WKRP Route To and From Finalized!

My friend Jeremy has done his homework and planned a fantastic route to AND from WKRP rally in Cincinnati for our little Kentuckiana scooter club--well, just a group really.  I won't give away too many details, but we have a great view of the river both up and back with a lot of route style changes--straight shot, twisty backroads, scenic strolls, etc!!!  I don't want to brag on him too much because it will go straight to his head, but he really is a routing genius.  We should have a good smattering of smaller displacement and on up to larger maxi-scoots like my Lois.  I'm pretty sure that both classic and modern will be represented too.  That is really great because the Louisville Scooter Group welcomes all kinds of riders and their varied machines.  That's what we're really all about.

My new Motorcyle?!?!

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?  This morning, trying out a thing from MajestyUSA--they said you don't need a cup holder on the Maj.  You just sit your drink on the gas cap and that little pocket there holds everything in place.  One bloke used a cut-down koozie for some stability, and what do you know--I had this Echo lawnmower koozie from some damn place [swag bag: Gasoline Rally] so I used that.  My styrofoam cup full of coffee did not spill a drip the whole way to work!  But when I was getting off, I was like "how the hell do I get off the Maj without using the step-thru???"  Because I never been on a m/c, but I heard this rumor that they actually swing their leg over the back of the scoot, and guess what?!?!?!  I gritted my teeth ready to drop Lois onto the unforgiving pavement, and...  It works!  Even on a scooter! 

 

Disclaimer:  I do not recommend this with a top box.

Brazil and Back: Lots of Wind, 75mph, Bad Handling, Bad MPG

I have a friend who lives in Brazil, Indiana. Several weeks ago he had surgery and I have been wanting to check up on him and also do a true ride test on the Majesty. I rode up to see him, and it poured rain the whole way there. It was mostly dry on the way home but I got some thunderstorms when I got in toward Seymour on interstate 65.


View Larger Map

I have determined with over 360 miles of rain and lots of wind at highway speeds (the speed limit was 70mph on I-65 and I-70) that the mpg on the Majesty is not going to be what I had hoped for. I got an average of just over 40mpg pushing a LOT of wind (the handling was crap at 75+mph)

The test on the raingear was also somewhat disappointing. Did I stay dry-as-a-bone? No. Was I completely comfortable? No. My legs got a little wet. My torso was completely dry. The gloves I had got soaked. They were leather gauntlet type gloves, but had a protective rain mitten that was very troublesome to use. When I got to Brazil and took them off, they were so completely soaked that I figured the rain mittens had done nothing. Despite this, I used the rain mittens over my Olympia Gel gloves and got better protection from rain, wind and cold. The gloves just seem to provide mostly warmth, which goes completely out the window when you add any amount of moisture. I'll be looking for better winter gloves (with better rain protection) for next year.

Also, the boots I used, though they protected me completely from the rain, were of no use for warmth. I will find another solution there also. The only thing that performed up to it's sales pitch was the SPUD-6 dry box.

In summary, it was not a good ride. I don't want to be the type of rider who only rides in good weather and pleasant conditions, but I was pretty miserable for 10 of 12 hours yesterday. I think that I need to make some changes, most of which might be my gear, and my comfort level (both of which might be symbiotic) There were points that I was struggling with the Majesty. On that short bit of SR-59 after I got off SR-46, the wind was white-knuckle hard-lean going straight on. There is nothing on either sides but open fields, and the full force of wind hits you like a wall. It was the worst solid non-gust wind I have ever had to deal with. I spent 90% of my riding time yesterday leaning into the wind, and that is no exaggeration. I don't know if the Majesty is suited for interstate travel at 70-80mph. That is disappointing in the extreme, because that was the reason I bought it. I understand part of it is my comfort level. I had thought zipping around the interstates in Louisville at 55 and 60+mph would be enough to make me at home on the interstates, but when you get out and the speed limit is 70, you know people drive 80 comfortably in their cages. I had thought I would easily be able to do the same. It is not easy, and I get 40mpg. In that case, might I be just as easily driving a car with the comfort of an enclosed space, radio, coffee, cell phone??? Gaah! It makes me sick.

