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On one of my rides during a holiday in Auz I refueled in Melbourne. When I went to pay, I saw someone carrying a helmet in the reflection in the glass doors. As there were no other bikes in the servo, I turned around to see a young guy put my helmet in the back seat of his car. I
confronted them (two young guys) & got it back.

I took their registration details and threatened to report them to the police. I’m not 100% sure it wasn’t a prank, they were quite immature young men – but I was angry at the time.

bottom line: don’t leave your helmet unattended, even for a minute.

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When I was taking a required environmental impact course the instructor used all types of various statistics to prove that we would run out of fossil fuel in no more than 15 years. That in ten years the world would very likely experience global war over oil. That in ten years Global warming would have reached the point where the temperate zones would have moved at least 15 degrees north causing drastic global food shortages.

Now the predictions are no more than 20 years of fossil fuel. The simple fact remains that there is no more oil being made. The cost ratio of producing fuel from corn or other vegetation is not economical. Also consider that the acreage required to produce the fuel would have to be diverted from producing food. The acreage needed to produce a significant amount would devastate the food production.

As of last year, the polar ice caps had diminished by 20 percent from 1990. This has caused an increase in sea levels which has changed the gulf streams producing more turbulent weather patterns.

The only thing that is important is that global warming is reality and it doesn’t matter what has caused it. Our great grandchildren and for those of us who are a bit past 29, grandchildren are going to be hard pressed for fuel, food, and decent water by the time they are in their 50’s, and it won’t all be taxes.

When I was a young man, I paid between 18.9-20.9 cents a gallon. In the 70’s fuel embargo the gas leapt from 25 cents a gallon to $1.50 in less than a year. This was an artificial increase. What we are seeing now is the supply and demand price. That supply will decrease proportionate to the demand.

What one 747 expends just getting wheels up would keep several cars fueled for a year. We are running out of fuel and when other methods are finally the main, we will find that the climate will eventually return to a more livable condition. That will not happen in this century though, so there isn’t much we can do except moan about it.

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I Just got almost new SYM HD 200.This thing is fantastic. Already customised – Aluminum muffler, wind shield, exhaust header shield, trunk. I removed the side kick stand, since it is spring loaded and could result in a sudden fall of the parked machine.

This thing can easily keep up with my KYMCO P 250, yet it is now 70 lbs lighter that P250 an is super easy to push it around on parking and getting it on main stand.

I reccomend it highly, it is a high tech bike and very well built. The importer – Carter Brothers are also very friendly people and they mailed to me the Service Manual and Parts Manual absolutely free, no shipping charges.

Whoever looks for 200 to 250 cc scooter, this should be it. Don’t even look at Kymco 200.

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I am not Jewish but if I was, I would would be lighting one these Moped menorah’s today as its officially the second day of chinukah. I wonder whats next? Maybe we are going to see a Christmas tree in the shape of a Vespa ET4?

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 I have a Givi E52.

For my money it’s the best as it is the biggest available with the soft backrest attached by wife finds it much more comfortable to ride with me than without a backrest.

I bought the black one that comes with the lights installed because you get the lights with it already installed for less than the coloured boxes without lights.

However, I discovered that you can’t depend on the lights. Apparently they are incandescent mini bulbs instead of the LEDs I was expecting and don’t last. One of them was burned out or broken within weeks of me getting the box. The connection to the wiring system – so you can easily remove the box from the bike – isn’t the best either as people would often tell me my brake lights on the box weren’t working, so when I transferred the box to my Exec I didn’t bother with connecting the lights.

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About a month ago I was riding through a busy part of my city (Kingsway, Manchester if anyone knows it) and though it was 2 lanes the cages could not seem to do that and traffic was stopped as people were trying to figure out where they wanted to go. I knew where I wanted to go and could easily see a path through the maze of vehicles. It was dark and I started duck walking my way with a little roll on through the maze. While passing a double parked minivan on the left the passenger opened their door about 12″and I ran into it with my left leg as I saw an opening just ahead and started to give it some gas.

They closed the door and I pulled ahead and to the side as my leg was screaming. I was wearing jeans and was pretty sure I did not have any serious injury. The driver came over (kid must have be 17 or what ever age they let you drive in the UK) and was very concerned, I told him I was ok and that it was my own fault.

I knew that

a) I was in a hurry

b) I was lane splitting

c) was not paying attentionto what the drivers were doing, only the cars. I was not riding safe.

