Richard is from Mississauga Canada. He started as a kid on 2-wheels riding bicycles which he nearly ground into dust from use. He is a member of the Brampton Motorcycle Association and the Toronto MotoScooter Club as well as the Port Credit Yacht Club since 1975 and Shellbacks (a group formed in 1938 for people who like to get together and talk about boats and sailing). He also is moderator for two Suzuki Burgman forums.
KSC: Richard, tell me a little bit about your 2-wheel background.
Richard: From age eight until half way thru university my only transport was bicycles. I wore out four bikes putting approximately 3/4 of a million miles total on them.
KSC: Three quarters of a million miles! That is incredible to me! How much of that experience transferred to the scooter?
Richard: A lot! Most of what I had to learn to ride the course bikes had to do with the gears. The only other thing I had to learn to do was to turn the handlebars without turning the throttle at the same time. Especially left turns at slow speed. Not a problem on a bicycle.
KSC: What happened after you wore out your last bicycle?
Richard: In university, when my last bike couldn't be fixed, I planned on buying a motor scooter or motorcycle. So I test rode a couple. My parents found out and offered to loan me the money if I'd buy a car. That was 1965.
KSC: And this was a way for them to keep their son safer by putting him in a cage *grin* ?
Richard: Yep.
KSC: So when did you actually start scootering, Richard?
Richard: In 2004, three years after I retired, I bought my first motorized two wheeler a Burgman 650 new (It's now for sale and has 31,000 km on it). In 2005 we bought a Honda big Ruckus for my wife to learn on. At Christmas time in '06 a friend offered me a 2005 Burgman 650 Executive at a good price. Bought with 15,018 km it now has 54,600 km on it. I also ride the Big Ruckus as it's fun to ride and my wifehas decided not to try and get her license.
KSC: I went from a 250cc to a 400cc because I needed more power an acceleration for highway and longer distances. Why do you think you went straight for the biggest of all North American scooters...the AN650?
Richard: The local dealer had both the 400 and 650 side by side on the floor. I fell in love with them. I planned to buy the 400 as the 650 was a lot more money. However, one morning when they weren't busy, I went in a sat on the 400 for about 20 minutes only to have my legs cramp up rather painfully. I moved to the 650 and they immediately uncramped. I had picked a bike.
KSC: You've owned both the standard Burgman 650 and the Executive model. I've heard a lot of folks say that the only real advantage of the Exec is the ABS. What do you find you like more about the Burgman 650 Executive? Do you think if you'd had the ABS on the Executive it would have saved you from going down in your accident?
Richard: The ABS would have prevented both accidents I've had, in my humble opinion. To me the ABS is like insurance, you pray you never need it but it's there when you do. Something no one can explain, my '05 Exec is noticeably slower than my '04. The best explanation I can find is product variation.
KSC: So you've only been riding an actual motorbike for six years. That's pretty recent compared to how long you've been on non-motorized 2-wheels. Have you had any good scrapes or close calls?
Richard: In May '04 two weeks almost to the second after getting my Burgman I was in a bad accident resulting in an almost totalled bike and a broken rib plus other abrasions that are now permanent scars on my knees. The driver was charged. People told me to sell the bike which I didn't get back until July 23rd.
KSC: How difficult was it to start back riding again? Do you feel this has altered how you ride? Do you think you are more cautious now?
Richard: It wasn't difficult at all. Many people, who thought they knew me, were surprised I could get on the bike at all but for me it was perfectly natural.
KSC: Tell me about a trip you've taken on the Burgman.
Richard: On the day after Labour Day 2004 I left for a scooter meet in Southern PA. It was 825 km one way. My longest day to date at that point had been 70 km. I'd been riding nine weeks. My first day I did 525 km and stopped for the night at a hotel. The next morning I left the hotel at 9:30 and continued my trip. Hurricane Frances arrived at 10:00 dropping 17" of rain that day and me without rain gear. Believe it or not I loved every minute of that trip.