SPUD-6 on Majesty

I put the SPUD-6 box on Lois. It looks ok, but I need a better solution still to the bunjie holders. I don't know...I'm still not satisfied with them. They seem to be holding ok, but are a little wiggly. They're just so damn hard to tighten. I guess I'll be dealing with that this weekend. I was hoping to go see my friend Chuck in Brazil, Indiana, but I don't know if I'll have the time. He had surgery recently and I wanted to go two weeks ago, but it was too cold and wet. I think this weekend it might be rainy, but I'm slightly better equipped to deal with it. Still, it's like 3+ hours on the interstate, and more like 5 hours on the regular state roads. That's one way! I need to work up to it some day though, and it might as well be now.

SPUD-6 is here

My SPUD-6 box came today. It looks like it will work perfectly! Here are some pictures, with my copy of Blue Highways (a standard sized paperback) for scale reference. As you can see, it's plenty big.

SPUD-6

=========================================
The top has a 'hidden compartment' which opens up. Since I don't plan on using this to carry a helmet (though it looks like it might hold a 3/4, and would hold a half helmet easily) the 'wasted space' of the top compartment seems like it will be very useful. I could put bunjies, etc in there, but the sticker warns that this section is not weatherproof.

INSIDE THE 'SECRET COMPARTMENT'

=========================================
There is a sliding tray in the top. First I thought I would immediately throw this out, but then it got me thinking--I need more places to store smaller things rather that one huge compartment, so I don't know what I'll put there, but it's bound to be useful.

INTERNAL SLIDING TRAY

=========================================
As you can see, the SPUD-6 is big enough to fit the paperback standing up or lying down--with extra room. It also has a lid which allows a little more height. I am very pleased with this. If the carrying capacity is everything that I need, I may end up building a bracket and not even worrying about an actual top box. I still like the looks of those saddle bags at Derby Cycle though.

PLENTY TALL ON THE INSIDE

SPACIOUS LENGTH AND WIDTH

=========================================
The tough handle feels very rugged and strong. No give or flex at all. Same goes for the latches which seal the box tight from water using the internal o-ring seal.
STURDY HANDLES

STURDY LOCKING CLIPS ALSO

=========================================
There is a place for padlocks--two of them--on each side next to the latch. To me this is no different than the locks on our top boxes. They can be broken into if somebody really wants to, but it's more of a deterrent than anything else I think.

WHERE THE LOCK GOES

All in all, for a price of $29 plus shipping (UPS Ground which took only one day to get here) I am pleased with my temporary cargo solution. I will have to see how it looks on the Majesty, then see how it does with organizing and holding what I need it to. I suspect it may work better than I first thought... If I am pleased, it may end up being a permanent solution!

Ride with Friends

Today after work, I met three friends to ride through Jefferson Memorial Forest. Steve and Jan showed up, Steve sporting his new Burgman 400! John, a Texan I met in an online long distance rider forum was also in the area this week and decided to join me. It was a good ride, and it was nice talking to everyone. John's Harley is in process of getting completely fine-tuned for LD riding. He had very interesting stories to tell. Here is a picture of the foot warmers he uses when it gets cold. He also uses an electric vest.

Here's John talking to Steve. Steve's new Burgman looks really good! We wove our way through the area of JMF, and stopped briefly at the welcome center to chat for a while.
Here's a picture of John's HD Sportster. The custom aux fuel tank is really cool!

Reply from Lois Pryce

I was so impressed with Lois Pryce after reading her book "Lois On The Loose" that I named my red scooter after her. She's the chick from London who rode from Alaska down to the southernmost tip of South America. Well, just on a fluke, I wrote her an email and thanked her for sharing her story with me (and the world) and told her if she's ever in Kentucky, that dinner and beers are on me! It was so cool that I got a reply from her last week. Seems she is a big fan of Bluegrass, likes to play the banjo, and wants to travel here sometime to hear bluegrass music. I told her the more rural areas have the best Bluegrass Festivals. Who knows?? Perhaps I will meet her someday. I'd like to shake her hand. If you don't understand why, I suggest you check out her book from the public library.

Almost 55MPG!

