Very Quiet Week

It's been REALLY quiet on the riding front this week. Terrible weather, strong winds and horrendous traffic have kept me off the roads since Monday.

Monday's commute was crazy - a little bit of rain turned my normal commute to work into more than 2 hours of blocked roads, traffic accidents and totally blocked roads.

After the horror that was Monday, and with the winds picking up and a week of wet weather ahead, I reluctantly gave up on riding and went back into the car/train commute of my pre-Like days.

I now know why I stopped catching the train - loud music, drunk idiots, "chromers", body odour, and lack of control of when you get home.

I can't wait for the winds to drop and the storms to finally pass - it's been 4 days already so hopefully the weather (and hopefully the traffic) will return to normal by Monday.

Until next time  - Keep on Scooting.

Thursty

A Few Changes Are In Order

When riding during preak hour traffic, I've discovered there are a few "toys" that could make my commute just a little more comfortable.

This weekend I'll be permanently mounting a GoPro so I can capture some of my adventures (and hopefully not any misadventures). I've checked out the Like's electrical wiring and will be attempting to hard wire the GoPro into the electrical system so it's always fully charged. 

Another "toy" to add will be a waterproof GPS (it must have Live Traffic Updates). I've been checking my phone before I leave home and work to see if there are any traffic snarls and have managed to avoid a few. Unfortunately, any that occur between when I leave and when I get to the holdup I'm not aware of, so a GPS will hopefully help me to avoid the worst of them.

Last thing to put onto the Like (well, maybe not the last) is a windshield. I ordered it when I purchased the Like, but being "Down Under" means there is no stock in Australia. It's been 4 weeks so far, so I'll probably have to wait another 6-8 weeks before it arrives. The windshield will have protection for the handlebars, so it should hopefully make riding in winter a little more enjoyable. I hope it arrives before mid May because the morning temperatures at home will be quite chilly by then (currently 18C to 20C at 6:00am, but will be getting down to 5C to 8C by mid May, -4C to -6C at 6:00am by late June / early July).

After that the only other modifications I can think of are some running lights under the scooter to make me a little more visible when it's dark, and MAYBE I could install the "spare" motorcycle sound system I just happen to have lying around.  I don't know if I'll be able to do this as I'll need to verify the capabilities of the electrical system before I start.

I'll keep you all updated (with photos) as and when I make the modifications.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

One Month Down

It's been just on a month since I purchased my Like and started commuting to work.

It's been an interesting time getting to know the capabilities of the Like, it's handling and it's nuances.

I've been fortunate to have been able to experience almost every weather and road condition I am going to experience during the past month. 

Wet, slippery roads, brilliant sunshine and pouring rain, strong cross winds, light traffic through to mutli vehicle pileups totally blocking the roads. Through all of this, the Like has been a breeze to ride. I'm now well aware of what I can and can't get away with on the Like and I feel really confident in the scooters abilities.

Highlights for the month:

Claimed my first car door on the Like.
First service
First emergency evasion 
12 different ways to work
6 different ways home
Top speed of 110kph (103kph by GPS)
Day trip to Redcliffe

I'm looking forward to the experiences yet to come and I feel confident the Like and I are going to have a lot of fun together.

Until next time - Keep on Scooting.

Thursty

Week Four

A quiet week this week as I had Monday off work for St Patrick's Day. I usually take a day of work for St Patrick's Day as I married into an Irish family and my sons still does Irish Dancing, so there is a lot of running around at St Patrick's time. (my daughter "retired" a few years ago, so between the kids, we've been doing St Patrick's Day displays for well over a decade).

Having Monday off gave me the opportunity to give the Like a thorough going over to make sure nothing had come loose since it's service 2 weeks ago. So far, everything is as tight as it should be and nothing has fallen off.

Commuting through the week has been different to say the least - light rain with next to no traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday, pouring rain and multi vehicle pileup in pouring rain on Thursday, clear skies and very little traffic on Friday...a mixed bag of almost everything possible.

No minor incidents this week, so maybe the "tin top" drivers had their good behaviour brains on.

Fuel economy is still hovering around the 160km/l (100mpg) so the Like is really starting to pay for itself.

Speedo reading this week is 2163km, so another 355km on the clock. 

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

 

Third Week

This week was challenging to say the least.

