KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: klaviator on May 15, 2020, 03:17:30 PM
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When the corona virus broke out and shut down the country, and much of the world, I did what most people did and mostly stayed home. I did get out and ride some but just short local rides. As time when by it became obvious that most of the country was not experiencing the massive pandemic the news media claimed would happen. I happen to live in a medium size city where the infection rate has been very low.
The Next state to the east is Georgia. They where one of the first states to really open back up although like Alabama, they never shut down as much as many states did. One of the things they opened back up was dining in at restaurants. My riding buddy lives in the N. GA Mtns. He needed to change the belt on his new to him Vespa so I decided to head over and help him change it. While I was at it I might as well do some riding!
So on Wednesday I loaded my Like into my truck and headed over. That evening we went out and actually ate in a restaurant. What a concept! I know I was risking my life but it was a small place and we were the only customers aside from some people picking up take out orders.
Thursday had some beeeuutiful weather and we took advantage of it. First I got a hold of a guy on the Maxiscoots forum and we arranged to meet in the town of Blue Ridge. Why Blue Ridge? Well first it's the nearest town and second there is a motorcycle dealer there with a bike I wanted to check out. Since one of the bikes I am considering buying is a KLX250 I rode there on Steve's older KLX250. It's not fuel injected like the newer ones but is otherwise pretty much identical.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-WrNPswR/0/714bfa6b/XL/P5070005-XL.jpg)
And Steve was on his new Vespa.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-mJv3cdB/0/f870e146/XL/P5070007-XL.jpg)
We rode into Blue Ridge and checked out this bike at the Yamaha dealer.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-rDvwRtZ/0/e5c3dfed/XL/P5070009-XL.jpg)
It's an 18 WR250 with less than 300 miles on it. They let me ride it around the parking lot but not on a real test ride. No doubt it's a more capable bike than either the KLX250 or 230 and they had a good price on it but I'm still leaning towards a KLX.
Steve (not another Steve ;D) showed up on an unusual contraption and we rode to get some lunch.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-xBD5fzs/0/1797889b/XL/P5070011-XL.jpg)
What is it?
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-5KWz27S/0/fe8c10d1/XL/P5070012-XL.jpg)
A Yamaha Waverunner with wheels ;)
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We ate lunch IN the restaurant. They did have every other table not available but there was still plenty of seating. It seems that most people are still doing take out. Then we headed back to Steve's place to swap out bikes.
Steve leading the way on his Vespa.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-4SN9RFH/0/354ec345/X2/P5070016-X2.jpg)
We headed out. This time both Steve and I were on our Likes.
We stopped and had a chat with Darryl ;D
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-C34VHxq/0/e7b382f2/XL/P5070018-XL.jpg)
And then got some pics at the nearby bridge.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-RGbLC6s/0/7de94624/XL/P5070019-XL.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-JzPP8jK/0/6df89a77/XL/P5070020-XL.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-mHpWHDk/0/fff2bb8a/XL/P5070021-XL.jpg)
The Toccoa River.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-HTVC65S/0/1b186f40/XL/P5070022-XL.jpg)
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Super photos, thanks!
Really like those LIKEs.
Major Tom
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After the bridge we headed off towards one of my favorite places, Two Wheels of Suches. Not only is it a great place, you can't get there except on some really great roads. We swapped scooters so we could compare. They were very similar as expected but we both agreed that the Pirelli Angels on my scooter were better then the OEM tires on Steve's So we rode some scenic curvy roads until we stopped so Steve could get some gas for his Like.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-jZt6tLV/0/930cf185/XL/P5070025-XL.jpg)
A view of the two Likes.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-qTD5B97/0/288c826a/XL/P5070026-XL.jpg)
Mine is a 2018 and Steve has a 2020 and he also added some stickers to the front.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-cDQMFwP/0/99d5182e/XL/P5070028-XL.jpg)
The other Steve on his Morphous.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-J7CMN36/0/21f0169e/XL/P5070027-XL.jpg)
More great roads and we arrived at our destination.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-4L2xhPB/0/b5603d4a/XL/P5070031-XL.jpg)
We hung out a while until another inmate joined us.
rdhood showed up on his Kymco DT300.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-jdSnKvx/0/7a65299a/XL/P5070033-XL.jpg)
It's not often that you see four scooters together up here in these mountains.
Although this place is closed during the week it still attracts a fair number of riders. It's a great place to hang out and they leave the rest rooms open.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-pZNThFr/0/26db9fee/X2/P5070035-X2.jpg)
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Rode 129 and the foot hills parkway this morning on the agility 125. I rode with a buddy for a short while but was dropped by his 250 dual sport the moment we hit the straights.
