Dilemma

Strolled into a local Piaggio dealer on Saturday to get a first hand look at the MP3 500ie. They had two in the showroom: a black one and a blue one.  My first thought on seeing it was, "This thing is huge!"

I decided to view the black one as it looked very menacing. The showroom wall to the front of the bike was all mirrored from floor to ceiling, so you could see yourself clearly on the machine.  I kinda fell in love, and I didn't like that. By that I mean, the MP3 felt like someone who tries to steal your heart knowing you are committed to someone else. 

It compared with the Burgman very very well for me. Lots of storage, ease of getting on, digital display, large with road presence, and ample cockpit switches for flexibility. The one drawback I had with the Burgman 400 was how low the seat was, which is why recently I had resigned to getting the higher seat 650 instead. The MP3 500's seat felt just right in height. Plus, the two wheels up front meant I do not have to stop riding at any time during the year. This gives me a good reason to buy one right away rather than wait for the Spring like I was with the Burgman. It'll also do off road tracks easily, and has enough horse-power to climb hills without lapsing. 

Two wheels at the front also means I don't have to put my foot down at traffic light stops. It also means I don't have to find a chair (nor take a folding chair with me) on long trips when I stop to take view in and have a snack. Me likey much!

Gotta tell ya, the MP3 felt strong, solid, heavy, and ultra stable. Corners take some adjusting to because the unit really wants to remain upright, but when you lean into it with handlebar turns, the road grip is awesome! You really feel the three wheeled secure difference to a two wheeled bike. 

So, the two challenges the MP3 presented for me are, firstly, the 500 does not come in white. How am I going to ensure road visibility? I decided to have a black one partly sprayed with hi visibility green. I even did a PhotoShop preview to see what it might look like. I've shared it here. 

Secondly, how will I say goodbye to the Suzuki Burgman whom I have been in love with since my college days? This is still my dilemma. No solution to that one just yet. Sigh. Heartbreaking. 

All Year Riding

This abysmal weather here has me really re-thinking some things. I want to ride all year. All year. Period. 

I've been looking at perhaps getting a road-legal ATV quad bike which I would use during times of heavy rain, snow, or ice. It would double up with my Burgman to give an all year round ride experience. There are so many wet days here in the UK and further, quite a bit of cobbled and non-Tarmac roads in the city centres. I think it's the same for most of Europe. 

Recently I came upon an article about the Piaggio MP3.  I've been looking into it much. It's a three-wheeled scooter, and it has really rave reviews out there. It also has generous storage, comfortable seating, and apparently compares to the Burgman... although not as fast with acceleration. So I'm thinking if I get one, I won't need to have two units to get my year round riding going on. This machine promises to deliver whatever the weather or terrain. 

Well, with that, it's now a serious contender to bump my Burgman dreams off the rails. I am going to have a look at one very soon. Hey, they even come in white. 

Stay tuned. 

What To Wear?

Weather is changing everywhere now, but I'm determined to get my bike groove on to the very last day. I often wonder how bikers doing round-the-world tours stay warm travelling through snow. For me, snow or icy roads are the only two conditions that'd keep me off my bike. Luckily, we don't get snow really here where I live, and if we do, unless it's some freak weather, it melts within hours.

But for those who ride in snow, my research suggests that they layer and layer, plus thermals and ultra-warm outerwear. That is exactly what I do too for colder times. I also find wearing a hoodie works really well as part of layering, especially when I put the hood top on and my helmet on top... really toasty. I recently mail ordered a hi-vis armoured version from GoGo Gear in Los Angeles. Looking forward. 

What I'm having challenges with is keeping my hands warm. Friends suggest I get heated grips installed but they have such varied reviews all over. Thing is, I ride with my left hand's index and middle fingers propped on the brake all the time. I'm thinking that heated grips would be useless if my fingers aren't continuously totally wrapped around it.