It seems as though the "Traffic Fairies" decided it was time to play up this week. Every day there were major traffic holdups, forcing me to decide to either sit in the traffic or find alternate routes.

Being someone who doesn't like sitting still, I discovered several "rat runs" in the Centenary suburbs as well as the Milton/Taringa area. All up 4 different routes to work, and 5 home, so I've had the opportunity to do a lot of sightseeing.

The Like handled all of these routes like a champion - sharp turns, steep accents and decents, narrow lanes, rough tracks and even a cycling track.

The Like's suseptability to strong cross winds was highlighted this week. Motorway driving is currently out of the question  until the winds ease off - never mind, there are plenty of alternate routes that are a little more protected and the detours are only adding about 10 minutes to my commute. 

The big payoff has been the improved fuel economy - fuel economy for this week is just over 40km per litre, about 100 miles per gallon in old money. If I keep this up the Like will be paying for itself in no time.

Longest commute for the week was 1hr 25min due to a couple of crashes in the wet conditions. Quickest trip 42 minutes...gotta love Friday afternoons.

Speedo reading is now 1808km -  464 km last week, even with all the detours.

I'm looking forward to next week - Monday off for the tradtional St Patrick's Day as Designated Driver.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

Near Miss #2

There must be something about driving thast causes most people to switch off their brains.

Scooting to work this morning, I had one of those "oh sh&@!" moments caused by a young gent in a HUGH 4WD totally ignoring the rules about merging and driving while distracted. The idiot almost drove over the top of me.

I had just completed merging onto the Centenary Highway when a "wonderful person" in a dull red "Toorak Tractor" and doing about 130kph in an 80 zone, decided he'd hop into my lane because he could.

If I didn't ride as if everyone was out to kill me, I probably wouldn't have noticed him until it was too late. Thankfully, I saw him appraching way too fast so I slipped into the emergency lane and was out of the lane as he sped past, totally unaware I was there.

Why didn't he notice me? 

Could it have been the white wires hanging from his head, or maybe it was the small white device in his hand. Maybe he's just an IDIOT.

Whatever the reason, I have his rego and I'll be passing it on to the police. Why do that you ask? This incident occurred within view of numerous traffic cameras, so the police will be able to verify the incident and send off the appropriate number of tickets to the Policemans Ball.

Todays score:

Scooter     - 0 (just a bit shaken) 

4WD Idiot  - minus a few hundred dollars (and a few points)

To all the IDIOTS on the road...Sccoterman is watching and will shortly be armed with video of your behaviour.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

Second Week

Week 2 of full time commuting has been and gone. There is now 1,344km on the clock, so the Like is getting used a little bit.

I'm starting to feel comfortable at highway speeds and am slowly working out when to change lanes in peak hour traffic. I've been taking note where each lane of the Western Freeway slows down and which lane speeds up. By following the traffic flows, I have been able to improve my position on the road by approximately 300 car lengths without lane spliting, using emergency lanes or anything illegal.

In a few more weeks I'll put up a list of when to change lanes to ensure you have the quickest travel during peak hour. Probably only useful for people using the Western Freeway during peak hour, but if I can help at least one person work their way through the gridlock that is Brisbane traffic, I guess I've done a good job.

I picked up a new helmet yesterday to replace my RJays TSS Tour Tech. The Tour Tech is a really comfortable helmet, however, being a full faced motorcycle helmet, it does have one major drawback - peripheral vision is not the best. I'll still keep using it for my motorbike, but for the Like, I've gone for an M2R Scooter helmet. Being designed as a scooter helmet, it has fantastic peripheral vision and should help me see even the smallest gaps is the traffic.

Biggest drawback of the M2R is that it is not designed for use with communications devices, so I'll have to go without my Scalar Rider when I'm on the scooter - no music or phone access, but these are the sacrifices one has to make when visibility (and therefore safety) is the main requirement.

I scored my first car door on the Like this week - not the first time I've had to get agressive on the road, and I know it won't be the last. If people keep trying to ride over me, I'll kick their door or take off their side mirror without hessitation - it's all about staying alive.

I've added a page to the blog with links to any manuals, books and other useful information I locate about Like 200i's. Feel free to use as you will.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

First Car Door

Riding home from work this evening, I was fortunate enough to claim my first car door.

