Scooteristas, when to wave, and more…

I sure had a great time with the 909 Scooter Club on our Saturday ride.  I posted the photos you see in the blog entry below on the Modern Buddy website (that’s the site for the Genuine Scooter line), the ADVRider site (a cool dual-sport adventure riding website), and our Facebook page.   The comments on all of these sites have been positive.   Interesting stuff, and I have to tell you, the folks who ride step-through scooters have a distinctly different personality than do folks who ride motorcycles.  I think the best way to describe it is to say that scooteristas tend to be less focused on equipment and more focused on just having fun.

The Morphmobile

Me, I’m a gearhead.  I found myself greatly interested in the scooters on this ride, and what made it more fun is I saw several bikes I had never encountered before.  Yamaha started and then quit making the Morphous (which is kind of a low-slung, Cadillac-looking, The-Empire-Strikes-Back sort of step-through) before I ever even heard of it.   My new buddy Steve, the Morphmobile pilot, got a big kick out of the photos I grabbed of it (like that action shot above).

Maybe the vibe difference is just my perception.   When I ride with other motorcycle folks, the discussions invariably center on the hardware (the motorcycles, their engines, tires, etc.).  The scooter groups I’ve ridden with are more of a rolling, laid back party, and the emphasis on all of the scooter rides (at least the ones I’ve been on) has not been on who’s faster.  You motorcycle dudes and dudettes know what I’m talking about.   On a motorcycle ride, especially in the twisties, the ride almost always turns into who can cook the corners faster.   On a scooter ride, that just doesn’t happen…it’s far more easy going.  It’s a cool experience.  I think the scooter group rides are more enjoyable.

There are guys and gals who ride both step-through scooters and motorcycles (I guess I’m in that group now).  I’m talking about folks like our good buddies Kevin J, Jerry N,  and many others.  I have to talk to them about their perceptions to see if I’m on the money here.

When I rode with the 909 club on Saturday, I was on my CSC 150, which is really a motorcycle (it’s not a step-through scooter), and I wanted to get a bunch of photos for the blog.    When we were up on Glendora Ridge Road, I found myself racing ahead to get photos of the group coming into the corners, and moving up and down in the formation to get photos of different riders and scooters in action.    I found it pretty easy to do because my CSC 150 handles incredibly well in the twisties (Howard Forrest had the right formula back in the 1940s with the original Mustang design), and the scooteristas were enjoying an easy ride.  I didn’t want to make anybody nervous and I told my new friends in advance what I was doing, but on three different occasions, the scooter folks asked if I was riding the new 250 CSC.  I wasn’t, but my ability to get through the corners quickly on my Baja Blaster 150 apparently impressed a few people.

So now I’m both a step-though scooterista and a motorcycle rider, as is the case with many other folks.  It’s a split personality kind of thing, but it feels okay.   I think it’s going to be like the differences that exist between Harley riders (the cruiser crowd) and those who ride other motorcycles.  The big joke here is that most Harley riders only wave to other Harley riders; they won’t condescend to wave (or return a wave) to riders on sports bikes, dual-sport bikes, or anything other than a cruiser.   It’s something I never quite understood, as I enjoy riding all kinds of bikes.  At one point, I owned a Harley, a Honda CBX, a Triumph Daytona, and a KLR-650 (all at the same time).   It left me in a real quandary.  I didn’t know if I should wave to myself or not.

Okay, enough philosophizing…on to other things.    Our good buddy Howard is still on the road, and I received this nice note and photo from him late last week…

Joe:

This one was taken at one of the many tunnels in Custer Park in South Dakota.  I would recommend this park to anyone who really wants to enjoy their bike.  It has been the best ride of my entire trip.

Howard

Our good buddy Howard in Custer State Park in South Dakota

Howard, you are our hero.  When I grow up, I want to be just like you!

More good stuff…there was an article in The Wall Street Journal this morning that said being bald is the new power and status look in the business world, and they listed a bunch of executives who have no hair.   Who knew?   I was ahead of the curve on this one!

That's me on the left...the powerful bald guy!

That’s it for now, folks.   Ride safe.   Oh, and if another rider waves to you…wave back.   It doesn’t matter what they’re riding…it only matters that they are riding.