So Cold

Yes, I understand that I bought my scooter on the verge of Winter. Even my riding lessons had a threat of rain from late Spring. The dealers kept saying how they were low on stock because the Summer rush was over & no-one bought scooters at this time of year.

I should have listened.

There's a perfectly logical explanation for scooter sales going down in Winter. It gets cold.

Once committed to riding in any reasonable (non-rainy) weather, though, I had committed myself to the cold. Everyone knows that the coldest days are generally clear of cloud. The clouds keep the warmth in. Even when it's 'wet', I have enough control over my day to look at a weather radar & say "I'll give it half an hour before I think of leaving", or "I'm going now!"

However, nothing prepares you for that first true brass monkey morning. I wear business attire riding to work - boots up over my ankles with warm socks, a wool coat, my high-vis vest with fleecy lining, leather gloves. You'd think I had it all covered.

This is when you truly discover the limitations of clothing.

Nothing buttons to the throat. Overcoats are really big around the sleeves. Trousers ride up. There is a gap around the visor on my helmet.

It all started with tears. I can cope with a grown man crying - usually in private. The problem is when you don't notice that there's water streaming down your face (because it's getting numb), you arrive at the office & join a bunch of manly workmen on their way to the office renovations on your floor.

After an uneventful ride of no-one really looking at anyone else (because you're all men), you get out of the lift & feel the last streak of tears coming down to your jaw as your face finally thaws out.

But tears are painless. The worst cold I've felt was when, one day, screaming along at 60kph (or more, as it was down a hill), my head started to hurt. It was so cold that my head had gone through numb to the other side, which is all pain.

There was nothing I could do but hold on & think of warmer pleasanter climes.

Roll on Spring - harbinger of Summer. I welcome the thought of your searing heat, your oppressive humidity. I would happily feel manly sweat dripping down through my helmet & filling my armpits.

Maybe not.

Something more temperate. Perhaps I should go for a very long ride & find somewhere more comfortable than Sydney.

Bull in the Dark

During training (those two fateful half days), they could not stress plainly enough that the higher your visibility as a rider, the greater your life expectancy - to put it bluntly. They also admitted that no-one was going to go out & buy high-visibility safety wear to ride their bike, & that a clash of colours (bike versus rider) was the best defence.

I went out & bought a black scooter. There were options, but my better half fell in love with it. I then went out & bought one of those fluoro green vests with the white reflector stripes. This stays with the scooter. I always wear it.

I got a 'free' helmet. I went for the half-face because I figured I won't ride all that much. I then went & bought some safety goggles, because I realised that I won't be wearing sunglasses at night (which is when I do a lot of riding in winter). I then went & bought a clip-on visor because safety goggles look silly.

I bought ex-army riding gloves, on the basis that they'll do - warm enough, & highly protective of fingers.

I don't own a riding jacket. I have a suede jacket for casual wear, or else my wool coat for business wear. That's it. I always wear boots. I always pull my socks up (very important).

I bought a man-bag. It's actually a travellers' bag, with zips, but it's got a shoulder strap. I put all of my valuables in that & stick it in the helmet box while I'm riding. I feel more secure knowing that they can't fall from my pocket.

I bought a heavy duty bike chain - just in case - but I don't park the scooter anywhere I think I might need it.

I have a disposable raincoat that's already been used, & this covers my seat when I park & it looks gloomy. It's bright yellow. It stops people walking into a black bike in the dark.

Total outlay on top of the bike: $100.

Registering was tricky, because most insurers won't give you a CTP online unless the bike is already registered; & then the RTA won't accept a print-out unless it comes directly from the insurer. This meant doing it over the counter in both places.

I did not buy vanity plates.

I wanted to, but I can't fit "BEWARE OF THE LEARNER RIDER" in five letters, so I'll stick with the single-letter warning sign they gave me.

Baby Bull

Call it a mid-life crisis, but I am now the proud owner of a Motor Scooter.

I had been thinking about it for a while, in terms of living a very short distance from a major shopping centre, & now the same distance to my office. When you could, without real effort, walk that distance, it's time to stop thinking about driving. Yes, I have some green guilt. However, in winter, I'm not a great fan of trudging along in single-digit temperatures over that distance for that long. Thus, alternative modes of transport.

Yes, I own a bicycle. Strangely, it never occurred to me to steal it back from my parents' house where it's stored for nice long waterside rides a long way from traffic.

So, I planned, I researched, I studied, & eventually attempted to book for the course that all holders of a two wheel licence need to do before they can legally get out on the road - motorcycle or scooter. Easy enough - although dealing with the NSW RTA is a story in itself best left to when I want to vent.

When I did the course, the very nice instructor convinced me to 'attempt' the motorcycle qualification, on the basis that the scooter limitation would mean doing the course again if I ever wanted to "step up". Fair enough - & it was worth it to get the feel of gears after so long not riding a motorbike.

A few days later, I turned up at my local RTA for the formal test, which is on a worn-out computer - isn't technology wonderful? Then they change your licence. Gone was my simple car licence, & now I had a detailed line explaining that I also had an unrestricted motor cycle learners' permit starting at a specified date ... complicated, but do-able.

I had three months to "wait" until I could potentially be tested for a licence, & I had no scooter yet.

Where does one buy a scooter? Various places online made it clear that there are very few places to go for second hand, & most of those are either very old, very small, or else recent models not much cheaper than new ones. When it came to new ones, there are the big names - Japanese & Italian manufacturers - & the little names - from Taiwan, Korea & China.

I had a lot of trouble finding a dealer who actually had scooters in stock, narrowing it down to two. The first were nice guys, but weren't big on showing their stuff, & the second was closed because someone was on holidays ...

Then, fortunately, I discovered Torino, an "Australian" company that has their scooters made in China. A quick trip to their showroom - full of bikes & scooters - & I had a three day wait for delivery (just off the ship!).

Sure, I had to go through the process of registration & insurance, but I had a brand new bike.

She's black, she's beautiful, & she's mine. She also has a little bull on her front ("Torino" = little bull).

This blog will evolve, I hope, into stories about my adventures with my scooter, which, being black all over, I have named "Spot".

At times, I might be able to give advice to those contemplating, or recently acquiring a scooter, or just share the experience of someone living the dream with the wind in their face & 124cc of excitement throbbing under their back-side.

I like living on the edge. I travel at the speed limit.