The odometer just tipped 1300, and now my MPG has bumped up to almost 55! I am thrilled! I was sweating it for a while thinking "what if it never gets better" or "what if something is wrong with the bike" or "because I'm hauling 330 lbs around, maybe this is all it'll get!" I realize it may continue to go up and down for a while, but it's on a steady rise up to the 60 range and that would suit me just fine.

Today after work, the ride is open for Jefferson Memorial Forest. It's the best riding close to here, so that's why. I'm supposed to meet at the DQ on Fairdale Road shortly after 5pm. I don't know if anybody will show, but there is one fellow who is a motorcycle distance rider from WAY out of town that I met on the LD Rider forum. We spoke on the phone, and he is going to see about making it over. We also might have lunch on Thursday while he is still in the area.

Route to WKRP Rally

Among loads of laundry, dishes, and other housekeeping, I programmed Jeremy's route to WKRP into my Tomtom using Tyre software.  It was tedious and a little time consuming, but what the hell...I was multi-tasking.  It looks to be a great route, mixed with quick shots up sections of KY-42, some twisty backroads, and some scenic hovering alongside the Ohio River.  Tomorrow will be eleven days until rally.  I do hope that everything works out well, nothing falls through, and I'm still able to attend.  It should be a full-scale blast, and I will probably make multiple blog posts that weekend (unless I'm too busy, then I will have them shortly thereafter).

Bunjie Mounts

One of the (very) few things the Majesty lacks, is a place to put your bunjies if you need to strap down a little extra cargo. There IS the grab rail, but if you start hooking bunjies to it, you're gonna scratch the hell out of it. I could deal with it on my easy-to- match black 250, but on this red Majesty...I couldn't bear it, so I came up with a solution. In Home Depot, they had ample solutions for someone with a good eye and half a brain with regards to taking something made for one thing and using it for another. I actually feel like I'm pretty good at that. Calterm makes these Rubber Insulated clamps that were strong, non-marring and looked like they would do the trick. The color was silverish metal (zinc treated I believe) with black insulation, so it fit just fine with the scoot. I had picture-hanging fiddly bits before this, but they were not sturdy enough.

I want to find some swivelly way to tuck them in when not in use, then bring them out when I need them. Still, they don't look too bad and I can adjust them back and forth but if I do it too much, they will get loose. Also, the bolt that mounts them in...especially the ones in front...its a real b*tch to tighten. You have almost zero clearance even with an offset screwdriver.

12 volt outlet install

I finalized install on my 12v outlet. Saturday I went to Harbor Freight after the scouts district pinewood derby because it was just down the street. I got some cool stuff I've always wanted. It's Liquid Tape by Performix. I had been looking for a reason to play with this stuff for a long while.

I got my 12v Bell Weatherproof Outlet ready by wiring it up, then I used electrical tape and heat-shrink to cover it as a base. After that, a painted on this cool stuff. Man it stank to high heaven, but the end results leave me with completely waterproof wiring.

12volt Bell Waterproof Outlet-mounted using Velcro so I can remove it when not in use. As you can see, the power cable is run so it can come out the side of the fuel hatch. This allows me to tuck it away when it's not in use, so it isn't exposed all the time.

Here's the SAE connector which can be used for charging and maintaining the battery using the Battery Tender also, if needed.Here's the switch I wired into the circuit. It's placed inside the under-seat storage area. I might work at mounting it a little more securely later, but I wanted to make sure it works first...

...and it does work!

1/2 tank...90+ miles / Cleaning

I saw that I was on 1/2 a tank today, and I looked at my trip meter and it was reading over 90 miles! If this keeps up, I will have gotten closer to 180 miles on a tank instead of more like 120-130! I am being optimistic, but still...not overly so! The weather is great until Wednesday next week--the day I get to truly test my rain gear!

Since the mud issue yesterday, I went home last night, washed and waxed the bike. I'm not really a person who waxes a lot, and never really for the visual aspect. I only did it to protect the paint some. I swear it. I used regular Turtlewax paste. I even use it on the shield, and it makes rain bead like a mother. I am serious! What I didn't like is the way it clouded up on the grain of the dash, handlebar trim, etc. I'm never doing that again. I had to used a wet rag and then rub it dry right after that (sometimes multiple times) to get it off. Also, Turtle Wax likes to sink in where ever there's a crack or crevice and leave a mint green bit of hardening goo there. I had my Swiss Army knife out--the screwdriver and put the blade inside of the cloth and ran that into the trim crevices to get all the limegoo out. Not something I really want to repeat again, because it was a PITA. I have these detail wipes that I can use inbetween washings if there are spots that start looking really bad. Last time I washed the Roketa, I took it up the street to the car wash and just used the sprayer, but didn't pull the trigger so it was relatively low-pressure.

