Don’t Commute … Scoot!

November 11, 2009

All Gloves, only $10 a pair!

Maxx Rider Glasses, regularly $19.95, are now two pair for $29.95.

While you’re here feel free to check out our Veterans Day Sale! Whether you’re a veteran or not, come on in and get:

• Great Deals on all Models
• Low APRs available*
• No Payments ’til Spring!*
• Free Accessories on all Buddies, Black Jacks, Rattlers, Stellas, and Symbas

*for qualifying customers

This time of year I’m often asked about riding in the winter. Does anybody do it? Is it safe? How late in the year do you ride? Does the scooter need to be adjusted? Do you need snow tires?

There are a few intrepid souls who ride year round here. Jack Allart and “Uncle Bob” are the two names that come immediately to my mind. Gary Bogue has done it, too.

I personally plan to ride regularly through Thanksgiving, and then on days when it’s clear and sunny. The latest I’ve ridden regularly was January 15 a couple years ago.

The main determinant of whether or not I ride is the road conditions. If there’s any hint of snow or ice on the roads I won’t ride. A small patch of black ice can really ruin your day. Other things to watch for are tar snakes, manhole covers, and painted lines. They can all be surprisingly slippery when cold.

Your scooter shouldn’t need any special adjustments for the winter. If your battery’s in good shape (and not frozen solid) the scooter should start about the same in winter as in summer, but it will take a few extra minutes to warm up.

I’ve recently seen snow tires for scooters, but I don’t know how well they work.

The biggest thing you’ll need is warm clothing. Think “snowmobile suit”. Start with a buff. We have some “Motley Tubes” that stretch to fit around your neck and/or head and are surprisingly warm for how thin they are.

Next, keep your hands warm. You want gloves that are well insulated, but also flexible enough so you can work the controls. Or you can try some heated grips.

By the way, a full face helmet is warmest, but you’ll need to do something about the face shield fogging up. We have breath deflectors that fit some models that you might want to try, or you could wear a modular helmet that is easy to flip up while you’re waiting at stop lights.

For more information about riding in the winter you might want to check out Steve Williams’ Scooter in the Sticks blog. He has written numerous articles on the topic. There’s also a Cold Weather Challenge issued every year by 2 Stroke Buzz that you might want to check out.

Bottom line is that winter riding is entirely up to you. Just dress warmly and be prepared for uncertain road conditions.

I just came across a nice article in the L.A. Times about the Los Angeles moped scene. Thanks to NoHo Scooters for sharing this!

We had a good turnout for our first ever Maintenance Night. The discussion covered oil changes and service intervals, battery tenders and winterizing, and assorted random topics brought up by the attendees.

It was a very hands-on event that allowed everyone to get as involved as they wanted. Even the food was good (although one person complained that we didn’t serve cracked crab!)

We’ll probably do another one of these in January. In the meantime watch for the announcement of our Holiday Party sometime in December.

No one is wasting money, not this year. It has to be a good great deal to pop eyeballs this year! But when I added up the numbers for the Genuine Scooter Company Dressed for the Holidays sale my jaw dropped. Genuine steps up, big-time. The scooter buying public owes Genuine for raising the bar … again.

This is a simple deal. Buy a new scooter, make your best deal on the scooter and get a customized accessory package designed for each bike, included. For free. The package varies from scooter to scooter. For example, the Black Jack package pictured here includes fender guard, cowl protectors, rear rack, and top case all in matt black, and a Prima windshield.

The package doesn’t include installation. We can install it for you or you can save even more and install it yourself. Packages vary from a $300+ accessory entourage for a Buddy 50 to over $500 for the Stella package.

With my current sale, you save over $700 out the door off our normal price for a Buddy 50, $1,100 off our normal price for a Blackjack, $1,500 for a Stella! If you don’t want everything in the package, sell that part to a person that bought a naked scooter. As cold as this year has been, it’s a bad time to have a naked scooter.

This is a seriously good deal…while supplies last (ends Dec 31st)!