and we headed uphill towards Prescott. The difference between this uphill ride and our earlier downhill ride is we hung a left at Kirkland Jct. and cruised through the scenic "Skull Valley". Hence the name of the rally. Got it?

Somewhere about 15 miles from Prescott, Damn Dirty Dave lost the muffler from his stripped down and...well, damn dirty Honda Elite 250. From that point on, he was never hard to locate. Brandon's Vespa P200 (mid-80's, I guess) needed but never got a jetting change, so it was quite slow. Those however were the only casualties on the ride...EXCEPT...

...sometime earlier, as they were meeting up in Phoenix, Jarod ran his Stella into the back of Hump's Bajaj. Again. And fell down and hurt his knee and scratched up his Stella. Again. Did the ride anyway.

So in Prescott we went to Encore Performance (where I bought my Bajaj...he's a Bajaj, Kymco, Royal Enfield, Gas Gas and Moto Guzzi dealer) where they had a BBQ all set up for us. Great brats, good company. Ski and I hung around for about an hour and a half, bought a rally pack (with 2 patches and a SVR T-shirt among other stuff) and went home while it was still light out. Ski didn't want to negotiate Mingus Mtn. in the dark. I don't blame her.

Got an e-mail from Jenn that evening...she had put her GT200 down in her driveway. Scratched it up and had her foot on ice. Nasty way to end a great ride.

Wish you had been there!! Well, gotta go...taking the Helix over to Prescott again today to get a new back tire....C-ya!

Allstate pics

2006-05-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here are a couple of pics of the Allstate I just got. Actually, I guess the '66 smallframe "Bluebadges" are called Sears rather than Allstate....

So much stuff, so little time...

2006-04-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

After having the flywheel separate on me and having to push the scooter home (and realizing in the process I really AM 50 years old) and getting it fixed (again under warranty), I began riding in earnest again. Until this last Tuesday morning. I took off for work, went a few yards down the road, tried to shift into second and a shift cable broke. CRAP! So, I pushed it home, grabbed the car and went to work. After work, I went over to Prescott to the dealer and got two shift cables (one to carry as a spare) and a spare clutch cable. Fifteen minutes after I got home the cable was in an everything was fine. Zipped out to Sedona to take some warmer clothes to my wife who had ridden her Helix to work and had failed to account for the daily onset of darkness and cooler temps. Any excuse for a ride....

That very afternoon, a scooterist friend of mine, Jim Chapman, brought by a whole boxful of Vespa 125 engine parts...cases, cranks, bearings, a newly honed barrel and head, etc. I told him thanks, but I still didn't have the money needed to get that Allstate. He tossed me a hundred dollar bill and said, "go get it...pay me back when you can". I called Ron (the guy with the Allstate) and he brought it right over. I asked him all the pertinant questions; what year, how big is the engine, what model. His answer was always the same; "I dunno."

So I found the model number from it and got on the internet to check out what I had. It is a 1966 Vespa Allstate (marketed by Sears) 125 cc. Apparently, this was the last year the Vespa Allstate was marketed and they also had a 150cc model that year (only). Mine is one of the few small-frame Vespas marketed with 10-inch instead of 8-inch wheels and a 4-speed instead of three. It is basically a rebadged Vespa Primavera with a tailight and badging unique to the Allstate. Bonus! The tailight lense is still in perfect shape! Anyway, this is one of the rarest and most desirable of the Vespa scooters (from what I've heard...). So this was a score for a hundred bucks.

It is totally complete except for the engine "door", but those are under $30.00 from Scooterworks. The seat is complete (minus upholstery) and there is even a little air in the front tire. And it's been sitting for 24 years! The engine needs rebuilt, of course, but it is complete down to the wiring and carburation and is even free! I was sure it'd be stuck, but no... The headlight is still there and the bulbs are still in all the lights. A serious barn find! There is some surface rust and a bunch of dents, but no cancer, so the frame is good to go, too.

I rub my hands together in anxious anticipation...

Mingus Blast!

2006-04-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, upper 60's temp and lots of sunshine. Work cut me loose about 11:00 a.m. and the Chetak was calling my name! Headed out towards Prescott again. Fantastic ride over the mountain again, except I got caught behind Granpa Goslow most of the way. Gave me a chance to appreciate the woods I was passing through. I hit an elk with my Kenworth a few weeks ago, so I also was looking for wildlife. Go figure!

