Post by kz1000st on Oct 30, 2012 9:40:43 GMT -6
Not only is the Fashion (Geez I hate that name) fuel efficient but also practical. I've taken to naming my vehicles after space shuttles so it's actually Galileo (Star Trek shuttlecraft). Anyway, my wife and I needed to run some errands and the weather was acceptible so we hopped on the scooter to do the trip. Now astute members here will remember that the little woman has her own ride, a Honda Rebel, but the object of the trip was to do it with the least amount of fuel consumption so we took one 250cc.
The terrain here is hilly and a few of the 10% grades had Galileo at 40 mph and straining. As I said to a friend, 370 pounds of scooter, over 300 pounds of people and 14 horsepower doesn't make for rapid acceleration up hill. On the slightly up hill and level spots the scooter did just fine and is very comfortable. My wife enjoys the accommodations with a cushy seat, back rest and hand grips she's secure and comfy.
The trip to a friend of my wife was the hilly bit and we enjoyed a friendly visit and a tour of their house. The friend's driveway was dirt and about a quarter mile long, not exactly maxi-scooter friendly. Long, low and small wheeled makes for squirrelly handling especially two up. Still it was adequate if taken cautiously. Sara, my wife, needed to pick up a sewing project that easily fit in the top trunk. From there it was on to the local KMart.
The trip there was on a State road and as much as I like the scooter I was wishing for one of my Kawasakis about then. Numerous twists and turns with mild elevation changes made for an excellent sport bike road. I did my best to keep up speed and the Helix-clone did fine given its design. Turns have to be taken with deliberate intent and the brakes and engine did quite well given the load. On a previous ride on another sport bike friendly road, going solo, I found that heavy counter steering was very important to keeping up momentum. It was no different with Sara on the back. The twenty mile run on the road to Kmart was absolutely a blast and reminded me again why people do tours. Familiar roads become stale and new routes offer the occasion to hone your skills and test your ride's abilities.
After shopping we were able to stow all our purchases in the top trunk and tail hatch showing again why the Helix/Fashion is such a practical device. We stopped at McDonald's for lunch, just to keep the festivities going, and soon were on our way home. Another 10% grade tested the scooter slowing it down to 43 mph but from then on we had an easy time of it. We were too quickly home from our 60 mile trip and I was thinking, "Well that was fun" as we pulled into the driveway. We no sooner stopped when Sara said, "Fun", our way of expressing enjoyment. It's good to see that we both had a good time and that Sara enjoys being on the back as much as she enjoys riding solo. She refers to Galileo as "One kick a$$ scooter" after a few rides on back and can see the charm.
Sadly no pictures since this was a task oriented trip. Had we taken pictures they would have shown pine covered hills, old barns and a few challenging stretches of road which is the staple of riding here in upstate New York. In spring and summer the hills are alive with the sounds of Harleys and sport bikes as people ride through. Our little trip was satisfying and fuel saving all rolled into one.
The terrain here is hilly and a few of the 10% grades had Galileo at 40 mph and straining. As I said to a friend, 370 pounds of scooter, over 300 pounds of people and 14 horsepower doesn't make for rapid acceleration up hill. On the slightly up hill and level spots the scooter did just fine and is very comfortable. My wife enjoys the accommodations with a cushy seat, back rest and hand grips she's secure and comfy.
The trip to a friend of my wife was the hilly bit and we enjoyed a friendly visit and a tour of their house. The friend's driveway was dirt and about a quarter mile long, not exactly maxi-scooter friendly. Long, low and small wheeled makes for squirrelly handling especially two up. Still it was adequate if taken cautiously. Sara, my wife, needed to pick up a sewing project that easily fit in the top trunk. From there it was on to the local KMart.
The trip there was on a State road and as much as I like the scooter I was wishing for one of my Kawasakis about then. Numerous twists and turns with mild elevation changes made for an excellent sport bike road. I did my best to keep up speed and the Helix-clone did fine given its design. Turns have to be taken with deliberate intent and the brakes and engine did quite well given the load. On a previous ride on another sport bike friendly road, going solo, I found that heavy counter steering was very important to keeping up momentum. It was no different with Sara on the back. The twenty mile run on the road to Kmart was absolutely a blast and reminded me again why people do tours. Familiar roads become stale and new routes offer the occasion to hone your skills and test your ride's abilities.
After shopping we were able to stow all our purchases in the top trunk and tail hatch showing again why the Helix/Fashion is such a practical device. We stopped at McDonald's for lunch, just to keep the festivities going, and soon were on our way home. Another 10% grade tested the scooter slowing it down to 43 mph but from then on we had an easy time of it. We were too quickly home from our 60 mile trip and I was thinking, "Well that was fun" as we pulled into the driveway. We no sooner stopped when Sara said, "Fun", our way of expressing enjoyment. It's good to see that we both had a good time and that Sara enjoys being on the back as much as she enjoys riding solo. She refers to Galileo as "One kick a$$ scooter" after a few rides on back and can see the charm.
Sadly no pictures since this was a task oriented trip. Had we taken pictures they would have shown pine covered hills, old barns and a few challenging stretches of road which is the staple of riding here in upstate New York. In spring and summer the hills are alive with the sounds of Harleys and sport bikes as people ride through. Our little trip was satisfying and fuel saving all rolled into one.