What do you use to clean bugs and goo off your plexi windshield??? The warning about "CAUTION: CLEAING WITH ALKALINE OR ACID CLEANER, GASOLINE OR SOLVENT WILL DAMAGE WINDSHIELD." and "USE NEUTRAL DETERGENT" kinda scares me. I'm even a little worried to use standard glass cleaner, a lot of which has ammonia, I think. That's the stuff that smells good in enclosed spaces and makes you really happy, right???

The SPUD-6

I'm getting a black Sportsmen's Plus Utility Dry Box (aka SPUD-6 made by MTM) for my cargo needs until I make a more permanent decision. It's got a water resistant O-ring seal, top access lid compartment bungee hook receivers, comfortable handle, heavy-duty snapping latches and double padlock tabs. Not a topbox at all, but I have not found anything yet that is exactly what I want. I might spring for a Pelican 1445 or 1500 box and mount that at a later time, if I don't end up loving this thing. It's 18.5” x 13” x 10” which translates to close to 39 1/2 liters. The JC Whitney choices are 47-66 liter.

The Givis are impressive, and I particular like the B36N Business Case, but I'm sure it's costly, as are all Givi's. I can't find a price anywhere on it. Givi cases can give me anywhere from 35-55l extra storage space.

The other choice I was looking at was either the Emgo Travel Trunk at New Enough,

...or the genuine Yamaha accessory. The thing is...I no longer need something tall enough to house a full face helmet. I just need more room for general crap.

So I'm going to use the SPUD-6 for a while, but it's looking like I might just have to save up and get either the Givi Business Case or a Pelican 1400 for a permanently mounted solution.

48.48MPG

I fueled up before I went out to the Jefferson Memorial Forest area because I was at 1/2 a tank showing on the guage, and you shouldn't go out that way unless you have at least 3/4, if you are planning on riding around for a while, because there are no gas stations out in that little pocket of Jefferson/Bullitt County. Well, I marked down my miles and I just figured the MPG and it's a little better than it was last time. We're getting close to 50! Come on Lois! I know you can do it!!!

Jefferson Memorial Forest or War Zone?

Jefferson Memorial Forest area near Fairdale, KY is a great place for me to ride after work. It's got all the scenery and twisties you want, but is only minutes from the 'Ville. Today, I saw lots of other 2-wheelers on the road--but no other scooterists. C'est la vie...I think all the ones I know were otherwise occupied. As I came back, I fell in behind two sportbike guys. I tell you one thing's for sure...sportbikers get all the best cupcake candy...



JMF looked a little like a war zone due to the ice storm we had (which was followed by a wind storm!) I went down Wierd Road, which was ironic in the fact that many people have said I've been riding that road for over 30 years... I do know that at the end of Wierd Road is a Big Nasty Dog with Sharp Teeth and a Mean Bark. Sources say drive slowly until they get really close to your meat, then wrench that throttle. I'm here to tell you: It works! Primitive brains don't handle the concepts of velocity and accelleration I guess...

A 44-46.65 MPG Weekend

From this weekend's run at about 300 total miles, I'm getting
44-46--almost 47mpg. Its creeping up as time goes on. I rode out to
Derby Cycles in Shelbyville on Saturday. It was rainy and cold, but I
was a little past the mark on the 600mi initial service (which
translates on Lois to an oil change). Shelby there is a nice guy.
They have some really cool gear I want to get, so I will be back soon.
I'm glad I finally had a chance to go into the store. I will give
him the majority of my service business, and probably get a lot of my
gear there too. His prices are fair and he seems to have a ton of
stuff in stock. His service rate is $65 per hour which is from what I
have found pretty good. He has a HUGE selection of Powerlet products
to hook up any electric farkle you want. He seems to have about any
Gerbing product for keeping you warm. Tons of gloves and helmets on
display, many scooters, bikes, and all the gear for them. On my want
list are: Gerbing vest or at least glove liners; really nice textile
saddle bags; Powerlet 12v outlet; a new balaclava. He has those
little cargo nets for your bike in any color you can imagine.