So I recently tried out some cheapie heated gloves. These ones use a massive D battery which is installed on the other side of the wrists. Quite heavy, I think, and perhaps because they were a cheap trial, they only nominally changed the temperature. I'd say though, to be fair, that the although the heat was low, it did take the edge off from the nipping cold.  I will most likely now upgrade to a pair of heated gloves with a little higher spec. Nothing too pricey, as the Burgman 650 comes with heated grips. I'm thinking with the Burgman's heated grips and decent heated gloves, that should cure my hands in the cold. So yeah, I've got something specific to hunt for at the Motorcycle Live Show in Birmingham this weekend. 

We Did It!

We have set a new Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop relay on a 125cc bike. The previous record was circa 400 miles and we have recorded well over 1400 miles non-stop all around the UK mainland, taking a teddy bear as a baton & making changeovers at various war memorials as we rode along.

I met up with the crew for the last leg in Essex at the Grays war memorial, before heading over with them to the Cenotaph in London. What I did was ride over for 90 minutes the day before and spent the night in a nearby hotel. 

I kept up to date with the run via text messages and the Facebook group which was created for the riders. As I waited for the team to arrive near the war memorial, I was entertained by a couple of Indians in full regalia. Very colourful and rhythmic. 

It was a nice ride into the city. Most of it was at around 50 mph. When we finally arrived, we parked right up in front of the Cenotaph and joined in on the public commemorations of the War Heroes. 

So now, we are simply waiting on Guinness to confirm that the record has been set. We will also each be getting certificates for participating, whether the record is set or not.  Either way, it was really great fun and a privilege to have participated!

DVSA Motorcycle Theory Test

On my way in to get ready for the last leg of the Guinness Book of World Records attempt for the longest relay ride on a 125cc bike, I made a small detour stop in to my local testing centre to try out the DVSA Motorcycle Theory Test. 

It is the prerequisite if you want to commence learning on any bike larger than 125cc here in the UK. I hate tests and so I thought I'd pop in to give it a test run ... You know, just by the way ... no pressure... since I HAVE to do it to get to that Suzuki Burgman I'm after. Ugh!

Anyway, I'll cut this long story short because I've arrived at my destination now after a few hours riding, and I'm hungry and tired. So yeah, I PASSED!!!!!  Yay!  Celebration time, babee!

Guinness World Record

Not very often you get an opportunity to be part of a Guinness World Record attempt. This weekend starts an attempt for the longest non-stop relay ride around the UK on a 125cc bike... and I'm taking part! How cool is that?

It'll be a charity ride in aid of Help For Heroes and we will be carrying around a cuddly teddy bear passing on from one rider to the next, from war memorial to war memorial, ending at the Cenotaph in London. 

I'm doing the last leg with a bunch of other riders, and have already booked up my hotel near my start point which is a few hours away from my home, just to be sure I can make it there on time. And, I've already filled up my sponsorship sheet. So yeah, I'm pretty excited. It'll be much fun even if we don't make the record!

Sunday Ride Out

Met up with a few members of On The Run Scooter Club this morning and rode 40 minutes over to Ashridge. The Club is really for Vespa and Lambretta enthusiasts, and so I was pleased that they welcomed me for the ride. As much as I obsess about gadgets and accessories for my bike, these guys really doll up their machines.

Most sported authentic Lambretta and Vespa gear reviving the 1960's era. One rider and his pillion took me right back in time with their outfit and burgundy penny loafers. 

Before we even departed, all fourteen of us, the scooters attracted much attention from passersby. I was no different. I was so busy wandering around looking at the various models and taking photos, I hardly chatted with the group. I noted the preference for multiple rearview mirrors on the scooters. I have no idea why and didn't ask. On the contrary, one scooter had only one mirror, which I did ask about. "I only need one!" he said, smiling at me. I didn't challenge him. 

This was my first group ride of any kind, and you know what?  I liked it!  I stayed in the top front five and enjoyed the noisy popping of the two-stroke engines in front and behind. We turned heads everywhere: pedestrians and car drivers alike. People simply stopped to take a look at the curious row of scooters riding by. They took photos, some pointed and chatted, and others waved. At one traffic light when we were all bunched up close, the crew each blew their scooter horns. I've no idea why but blew mine, too. I forgot to ask. 