Entering the Western Freeway a car decided to take the lane I was in. Without looking he merged into my lane. 

Toot of my horn, no response. When he was almost on top of me I tooted again and placed the toe of my steel capped boot firmly into his door. He then realised I was there, slammed on his brakes and swerved back into his lame.

I kept going, giving him a polite wave and pointing at my visor (ie Use your eyes.)

I wish I could see the look on his face when he gets home and sees the big dent in his shiny new car.  

Some people just have to be taught the hard way.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

First Full Week

My first full week of riding has been extermely enjoyable. Speedo reads 858km, so I've done a little bit of riding.

Peak hour traffic is not a major issue and open roads are a breeze. It's been enjoyable being able to zip between stopped traffic and work my way through through. Parking in Brisbane isn't a problem as the building I'm based in has lots of nooks for squuzing the Like into.

Top speed for the week was 103kph by GPS (110 by speedo) so the Like can definately keep up with the traffic. Even at these speeds I'm getting over 30km/l, so it's costing me all of about $5 per day to do the 90km round trip.

The Like went in for it's first service on Saturday - not cheap, but better to have the first one done where I bought it to make sure any issues could be addressed immediately.

No issues were encountered so theres no need to go back for another 5000km (sbout 10 weeks with the amount of use it will be getting).

I'm having fun while the weather is fine.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

Scoot to Redcliffe

I took the LIKE out for a short trip to Redcliffe today. 

From my place it's about 70km, heading down the Ipswich Motorway, ICB and Sandgate Road, so not too long a ride.

The ride was uneventful until I hit the Hornibrook Bridge, just before Redcliffe.

The surf was up in the bay, waves about 1.5 metre with winds of 50kph, gusting to 70kph across the bridge. Fortunately, I was on the protected side of the bridge, however, it was still a challenge.  It was quite difficult to keep the LIKE in a straight line at the posted speed limit of 80kph, so I had to slow down to 60kph to keep within my lane. After several minutes of fighting the winds, I crossed the bridge and headed to my destination via a more protected route.

Surf's up in Redcliffe

My trip home was via the slightly more protected and longer inland route, however, the wind was still noticable and kept pushing us around.

All up 172km ride for the day in challenging conditions, but great fun all the same.

What did I learn about the LIKE today - AVOID STRONG CROSSWINDS. 

The LIKE is very stable when the wind is coming from the front or behind, BUT, it does become slightly unstable when strong winds hit from the side - probably due to the lack of weight and high centre of gravity.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

First impressions

I've had my Like 200i for 3 days now and have been able to get to know it a little better.

Here are my impressions after 3 days (300km):

The Good:

• Plenty of zip at the lights. I've been able to beat most cars at the lights without really trying
• Very stable, both in stop/start traffic and at motorway speeds
• Great fuel economy. First fill of 6.4 litres after 206km - 31km/l
• Easy to handle in stop/start traffic
• Engine is quiet, even at high speed
• Plenty of storage both under seat and in supplied rear storage box/seat rest
• Glove box is a great place for holding and CHARGING phone (built in cigarette lighter is a HUGH plus)
• About 1/3rd the price of a similar "Italian" scooter
• FUN, FUN, FUN to ride

The Bad:

• Centre stand is very tight and can be difficult to use. Hopefully it will become easier to use over time
• Rear box is thin plastic and the plastic hinges are plastic, reinforced by fabric straps. I don't think the box is sturdy enough, but I'm using it every day so I guess time will tell if my impression is correct. 

The Comments:

• It's cute (20-something non riding female)
• It quite ..... Italian (20-something riding male - I think he way trying to say something nice)

To each their own...

 

All in all, after 3 days, I'm impressed with my purchase. 

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty

Yes, I bought a LIKE!

I've been riding a Honda Today 50 for the past 6 years, putting over 21,000km on the clock.

I've always found it fun to ride, but WAY under power. I've been tossing up whether to keep riding the scooter to the station and catching the train to work, or putting the train money into a new scooter to enable me to ride the 45km each way to work.

Last Saturday I bit the bullet and I bought a Kymco Like 200i... that's right, I bought a Like.

                                

Over the coming months and years, I'll post details  of my experience with the Like.

I hope you'll call in occassionally and check out what I've been up to.

Until next time - Keep on scooting.

Thursty