I’ve ridden motorcycle trikes before and I’ve never cared much for them. They don’t lean and they’re too much like driving a car for my taste. So I’ve been very interested for a long time in trying out the Piaggio MP3 scooter, which has three wheels but is not at all the same as a trike in its handling.

With abundant thanks to Tai Beldock at Erico Motorsports, I can now report that I have ridden an MP3 and it really is everything I expected it to be.

The difference with an MP3 is what Piaggio calls its “parallelogram suspension.” What they’re saying is that whether you’re leaning into a turn, one wheel’s going into a pothole, or whatever, those two front wheels remain parallel to each other. It’s like having one wheel in front in terms of handling, but two wheels in terms of stability.

That’s not to say that, trike-like, the MP3 won’t fall over; it will. Remember, it handles just like a two-wheeled motorcycle. If you come up to a stop on a regular bike and don’t put your feet down you’d better have exceptionally good balance. Same with the MP3, except that the MP3 has a button you can push at below 5 mph that will lock the fork and keep you upright. The lock disengages as soon as you start rolling again. Still, I found it easier to just treat it like any other bike and put my feet down.

Thanks to the elements I had a good chance to test the MP3′s stability. Going up and down Lookout Mountain there was gravel in many of the curves and having three wheels was very comforting. Later it rained heavily and splashing through puddles and turning on rain-slicked streets the MP3 again felt very secure.

This scoot–and it is a scooter, no gear-shifting going on here–comes in three engine sizes, 250cc, 400cc, and 500cc. While the 250 will theoretically run at interstate speeds, when I tried it I felt best in the right-hand lane. The bigger models do go faster, though not much. The main thing the bigger engines offer is increased acceleration and carrying capacity.

Now, I’m not about to go adding a scooter to my garage any time soon, but presumably decades in the future these big bikes I ride now are going to be a bit much for me. A lot of guys I know say they figure someday they’ll have a trike. Not me. Come that time I’d rather move down to something lighter, whether it’s a motorcycle or a scooter. And the MP3, or whatever like it is on the market at that point, would definitely be an option I would consider. Meanwhile, for anyone today who finds the stability of three wheels appealing, the MP3 is definitely something I would suggest looking at.

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Biker Quote for Today

I am in the relentless pursuit of 6th gear. I keep trying and it still isn’t there.

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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Biker Quote for Today

If you ride, we are friends.

We’re combining business and pleasure and have come to Sturgis, SD, on vacation coinciding with the Cushman Club of America‘s annual rally. They have come here this year to “Play with the big boys play.”

What is surprising is how much some of these little boys look like the big boys. While it is surely no surprise for the aficianados, the rest of us are probably unaware of what some people do with these little scooters. There are all kinds of custom machines that look amazingly like Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They even have modified engines that sound a lot like Harleys and provide as much power as you could possibly want on something with 10-inch tires.

Sturgis is very welcoming of the rally. As the mayor pointed out to us, where else can you hold this sort of event and have ample facilities and a mindset where, close off Main Street one day to all but scooter traffic? Sure, you bet! Plus, during the big bike rally, there is a tower on Main Street where you can get great shots of the thousands of bikes everywhere, but you have to pay to go up on the tower. As one of the concessions to attract other events, the tower will be there today but there’s no fee to go up and shoot your shots.

The big group picture will be at 3 p.m. today and there should be more than 1,000 Cushmans engulfing the street. Then tomorrow, about 120 of the more intrepid scooterists will take a cruise through the Black Hills. I’m told there is one spot where you can see down four levels of pig-tail bridges and you should be able to get a photo showing scooters on each bridge simultaneously. I’ll be hoping to get that shot.

Jeff Bartheld, the rally organizer, hopes to be able to set me up to ride monkey in an Indian sidecar rig so I can get some great shots of the ride. Just hoping the Indian runs; as of yesterday that was not a sure thing.

So it’s going to be fun, plus a bit of work. Then, after I send off the articles I’m committed to on Wednesday, I’ll be on vacation, as Judy, my wife, is already. Hey, the Black Hills are gorgeous at this time of year. Now if it will just stop raining.

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Biker Quote for Today

I don’t mind riding in the rain and I don’t mind riding in the cold. But cold rain makes my makeup run.

I’ll tell you right off the bat that this event was far less than I expected it to be. I mean, with a name like National Motor Scooter Show, and the promise of 35 manufacturers represented, I expected something big and glitzy. It wasn’t.

The event was held out at the Adams County Fairgrounds from Friday to Sunday, in conjunction with a holistic crafts fair. That gives you an idea just how small it was.

Let’s give these folks their due, however. This was the first year for the event and most all things of this sort start out small. With any luck, they did well enough that they’ll be back in following years, getting bigger and better.