KSC: That's a pretty good ride as far as distance goes. Do you have any modifications or extra equipment & gear that makes going longer distances easier or more comfortable? Do you travel on the main interstates (60-70+ mph) or stay on the back roads (more at 55mph)?
Richard: Almost the entire trip was 70+ highway. As for extra equipment, I didn't for that first trip but soon after that bought an Airhawk seat cushion CDN$200 which helped a little. When it died, no longer hold air, I tried a Cross Gel seat cushion CDN$150 only to find it very hot after it sat in the sun and didn't cool off like the Airhawk over a few minutes or even all afternoon. Very uncomfortable so I bought a Bead Rider US$35, CDN$50 and have never looked back. With the Bead Rider I can ride all day only stopping when I need gas. I get a drink then and if it's around that time I get lunch. With the other cushions I could go about 2 hours before the first stop but then had to stop every hour to let my bottom recover. The Bead Rider also doesn't add nearly as much to the seat height as either the Airhawk or Cross Gel seat cushions which is important for me as I only have a 26" inseam.
I also bought a Givi E52 top box in 2005 and this year I have bought a pair of E41 side cases for the bike. I have also added Fehling Bars as the side case mounts are by the same maker and continue from the brackets up to the dash. They both protect the sides of the bike in a fall over and hide some of the damage I've painted over in previous falls.
KSC: Can you tell me a bit more about the clubs you're a member of?
Richard: BMA is my main club and they ride every Sunday thru riding season plus the odd weekend long events. It is a family oriented riding club that accepts all comers on all types of bikes. The only requirement is your bike must be able to keep up with the group. I also attend events with TMSC and ScooToronto when there is something that sounds interesting that's not on Sunday.
KSC: So the main group you associate with is not a traditional scooter club, but a motorcycle association. Our maxi-scooters are the odd duck. Do you feel that they fit more into the motorcycle category than the scooter category?
Richard: Yes, if you tour Europe you will see many Suzuki adds for the 400 and the occasional one for the 650 and both are called touring bikes in some of those ads.
KSC: What do you like best about riding on two wheels?
Richard: As I tell people it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on short of flying a modern jet fighter. (No, I am not a pilot.)
KSC: What do you feel like scooterist share in common with all riders?
Richard: We all share the fun of tight turns and the wind in our faces as well as the dangers that come from oblivious drivers.
KSC: What do you feel sets us scooterists apart from other riders?
Richard: Other riders don't have people asking: "Why don't you buy a real bike?". My answer is why buy a 20th century bike when I already have a 21st century bike.
KSC: Then by that do I take it you mean that the scooter is the future of 2-wheel travel as opposed to the standard motorcycle?
Richard: That's a possibility. In the fall of 2005 at the Tokyo motorcycle show the president of Honda stood in front of a bike almost identical to the Burgman 650 in most respects and said: "This is the future of the motorcycle.".
However what I really mean is what people call a true motorcycle -their words not mine - is a true product of the 20th century. The changes from 1950 bikes to 1999 bikes are mostly minor details. On the other hand, the Suzuki Burgman could not have been built in the 20th century. The computers that control the transmission and fuel injection are a major improvement and didn't exist until about 2001, each one of those processors is powerful enough in its own right to run a company like GM. The Exec goes one further by having a third computer to control the ABS. The two main computers are also unique in the motorcycle world by having a communication buss between them that could carry about half the total traffic on the internet.
KSC: Richard, give me an idea of your riding style.
Richard: Shortly after getting my bike back in 2004 I bought an MP3 player only to discover it too intrusive for long distance riding. I've never used it since. I find long distance travel a kind of Zen sort of thing whether I'm alone or with a group. Being alone with my thoughts is where I've spent much of my life since I am an extreme introvert and was very shy on top right up until the end of high school. I am also in many ways a nerd having spent 40 years as a computer specialist.
KSC: Well in that case, I thank you very much for answering my questions, Richard. It was nice to meet you at the 4th Izzy's International Lunch & Ride last year, and I hope to get out to the 5th coming up in July.
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