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my first big trip....

akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
edited September 2007 in Strut Central
i dont know if any dudes on here are into scooters or moped or whatever, but im about to leave on a 120 mile trip to my parents house on this bad boy:it should be fun. anybody ever done a journey like this before? nothing feels better than riding this out in the country. for real. nothing. scooters in the stars or in the rain are extremely romantic experiences. it might sound cheesy or cliche or whatever but its a feeling ive never experienced before. at some points i am literally living dreams ive had. not kidding.anyway it doesnt currently have a real exhaust pipe on it so it maxes out around 25-27 on flat ground...so this will be the longest trip home ever. but very fun. im excited. i just hope it doesnt crap out on me. wish me luck. my next plan is going to minneapolis on it to visit a friend of mine.

  Comments

  • troublemantroubleman 1,928 Posts

    good luck man. Enjoy the trip and be safe!!! Road trips are amazing and that sounds like a fun way to travel.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    wow, 25 mph for 120 miles. That's a real trip you've got planned. Do you have to stick to back roads? How does that work?
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    wow, 25 mph for 120 miles. That's a real trip you've got planned. Do you have to stick to back roads? How does that work?

    rural highways at 4am. should be fun. i found a path that is parallel to the interstate and really simple, only 2 turns before i get to the part of town im familiar with.
  • CherChezLaPLANCherChezLaPLAN 340 Posts
    Be careful.

    There's a lot of crazy people out there.
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    Be careful.

    There's a lot of crazy people out there.

    my mom's main concern was some dudes pulling over and giving me a good ol beatdown for no reason. im taking my chances.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    bring a steak knife for some late night shanking if need be. 4AM on a bicycle with a small motor and 25mph is scary. You're either brave or crazy.
  • autoauto 198 Posts
    hey what brand of scooter is that and how much did you pay for that bad boy? im looking to buy one. saw a couple for sale recently... and i think i need to jump on one even though im broke.
  • karlophonekarlophone 1,697 Posts
    Be careful.

    There's a lot of crazy people out there.

    my mom's main concern was some dudes pulling over and giving me a good ol beatdown for no reason. im taking my chances.

    yeah, keep your eyes open out there. theres no shortage of meatheads in pickup trucks looking for 'napoleon dynamite' type targets to mess with. a moped that tops out at 25 mph stands out in a way that might make meatheads see red.

    b/w

    have an awesome adventure, the odds of trouble are actually pretty low.
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Hell Ako, you are going to feel it in your wrist holding full throttle for that long! My girlfriend did 1000 miles in 24 hours on a Vespa 200. She also did 900 miles over the Austrian Alps in 2 days of pouring rain. My riding is limited to fine days & short distances, other than that it's the car yo!
  • GropeGrope 2,970 Posts
    my longest trip was around the lago di garda in italy. took about 5 hours, but it was really fun. i stopped at every other place though to drink something. it was really hot and italian roads are dirty!
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    hey what brand of scooter is that and how much did you pay for that bad boy? im looking to buy one. saw a couple for sale recently... and i think i need to jump on one even though im broke.

    82 honda express, i paid $40 for it, but also did about $70 in minor repairs to keep it street legal.


    thanks everyone, getting a late start, leaving soon.
  • SLurgSLurg 446 Posts
    Good luck, I hope you'll survive !
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    I did a 100 mile trip on something that looked very much like that. It was not sunny and I did not have lots of fun that was funny, but I was psyched that I'd made it under my own steam. It took me about an hour to straighten my fingers after I got off the bike. I also discovered that some dogs can run faster than 25mph.

  • kalakala 3,361 Posts
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts

    great movie, and the first thing I thought of as well.
  • soulmarcosasoulmarcosa 4,296 Posts


  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    I used to have a scooter, it was stolen. I cry.
  • chasechase 767 Posts
    I think you should worry more about some blue hair running you down then a pack of thugs giving you an old fashion random beat down..

    a


    and a


    you should be ok
  • meistromocomeistromoco 954 Posts
    When I was in Thailand I rode a scooter from Pai in northern Thailand to the Burmese border. It was probably an 8 hour trip (round trip). Top 3 travel experiences every.
    looked something like this:




    have fun and be safe!
  • funky16cornersfunky16corners 7,175 Posts
    Back when I was 16 (almost 30 years ago...cough, cough...) I had a moped and would do 20 - 30 miles at a clip all the time. Nobody was talking about helmets back then either. In NJ all you needed was a valid auto learners permit (unbelievably easy to get) to drive a moped just about anywhere (except major highways).