Sunday I said 'heck with it' and went out to Hoosier National Forest.
I had been wanting to do a long-haul out there with a group of folks
for a while, but could never get takers on a good day, so as a
last-minute decision, I just plowed down 64 to the Sulphur exit and
rode thru the Forest. It was a little cool and I stopped a couple
times to warm up. Next time I want to leave a little earlier, but I
had time to see a few things.

The first stop was the Ole Country Store in Sulphur. This place was
really cool. It was run by this feller in a Broaster Chicken apron
who was polite, let me sit in his store to drink my coffee and eat a
quick candy bar. While I was there, a local gardener came in from
working on his 'mater seedlings. He said he'd already sold 4 trays
today. The ball game was on (I'm not much of a basketball fan so I
didn't see who) and they were chatting idly about it when a group of
folks came in. The gardener said "prolly just looking for a bathroom"
but the man who came in looked like a farmer himself, and ordered
coldcut sandwiches, which the owner cut to order and put on fresh
white bread from a bag. This was the kind of place that people hang
out. He had a gas area stove with a pipe vented to the outside wall
that kept the place warm. Shelves stocked groceries and some
hardware. There was more cool stuff hanging on the wall behind the
counter...not like fashion lighters you see in today's Superamerica,
but like leather straps for tethering your pocket watch. Neat place.
If you're ever running thru there, I suggest you stop in. They have a
line of chairs at a windowside shelf-table where anyone is welcome to
sit and eat, and shoot the bull.

I checked out Indian-Celina Lake Campground which is a really nice
camping area I rode through scouting out where I might take the kids
this summer. From what I saw, it is isolated enough and has the lakes
to enjoy as well as lots of hiking trails. That's about all we'd be
there for. The whole area has various campgrounds and parks which
seem to have at least one or places where you can set your boat down
in the water. In fact, I saw a lot of fishing going on today.
Speaking of Indian Lake, there is also an Indian Creek in the area
(which I seem to remember riding over). Funny story... My Uncle Bill
who lived in the area (It's the type of area where you don't say "I
live in XXX city, or XXX town", you say "I live in Crawford County"
Well anyway, Uncle Bill said to me one day "Let's go fishin'". As a
boy I was always up for fishin'. On the way out the door, my stepdad
Jack says "You boys bring anything back, and I'll clean it for you."
In the pickup, Uncle Bill says to me with a smile on his face "We'll
show ol' Jackass." which is what he called him to get his goat.
Seems Uncle Bill (who did not live in a town, but a whole county) knew
of this little spillway off of Indian Creek that had good fishin'.
Come to find out, it had REALLY good fishing! We had one altercation
with a cotton mouth, but other than that, you put a cricket on your
line and before the bobber gets settled---BAM! You've got a fish.
They were only bluegill, but they were as big as Uncle Bill's hand.
We pulled out 60 of them, and Jack was up after midnight cleaning 'em.

After a while of the twisties, I wanted to go to Tell City. I don't
know why, I have just always liked the name. So I set the GPS and
noticed I didn't have much time for wandering, so I decided to chart
thru Tell City, over into Kentucky and home that way. After a while I
started seeing signs that said there was a prison nearby and "DO NOT
PICK UP HITCHIKERS". When I saw the sign for the Branchville
Corectional Facility, I just had to go down the road and see it.
Well, the sign is all I took a picture of because of two reasons. The
first is other than the fence with razorwire, it didn't look much like
a prison. The other is that guards were looking at me, and I was
pretty sure they had guns. I didn't stay long. I rode on in to Tell
City (named I believe after Wm Tell--the guy who shot the arrow that
was placed on his son's head). I got some cash at an ATM and went to
the gas station. Since I'm figuring my MPG, I wasn't ready for gas,
but I had to use the facilities. I bought a soda, drank it outside,
and rode on. I plotted the GPS to take me into Kentucky and the
bridge was 30MPH two-lane. That was nice for a change from
Louisville's mega-bridges. It's the little bridge that crosses from
Cannelton, IN to Hawesville, KY. Hawesville looks like a place frozen
in time. It's a small town, and it felt nice to ride thru there.