We drove straight through Berkhamsted into Ashridge Estate: 5,000 acres of ancient woodland and rolling downland. 

Again, we were the head-turners riding into the car park, stopping traffic and passersby. After setting the bikes down, we headed for the cafe beside the Visitor Centre for a bite and hot drink. Really nice camaraderie. 

We lingered for less than an hour and headed back on the road to the start point. On approach, we slowly split up, each heading their own way home. 

Will I ride with On The Run Scooter Club again? You betcha!!

Trip-Planning Is Fun, Too!

Our leaves are only just changing colours here in the UK. It's a really great time for cruising around the countryside and stopping occasionally to enjoy the scenery. It's my kind of journey: no particular destination ... just an easy-paced scenic landscape ride. 

In order not to get lost, I still like to plan this kind of trip on my GPS before heading out. I enjoy the planning and I always take a paper map with me, just in case. 

For GPS, I use CoPilot because of it's versatility on my iPhone. The thing is, I plan my trips googling around on my pc, because I want to be specific about where I stop, which roads I take, etc. and then, for the route to take me back home. Google Maps does this very well, but with it's voice guidance does not have points-of-interest and features like my CoPilot which I rely on; examples are, warning of speed cameras, warning me when I'm speeding, advance turn warnings, displaying the name of the road I'm on, and so much more. And while CoPilot is quite flexible with route planning, Google Maps on the pc is tops for mapping roads. 

This brought me to research how to import Google Maps saved preferences to a GPS app on one's mobile phone? I found much for Android, and only one solution for iPhone.  I'll share it here. 

The first thing to do is save your Google Map route after you have designed it. This may require you having a Google account. You then use RouteConverter, a free downloadable program, to change the file format to your GPS file format. For CoPilot, this is .trp. Save your file as a simple memorable name. Now, place the file created into your mobile phone's GPS folder. If you have an Android phone, this is not difficult from your desktop. iPhone users, however, are a little more challenged. 

For iPhone, you'll have to download the free software iMazing (formerly DiskAid). It is a file transfer program which allows you access to your iPhone apps' files. Use iMazing to save the file you created to your GPS folder on the iPhone. There may be other iPhone file transfer programs out there, but iMazing is the only free one I know of.

After transfer, open CoPilot, load your trip, and you're on your way with your very own customised route! I hope this helped someone out there. 

Which Scooter - Part 3

As I continued to compare my maxi-scooter choices for my upgrade next Spring, I stumbled, a few days ago, on this super scooter I hadn't previously seen: the Aprilia SRV850.  

From my YouTube and Google research, the machine looks really fast. It appears to be the fastest performing by scooter available with a whopping 839cc and 76bhp. Looks great if you're after speed and a sporty motorcycle crossover look. The Aprilia is, after-all, being marketed as a sports scooter. See performance comparison chart I got from a scooter forum below:

A number of things keep the Aprilia from my shortlist. One, there is no real step-through area to get on the machine. The engine configuration requires the space to be compromised so high up that the only practical way to get on the scooter would be throwing one's leg over the back like a motorcycle. Two, the storage space is even smaller than my 125 scooter. Not acceptable for my upgrade needs. Three, the seat appears to be too high. I haven't been on one, but the measurements given is higher than my current 125, on which I'm only just able to keep both feet on the ground when seated and stopped. Four, the windshield is too low to be useful, especially as speed increases on the motorway or similar. Five, the reviewers out there warn of high maintenance and pricey parts. And six, the sheer weight and size of the machine renders it impractical for moving around local streets and parking comfortably for me. Not good. 

So yeah, back to obsessing with the Suzuki Burgman. 