    Be careful.
  • FrankFrank 2,373 Posts
    buy a big can of pepper spray... just in case.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    buy a big can of pepper spray... just in case.

    Fuck that, get a can of kodiak bear mace.


    http://www.defensedevices.com/frontiersman-bear-spray.html
  • LamarTinsonLamarTinson 507 Posts
    buy a big can of pepper spray... just in case.

    Fuck that, get a can of kodiak bear mace.


    http://www.defensedevices.com/frontiersman-bear-spray.html



    Speaking of which, another great road trip item:



    Puts hair on your chest.
  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    Nice journey! I'm the sales manager for a local scooter shop. We have the largest selection of new and vintage Vespa parts and accessories in the country. I have a '79 motobecane in showroom shape. I can commute to work for two weeks on one gallon of gas. No shit. I've been riding just about every day for 10 years. I also have a bunch of honda scooters. If you need to do a long trip, Hondas are the most reliable machines out there. This sounds like a really cool trip. If you want to see some crazy moped trips check this out. These dudes went from The Bay Area to South America:

    http://creaturesoftheloincountersubversion.blogspot.com/

  • TabaskoTabasko 1,357 Posts
    wow, 25 mph for 120 miles.

    how is 5 hours on a moped considered a big trip?
    why are you needing knives, mace and whatnot?
  • SouthCrackalackSouthCrackalack 3,853 Posts
    Damn dude, you have a shitload more patience than I do. I couldnt do 20-25 mph for that long. Fuuuuck that! Have fun though, and definitely watch your back. My grandfather was completely ran over by an old lady back in the 80's and left for dead while riding a moped. Luckily he lived, but still very scary. The lady said she never even saw,heard or felt the accident. So just be careful out there!
  • akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,413 Posts
    wow, 25 mph for 120 miles.

    how is 5 hours on a moped considered a big trip?
    why are you needing knives, mace and whatnot?

    120 miles in a car doing 90 = boring and tedious. "are we there yet?"

    120 miles on a moped doing 20-30 on back roads with cars constantly passing you and random temperature changes = an adventure where the destination is probably the LEAST important or fun part of the journey

    its a whole different thing. of course if you drive a moped everywhere all the time, yeah probably not a big deal, but its my first real trip on it, and i was excited. plus rural backroads arent necessarily always the safest place to get stranded/lost...


    by the way everybody, i made it home. my ass is KILLING me right now. wrists are fine though. a couple stops along the way and probably the most roundabout route to my house imaginable = me on the road from 5:45am-1:20pm

    it was fun and i feel like i actually accomplished something, but i need some serious recovery time before im willing to make the trip back. hahaha

    things i learned:
    -if its freezing wear a COAT dude
    -highways are nowhere near as crowded as i thought
    -when a worker is holding one of those stop/slow signs, the stop side means STOP till he turns it around (i forgot)
    -yes, hondas are very reliable. i cant imagine this thing was designed to be at full throttle for hours on end but somehow it still starts up first kick every time.
    -i need to get a faster scooter, none of it was unbearable but sometimes i would look down and notice 10 miles had taken 30 minutes and id be like WTF


    it was fun, saw lots of places ive never been before, kinda wish i had a camera, lots of great photo opportunities and i NEVER take pics.
  • TabaskoTabasko 1,357 Posts
    You would have loved growing up in the Netherlands:
  • shooteralishooterali 1,591 Posts
    Be careful.

    There's a lot of crazy people out there.
    Remember Deliverance?
    "squill, Boy, squill, Boy' like a little piggie....
    Avoid Redneck Joe & Jim Boy BOB..
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