9100 miles - so what is next

I just crossed 9100 miles on my Cali Classic 125 and the bike is still running strong. So what now? Well it is winter in Chicago and the weather has been strange so I think it is time for me to upgrade my tires and wardrobe. I don't plan on riding once the snow falls so I really don't want a snow tire but I may run into ice on my morning commute. Going to have to do a little research into that one. Hopefully I can find some decent white walls as I love the look of them.

For the warmth department I need to get a new face mask. Even with my gator on just enough wind gets under the chin of the helmet to cause fogging problems. I may want to look into getting a new helmet while I am at it.

Enough typing, time to get back to riding.

29 degrees

It was 29 degrees when I got to the train station this morning. Strangely enough the only things that popped into my head after the ride in were, my left glove was bunching up in the palm and should I get a scooter blanket or riding pants. Tourmaster makes a great jacket so the cold really didn't matter. Nothing like a frozen ride to let you know winter is coming.

Achievement Unlocked - 8000 miles

8000 miles and still going.

So I have made it this far with no real issues beyond a broken speedometer cable and a couple of lost exhaust manifold bolts. Not bad for a scooter that doesn't have the name factor of a Vespa or Honda. Then again it also doesn't have the price that goes with either of those and that is something I can really get behind. Is it perfect, no. Sure it could use a little more power and the seat is about 3 inches too short for my 6'5" frame but none of that matters. I don't worry about it. I just ride.

No more windscreen

On my Friday ride home from work I noticed my windscreen clamp had shifted a little causing 1 side of the screen to lean in at an odd angle. I figured no big deal, I can just adjust the clamp when I get home and be back in business. Remember the saying about best laid plans? Needless to say the problem was bigger than a loose clamp and ended up being more work than it should have to correct. There just isn't enough room on the bars to fit the clamps. So for now I just removed it.

Today was the first ride without it on and it felt really different. It is strange how much air that thing really pushed out of the way and how it effected the ride. With the screen on, it was hard to tell speeds because it funneled air around you instead of hitting you in the chest. This was great for straight line riding but took a little getting used to while cornering. You really had to rely on the tire feel that on smaller tires can sometimes be hard. Without it I now have both the tires and the wind for feedback. So cornering has improved. The other thing is it is noticeably colder while moving. It was 65 degrees on this mornings ride and you felt it. It was a big reminder why I normally wear a scarf.

So what is next. First up is to get more seat time. One day is just not enough reminder why I got the thing to begin with. Second come up with ideas on how to remount the screen. Who knows I may not put it back but  since I have it and am a DIY kind of guy, i.e. too cheap to buy the official one from Lance/SYM, I have to do something with it.This could be the motivation I need to add an analog tach to the scooter and that second headlight. I have always liked the 2 and 3 headlight setups. Going to have to pull out the Ness catalog and see what strikes my fancy.

Bring on the rain

No, this is not me. 

After a long hot summer of drought we are finally getting some rain. Nothing heavy but still reason to ride carefully. So I pulled out my rain pants and jacket then set off to the station. The ride was good with no sliding or stopping problems. Riding on days like this are actually kind of nice. It forces you to really block out the rest of the world and ride. Remembering  what happened over the weekend. No, too busy, dark patch ahead. Got a big presentation on Tuesday. So what, how deep is this puddle? Etc, etc, etc.

Now  looking back on the ride I can think about other stuff. Not work, but gear upgrades. First gloves. I need some wet weather gloves. My current summer ones are cloth backed leather and my hands get a little wet. Decent looking boots. I need to get a second set of boots that I can wear all day instead of having to carry my shoes or leave them at the office. Final thing new rain pants. The current ones I have are fine but they are black with no reflective strips and remember to be seen is to be "mostly" safe.

Guess I have some shopping to do. Stay dry and keep the shiny side up.

Spotted at the train station

Everyday I park at the same spot for the train and it is amazing the things that pop up. Take a look at this one. It is a Honda CT-90. The bike is in great shape for the age and has a certain cool factor.

7500 miles and still going

Sorry I haven't posted much. I have just been too busy riding. We had a great winter in Chicago and I only had to park the bike for 2 weeks. That's right, it no real snow so dry pavement and a good jacket meant ride on.

Well whats been happening with me and the scooter. Not a whole lot just the normal repairs and maintenance and 1 big overhaul. I had to replace the battery. Since it was a used scooter to begin with I wasn't too worried and it only cost $30 including shipping. Thank you Amazon Prime. I lost both exhaust manifold nuts and had to replace them. This is pretty common though and I did find out something interesting. The studs on my scooter  are not the normal m6x100 or even m8x100 they are m7x100. I didn't know these even existed until I completed several trips to the hardware store and 2 Amazon orders. The good news is I now have both metric and standard nut and bolt sizers. New tools are always fun. I replaced a couple of light bulbs. Again par for the course.

The big overhaul is under way now. My speedometer cable broke. It is a minor thing to repair but a major bummer. The issue is SYM/Lance use a specialty cable so all the generic ones don't fit. No worries a call to Second City Scooters has one in route to me and should be ready for install in a few days. This isn't the major part though. Since I am ordering parts I decided to go for broke. Along with the cable install I am installing new brake pads front and rear. Replacing the brake fluid and the transmission/differential oil. Installing a new drive belt and lighter slider/rollers. Finally I am installing a rack and if I can get the mirrored acrylic in the correct thickness I am going to cut new emblems and badges to replace the chewed up and fading factory ones.

It is a decent amount of work to keep me busy for a weekend but there are a few other upgrades I am thinking about. I think the bike needs a little more chrome, (swingarm, turn signals, engine shroud, exhaust) and whitewall tires are so cheap. Oh well, time to go for a ride. Later.