Wheels Weekend Coming

I'm looking forward to the weekend of September 7-9. That Friday is First Friday, which is always an exciting night to be downtown. Saturday, in my neighborhood, is the North East Neighborhood September Fest featuring a flea market, live music and a motorcycle show around the Fulton Bar. Sunday is a classic car and motorcycle show downtown, 11-4.
It's also the weekend that I begin my Motorcycle Safety Program. It's a weekend full of 2-wheelers!

Italian Fest

Today was the 1st Annual Italian Fest in Lancaster. Reveron Electronic Inc. had a booth there promoting their Yamati scooters. I don't know anything about them, but they sure are sharp looking.

The festival was held in front of Rosa Rosa Ristorante Italiano. The owner of Rosa Rosa, Giovanni Disomma, was recently hurt quite badly in an accident on a scooter. A driver on a cell phone ran a red light and hit him. He was not wearing a helmet. (Another reminder: ATGATT "All The Gear All The Time). There was a stand at the festival where Carmella Disomma was asking people to sign petitions outlawing cell phone use while driving and to bring back the mandatory helmet law. As I was signing the cell phone petition (and not the helmet one), I heard a man behind me say, "Well, I'll sign the helmet one, but not the cell phone one." To each his own, I guess.

girlbike Passing Through Lancaster

Last Monday Crystal Waters (pictured, center) of girlbike.com passed through Lancaster with her friends Susan and Pascal. They were passing through on their way from Maryland to Vermont. I met them at the old Rebman's store parking lot. The weather was miserable and I was leaving on a vacation of my own, so I didn't spend much time riding along with them. But I was able to lead them from the south side of the City, to a gas station, and then on to Rt. 501.

Such an ambitious ride for 150cc scooters!

On the Road Again

I got my Yamaha C3 back. It had a bad fuel pump. It was in the shop for 11 days, and it is less than 3 months old.

If you are considering a scooter as a commuter vehicle (and it is my hope that you are), I would encourage you to ask your dealer about warranty and service. A reliable service department with access to a network of experienced technicians and parts will be more likely to keep you happy and on the road. Unless you are planning to do the maintenance yourself, I would be leery about buying a scooter from a place where I don't see a garage.

Motorcycle Safety Program

You need a motorcycle license to ride anything over 50cc in Pennsylvania. So I'm working on getting mine. I've signed up for the Motorcycle Safety Program. It's free in PA and you finish with your license acquired. They even provide the motorcycles. It sounds like a great way to find out if a bigger bike is for you.
Having your learner's permit is a prerequisite. It costs $10, and you need to pass a written test (actually the test is taken on a touch-screen computer) at the DMV.
Signing up for the MSP is a pain. You need to do it online; the class are small and fill up fast; and registration only opens periodicly. I'm going to a session in Millersville. Registartion only opened last night, and it's already 3/4's full. But, I hear over and over that it is a valuable experience. It can even save you money on your insurance.
I'm hoping that the class will help me decide if I want a bigger scooter, or keep the little one and get a motorcycle.

TMISC Meltdown 2007

Every once in a while you need to venture outside the county. Saturday I took a field trip to Mechanicsburg to attend the Three Mile Island Scooter Club's Meltdown 2007 rally. There was a wonderful array of scooters there from Helixes and Burgmans, to vintage Vespas and Lambrettas. It was inspiring, and made me want to start a collection. Registration included free food, beer, music and a swag bag.

I also stopped in at the local Vespa dealer. I looked at their 250's. I can definitely see one in my future. My current scooter, frustratingly, is in the shop with a mysterious intermittant problem. For a new scooter, it has been unavailable for WAY too long. That, along with my desire to get something more powerful, has me drooling over a Vespa GTS or GTV. It burned me everytime I got back in my car that day. I can feel why bikers call cars "cages".

Parking Now Open!

The free, dedicated scooter parking in the Prince Street Garage is open for use. The article about it appeared in the paper yesterday.

To use the spaces, you must sign a waiver stating that you will not use the space for vehicle maintenance, or for sale or display of merchandise, etc.. There is no parking from 2am to 6am. They also state that they are not responsible for vandalism, damage or loss. Considering that, it would be nice if they would provide some anchors to lock down to.

After signing the waiver, you are given a numbered sticker. The sticker doesn't have to be stuck to your scooter... it actually comes on a plastic hanger card (designed for automobile rear-view mirrors). So you can pull out the card and hang it on your handlebars. The Mayor peeled his sticker off and put it directly on his Honda Elite 80. Of course, the mayor got #001.

Rally Scooter

Scooters just seem to want stickers and decals. I tracked down some self-adhesive vinyl at the craft store in the Golden Triangle, and after a little work with a knife and some scissors, I made some rally graphics for my C3.


The other day, a college kid leaned out the window of his passing car and yelled, "That's hot, man! I like it!" Why, thank you, so do I.

Sad News

A 66 year-old Lancaster County man was killed 7-31-07 while riding a scooter on Rt. 772 just South of Leola, according to the Intelligencer Journal. The report was posted on Lancaster OnLine. Apparently a car pulled in front of him and he couldn't avoid the collision. He was wearing a helmet, but pronounced dead at the scene.

The rider was Emauel Beiler of Gordonville.

I'm thinking of the yard signs that proliferate in the summer: "Motorcycles Are Everywhere". So are scooters. This accident happened in the middle of the afternoon on clear, sunny day. Drivers: look both ways. Then look again. Don't just look for moving things the size of a car... really see and evaluate your surroundings.
Riders: Always assume that car in front of you is going to do the stupid thing.