scooter commuter
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
A good ride and fine wine
Yesterday I installed some new tires on my Bajaj. The tires I had on there were Indian Longevity Specials. It is telling how far our society has come when even I, Mr. Cheapskate, does not even enjoy the value of free, long lasting tires. I did enjoy them for what they were, inexpensive alternatives to what originally came with the scooter. I bought some cheng shin tires that are much safer than what I had on there. The new tires served their purpose well, they took me to work and back home safe and sound with the shiny side up.
Now you may be wondering what a fine wine has to do with this post, and I will just have to tell you. Two years ago I made a blueberry wine and today I am enjoying the fruits of that labor. Through the aging process this wine has had multiple colors. It started as a dark blue, then went to a light purple then when I bottled it, the color was dark brown, not your typical color for wine, but the taste is just wonderful. The taste is raisiny, because of the raisins in the recipe, with dry sherry notes. The high alcohol lets you know its in the back of your throat, and the sweetness of the unfermented sugars slides gently on the tongue. Not bad for something that has been aging for two years.
Homemade wines can be tailored to your personal taste. I have started doing just that with the Bajaj, adding my own personal touches to it. One of these days I will buy some more ingredients and make another fine wine, maybe when I get the Riva going. Hmmm. ¶ 6:24 PM 0 comments
Now you may be wondering what a fine wine has to do with this post, and I will just have to tell you. Two years ago I made a blueberry wine and today I am enjoying the fruits of that labor. Through the aging process this wine has had multiple colors. It started as a dark blue, then went to a light purple then when I bottled it, the color was dark brown, not your typical color for wine, but the taste is just wonderful. The taste is raisiny, because of the raisins in the recipe, with dry sherry notes. The high alcohol lets you know its in the back of your throat, and the sweetness of the unfermented sugars slides gently on the tongue. Not bad for something that has been aging for two years.
Homemade wines can be tailored to your personal taste. I have started doing just that with the Bajaj, adding my own personal touches to it. One of these days I will buy some more ingredients and make another fine wine, maybe when I get the Riva going. Hmmm. ¶ 6:24 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Welcome
Welcome to my blog. I am here to chronicle the daily grind of riding a scooter on my daily commute. For those of you who are unfamiliar with scooters they basically come in two varieties. There is the hand shift style like the old Vespa's and Lambrettas. And there is the CVT transmission like the Honda's and Yamaha's and also most modern scoots.
I own one of each. I own a 2002 Bajaj Legend that has been my daily rider for almost a year and a half now. In fact two weeks after buying it, there was a big flood here in Houston and I had to push it most of the way home. I rode it most days, there are very few days I will not ride, for the last year or so.
I also own a 1989 Yamaha Riva 200, that I have owned for about 4 months now. This bike needs a lot of love and care to keep it running, currently it is not running. I bought it used from our local scooter shop so I could have a cheap ride while the Bajaj was out of commission. There is a lot of work yet to be done on it. Here is the short list:
New Tires(bought but only 1 installed)
New Muffler(bought but not installed)
New Air Filter (still in planning phase)
Clean the Carburetor
Clean and repair the electrical system
So I will keep you up to date on what I do to get this Riva running.
As a scooter commuter I believe that scooters should be maintained and repaired by the owner of that scooter. We should not have to depend on a shop that overcharges for labor, in most cases more than auto shops, just to keep our machines up and running.
¶ 10:47 AM 0 comments
I own one of each. I own a 2002 Bajaj Legend that has been my daily rider for almost a year and a half now. In fact two weeks after buying it, there was a big flood here in Houston and I had to push it most of the way home. I rode it most days, there are very few days I will not ride, for the last year or so.
I also own a 1989 Yamaha Riva 200, that I have owned for about 4 months now. This bike needs a lot of love and care to keep it running, currently it is not running. I bought it used from our local scooter shop so I could have a cheap ride while the Bajaj was out of commission. There is a lot of work yet to be done on it. Here is the short list:
New Tires(bought but only 1 installed)
New Muffler(bought but not installed)
New Air Filter (still in planning phase)
Clean the Carburetor
Clean and repair the electrical system
So I will keep you up to date on what I do to get this Riva running.
As a scooter commuter I believe that scooters should be maintained and repaired by the owner of that scooter. We should not have to depend on a shop that overcharges for labor, in most cases more than auto shops, just to keep our machines up and running.
¶ 10:47 AM 0 comments