There is a fairly new scooter dealer in Prescott called Skeeter's Scooters (a little cutesy, don't you think?) who handles TGB (Taiwan Golden Bee) scooters exclusively. They are essentially a manufacturing facility which makes high-end performance parts for ATV's. The scooters are just a sidelines he's really not too serious about. The facility is hidden WAY back in an industrial area behind the airport and there is no showroom or anything. His attitude is; "If I sell one, I sell one...if I don't, I don't". I talked to him about the need for a scooter dealer in the Verde Valley (Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde, Cornville, Sedona, etc.). The area is rather depressed income-wise, and a scooter dealer would fill a wide-open niche. He suggested I could get a finder's fee for every one I sold over there...okay, I can do that. HOWEVER, he wouldn't supply any product to sell, I'd have to buy one! Another good idea out the window....

Visited the boys at Encore to scope out the accessories. Gotta change out those mirrors...looking for something different!

Just bopped around the area for an hour or so and headed back. THIS is where the fun happened! As I started up the mountain, I saw a few headlights in my rear-view. They got a little closer all the time, since my 145 cc's maxed out at about 45 m.p.h. (still a good 10 miles over the speed limit). About a mile and a half from the top, the lights became a group of about 10 or 12 Harleys. This could be fun! I waved a couple past me before we hit the twisties. Then it was on! There was NO way they could shake that pesky little scooter through the curves. Eventually I slowed down and waved them all past me so they could be their "pack" again. But it was downhill now, with LOTS of curves, including a number of switch-backs. OH YEAH! This is where the anti-dive front end on the Bajaj shines! I don't believe I've ever felt more confident on any bike. Anyway, those over 1300 cc, $30,000 motorcycles (try as they might) could NOT outrun my $2400, 145 cc scooter through that mountain road. They'd start to pull away on a straight and there would be another corner. They, in fact, slowed me down! Probably reminded them of that annoying mosquito that stays just out of reach when you're camping! Since you really can't go much over, say, 50 m.p.h., that road was the great equalizer and my 36 years of experience paid off. I was ON their asses the whole way into Jerome. Probably quite a sight to those going the other way to see all these black-leather clad "bikers" on their expensive equipment being hounded by a motorscooterist in a jean jacket an tennis shoes. I had a grin plastered on my ugly mug for hours after that!

A little disappointment, a little fun...

2006-04-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

It appears somebody finally came to their senses...I'll have to throw in at least $500.00 to swap for that Stella. THAT ain't gonna happen! May as well be 5 million bucks at tax time! So, anyway, I had a buddy drop me off at Encore Performance in Prescott where they had replaced the fragged flywheel this last Wednesday. He headed home, I signed the paperwork, put on my gear for the 45 mile ride and it started to rain. Figures. I started out on my way and the rain quit! Halleluia!! Filled up at Robert's gas station in Prescott Valley. Came to, I think, just over a dollar.

Since I was still kinda breaking it in, the 8 or so miles that were 65 m.p.h. road were taken at about 45...I was just lucky there wasn't any traffic. Beautiful ride over Mingus Mountain; smooth (for the most part) pavement, not much traffic that day. The only drawback was the pavement was wet and I still have the original tires on my Bajaj. These tires will probably still have good tread 20 years from now! VERY hard compound. Kinda slippery on the wet, though. I had seen many a complaint on the Bajaj forums regarding these tires. Therefore, I disregarded all prudence and pressed on regardless. Came to realize that today's WORST tires still seem to be better than the best I raced my Yamaha RD on back in the mid-70's. Are we spoiled or what?

Got near the top of Mingus Mountain (elevation 7023 ft.) and it began spitting rain, which quickly turned to snow! Nothing stuck to the road though, so I was good to go. About a mile the other side of the summit it stopped. Cool! The rest of the ride was uneventful and the Bajaj performed flawlessly.

Since I got it home, I've had no funny noises or clanks or BANGS!