I headed for home down US-60. I had forgotten it runs though
Irvington. The first time out this way, I went with my friend
Heather. She was getting hungry and I couldn't find anything on the
GPS to eat other than fast food, so we saw a preacher coming out of
the back of the church (this was around noon or 1pm) and he said they
always go to The Green Valley Restaurant in Irvington after church.
He highly recommended the place. With a Name and Town, GPS picked it
up quick, and we ate there. Sure enough, he showed up later and waved
hello. This time, I did not get the buffet because I didn't have much
time. I hear people come from miles around (literally) for their
buffet and I would believe it. I did get a great Chuckwagon sandwich
though! After The Green Valley Restaurant, I beat it home quick. I
was getting low on gas though and needed one more stop before
Louisville. I just did a quick pay at the pump at a little BP on
US-60, then it was past Camp Carlson onto 31W, through Fort Knox and
then onto the Gene Snyder home. I did not (for once) stop at Dodge's
on 31 to get chicken or a deep-fried corn-on-the-cobb. I didn't have
the time.

Overall Lois did really well. The only thing I'd complain about was
cramped knees (that I could alleviate some by switching foot position)
and her gas mileage. If I could get into 150 miles per tank, I would
be happy. The last two times I stopped (when it was flashing low and
I had to stop) I was right around 129 miles.

Hoosier National Forest

This was a pretty great ride! Not the 1000 miles I wanted to do, but still, it was round about 200 miles.

42.27mpg

Well, I just filled up. It's still not getting the MPG I had hoped
for. Perhaps after manditory service tomorrow, it will do better...
Still, it's not quite halfway thru break-in period. Also, note to the
wise: Do not run your scooter on 1/4 a tank until it starts to cut
out on you. Not good at all!

This weekend is still calling for rain. I don't give a whit. I'm
still going to ride SOMEWHERE. I can't take it. This is my
anti-depressant au naturale. I need to go.

Rain!!!

All week it was looking good for this coming weekend, and now it shows 30% and 40% chance of rain for Saturday and Sunday respectively.  Man that just sucks.  I need better rain gear.  As it stands, I'm getting out in it anyway.  I am taking my scoot to the shop on Saturday bright and early.  Hope I don't get soaked...

Wiring up the 12 volt outlet for GPS

Battery access on the Majesty is a lot more difficult than my old
Chinese scooter. It's not in a difficult location, but the access
panel is made in such a way that you think you are going to break it
getting it off. The little plastic pins that hold it in (partly)
don't want to go back in right after removal. I've read where some
people lost that body panel because they trusted the plastic pins. I
finally got to the battery and I rounded out the phillips head
positive battery terminal bolt trying to get it out. That thing was
in there tight! In the end, I had to whittle out a small peice of
plastic on the battery so that I could get a socket in there to break
it loose. I replaced it with one from the MC-54B which has a much
easier access and also plenty of room to work at the battery. I put
in the ring terminal leads and drilled a small hole from the battery
compartment to the trunk (which is just the other side) to run the
wires into the trunk area. I also want to put in a toggle switch so I
can turn it off. On the other end, I'm looking for the perfect
solution. It will probably be a powerlet socket eventually. I'm
still a little concerned about that body panel. I read on
majestyusa.com what I believe might be a good solution. It's to use
those plastic drywall anchors (that expand when you insert a screw
into them). I might try that for a little extra peice of mind. I put
the original plastic pins in there (the kind where you have to push
the button in the middle) but the little button did not pop back out
when they were inserted. After that I pulled them back out (easily)
and put in large screws. The final fubar was when I removed the
passenger seat, I dropped the bolt down into the bike somewhere. It
will likely rattle out (or already has). I have a screw holding that
in, but need to replace it with the allen-head bolt asap. Now if I
can just figure out what SIZE.

