187/365 (July 6, 2010) – Had to take my scooter in for a little fixer-upper this morning. The transmission had a bit of an odd noise, apparently wasn’t greased quite right when it had it’s annual tune-up a little while back. All fixed up and back on the road though, good as new.
(I know these are all Vespas…I have an Aprilia)
135/365 (May 15, 2010) – Kirk’s new toy next to mine. My little scooter gave him the itch to have a motorcycle again, and it had to be blue.
But here’s the funny bit…his “blue is better” mantra started when we rented scooters in Greece back in 2005. His blue one there broke down, so I always say “Red is better, blue ones break”. So yesterday we were in a lot practicing riding pylons and figure eights. After about an hour Kirk said, two more runs and then we will go. I zipped around the corner and waited, and waited….where did he go?
When I came back he was sitting there on his shiny new bike and sheepishly said “It won’t start”.
Honestly, it was like a strange case of deja-vu … it was like the aliens had sucked him off the earth again! (scroll to May 13th and read the entry for an explanation)
So, guess who had to help push start it? And in the process, I slipped on some loose rocks and fell and bashed my knee.
“My” little red (and white) bike has “always” started.
See? Blue is not better! And when I graduate to a motorcycle….it will be red!
92/365 (April 2, 2010) – We watched The Age of Stupid last night, and it was a bit of a jolt. We try hard to reduce our impact wherever we can, but it’s pretty obvious from this documentary that the majority don’t. Worth a watch, maybe you’ll change some little thing.
I can’t fathom why the governments don’t get behind and reduce taxes on clean energy. Why make it more expensive and harder to go green. It’s obvious why, it doesn’t line the wallets of the big businesses. People pay lip service to clean energy, but when push comes to shove, if there is an inconvenience involved, they balk.
I just love how everyone seems to want wind energy, but no one wants it in their backyard. So apparently it is preferable to continue polluting rather than mar the view with a wind tower. That view might not last if we don’t try to reduce our impact.
Case in point, big heavy vehicles in the city. The vast majority of SUVs and heavy trucks never see the off-road. They are confined to the city and never leave pavement. And I’ve had conversations with friends who have said they drive them because they feel safer in them. They’d never drive a small car for fear of an accident. We drive a truck, but for around town I drive a scooter. The truck is useful for when we need to haul things to and from the boat, for tools, for large loads of whatever on a rainy day. The rest of the time, for close runs within the city, the scooter works fabulously and uses a lot less fuel and generates a lot less in the emission department. And what’s frustrating to me is the fact that Vancouver doesn’t get behind two-wheeled transportation. Bicycles, yes, scooters, no.
When I was getting rid of my SUV I wanted to put it into the Scrap-it Program. But while they would give me credit towards a bicycle, another car, or even another light truck, they wouldn’t give any credit for a scooter. How dumb is that? The SUV used about $60 a week in fuel. The scooter uses about $3. And what do you think the difference in emissions is? Lots.
I think heavier, less fuel efficient vehicles, including the truck we just bought, should be taxed higher. I think we still pay too little for gas in North America. If these things cost more, perhaps we will think a little more about how we use them and the things we do. Maybe we would combine more things into single trips, and be a bit less wasteful. I think we all over-consume. Yes, it would mean life might be a bit more inconvenient, but maybe we’ve all become a little to hooked on convenience.
So, the scooter is my little bit, and it’s just too much fun to drive too!
The Olympics are almost here and the city of Vancouver is holding its breath, or it seems that way anyway. Security and city engineers have thrown the fear of gridlock into everyone and it seems to be working. Vancouver has no major highways running through its core and that is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it keeps the city somewhat compact and discourages people from taking their cars downtown to a certain degree. It’s a curse for the same reason. Saturday we decided to see what was going on downtown, a week before the Games are in full force and the crowds descend. So, in the name of sanity (and because the sun was shining) we took the scooter.
Well, I may have wimped out on scooting yesterday, but today was colder and I DID go out. And it was great fun. Had my new thermals and my nice warm new gloves so I survived, but it was brisk.
I had the best scooting moment today. I got “The Wave” from two big guys on their bikes. If you’ve ever driven on back roads in a 4×4, you know what I mean. The lift of the hand. Just a simple and subtle gesture acknowledging that you are kindred spirits.
And I got the two wheeled wave today. Pretty cool!
Almost gave a woman in her car a different type of gesture though. At a stoplight I looked in my mirror and I couldn’t believe it… I actually had to turn around and look… she was literally about 2 inches off my rear tire. It was tempting to kick back, but I just gave her a withering stare and shook my head at her. She was behind me for a bit but kept a bit better distance after being glowered at.
Seriously, I’ve been thinking that everyone ought to spend a day in traffic on a scooter. Then maybe drivers would realize how vulnerable it is on two wheels and they might be a little more respectful of space. I know I am more aware since being on one.