So anyone go for a ride this weekend?
 

I did. :)>D:nod:

http://2smallerwheels.blogspot.com/2...lant-city.html

I just came back from work on the CF Moto. I have to work on Sunday mornings and a scooter commute is a good way to start the day. It's 35 miles round trip but it's where most of my miles come from.

I ride my bike like that as well. About a 35 mile commute, mostly at highway speeds, although hopefully that will change soon. I feel pretty good about a new position that is 21 miles away on a nice twisty 2 lane road. :) So it was nice to get out and do something different for a change. :hehe:

Crossing my fingers. :)

Yeah, I did. Rode about 230 miles up to a motorcycle campground here in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Met a member from another forum on the way up. Had lunch and talked. Turns out he lived in the same Township and went to the same high school. (though 18 years apart) Had a great time and the weather was absolutely gorgeous for the 3 days I was up there. Didn't go to the tunnel of trees or the Sleeping Bear Dunes since I have been there a few times already. So I just tooled around randomly after having visited a few old haunts. I also wasted a little bit of time (and $$) at Turtle Creek Casino. It's OK, didn't loose much. Packed up and left about noon today heading the 230 miles home since there was a chance of rain forecast for later tonight and on Monday. (I don't like packing up when everything is wet)

Going back up there again later this month to camp with folks from another motocamping group. (ADVenture Riders) Hope the weather is good then too.

AHH!! just noticed it's raining here now! Good call to leave camp when I did.

Weekend Ride
 

Sure did.

Speaking of rides, here are a few pics from the 2nd Annual BBQ Cookoff at Grand Rapids Scooter Sunday.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...w/DSC_0232.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...w/DSC_0237.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...w/DSC_0243.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...w/DSC_0245.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...w/DSC_0249.jpg

That last pic is Jason, owner at GR Scooter. Great guy, great business, great event.

Does the forum here use [image=###] tags to resize images for posting? I can't seem to make them work and I hate annoying folks with huge pics.

Nice looking event Seamus but I think the storm you stirred up at Modern Vespa was better. I laughed for hours at their outrage.

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic131361

hahahah! Seamus your thread on the Vespa forum is hilarious.

Vespa owners can be so stuck up, which is odd, as they are very slow compared to our gy6 bikes, and they cost a ton to work on.

Over the years, I have ridden many Vespas, Cushmans, Lambrettas, Honads, Suzukis, and even a Subaru scooter. Vespas are nothing special. I wish they were, but they aren't.

I can definitively say riding a Vespa will not convert you to owning one.

That's good to know. All in all, though, those guys have been really helpful over there. There are always exceptions, but there are several who have ridden all sorts of bikes and have the opinion, "ride what you love".

I've always known I'll never own the "best" of everything, but I take care of what I own like it is the best. That's why my daily driver is a 25 year old Volvo, and it still looks great.

The section I really appreciate over there is the NSM category. Those guys are hard core gear heads. I like that. It's a whole different philosophy on riding; they aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

I still may test drive a Vespa. Just sitting on it, it felt rock solid and stable compared to my ZNEN. We'll see.

I'll keep you all posted.

I made sure when I started that thread I was wearing my helmet. >D

Hey Seamus....is that two-tone with red pin stripes, in pic #1, your ride?....It sure is an attractive color scheme on that classic style scooter.....I really likey....

Yeah, that is. My wife actually picked it out. The plan is/was to buy it and break it in. Then it would become hers. Then we'd buy a second one and it would become mine.

Haven't quite gotten to that point yet.

Oh, and thanks! It gets a lot of looks. I had a nice conversation at the store this morning with a perfect stranger about Vespas out in California. >D

As I stated in my post, basically it's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, it's the size of the fight in the dog. I love hearing snobs calling our scooters sh*t and then saying,"Look, six years old and 8,000 miles". I'm sure those lofty Vespas with 30,000 miles have had a lot of wrenches in the vicinity.

I just broke 1900 miles on mine with less than a full year (in Michigan) on her. And there's lots of riding left this year. :tup:

My point exactly. I split my time up on the three China bikes and I've gone about 3,000 miles this year. The notions they cling to are so out of date. China bikes have come a long ways since 2008 and some are incredible.

A GY6 in a Lance with SYM technology is a viable alternative to a much pricier scooter. The owner of Lance has publicly stated that when he started selling scooters they were toys for people. When it became apparent that his scooters were becoming commuter vehicles to counter rising gas prices he sought out a better supplier to satisfy his customer base's needs. The alliance with SYM followed. Built in China with some Taiwanese made parts Lance scooters are noted for excellent performance and reliability. Their line of 150cc scooters are half the price of a comparable sized Vespa, have a dealer backup, warranties and ongoing improvements.

We based our ride in the town of Fayetteville, TX, this week. The FM road to Friesburg had a rather high speed limit (for a 125cc) of 60mph, but the tight curves kept the cager speeds down.
At Friesburg, we turned north on Stokes road and scooted another 11 curvy, scenic miles, almost to Industry. Speed limit was 50mph, surface was better than average for a county road and we saw very few cars. I think this road would be safe for 50cc scooting as well. Just watch for gravel on the curves.
It was brutally hot, so we really appreaciated the lack of stop lights and stop signs during our ride.
Fayetteville is a charming little town, with a scenic town square and plenty of well preserved vintage homes. We had a great lunch at Orsaks Cafe on the square. We made a return visit after our ride for lemonade and dessert.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...psc8742253.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps6060706c.jpg
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