Possible trade

2006-03-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

Talked to my buddy and fellow Scarab today. His name is Mike Stirrat and he (along with his sweet wife, Shelby) owns "Scoot Over", a scooter shop in Tucson, AZ. They have a Stella scooter there that they may be willing to swap for my Bajaj. A Stella is essentially an 80's P-series Vespa with a disc brake, Continental tires and Bitubo shocks. It has a 5-port, 2-stroke engine (I have always loved 2-strokers...ever since my first Yamaha RD and Suzuki T-500's) which would make it easy to work on. Another plus...every accessory from performance parts to dress-up stuff from a Vespa P would fit. And manufacturers for that stuff will always be around. Bajaj has ceased production of the Chetak manual-shift scooters and parts will only be available for another five years. Something to think about.

I'll probably do it...if only for the adventure!

S#*T happens...

2006-03-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so about a month or so ago, my Bajaj scooter began making unpleasant banging noises down in the crankcase somewhere. I tried to ride it over Mingus Mountain to Prescott, where the dealer is, but about 5 miles up the hill, in the town of Jerome, it began banging in earnest! Fearful that the world famous "Noise Police" in Jerome (yes, they DO issue expensive tickets for too loud of...well, ANYTHING!) would fire a warning shot through my spleen, I turned around and took it home. The following day, I loaded it up in a buddy's pickup and dropped it off at the dealer. Come to find out, one of the main bearings disintegrated, taking the crankshaft and connecting rod with it. Major rebuild time!! Fortunately, it was still under warranty...and nobody ever SAW me play boy-racer on it. Anyway, my dealer sent the engine to BajajUSA who proceeded to do a complete rebuild and sent it back to the dealer.

I picked the scoot up last Saturday and spent the week driving like Miss Daisy to re-break it in. Nice and gentle. Five miles to work and five miles back each day, never exceeding the recommended speeds in each gear. Run around town paying bills, etc. Then this Saturday, since I had 100 miles on the rebuild, I changed the oil and cleaned out the screen. Good quality oil, diligent cleaning.

I then decided to have a "mental health day" and just ride the scooter all day. I rode the 20 miles to Sedona where I made a payment on my wife's Helix, stopped and visited my wife, since she was at work there in Sedona and rode home. I re-checked the oil. Checked the tire pressures. Fiddled here, fiddled there, adjusted the shift cables...you know...just stuff! Jumped back on and fired it up. Sounded good. Better even than when it was new. I rode up to Jerome (which is a MAJOR Harley hang-out on weekends) just to annoy the Harley boys. I was successful. Also checked out a new guitar player who may be interested in joining our band. Fine day, so far. Just before dusk, I climbed aboard again. Fired her up. Sounded great. Nice fast ride down the hill to Cottonwood. I didn't want to go home since it was still about 65 degrees out, so I went to WalMart where I got a toy Vespa ET4 scooter and a package of socks.

Climbed aboard and started it. Sounded good. Smooth.

I headed up the hill towards my house after leaving the parking lot and got about 200 yards up the road when BANG!! Clunk-clunk. I had to push it home about 1 1/2 miles. Uphill. Discovered I really AM 50 years old. Took about two hours to recover. I thought for SURE there had been some malfunction during the rebuild. The engine was toast.

Took it to the dealer today where we dismantled it. Come to find out, the flywheel is riveted to the mounting hub for the flywheel and said rivets sheared. Nothing else was damaged, but they didn't have one in stock so one is on order. I'm hoping I can pick it up again this weekend.

New Scooter Blog

2006-03-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

I've never done any blogging before...it's a first for me. I intend, simply, to make this about scooters. The scooters I own, what I have done to them, what I intend to do to them. The rides I go on will be posted (and I go on a LOT of them). Most of them are by myself, but some of the roads and countryside I cover are spectacular. I am a member of the Scarabs SC based out of Phoenix, AZ. and we have our club rides as well that I will tell you about. I WON'T get political (unless they outlaw motorscooters...then we'll have a problem!). I probably won't get to update this blog everyday since I have to work for a living, but it will be updated everytime I have something to say...

To start, I currently own a 2002 Bajaj Chetak which I dearly love and a 1996 Honda Helix which I got for my wife. She even sometimes rides it! I am currently trying to talk a buddy out of a mid-sixties something Allstate scooter (a rebadged Vespa 125) that needs total restoration. As that commences, I'll ramble on about the restoration.

Also, the Scarabs is hosting the Skull Valley Rally between Phoenix and Prescott, AZ. on May the 20th and 21st. We have many sponsors including Scoot! Quarterly. Contact me at skutergruven@netscape.com for more info.

Whatever,

Keys