Not Bad Afterall

I've just been updated that my BFF passed her CBT today! It is such awesome news. Firstly, that I've inspired her sufficiently to want to ride, and secondly, that she totally loved it!  So happy. Fun times ahead.  I've already started working on her about a Burgman 125 as she had planned to take over my Peugeot 125 when I upgrade. She's so up for the Burgman! We are going to be a pair of Burgman adventure tourers. How cool is that?

Anyway, you know what? It didn't thunderstorm as predicted after all. I so could've ridden the 125 here. The night view is pretty nice too, and I would've preferred cruising around rather than strolling along the boardwalk. 

But regardless, it's a nice bustling port. Turns out one can catch a ferry to Spain, France, or Ireland from here. And, they'll take your vehicle on board. I will be back for sure for some of that. Already planning a Spain dash with the BFF. 

The plan: we'll ride down slowly here and overnight at a nice hotel. Then, hit the ferry the next day for the overnight cruise to Bilbao. Then, we'll ride slowly from Bilbao to Santander taking in the sights, and then catch the ferry back to the UK for the ride home. Sounds like around a week or five-day trip. Definitely for the spring next year. 

Anyway, I'm writing this at dinner (minutes to midnight), so I'm off to start my mango sorbet dessert which has just arrived. I'll post some pics below for you. 

Chat again soon. 

Doing It Again

I should probably rename this entry because it appears that the weather forecast for tomorrow may not permit me to ride the 125 to my planned coastal trip: 80% chance of rain with thunderstorm and lightening. There's also predictions for areas of patchy fog. 

Not bothered about the rain much as I'm prepared for it. Got my all-weather gear and I just take local & back roads when I get caught in it. I've never set off in rain but I've been caught in it. Cold and rain? I'm also down with that. Cold, rain, and thunder storming? Probably not. 

And so, looks like I'll be taking the train then. Sigh. 

The bright side is it'll give me a good time to catch up on some bike touring research I've been wanting to do. I just heard of a fantastic tour across the USA next summer where all flights and hotels are paid for. They even ship your own bike over. I so want to do it but not next year. Next year I want to do the UK so I'm hoping to find a tour company who will organise my round-the-UK trip to include Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England. I'm sure I'll find something. Tips welcome. 

Yesterday I watched the Road documentary on BBC iPlayer about the Northern Ireland Dunlop motorcycle racing family. Wow! What a story line. I so admire their passion to do just what they love ... to the death.  I've heard of another documentary called Why We Ride which I hope to download from iTunes and watch on the train.

So that's it, folks. Nothing to report except an aborted road trip: it's gonna be a train trip getaway. 

Oh ... my iPhone 6 plus arrives today - planned in time for the trip. Was hoping to make use of the bigger screen for the GPS. Looks like I'll just be watching documentaries for now. 

Until next time. 

Steal Away

I stole away from the studio this morning and rode 40 minutes to a Suzuki dealer in another town just so I could sit on that Suzuki Burgman 400 they have on display... and also just for the heck of the ride. What a great decision! 

I live in the suburbs and the dealer's location took me through the countryside... deliberately. It was mostly narrow winding roads with overhanging trees like a natural tunnel or wide open pastures with rolling hillsides beyond. 

I tuned Spotify to shuffle a Biker Playlist called Motorcycle Riders/ Bikers Playlist, and the first song up in my helmet was Bad To The Bone. Let me tell you, I felt like I should've been on a Harley! If you saw the grin on my face... I was in heaven. I revved up the 125 and cruised on. 

Yeah, babee!

Which Scooter - Part 2

Gosh. There is just so much persuasion to purchase the Burgman 400. Here, for me, are a few reasons why:

COMMUNITY

Now the worldwide biking community camaraderie is pretty special, regardless of what two wheels you're on, but I'm hard pressed to find a match for any single scooter (well, maybe Vespa) which has as many clubs, groups, forums, ride-outs, tours, etc.

Vespa

Just browsing around online, though, I've found so much Burgman stuff out there. I've joined a few Facebook groups and a couple of forums. A lot are based here in Europe, some in the USA, and there are lots in the Far East where Burgman is known as Skywave. Popular ones are www.burgmanusa.com and www.burgmanriders.com. 