It was still interesting, however. In particular, I was curious to see the Vectrix VX-1 all-electric, plug-in scooter. I had read about this and was interested to see one. It’s a large scooter, seats two in comfort, and reportedly has a top speed of 62 mph. It was priced below a comparable gas-powered scooter so I’m thinking that if I was in the market for one of these things I’d go with the Vectrix.

Another one I found interesting was made by Schwinn. You know Schwinn, that old bicycle company. I didn’t know they had gone the motorized route. I do know you sure don’t see many Schwinn bicycles around any more. Adapt or die.

There was one motorcycle in among all the scoots, and that was a first for me as well. This was a Hyosung bike, made by a Korean manufacturer who is trying to break into the U.S. market. This particular model was a sport bike but I didn’t get the model.

So. Not a big event but I’m always interested in anything with two wheels and a motor. The more of all of us there are out there on the road the more clout we have in protecting our rights. Get your motor running!

Biker Quote for Today

Whatever it is, it’s better in the wind.

The middle-aged woman, wearing three-inch heels and a black cocktail dress, paused next to the little scooter. Popping open the storage box, she stashed the black shawl she was wearing and put on the denim jacket she took from the compartment. Pulling on a helmet, she shut the compartment, and rocked the scooter off its center stand, a little shakily thanks to the high heels. Finally, she unfurled the scooter’s protective skirt and draped it over her in order to keep the dirt and water off and to maintain her modesty. Then she drove away.

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more. Heck we’re not even in the U.S. My wife and I witnessed this vignette last week in Paris. Clearly they do things differently over there.

Welcome to the land of $11 gasoline. While we moan about $4 gas, the Europeans paid that much and more for years. Now we pay $4 and they pay $11. Scooters are king on the Continent and you really know that’s true when you see this sort of scene.

Of course, it’s not as if I didn’t know about this, but our recent two weeks in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands brought home a number of points I didn’t realize.

For one, you really see the most bikes of all sorts in Paris, at least of the places we spent time. In Toulouse there are many, many scooters, too, but a really phenomenal number of bicycles. In Bruges, Belgium, bicycles constitute an even greater majority. At the train station in Bruges they had racks and racks and racks of bicycles, thousands of them, apparently parked there by their owners who were taking the train in to Brussels or Ghent to work.

In Rotterdam, where the city center was destroyed during World War II, it has been rebuilt with wide streets. Consequently, there were a lot more cars and nowhere near as many bikes, motorcycles, or scooters. Still, rather than sharing the streets with cars and trucks, bikes and scooters have a separate lane of their own on both sides of the street.

The key in all these cities, however, is public transportation and two-wheeled transportation. The Europeans saw the need for fuel-efficient transportation long ago. Now that we’re feeling the bite in gas costs we’re finally seeing the light, too. I have seen the future and it appears to work just fine.

Man oh man! Gas for $4 a gallon! Sure would be nice to get, oh, about 80 miles per gallon. Well, some people do. But you can bet they don’t do it in a Hummer.

On the other hand, take that little scooter next to that green Kawasaki in the photo below. That person is getting around 80 MPG. And probably having more fun getting to and from work than they ever have before.

Even better than that, Yamaha claims that their Vino 125 gets 96 MPG, and the Yamaha C3 is rated at 115 MPG. Now you’re talking saving real money!

Of course, there are some trade-offs. Those two little Yamahas don’t have much speed and you can’t take them on the highway. However, some bigger scooters don’t cost a lot more than those and can hit top speeds of 75 or more. It’s always a matter of trade-offs.

So, what kind of gas mileage does that Kawi guy get? On a sportbike like his (or hers, you never know) he’s surely in the 40-50 MPG range. The fact is, most motorcycles will get mileage in that approximate range, even the bigger ones. For example, I get around 45 MPG on both my Honda CB750 Custom and my Kawasaki Concours. A Honda Goldwing, one of the biggest bikes on the road, can get up to 40 MPG, although it does have six cylinders and therefore is not as efficient as the more common one-, two-, three- or four-cylinder bikes.

Another big road bike, the Harley-Davidson Road King, is rated at 54 MPG on the highway and 35 in the city. The Yamaha FJR1300A delivers around 40. Honda’s Shadow Spirit 1100 is rated at about 48 MPG on the highway and 38 in the city. (Sorry I don’t have city/highway splits for all these bikes.)

The mileage you get on a bike generally depends on the same three things that determines a car’s fuel efficiency: weight, your driving habits, and engine size. The big six-cylinder bikes eat more gas than a V-twin, but any bike with six cylinders is also a heavy bike. For a smaller bike, around 1,000 cc’s, you’ll get pretty much the same mileage with a V-twin or an inline four.

And then, as the city/highway splits show, speed matters. While I normally expect 45 MPG from my 1,000-cc Concours, riding easily on curvy mountain roads has at times given me as much as 55 MPG from the beast.

Do the math. A lot of other people already have. There are a lot more people joining us on the roads on two wheels. Welcome to the club.

Biker Quote for Today

Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.