Thanks for having me!! Relatively old timer here I guess, practially 40, with limited previous experience (upgraded an 1984 Honda Scoopy with crank, cylinder, exhaust, reed valve, carb, & other mods about 15 years ago, but with good help from experienced moped hack), looking to learn and hopefully sometimes contribute to the forum regarding scooter tuning and modding. I ride a Piaggio Fly 2T 2010 which is hitherto made "traffic safe" with a Malossi Sport 70cc cylinder and a Tecnigas Silent Pro exhaust (stealth set-up by the previous owner). I am planning extensive upgrades (both performance an function wise) over the coming months/years, and I'm looking forward to participating in what seems to me to be the most fitting active online scooter forum to join.
Hi kallisti and thank you for joining the forum. I can now pass to you the title of being the newest "Newbie" as I am now officially the second newest Newbie. I have to admit that I did have a chuckle when you described yourself as being a "relatively old timer" before you are 40 as I am 57 and wonder what that makes me. Keep us up to date with your upgrades and remember, photos help us see what is going on.
Haha, sorry about that comment. I'm just used to scooter riders being mostly young people (16-20) in my country. The average age on a Norwegian moped/scooter forum I used to frequent used to be around 17 back in the day. So that's what I based it on. The trend has turned in recent years though; I see more and more adults going for 125 cc scooters and maxi scooters. And that's a good thing. (I've never had anything other than a moped licence, so tuned 50cc's for me). I'll keep what you said about photos in mind! Thanks for the welcome!
With regards to the "age" comment, I knew that it was made "tongue in cheek" but I was surprised that most scooter riders were aged between 16-20 years. Does your weather have a large impact on your ability to use your scooters, particularly during your winter months ? I only ask as I stay in Scotland in a town 17 miles to the east of Glasgow and 35 miles to the west of Edinburgh and our weather is truly abysmal. I could quite easily just garage my scooter between late October and late April as ice and snow can be a huge factor at any time through those months. When it is icy or a threat of ice, our local authority is so poor (government cutbacks) that they will only grit their stretch of motorways and major "A" class roads. When it snows, it is even worse, as the ploughs are only used on the motorways as the actual ploughs themselves cause major damage to the road surface meaning that if they were used, some stretches of road are virtually impassable due to pot holes and scores on the road.
Age: Well, in this country, most scooters are 50 cc and are generally used by 16-17-yr-olds as they can drive those with a moped licence. A 125cc licence is much more expensive, as are the scooters/motorcycles, but I see more and more teenagers going straight for the "light mc" (125cc) licence nowadays, and at the same time more and more adults are discovering the joy of being able to negate traffic corks with ease. Weather: I've driven scooters for two whole winters here in the Oslo area, so I have some experience. First of all, riding where the road isn't ploughed isn't a good idea unless it's only a short distance to get to a main road. The only time I've managed to topple over and fall down during winter, was at a small icy road in perhaps 5 km/h. Second, driving on icy surface is completely doable, but of course you have to be extra careful. On the straight you can basically do as you like; spin your rear wheel and have some fun. But always let go of the acellerator in good time before a turn or a crossroads; I always let go early enough so that I've basically stopped before the turn. Then I put my feet down for extra support and accellerate carefully through the turn. I've found that Piaggio and Gilera scooters (with which I have most experience) are nicely balanced and can be easily manipulated through icy turns this way. Third, on main roads with normal traffic, just use one of the wheel tracks. Unless it's extremely cold, the wheel tracks will normally be thawed enough for you to get good traction. But of course, always be careful, and it's better to put your feet down too often than not enough. With all of this being said, I must stress that I've only driven in the winter with summer tires (basically slicks with some tiny rain ducts). I hear there are some good snow tires out there which I'd like to try out myself come the winter.
