It costs a BMW X3 driver more money per kilometre just for tyres than it costs to fuel a 125cc scooter.

Interesting news report from overseas:

It costs a BMW X3 driver more money per kilometre just for tyres than it costs to fuel a 125cc scooter. Speaking at a BDO Spencer Steward presentation recently, tax professor Matthew Lester pointed out that the fat tyres of an X3 cost R1,50 per kilometre. The average scooter sips just 0,04 litres of petrol (worth 23c) per kilometre.

This could be one of the reasons why two-wheeled vehicle sales are growing at a much faster rate than cars. According to statistics released by the Association of Motorcycle Importers and Distributions (Amid), sales of motorbikes in the 0-150cc category posted a year-on-year gain of 100% for the month of October (2288 vs 1144 units).

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LED Bulb Replacement

So I’ve gone ahead and ordered a set of replacement LED bulbs for the stock running lights, turn signals, and brake. I realize there has been a lot of discussion regarding using LED bulbs as replacement but not much information. With any luck they will all fit and work but I figure I will try it out to see. Hopefully they will arrive by the weekend so I can get them installed. I will be sure to take before and after photos. The thing I will be most interested to test is the brake light. Supposedly the one I ordered has a motion sensor whereby upon hard braking it will flash rapidly, under normal deceleration it is constant. Not sure how this will work on a scooter but was informed it should. I will be sure to report back with all the details.

Rear View Helmet

A new dawn has arrived in helmet development with the REEVU motorsports helmet. REEVU have created the world’s first patented rear-view helmet range that gives the wearer that all round vision “at a glance.” REEVU believe that they have made a helmet that will help prevent accidents because we all know “prevention is better than cure”.

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Seeing behind you on a motorcycle has always been a problem. Sometimes the mirrors vibrate, and sometimes they offer a terrific view of your elbows, and most of the time they offer a distinctly inferior view of the rear compared to that you get in a car because you can’t see the parts directly behind you. As a soldier in combat will tell you, when your situational awareness is down in a hostile environment, the risk of injury multiplies enormously. And hence when a helmet with an integrated rear view mirror system was launched last week in Munich we think it’s worth a look. Manufacturers Reevu spent ten years developing the helmet, which has a built-in 180 degree unbreakable rear-view mirror system in the hope it will save lives on the roads by improving situational awareness and hence preventing accidents.

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MSRP: $399 usd (unconfirmed)

Philadelphia Center City Scooter Parking Bill

I have received word from Councilman DiCicco's office that he will be introducting a bill for designated SCOOTER PARKING in Philly!

WE NEED TO FILL CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS when the bill is introduced!

Rally the troops!
NOVEMBER 30th at 2:00pm. City Hall.

In general, the bill will designate scooter parking on every other
block in Center City.

There will be opposition so we must attend to show our support if it is going to happen!!!

We will meet at the South Broad st side of City Hall waiting outside until 1:45, the group will meet up there and go inside to the Council chambers.

Further details when I get them!

Scooter Parking

Heres a photo of me parked next to a TNG Baja (interesting Ruckus like scoot):

Invite to Visit Power Sports Factory

This past weekend I was invited by Power Sports Factory's President, Alan Leson, to visit their facilities. I believe that since I have been there they have moved, next door, to a bigger and better space. As some of you may know or have read I have been having some minor tuning issues with setting the air/fuel mixture as well as the idle. This weekend I changed out the spark plug which seemed to indicated the scoot was already running well. Being that I am learning on this scooter Alan has offered to show me how to tune it so that I may present these details here for everyone to follow. He has also been nice enough to extend an invitation to ride their new 4-valve head rx150. I can't tell you how excited I am! This is certainly a mod I am wanting to try and having the opportunity to ride their prototype will be a great experience. I will make sure to charge up my camera and have it with me. Anything in particular anyone wants to see just leave me a comment. I hope to make it out there sometime this week and will let everyone know about it here.