Gusting to 29MPH

Either I am out of practice (something I can't imagine after the wind
that Jim, Ralph and I rode through last season!) or the Majesty
doesn't take sidewind as well as the Roketa MC-54B (also something I
can't imagine). I was getting a little hammered on the way to work
this morning. I was at 60-70mph indicated (which means probably
55-65mph from the last time I checked the speedo with GPS) and it was
pretty bad. When I stopped on the way home yesterday to drop off a
Redbox movie this lady asked me "Isn't it pretty hard to ride that in
this wind?" and I white-lied to her "Not really. Once you get used to
it, you don't even notice it." I always speak only positively about
scootering to the non-believer/cager-infidels. We need more of them
to be on 2-wheels. There is strength in numbers. And besides, I
really did find that after a while of riding in those winds in the
fall--the ones that took down trees and electric lines alike--it
didn't really seem like much with gusts up to 40mph or so. Upon more
reflection, surely I am just not used to it...

MPG update

As soon as I got home from work, I looked for and found my receipt. I ran 128.5 miles on the last tank, and filled up with 2.892 gallons for a total mpg of 44.43. I can live with this for a while, but I eventually have to have better gas mileage from this bike. And there's no reason I shouldn't be able to get bare minimum of high 50's low 60's.

Morning Ride, Patches, Route to WKRP

The ride in to work today made me sorry that I just have about 15-20 minutes to get here. I could have ridden until noon in this weather! I started out the door, and when I got outside, I turned around and switched my leather gauntlet with thinsulate gloves out for my summer riding gloves. Still a bit cool for them this morn with temps in the 40's, but I decided what the hell...we're supposed to have rain the rest of this week.

Last night I got out my Gasoline Rally patch and the new Louisville Scooter Group patches I had made. I had gotten some stuff the lady called 'interfacing' from the local Hobby Lobby and I ironed it on the backs of the "Paddy Smith" UK style rally patches. It made a stiffer back and the lady said it would protect from fraying. They also had some liquid stuff you could put around the edge to keep cloth from fraying. Next, I glued (with special cloth adhesieve) the hook component of velcro to the backs of the patches. My intent is to make it so I can move my rally patches from jacket to jacket depending on season. Well I got up this morning and it looked like the interfacing was peeling off. At first I was disappointed, but then I figured out that you have to peel this paper-like backing OFF of whatever you're working on AFTER you've ironed the stuff on there. So when I took it off the patches, of course, my velcro was attached to the throw-away backing instead of the patches with the interfacing backs *sigh*. I used some more of that special cloth glue, and glued the hook component velcro back to the backside of the patches, then I put the phonebooks back onto them. I will look at them tonight when I get home.

I posted to the Louisville Scooter Group that I had the option of several different routings up to Cinci for the Better L8 Than Never XYL-WKRP Scooter Rally. If you know me, you know how I am...very democratic. I had intended to do "majority rules" on the route. One of the other forefathers, Jeremy, posts his route that he has planned and says "I'm going up like this. Come with me if you want. I'm not taking any suggestions." quite the opposite. Hahahaha! He is a great guy who puts hours of thought into his routes. I was posting something up because nobody else had said "lets do this!" yet. I quickly deferred to Jeremy's route over my 10-minute snap route. His are always better anyway! The only way I'm not riding up with him is if my 1/2 vacation day doesn't get approved and I have to leave at 5pm. I'm pretty sure that the two other scooter clubs in town will have people there. I look forward to seeing them. As I have always said, I will ride with anybody. We've seemed to have fallen into our niche here in Louisville and the Kentuckiana area. We have a tight-knit vintage scooter club over at www.scootervul.com who have been around the longest. They are the most knowledgable and a great bunch once you get to know them. We have LSG...our scooter club where we just ride, hang out some, and do little else. Then there is the other group who is the newest. For diplomatic reasons I give no specifics of them, but all the riders are people I know and they are good folks. They are gonna ride up to Cinci on the Indiana side, which is cool. Anything that gives people more options is great!

Whoever you are, I hope you get up to this WKRP Scooter Rally. I look forward to meeting you. I'll be the big guy on the big red Majesty with the big LSG patch. ;o)

MPG on the Majesty

The scooter is supposed to get 60-65mpg after break-in.  My first tank was at 42mpg.  My second tank (this time with a little highway) was 46.5mpg.  I have talked to the guys on the Yamaha Majesty yahoo group and they are saying that since I'm still in the break-in period, that my mpg will get a lot better as temps increase and up to 1500 miles on the odometer.  I will keep very close track of this.

