Today I returned the Piaggio Fly 50 scooter that Erico Motorsports had loaned me, but not before giving it a real workout. I rode up to Boulder and back yesterday. That’s an easy trip in a car, but was a real expedition on a 50cc scooter.

I had borrowed the scoot with the idea of using it as my only transportation for a week. I just wanted to really see what riding a scooter is like, with, of course, the plan of writing about the experience here, on Examiner.com, and on RumBum.com.

What I found in going to Boulder is that even this little scoot is fully capable of getting you to distant places, as long as you’re willing to take the time. And the time is not dependent on the speed of the scoot on the street, but on the fact that it’s too small to get on the highway. It didn’t take me any longer than it would have in a car on the same route. The difference is, in a car the route I took is not what I would have taken. I would have taken I-25 and the Boulder Turnpike. As it was, I zig-zagged my way on Hampden, Broadway, Evans, Federal, Alameda, Sheridan, . . . on and on, taking a west-bound road, then a north-bound road, then west again, all the way to Boulder.

Coming back then was the real fun part. I had gone up to 120th and headed north on McCaslin Blvd. on my way out, and that’s how I came back as well. Well, if you know this area you know that McCaslin coming up to 120th is a long, steep hill. Back when the Red Zinger (later Coors) Classic bicycle races were still running, they used this as the finish line and called it “The Wall.” Going down I really got ripping. Coming back up I pulled into the bicycle lane so traffic could get by me. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it at all but I did.

Then, a little later on my way back a light started flashing furiously to warn me I needed gas. I stopped and filled the tank, but then when I took off the scoot started faltering. It would lose power, then surge, then lose power again. I was way across town and concerned about getting home. After stopping awhile to let it cool off it ran OK and I got home fine. I asked Tea about this when I returned the scoot and she said they sometimes have issues with vapor lock. I told her I had been afraid I had pushed it too hard and had done some damage, but she said no, you can’t break these things, they’re as tough as lawn mowers. Oh good. I wasn’t excited about paying for repairs. And it definitely did run like a champ this morning again.

So my week of scootering is over and I have a couple conclusions. First, they really are fun to ride and they’re unbeatable, at least in good weather, for running errands. Second, at least for someone like me who is accustomed to riding motorcycles, 50cc is just too small. It might be the perfect size for your mother or grandmother, who are not already comfortable on a motorized two-wheeler, but I would want at least a 150cc scoot for myself. But I wouldn’t go much bigger than that because what would be the point? I already have two motorcycles. If I need more power I’ll just ride one of them.

If you don’t have a motorcycle already, then go with a 250cc scoot. Then you get the best of both worlds, an inexpensive, fun mode of transportation and the ability to get on the highway and not have to wind your way through the neighborhoods because you don’t have the power for the highway.

Who knows, maybe there will be a scooter in our garage sometime soon. I took Judy over to a parking lot to ride the thing, and while she was nervous, it wasn’t long before she was wheeling that thing around freely and easily, and she was smiling a huge smile. I loved seeing that smile.

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Biker Quote for Today

Freedom is having a wife who lets you go riding. Pride is having a wife next to you on her own bike!

I had this idea that it would be fun and interesting to get my hands on a scooter and go everywhere on it for one week. I’ve always liked scooters, and have thought for a long time that they make more sense for short errands than just about any other vehicle, but I’ve never owned one or had a chance to ride them much.

So I called my friend Sue, who scoots, and asked if she was using hers, and if not, could I borrow it. No way, she said, she rides it all the time. But she suggested I contact Tai and John Beldock at Erico Motorsports to see if they would loan me one. I did, and Tai was very nice about agreeing to it.

On Tuesday I picked up this Piaggio Fly 50. It has some mods that give it more power so it does actually get up to decent speed. It didn’t take me long to feel comfortable on it and off I went.

There are a few things I’ve had to adjust to. The speedometer shows kilometers very clearly in white, with miles very hard to read in red. So I’ve figured out that with the needle straight up I’m going about 35 mph. If the needle is sitting on the white 40 that’s about 25 mph. At 65 in the white it equals approximately 40 mph. Close enough.

After getting the Fly home the first errand I ran was to the grocery store. I wondered if I should be conservative on what I bought but I figured I’d go for it. The bag on the back swallowed two gallons of mile, a honeydew melon, and a bunch of other stuff. Not a problem.

When Judy got home I loaded her on the back and we went to pick up my car where I’d left it. It may be a 50cc scoot but we still managed to exceed the posted speed limit riding two-up.

The next day Sue and I went out on our respective scoots and I had a chance to ride hers to compare. Yes, it has more power, but hey, on city streets how fast do you need to go? And the Fly goes as fast as the traffic.

I was possibly going to need to go to Boulder today, and that would have been a journey, but it didn’t happen. On Saturday, though, I am going to go with Sue and her scooter club on a ride they have planned. Figure I might as well get right into the scooting culture.

So I’m having fun. I’d never want to trade my motorcycles for a scooter but don’t knock fun. Scooters are fun. And for running around in town I have no complaints at all.

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If you ride, we are friends.