Today was a first of firsts. I planned to take a weekend and ride down to Houston from Dallas and today was it! I checked Blue Thunder(BT) over, prepped the gear, mounted the Garmin and gassed up.
I left Dallas around 7am-it was sunny, 34 degrees(cold wind) and as clear as could be. Of course, I started off unsure if I would REALLY be able to make the ride, but the only way to find out was to make it. As I rode southbound on 45, the weather started warming up to a nice 68. Riding on the freeway going about 70, meeting other two-wheelers on the road was a great experience. By the time I hit Houston, I was pumped and felt quite accomplished in my two-wheel journey.
I took a ride down to Galveston with my Aunt and Uncle who have been my two-wheel mentors. They rode to Galveston with my Jerry once and I always hoped to have joined them. Well, they asked if I wanted to go and I was ecstatic! They ride a 3-wheel Cheetah trike that is amazing.
Galveston was a great ride until......
I was heading west at 5pm, sun in the eyes and unknowingly, about to hit a bow-up in the road. Yup, my first lay down going about 40-45 mph. Yes, I was in full gear with a full helmet on. I was able to stand up, walk, and get on Blue Thunder for the ride back to League City. BT was tore up on the right side pretty bad, but she was rideable. I was sore but determined. My Aunt and Uncle took great care of me and my wounds and tok me and BT back to Dallas in their pickup truck.
Progressive Insurance was amazing in how they took care of BT and even gave me a check for my gear AND for the iPhone that was mounted as my GPS. BTW, the Garmin really sucked and never was able to calculate a route from Dallas to Houston, so I may retire it and use some other accessory for that Ram Mount. However, the TomTom iPhone app did a great job!
The major lesson here is...never compromise and ride without ALL the gear. It may be tempting when it's sunny, 70, and on the beach(like other harley riders were doing). I'm convinced had I compromised, the outcome would have been severely different.
BT should be ready soon and I look forward to some good miles ahead.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
2009 Scootering in Review...
Wow, 2009 was quite a ride both on and off the two-wheels.
I started looking for scooter in mid-2008 with the intention of moving up to a motorcycle someday. So I started off with a low-cost Chinese Scooter (Big Red) just to see if it was a good fit for me. Taking the MSF was a smart move and 3 months later, is now required in TX to get the M class on your license.
Mishi Powersports was a great first experience for me in purchasing Big Red. I went with the 250cc and really had no idea what I was doing, but Suneel is a great help and I recommend Mishi for a first scooter buying experience. Big Red got some accessories and I started to ride to work daily. Funny thing is, in Dallas, you don't ever enjoy the drive to work or the store or downtown...but on Big Red, I did. The Faith Riders had a small ride from Wylie to Plano for breakfast one Saturday and I felt honored that a 250cc scoot guy was welcome to ride with the Harley's and the Yamaha's. Sense of community. My uncle and aunt were very supportive along with my wife. That started weekend adventures riding around Wylie, North Dallas, and finally the big ride around downtown...at least that was big to me at the time. Accomplished my goal of knowing it was a good fit and enjoying it. Even put a ride together of meroplex riders to a great lunch at Babe's in Roanoke, TX. This was just the beginning simply 3 months after the initial mount-up. :)
As a rewind, I lost my brother Jerry on 7/1/2007 while he was riding his motorcycle. Never wanted to ride one and got to the point of despising them. The light bulb came on and part of my healing in the loss was to start riding and find that connection to him and why he enjoyed it.
In October, Kelli took Big Red for a spin and told me to get another scooter...she was keeping Big Red. So, I acquired Blue Thunder (2007 Suzuki Burgman 400) which notched up my cc's a bit but kept me on a scooter, albeit a maxi-scooter.
The weekend after getting Blue Thunder, Kelli took her MSF and got her "M" class. Now we take weekends to scoot around town and even to a ride to Mexia to visit friends. That was a monumental day for us...2 hours each way! It's such a bonding thing for us to fire them up early in the morning on a Saturday and hit the road...to wherever we want to go.
The most scenic ride was to Tioga and riding over Lake Ray Roberts Dam. All water on the right, all farmland on the left...and enjoying Clark's BBQ. That was a fun ride day to repeat!
A pet project we are currently working up is Scamping. Packing what will fit on the two scooters and hit the road to camp for the weekend. The first time we tried, it had rained most of the week, so we camped in the back yard. Next time, it will be at a campground!
In closing out 2009, scootering has been incredible therapy for me. I enjoy it as I ride home from work or along country roads to bridges and at times, being able to experience something my brother loved to do. I enjoy it with Kelli because it is OUR time together and we're still young enough to enjoy it. With the Burgman 400, I don't see any need or reason to go to a motorcycle. I enjoy the CVT auto-transmission and how well it rides...so I'm set.
Thanks to 2009 and here's to a great 2010!
Ride Safe, Y'all!
I started looking for scooter in mid-2008 with the intention of moving up to a motorcycle someday. So I started off with a low-cost Chinese Scooter (Big Red) just to see if it was a good fit for me. Taking the MSF was a smart move and 3 months later, is now required in TX to get the M class on your license.
Mishi Powersports was a great first experience for me in purchasing Big Red. I went with the 250cc and really had no idea what I was doing, but Suneel is a great help and I recommend Mishi for a first scooter buying experience. Big Red got some accessories and I started to ride to work daily. Funny thing is, in Dallas, you don't ever enjoy the drive to work or the store or downtown...but on Big Red, I did. The Faith Riders had a small ride from Wylie to Plano for breakfast one Saturday and I felt honored that a 250cc scoot guy was welcome to ride with the Harley's and the Yamaha's. Sense of community. My uncle and aunt were very supportive along with my wife. That started weekend adventures riding around Wylie, North Dallas, and finally the big ride around downtown...at least that was big to me at the time. Accomplished my goal of knowing it was a good fit and enjoying it. Even put a ride together of meroplex riders to a great lunch at Babe's in Roanoke, TX. This was just the beginning simply 3 months after the initial mount-up. :)
As a rewind, I lost my brother Jerry on 7/1/2007 while he was riding his motorcycle. Never wanted to ride one and got to the point of despising them. The light bulb came on and part of my healing in the loss was to start riding and find that connection to him and why he enjoyed it.
In October, Kelli took Big Red for a spin and told me to get another scooter...she was keeping Big Red. So, I acquired Blue Thunder (2007 Suzuki Burgman 400) which notched up my cc's a bit but kept me on a scooter, albeit a maxi-scooter.
The weekend after getting Blue Thunder, Kelli took her MSF and got her "M" class. Now we take weekends to scoot around town and even to a ride to Mexia to visit friends. That was a monumental day for us...2 hours each way! It's such a bonding thing for us to fire them up early in the morning on a Saturday and hit the road...to wherever we want to go.
The most scenic ride was to Tioga and riding over Lake Ray Roberts Dam. All water on the right, all farmland on the left...and enjoying Clark's BBQ. That was a fun ride day to repeat!
A pet project we are currently working up is Scamping. Packing what will fit on the two scooters and hit the road to camp for the weekend. The first time we tried, it had rained most of the week, so we camped in the back yard. Next time, it will be at a campground!
In closing out 2009, scootering has been incredible therapy for me. I enjoy it as I ride home from work or along country roads to bridges and at times, being able to experience something my brother loved to do. I enjoy it with Kelli because it is OUR time together and we're still young enough to enjoy it. With the Burgman 400, I don't see any need or reason to go to a motorcycle. I enjoy the CVT auto-transmission and how well it rides...so I'm set.
Thanks to 2009 and here's to a great 2010!
Ride Safe, Y'all!
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