POST IDEAS

post about gary

http://www.urbanscootin.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3495

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22374786@N07/

started in Ainsworth NE and ended in Wichita KS

49 cc Mets!

fog ideas

review of my own product…

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic18616

http://www.scooterdivas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1735

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19107&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40

other post on MV

neon install instructions

OLD Photo

Now with photos!

(INSERT PHOTO HERE)  These are actually LEDs, not neon, but LEDs are safer and look just the same.  It was all fairly simple.  Pick your color (I chose purple), then test a location.  Best to do this at night (or in the dark) when the scooter is completely cooled.  There was a test battery provided in the kit, which I used to see how the glow would look with the lights in different positions.

Then screw in the casings for the lights in your chosen location.  (Others use double-sided tape but I don’t trust it.)  Try to pick panels or pieces where you know you aren’t going to screw into other parts.  Really you probably should take the panels off to be sure, but I just used the tap-and-see-if-it-sounds-hollow method.  You should probably do this is good light.

When you position your lights, keep in mind the length of your wires.  You can also route the wires inside the scooter, so you don’t have wires running along the outside.  Because that just looks dumb.  The light wires need to be connected to the fuse wire, which is then connected straight to the battery.  Use zip ties to secure the wires.

Do a test run.  Not just to see how cool it looks, but to see if anything (wires or lights) falls off, gets lose, or gets too close to something hot.  Unfortunately some of my wires were not zip-tied well enough and two wires got a little burnt.  Luckily just the insulation was burnt away.  Some electrical tape over that, a better zip-tie job, and now I’m in business.

There is an on-off switch.  The mounting of mine is not ideal right now, but it works.  I don’t know how much of a drain it is to have the scooter turned off, but the purple lights turned on.  So I’m not going to do it for more than a few seconds.

Estimated time to do this job: about 2 hours to install, another 1/2 hour to check.  this is with 2 people.  with only one it will be slower.

Tools needed besides the kit: screw drivers, extra screws (kit only came with 4), zipties (kit only came with one), electrical tape

Be prepared to: get on the floor to reach under the scooter, access your battery

ADD LOTS OF PHOTOS

(INSERT PHOTO HERE)  These are actually LEDs, not neon, but LEDs are safer and look just the same.  It was all fairly simple.  Pick your color (I chose purple), then test a location.  Best to do this at night (or in the dark) when the scooter is completely cooled.  There was a test battery provided in the kit, which I used to see how the glow would look with the lights in different positions.

Then screw in the casings for the lights in your chosen location.  (Others use double-sided tape but I don’t trust it.)  Try to pick panels or pieces where you know you aren’t going to screw into other parts.  Really you probably should take the panels off to be sure, but I just used the tap-and-see-if-it-sounds-hollow method.  You should probably do this is good light.

When you position your lights, keep in mind the length of your wires.  You can also route the wires inside the scooter, so you don’t have wires running along the outside.  Because that just looks dumb.  The light wires need to be connected to the fuse wire, which is then connected straight to the battery.  Use zip ties to secure the wires.

Do a test run.  Not just to see how cool it looks, but to see if anything (wires or lights) falls off, gets lose, or gets too close to something hot.  Unfortunately some of my wires were not zip-tied well enough and two wires got a little burnt.  Luckily just the insulation was burnt away.  Some electrical tape over that, a better zip-tie job, and now I’m in business.

There is an on-off switch.  The mounting of mine is not ideal right now, but it works.  I don’t know how much of a drain it is to have the scooter turned off, but the purple lights turned on.  So I’m not going to do it for more than a few seconds.

Estimated time to do this job: about 2 hours to install, another 1/2 hour to check.  this is with 2 people.  with only one it will be slower.

Tools needed besides the kit: screw drivers, extra screws (kit only came with 4), zipties (kit only came with one), electrical tape

Be prepared to: get on the floor to reach under the scooter, access your battery

ADD LOTS OF PHOTOS

dumb science

http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3240/7867

comment, debunk

ABATE is stupid

post on this

helmet helmet helemt

interesting links to explore

check them out and then possibly write a posting on them

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/back-a-line/back-a-line.htm

http://www.womanbiker.com/products.php3

http://www.helibars.com/products.php?cat=10

for the cold weather

gloves.  review of cold killers.

also try these

http://www.obairlann.net/reaper/motorcycle/muffs/

write more later.

SAQ 11 was most excellent!

Yes it was.  More thoughts later

Watch out for leaves

Just a public service reminder – leaves can be bad this time of year.  Even if the pavement is dry, leaves on the ground can hide wet spots.  Even just the leaves alone have a different texture than the pavement.

I see lots of people are still finding this site after doing searches for things like scooter skirts.  If you are riding in the greater Columbus area, let me know if you’d be willing to be interviewed for a future posting on the site.  I’m especially interested in people who ride year-round, or at least not just in the warm summer months.

Last EuroBike Night

Last EuroBike Night is this Tuesday.  It is at the Bank Block – Grandview Ave at West 2nd Avenue in Grandview.  Tuesday, September 30th, 6 – 9 PM.  Reserved 2-wheeler parking on both sides of Grandview Ave.  Raffle drawing is at 8 PM.

 See more details (and photos from past Euro Bike Nights) at the official website.

