Comments on: Crunch Time http://www.peacescooter.com/scooter-gear/crunch-time/ Putting Peace on the Map Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:13:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Crystal Waters http://www.peacescooter.com/scooter-gear/crunch-time/#comment-40 Crystal Waters Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:31:23 +0000 http://www.peacescooter.com/scooter-gear/crunch-time/#comment-40 Alix - I'm bookmarking your site and plan to add it to my daily read. I'm with you one zillion percent about safety! I'm also a cyclist, although I didn't give it up by choice. Anyway, I'm also getting ready for a long ride and am constanty re-writing my packing list. Are you going to carry your laptop under your seat? I'm wondering if it may get too hot in there, esp if you are doing 100+ miles in a day. I'm looking forward to your post on gear. I keep debating whether saddlebags are good for me since I have such a hard time reaching my centerstand with them full. PEACE! Crystal/girlbike Alix - I’m bookmarking your site and plan to add it to my daily read. I’m with you one zillion percent about safety! I’m also a cyclist, although I didn’t give it up by choice. Anyway, I’m also getting ready for a long ride and am constanty re-writing my packing list. Are you going to carry your laptop under your seat? I’m wondering if it may get too hot in there, esp if you are doing 100+ miles in a day. I’m looking forward to your post on gear. I keep debating whether saddlebags are good for me since I have such a hard time reaching my centerstand with them full. PEACE! Crystal/girlbike

]]> By: John http://www.peacescooter.com/scooter-gear/crunch-time/#comment-36 John Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:49:13 +0000 http://www.peacescooter.com/scooter-gear/crunch-time/#comment-36 Hey Alix, here's a few suggestions based on spending several long summers touring around the US on motorcycles: * Ride slowly, take back roads, and stop whenever you like. This will make the trip much more fun than if you are always pushing to make a schedule. Wave to people sitting on their porches. If you don't see any porches, you maybe wandered onto an Interstate by accident. * Let your scooter break in gently. Follow the breakin instructions in the manual. Buddy will last twice or three times as long if you don't push her to the limits while she's still a baby. This includes keeping your speed down and limiting the weight you carry (sigh!) for the first 500 or 1000 miles. Underpack -- you'll find things to add as you travel. Be free to give away things you packed and don't use. * Do the maintenance. "Be kind to your ass, for it bears you." Riding it every day will really put the miles on it. Change the oil at the right times. I did a few minutes of daily maintenance on my tours -- checking the oil, checking that all the visible bolts were properly tight and not vibrating off. Bring simple tools. Bring a national directory of shops who can check or repair it in case you have trouble. Expect to spend time and money keeping Buddy running well. Bringing the service manual wouldn't hurt -- it's online here: http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/topic1094.html * In rural areas, it's easy to pull off the road and camp among the trees. Get far enough off the road so nobody will see you. (When you're visible, you tend to attract cops' attention.) Leave no trace that you were there, and you won't need to apologize to the farmer who owns the land. Enjoy! Hey Alix, here’s a few suggestions based on spending several long summers touring around the US on motorcycles:

* Ride slowly, take back roads, and stop whenever you like.

This will make the trip much more fun than if you are always pushing to make a schedule. Wave to people sitting on their porches. If you don’t see any porches, you maybe wandered onto an Interstate by accident.

* Let your scooter break in gently. Follow the breakin instructions in the manual.

Buddy will last twice or three times as long if you don’t push her to the limits while she’s still a baby. This includes keeping your speed down and limiting the weight you carry (sigh!) for the first 500 or 1000 miles. Underpack — you’ll find things to add as you travel. Be free to give away things you packed and don’t use.

* Do the maintenance. “Be kind to your ass, for it bears you.”

Riding it every day will really put the miles on it. Change the oil at the right times. I did a few minutes of daily maintenance on my tours — checking the oil, checking that all the visible bolts were properly tight and not vibrating off. Bring simple tools. Bring a national directory of shops who can check or repair it in case you have trouble. Expect to spend time and money keeping Buddy running well. Bringing the service manual wouldn’t hurt — it’s online here: http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/topic1094.html

* In rural areas, it’s easy to pull off the road and camp among the trees. Get far enough off the road so nobody will see you. (When you’re visible, you tend to attract cops’ attention.) Leave no trace that you were there, and you won’t need to apologize to the farmer who owns the land.

Enjoy!

]]>