ACCESSORIES

Whatever I buy, I will be customising because there is no scooter out there which has everything I'd like in the right place. However, the Burgman 400 comes the closest. The only thing I intend to add is my iPhone GPS.  It's good to know, however, that if I wanted to, and I might, there are some cool accessories out there to be had. Of interest to me are varied modifications to the seat. See pictures below of some, some of which are total make-overs. The last one is a video of an owner's modifications which, well, blew me away.

Burgman Backrests

Burgman Seat Modification

Burgman Trike conversion with seat modification

Burgman - pimped

Burgman - pimped

Burgman - pimped

Burgman - pimped

Burgman trike modification

Burgman with woodgrain panelling modification

Burgman - pimped.

The sound system on this modification may blow you away.

Again, I only have plans to add my iPhone GPS to the dash or handlebar somewhere, but wow, weren't these serious enthusiasts?  It's good news that the bike is enjoyed so much.

ARTICLES

People seem to have a whole lot to say about the Suzuki Burgman and very little of it is bad news. One reviewer even determined that it is a motorcycle and not scooter after all. 

In deciding which scooter to purchase, I'm taking my time to review as much as possible. I am enjoying the process. 

I am going to get on a Vespa as they appear to be very popular and have much culture with followers worldwide. I do doubt that it will be shortlisted in my search as it does lack much of what I'm looking for ... but I owe it to myself to give it a go in my decision process. Hey, I might just like it. Will keep you posted. 

Which Scooter - Part 1

I've only ever ridden a 125cc scooter and as much as I enjoy it, I've decided to upgrade to a maxi-scooter. 

Years ago I had bought a white electric bicycle with really tiny wheels in a mall for exactly £125. I used it as a daily commuter from West Dulwich to Chelsea. Can't remember how long the journeys were but it was an upgrade to my red bicycle which I used previously. I fell off that red bicycle when riding downhill in a public park and an un-harnessed large dog stopped across my path. As much as I braked, the bicycle hit him with a thud, propelling me over forwards onto the asphalt. My helmet had split and both my hands lacerated. I had other injuries also. The dog owner called an ambulance promptly as I lay there stunned. The paramedic advised me to press charges. I didn't. I just wanted to get better. I was bed ridden for 6 weeks from that incident and haven't been on a bicycle since. I sold the red wreckage. Some time later I left the UK and gave the white electric bicycle to a cousin.

So now, back in the UK for a little while, which maxi-scooter to upgrade to? Another question I had was whether I should explore sports or cruiser motorcycles also. I eliminated that with determining how I wanted to use the machine in the next few years: I'm not enthusiastic about speed ... I want rider comforts firstly and then the minimum motorway capability required. Motorway capability also yields long journey feasibility. So, circa a 300 - 400cc scooter is just fine. Sorry Honda S-Wing 125: I loved you momentarily but I need something bigger. So now, which scooter?

Honda S-Wing 125

The offerings in Europe are plenty but I've managed to shortlist a handful purely on reliable Brand name only: Honda NSS300 Forza, Suzuki Burgman AN400, Yamaha XMax 400, and Piaggio X10 350. 

Honda NSS300 Forza

Yamaha XMax 400

Next, it has to come in white. I've learned enough from training to conclude that visibility on the road increases safety significantly. The current Honda NSS300 Forza and the Yamaha XMax 400 do not come in white, and since I'm buying new, this eliminates them. Yep, I'm that shallow but you better listen Honda and Yamaha. I'm a buyer and there are plenty like me. 

Down to two. 

NEWSFLASH! Before I've had the chance to publish this, Honda has gone and announced a new high performance Forza 125 scooter today. Some kind of GT version made for the motorway. 14bhp, claiming 123 mpg, adjustable screen, power socket in front glove compartment with tons of storage (two helmets under the seat), and with ABS as standard! And, it comes in white.

2015 Honda Forza 125

I need to think. I'll be back.