Shameless ask for logo help

I am smart enough to know when my talents are lacking.  They lack in the design/logo arena.  If you are someone with the skills to create a good logo for my site, Peanut Butter Scooter Time, then feel free to leave a comment here with your email and/or thoughts.  No pay, unfortunately, but I’ll give you credit.  My site does have quite a few hits, so you would be reaching a fair amount of people.  Thanks! And now back to your regularly-scheduled scooter stuff.

Italian Fest and scooters!

First off, Euro Bike Night was a lot of fun… the Easy Peasy crowd won a ton of the raffle prizes.  (Good for them.)  While I was there I got a flyer for a scooter-friendly event coming up next weekend….

Italian Festival.  Unfortunately entrance isn’t free, but it is a good festival.  Euro-Bike “ride-in” night is Saturday night, October 11th… check out the italian fest flyer for more details.

Sept EuroBike Night

Only 2 left this year, September’s is this Tuesday.  It is at the Bank Block – Grandview Ave at West 2nd Avenue in Grandview.  Tuesday, September 30th, 6 – 9 PM.  Reserved 2-wheeler parking on both sides of Grandview Ave.  Score!

There will be T-shirts for sale at special prices, a raffle as usual, and pre-registration for a “First Annual Haunted Poker Run.”

Thanks to Mike for the reminder.  See more details (and photos from past Euro Bike Nights) at the official website.

SAQ is almost here!

Happy Dance!!

Here are for more upclose views.

The Cutters SAQ page states that pre-registration is closed, so register for $16 onsite.  This is the official schedule with map, but in my mind Saturday is not to be missed.  Why?  Breakfast (included free with your registration) at the North Market from 9 – 12. I missed this last year and I refuse to miss it again!  Then the big ride, this time out to Delaware.  Dinner after the ride is back in the Short North, at the store The Kickstart.  Sweeeeeet!

SAQ 11 starts this Friday

Kicks off this Friday… If you are a scooterist, then you should go. (Registration is $14 and includes a T-shirt, all sorts of free food, etc.) If you just wanna watch, I’d recommend you go down to North Market this Saturday. Around noon the big ride heads out. It’s awesome to see literally hundreds of scooters leaving North Market. If you are interested in seeing a wide variety of scooters, talking to real riders (not just sales people), and being part of the biggest scooter event held in Columbus (even just as a spectator), you should go.

For more information go to the Cutters page.This is the 11th year for SAQ, and from what I hear the Cutters always put on a good show. (My first was last year, but it was a blast!)

If you are wondering what to expect, you can read my thoughts about last year on my SAQ page.

Information Session on Scooters

This Saturday (Sept 6th) there will be an informational session at the Northwest Library.  (2280 Hard Road)  It runs from 10 AM – 12:30 PM, although if you come a little early you can check out the scooters before.  You can also stop by after 12:30, if you can’t make the panel discussion, and chat with anyone still there.  I will be one of the panelists.  (oooooooh, I’m a celebrity!)

Write-up of the event from the local paper

Quote: The program will begin with a scooter overview provided by a long-time scooterist. The session will focus on what types of scooters are available and what to look for when choosing one. We’ll also spend time addressing basic laws, licensing and insurance issues that come up when purchasing a scooter.

This is being put on by a scooterist who also happens to be a librarian.  (Not me)  So while some dealers will be there, it is not a sales type of event.  It is informational.

Note: the Library is sort of joint between Columbus and Worthington.  Scroll to the bottom of this page and look for the marker #2, up north of Sawmill and I-270.

Kymco People S200 Maintenance – Spark Plug

Here is a great maintenance report from my significant other.  He has a Kymco People S200, not my People 150.  Below is his maintenance report on changing his spark plug.

Recently, I was having problems getting my scooter started. After checking the battery voltage and a few other things, I decided to take a look at the spark plug. The operator and repair manual were of little help, instructing the owner to “remove the spark plug” without much direction as to how to get there. Granted, I had a repair manual for the People 150, but they are basically the same underneath it all.

After removing the seat and looking around, I decided to document the process for anyone else that might want to try this. If you are not comfortable poking around your scooter’s components, talk to your mechanic. 

Tools you will need: Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers, metric Allen wrenches (5-7mm), 10mm hex socket with ratchet, and the spark plug tool, which should be with the small tools set that came with the scooter.  Full directions with more photos on the flipside…

SAQ 11 coming up!

Scoot-A-Que, the rally put on by the Cutters, is coming up September 12-14. 

The much anticipated and long-awaited Scoot-a-Que 11 is almost here!  You
can pre-register now for a measly $11 which includes a T-shirt, tons of
free food, music, dancing and more Scoot-related mayhem and awesomeness
than you can find anywhere else.

This is a great rally, the 11th one!  Pre-reg is now $14.  I think the T-shirt design is very sweet.

More information: http://www.scootcolumbus.com/que/

Vespa Demo Rides at Grandview Euro Bike Night

Next Tuesday’s Euro Bike Night (one week from today) includes Vespa Demo Rides!

This is your chance to take a new Vespa scooter out for a tour …  Due to the continued growth of Grandview Euro Bike Night we will have extra reserved parking on the east side of Grandview Avenue… Don’t forget to purchase your Grandview Euro Bike Night t-shirt and be sure to register for the free raffle.

Riders must have a motorcycle endorsement and proper riding gear for demo rides: helmet, eye protection, closed toe shoes and long pants. 

More info at: www.eurobikenight.com