The Screamer

This is what is commonly known as a disc lock. You lock it to the brake disc on your motorcycle (or in my case a scooter) and then push the button. There is only a slot to affix it so therefore no way to remove it without destruction of the disc. The added feature of MY disc lock is if you jiggle it any, it goes off with a 125 decible alarm and alerts anyone within earshot that somebody's screwing with the bike.

It is a knockoff of the Xena alarm made by a company called Xeron. How funny is THAT? The package says it's made in India, but there is no manufacturer's stamp on the metal. Still, it should work ok, it fits, locks and the alarm is just an added bonus. I haven't used it seriously yet. Nobody screws with my bike at home or work, and I don't stay in any other place long enough to give an opportunity.

Initial Service on the YP400X

I need to get the 600 mile initial service done on my new scooter, so I am trying to find the best place to go here in Louisville.

 

I spoke with William in service at Commonwealth Motorcycles.  He was very nice over the phone and said "we don't service Yamaha, but if it's just regular stuff we can do it."  He had me send him pages out of the owners manual and called me back with at quote for the inital service but it was $145.  Meanwhile I called S&S and they said "we'll have to get back to you, we're busy." I spoke with Derby Cycles and they said "No problem...it's while you wait no appointment necessary."  and the verdict from Inga at Yamaha of Louisville was "Make a drop-off appointment for next Tuesday and it will be $60.  We'll have it for 3-4 days."  This is all over the map.  I am tempted to take it to Derby, because of the majority of people I speak to about them only have good things to say.  The initial is mostly change-the-oil-and-kick-the-tires, so I don't know how anybody could foul it up (not saying any of these places would or could) unless they wanted to charge me too mucht.  I should find out how much they are planning on charging me at Derby Cycle.  That blinking oil light is worrying the hell out of me!!  Since Shelby at Derby Cycle was the one who basically got my 250 up to Gasoline Rally, I really need to give them my business.  It is the right thing to do.  Plus I hear they have a huge selection of gear and farkles at their shop!  I might have to do it NEXT Saturday though.  That would be the soonest I could get the bike out there and get the work done with having time to walk around and look at all their stuff.

Last Weekend of February

Even though this was a ride weekend, I didn't do too much riding.  I planned a meet at Krispy Kreme on Saturday at 9am.  I was the only 2-wheeled person there on two wheels.  A guy asked me about the Majesty, and gave me his card.  He said they carry gear for all motorcycles, scooters, ATV's etc.  He gave me a card which I didn't look at until just now.  It's the same place I heard a radio spot for.  I may check them out, but he made a point to note that "we don't work with them China bikes" which, if you know me, you know this sort of discrimination really puts me off.  I don't know if they do any service, or just sell parts and accessories. 

 

After that, I rode down to the usual hangout for a bit--Highland Coffee.  Then, I had 11am plans to meet up with my friend Steph who just got a new BMW motorcycle.  I had been dying to see it.  From what I am used to, it is a behemoth.  She offered to let me sit on it, but I recently screwed up my back and didn't want to take a chance with somebody else's baby.  We might do some riding this year (perhaps an IBA ride), and maybe a ride-camp-ride.

 

On the way back home I stopped for lunch at Jerrys.  When I was leaving, it started to sleet.  I took it extra careful around curves, used the 2nd street bridge instead of the interstate, and swung by the bookstore because it had already stopped sleeting.  Then I went home to work on my PC and do house work.

 

Sunday I got up and moving around, and I rode out to have lunch with my friend Ken who was in town working on his restoration project.  We rode down to the BBQ place and talked.  It was nice to see him.  After lunch we took the "long way home", and I suggested Trevillian Way.  I love that road.  Many of the houses have very unique arcitecure, and the road through there is winding and pretty neat.  We ended up splitting up over at the Nature Center that is over across from the Louisville Zoo.  We talked a while longer then we split up.  I went pretty directly home to get some laundry done and keep working on my PC.  That was the extent of my riding this weekend.