Tachometer/Hourmeter

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SELF POWERED WITH A LITHIUM 7 YEAR BATTERY, THIS EASY TO INSTALL TACH ONLY REQUIRES YOU TO WRAP ONE WIRE AROUND THE SPARK PLUG WIRE, AND ONE TO A GROUND. THE TACH EVEN HAS A RESETABLE MEMORY THAT RECORDS YOUR HIGHEST RPM'S. IN ADDITION TO THE TACH FEATURE IT FUNCTIONS AS AN HOUR METER TO REMIND YOU OF MAINTENENCE INTERVALS. A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO IS ADDING PERFORMANCE PARTS!!!!! Induction-type Tachometer/Hourmeter

Wheels locked up

So I did it, I was able to lock my wheels. Not that I was trying but as is usually the scenario was forced to brake hard to avoid an accident. This car pulled out of a parking space on the left hand side of a one way street and cut across both lanes to make a right hand turn. I had a split second to sound my horn and grab the brakes. I felt and heard the brakes lock up, I believe atleast the front, but luckily I kept it upright and avoided the collision but not by much. I really wasn't going all that fast as I was coming off a light and saw the car acting suspicious but fast enough to give me a scare. Had I hit this guy I certainly would have found myself flying over his hood. Get things the brakes worked, despite locking, and I was able to keep it up.

Weekend Update

Not much new to report this weekend. There was a local rally here in town which unfortunatly I missed. As with most weekends I slept a lot and spent part of it working on my scooter but really didn’t have too much time to get everything I wanted accomplished. For starters I am still having some low end bogging which I am told is most likely the fuel mix. I will attend to this as soon as possible but in the meantime a more alarming issue has come up with my front brake. It appears as those my front brake has come loose causing movement around the calipers resulting in noticeable affects as well as an irritating noise. I tried to tighten it as best I could but think I need more tools as the brake itself is tight to the scoot but the housing, around the pads, appears loose. Hopefully I will have the tools I need soon as I almost had to leave my scoot at a friend’s house when it started raining. I just don’t feel that safe with the scooter in its current state. I did manage to stop by a local scooter shop here and drool over some of the 250 Kymcos. They had a quick look at my scooter and had general good things to say about it, especially given the price point. This made me feel a little better about my purchase although in reality I think some flack is to be expected. They also gave me a nice new NGK plug to try out which I will get to eventually. Both the local shop and PSF both asked why one would change out the plug but seeing as how eventually I will do it I might as well be prepared. As soon as I have time and get off before dark during these shortened days I will get right on these repairs. At least my ride in to work during the week is short and they have finally paved the roads. Oh yea and Septa is back off strike which is great news as the traffic, especially on Friday was just awful. I finally began to appreciate the art of lane splitting as I simply couldn’t cope with it all and witness a few motorcycles doing the same. Don’t think I will ever turn it into a custom as I like to both give and receive respect on the road but certainly does come in handy in certain situations such as this.

Almost Run Over by Public Transport

I apologize I haven’t been updating the blog as frequently but work has been really getting to me lately. I did however want to make a comment about my ride into work today. I was almost side-swiped right off the bridge by a Septa bus, not one of those big ones as they are on strike but by one of the large commuter ones for handicapped people. I guess he just flat out didn’t see me but as I was cruising in the right lane he just moves right over into me. Luckily I had enough room on the shoulder as I honked my tiny sounding horn. I decided I better get this jokers attention and proceeded to get right next to him and bang on the side and windows as hard as I could. I think it did the trick as he slowed down (mind you still in my lane) and I was able to pass by him while looking back and shaking my head in anger. This just goes to prove how hard it can be for others to see us on our scooters and how important it is to pay attention at all times even, and especially, since the other guy most likely isn’t. So for everyone out there please ride safe and stay heads up out there!

Bogging/Stalling Scooter Fix

Recently I have been running into issues with my scooter not running as smoothly as it should but I think I have found the culprit. The first symptoms I began to notice were while riding in the rain whereby the scooter would bog down at low speeds (essentially studdering under acceleration) and was idling funny at stop. Sometimes the scooter would want to stall out and would require gas while at other times it would idle strong even pulling at the scoot a bit. Well my solution was simple, remove the air filter and soak it in gasoline before letting it dry and applying a bit of gear oil before putting it back. While it was out soaking I also cleaned the carb (outside with soap and water then blew dry it with compressed air). The end result seems to be that my scooter runs stronger and smoother with little hesitation at low speeds now. My next step will be to replace the spark plug with an iridium one but I will have to wait on Pep Boys or Auto Zone to get one for me. Just thought I would pass along this information as others might find it useful. One thing to note is that the symptoms I had experienced are often felt either during or after significant riding in the rain. It is important that if you do so you check and or clean your air filter more regularly.