Today was finally the day of “Lobster Roll” scooter ride. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long 6 weeks since I first found out about it.
This ride found me both apprehensive and excited. It would be my first large, group scooter ride (ridden with mopeds but never more than one or two scooters!) and it would be the first significant test of my used Helix.
Continue reading ‘1st Annual (hopefully) “Lobster Roll” Scooter Ride a HUGE Success!’ »
Check out this new forum by long time friend and scooter expert Jack Ryan. Jack is the kind of guy that will buy a scooter and disassemble it (completely) to figure out how it works. He has more files, manuals, tips, and tricks than almost anyone I know. A true Guru.
Continue reading ‘Need Scooter Repair Help for any make or model?’ »
The many directions a family gets pulled these days found my wife working, my oldest son at a friends, and my youngest son (almost 10) and I home alone together this afternoon. He of course was “BORED”. So I asked him if he’d like to go for a scooter ride.
He was all for that idea. Then the parental switches engaged and the doubts ensued. I thought, “I’ve never taken the kids out on the roads before, just around the neighborhood”. “What if we get hit?” “What if I lay it down?” Previously the scoots were small but the Helix is like a small Gold WIng with passenger foot wells, grab rails, and more. It was perfect for starting the kids road tripping on two wheels. So we set about it.
Continue reading ‘Kids as passengers on Scooters or Motorcycles.’ »
I got to my insurance agent’s office this morning around 8:45 am and got my proof of insurance card. Then over to the Town Office at 9 am to pay my excise tax ($18 gotta love scooters especially used ones!) and then on to the dreaded DMV office to pay sales tax and get a plate. Got to DMV about 9:20 am and was #8 in line per my ticket. Not bad for the first day open after a long holiday weekend. I was out by 9:50 am with my registration, license plate, and less money. The previous owner had already got an inspection sticker last month so that was still good.
Got home from work around 5 pm and put the plate on the Helix. Wife took her Rebel out to go to Thomaston (she had town ambulance duty for the fireworks tonight). I donned my helmet and headed into Rockland. Stopped to see if it needed any gas as I’m not used to the fuel gauges. It was nearly full. Then I rode. I stopped by friends houses, cruised the main drag, and then decided to got to Camden. Took the back way around Rockport’s shorefront, cruised the public landing at Camden Harbor, rode up and down Main street and then decided to see if an old friend was home. He in fact was, told me “good timing” and we unloaded a small antique safe he just bought, (he has an antique shop) from his pickup.
It’s no secret I have wanted a Helix for a loooooooooong time. It seems to be a a love it or hate it scooter with enthusiasts. Personally I always liked its radical 80’s styling. It’s long, low, and reminds me of a Star Wars Speeder Bike from the Empire Strikes Back.
The Helix is legendary for it’s comfortable ride and reliability. There are Helix’ on the internet with around 100,000 miles on them. They can achieve interstate speeds, carry two people, and return around 70 mpg.
Continue reading ‘Scoot Maine’s first Maxi-Scoot! 1999 Honda Helix’ »
Just got word of a fantastic group ride planned for August. Leaving from Portland at 10:30 am August 6th and arriving in Rockland, Maine the last weekend of the Lobster Festival. Secondary roads will be taken but speeds dictate at least a 125 cc machine. It’s about an 80 mile trip which is not overly ambitious but certainly farther than the average scooter trip. The ride will take you through some of the more scenic coastlines and villages the Midcoast of Maine has to offer. Once in Rockland there is of course the Lobster Festival with all it’s delicious and entertaining offerings, as well as a myriad of museums, shops, galleries and more. Make plans to attend or at least cheer the riders on!
For more information please visit the Lobster Roll Website as well as the Maine Lobster Festival Website.
Continue reading ‘The Lobster-Roll Scooter Ride. Join the fun!’ »
The Boothbay Harbor Region has an an exciting new addition to Maine’s scooter scene!
Mainely Scooters opened it’s doors officially the first of June.
Continue reading ‘Dealer Spotlight… Mainely Scooters! Sales and rentals in Boothbay Harbor, Maine’ »
I am a bit biased on this particular State Park as my wife’s uncle is the head of the park. That said we spent our Memorial Day Weekend here and it a great place to relax.
Located in Liberty, Maine, on Rte. 3 halfway between Augusta and Belfast, Lake St. George State Park has a lot to offer. From a scooter or moped standpoint I would rate it an “advanced” ride as Rte. 3 is a 55 mph road with a great deal of truck traffic. Better suited as a destination for larger displacement scooters due to the travel speeds but intrepid enthusiasts used to mingling with high speed traffic can access it as Rte. 3 does have good shoulders upon which the 50 cc motorist can escape the heavy traffic.
If you are into camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, hiking, or basically any outdoor sport you can do it here. We had a blast. Here are a few pics of the park.
Despite 2 weeks of miserable soul sucking weather that caused nearly everybody to lose hope and totally bail out on the ride the 2011 Acadia Moped Ride did occur. I was one of four that attended this year. Very sad. Later you will learn that even I in the end pansied out.
Friday I had to work but managed to meet Justin at my shop as he dropped off my moped. I took it down for service and testing 2 weeks ago and had been unable to pick it up. Justin headed north and I promised I’d be up later that evening after work. So it was. I got to Acadia around 5, unloaded gear at my parents house and went to the KOA campground to meet up with the crew. Supper was burgers, hotdogs, and beer perfectly executed on a camp stove. (Well not the beer.. that was pretty good uncooked!) Here’s a couple shots from the campground that night.
Wow have I been a bad blogger. Months and months with no posts. That is about to change. There shall be fresh news, dealership spotlights, scooter reviews, rides, stories and more.
For my opening post of 2011 it is Acadia moped ride time again. The ride will be held on Sat. May 21 around 9 am. It will leave from the KOA campground at the head of the island and progress as conditions and fate dictate. Following will be a cookout and overnight at the campground. We are hoping for a larger turnout this year and scooters are welcome but larger scooters will likely be bored with the pace. I have way to much spam in my inbox over 20,000 but you can try to contact me through this site for more info. Put Acadia Ride in the title.
I have been so busy at work I have no time to keep up with the scooter world. I did dust off the Puch and the wife’s Rebel last week and fire them up. The Honda (being a Honda) ran fine. The Puch needs some carburetor work before the ride. I haven’t yet broken out the Scout. Scooter freaks will already know this but I am sad to say that after a five year run and a solid effort my friends at Flyscooters had to close their doors. Another victim of the poor economy. Best of luck to Leon, Daniel, and the rest of the crew in their future endeavors. This makes my Scout an orphan. At a year old it’s a young orphan. Luckily it shares many parts with original Honda Passports and many pit bikes so parts are available. I do intend to sell her off eventually and pursue a 250 cc or so scoot. One that can handle longer higher speed commutes.
Continue reading ‘It’s that time again! Spring 2011 Acadia Moped Ride’ »