It was a wake up call as I had let my guard drop now that I had over 5000 miles on my 650 Burgman and was getting a bit cocky, it could have been much much worse if I had been going faster. This set me back by quite a bit in my riding in terms of taking chances. I have not been able to get on the highway since and spend much more time watching the drivers to see where they are looking and what they are doing while driving.

My leg is better, bruise gone, but it remembers and so do I

So go out there and get scared (just a little) but, don’t get put in the hospital, get a bruise on your leg or on your ego. If you find your self getting home and don’t remember the trip, ask yourself if you are letting your guard down, the bike may be an automatic, but you can’t afford to be.

Ride safe everybody

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Givi Monokey series top boxes require special mounting brackets that are custom designed for particular model motorcycles or scooters. They usually bolt to the frame. They don’t simply attach to an existing rack on the bike. I have a Monokey E52 trunk on my Burgman 650.

Givi Monolock series top boxes use a less expensive mounting bracket that is not model specific. It is a universal adapter plate that attaches to an existing rack on the bike.

I think with the P150, you’d need to buy a Monolock series case. Givi does make a Monokey bracket for the Kymco Xciting series, but not for the People series (as near as I can figure out from their website – which isn’t all that easy to navigate).

I have an Italia Soft brand 28L top box on my People 250. When you shut the lid, it automatically locks. This is convenient, but I am very careful to NEVER set my keys down inside the top case (for obvious reasons). The Givi products require that the key be in the lock in order to lock the top box. More steps required (but you can’t accidentally
lock your keys inside the case).

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Just received this email from good friend of mine:

Q: I have a question regarding cold weather gloves. I have owned scooters before, but I have never owned any gear. I am driving a People 50 in Chicagoland, and intending to drive as many days as I can through the winter. My daily commute is only 2 miles, and I commute to class about 9 miles each way once a week. My top speed is 35mph. Are ski gloves adequate for me? They are reinforced with leather, and they’ve got a pretty fabulous little wiper edge that I can use to keep my face shield clear. Is there a reason that I ought to have motorcycle gloves instead?

A: Motorcycle gloves are designed to protect your hands in the event of a fall, not just the cold. Ski gloves are designed to protect you from cold, but will tear apart if you go skidding across the pavement. Some ski gloves put a little leather in the palm to give you some grip on your pole, but that is sometimes just a simulated leather.

During the winter, a lot of people want to opt out for snowmobile suits to keep warm and inexpensive ski gloves. And yes, they will keep you warm. But winter riding is a time of more opportunity to fall, and need the protection of real motorcycle gear.

If you’re looking for good prices on motorcycle gear, like gloves, jackets, pants, etc., I highly recommend NewEnough Leathers at http://www.newenough.com <http://www.newenough.com> . I’ve purchased gear from them for over a year, and even had pants go back through them for a repair covered under warranty. Not only are their prices great, but so is their customer service.

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Are you new to the world of scooters, or just bought a scooter and a little scared? Well just follow these rules and you will be a little safer!

1. Be aware of what is going on around you at all times! Is that bus just about to turn left?
2. Drive defensively and regard every car and road junction as a possible threat.
3. Don’t assume that other drivers will do the obvious and always be prepared for the unexpected.

   Do not get yourself into difficult situations and always give yourself sufficient space on the road to get yourself out of and difficulty.

4. Do not ride too close to the kerb so that you have room to move over if there is a problem or someone tries to cut you up.

   Try and ride in a confident manner and make sure you let other drivers know what you are doing.

5. Give clear and positive signals but above all remember you are on two wheels and that you are vulnerable.

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One of the main reasons I switched to using my Vespa full time as my commuting vehicle was traffic! Now a report has shown that the average speed in London is 12mph! Now I am no expert but I am sure that you can do more than 12mpg in a Horse and Cart. It seems that we have now gone slower than the days prior to the automobile. I think one of the reasons for this lack of movement is that Britain has failed to invest substantially in its mass transport system. In comparison, the German city of Hamburg has an average speed of 40mph due the advance public transport system that is in place. In Europe, public transport is a priority rather than here where it will get the crumbs from the table, if its lucky!

We have had Dr Beeching come and destroy their local railways and John Major to sell off the remains. Britain has also removed all the trams, whilst in Europe they have built them up. In Britain we now live in a culture of rampant, choking, car-dependency…. but not us!

Get on the scooter – and show our 4 wheeled friends a better way!

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