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.
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