...Which would not, so much, be today. Storms blew through light night with much flash-and-boom fanfare but this day has dawned damp, chilly, windy and on the edge of raw. I had hoped to ride my scooter today, but even a streamlined 250-pound mo-chine is no match for 25 to 30 mph winds.
Aw, well. Tomorrow is another day, the first scooter-commute of the season was last week already and I gotta set the alarums and git!
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
3 comments:
Road my 650 pound scooter home from storage last Sunday, then the weather promptly dumped 6" of snow on it and it is currently holding it hostage probably for another week........SIGH.
When I had motor cycling chums in England--probably when your scootering was of the leg-pumped variety--there was a car-guy/bike-guy dichotomy. Avid cyclists didn't want to be seen in a cage, and would go to great and miserable lengths to prove their point. One fellow would tie rags through the spokes (wheels had "spokes" back then) and around the tyre for traction. It worked, but like 4WD it was better on the uptake than for steering and braking. Keep that in mind as you push the season. They fall hard.
As a consequence, for two generations the Brits had, hands-down (ouch) the best rain-suits anywhere. Barbour waxed-cotton could repel water and breathe, just like GoreTex, except you couldn't wash it and it had to be re-waxed at regular intervals. Other than that it was about perfect.
The gloves always leaked back then.
'Strewth, Anon -- I ended my first month's riding in 2006 by losing control (transmission stuck between gears and I took focus away from the road...on rough pavement at 25mph), lowsiding and very nearly destroying my right knee. Spent the summer on crutches. My scooter was fixed in a couple of months; I wasn't riding it until very late that Fall and my first step was to take the Basic Rider's Course, originally scheduled the weekend ending the week I wrecked. It was a strong "they fall hard" learning experience.
I will push the season but not the weather; having started riding considerably later in life than most, I will likely never have the mad skills needed to cope with hostile weather. Cold's not a problem in and of itself, but rain, snow, ice and strong gusts are another matter.
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