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Rode 129 and the foot hills parkway this morning on the agility 125. I rode with a buddy for a short while but was dropped by his 250 dual sport the moment we hit the straights.
Small scooters are a blast in the curves but could use a few more HP on the straights or uphill.
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Eventually we headed off and rode down Wolf Pen Gap rd. This is one of the twistiest roads in Georgia and a blast to ride. We were scooting along quite nicely but eventually came up behind a couple of wings. They weren't throwing off any sparks but looked like they were using all of their ground clearance in the curves. There were no straights to pass so we just slowed down and followed them.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-Xs9r2x4/0/99439233/X2/P5070037-X2.jpg)
Riding with my right hand and shooting pics with my left.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-23fV4SZ/0/028dfa7d/XL/P5070038-XL.jpg)
Then we rode some more nice roads, not as twisty as Wold Pen Gap but still nice.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-c5QkMdF/0/1bb58fd3/XL/P5070039-XL.jpg)
Another stop.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-T5ZKC3X/0/283c9c57/XL/P5070040-XL.jpg)
Steve offered Steve a chance to ride the "waverunner".
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-wFcZWgd/0/d3a1e792/XL/P5070041-XL.jpg)
Steve sat on it for about 30 seconds and decided the riding position didn't agree with him and got off. We headed off stopping for a photo spot.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-fL8Tpch/0/f2882df4/X2/P5070044-X2.jpg)
Did I mention it was about a perfect day to ride. Around 65 degrees, blue skies with a few puffy clouds.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-VSNVrX6/0/fefe6c55/XL/P5070046-XL.jpg)
I swapped out with Steve and rode the Morphous a bit. It's definitely different. I'm glad I had the chance to ride it.
I swapped back. at this point Steve was leading on his Like.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-hrLq3Jw/0/859240e4/XL/P5070049-XL.jpg)
He led us down to a scenic spot on Lake Blue Ridge.
Got a glamour shot of the Like.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-rD4jMzT/0/eaa73f98/XL/P5070055-XL.jpg)
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Small scooters are a blast in the curves but could use a few more HP on the straights or uphill.
Agreed, my 6hp at the wheel didn't match his 16.
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Thanks for sharing your pictures. Made me wish I was there riding with the group instead of cleaning out the shed.
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Thanks for sharing your pictures. Made me wish I was there riding with the group instead of cleaning out the shed.
Well, come join us sometime. There's big scooter ride coming up in August: https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-maggie-valley-beat-the-heat-scooter-ride.1434287/ (https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-maggie-valley-beat-the-heat-scooter-ride.1434287/)
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It was a beautiful spot and we all took a bunch of pics.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-ZRJHqqX/0/3f77e592/XL/P5070057-XL.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-F7h244w/0/8bec1dda/XL/P5070061-XL.jpg)
Swapping lies
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-QXhKQwd/0/92883ea5/XL/P5070062-XL.jpg)
Then Steve led us down a twisty little road that ran along the lake.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-V4LCVKh/0/a8d7146a/XL/P5070063-XL.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-2MDB3dw/0/b34b8b5f/XL/P5070064-XL.jpg)
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Some pics of both Likes. I really love the colors on mine but I have to admit that Steve's looks great too.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-NQJ8xdz/0/6853055b/XL/P5070065-XL.jpg)
Kymco did a much better job with the reflectors and rear turns signals on the 2020 model compared to my 2018.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-HMqHhkp/0/bc308636/XL/P5070066-XL.jpg)
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Well, come join us sometime. There's big scooter ride coming up in August: https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-maggie-valley-beat-the-heat-scooter-ride.1434287/ (https://advrider.com/f/threads/2020-maggie-valley-beat-the-heat-scooter-ride.1434287/)
Thanks for the invite I might just take you up on your offer.
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The weather forecast for Friday was crap with rain and cold weather. Luckily we planned for that.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-H2B82dH/0/ceeccbf9/XL/P5080069-XL.jpg)
We changed the belt & rollers on Steve's Vespa.
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Saturday was forecast to be a sunny but chilly day. It started with frost warnings for early in the morning with a predicted high of mid 50s by late afternoon. Needless to say I didn't rush out first thing in the morning. I would be riding solo because Steve had his son and DIL coming to visit. I finally got on the road around 11 with temps in the 40s. My first stop was to get the ADV scooter tag. The tag was "big rock". I took this pic with my phone.
(https://advrider.com/f/attachments/0509201116-jpg.2297137/)
Then I decided to also get the pic with my camera which was when I realized I had forgotten it >:(
So I posted the pic and went back and got my camera. A little later I took a pic for the new tag:
(https://advrider.com/f/attachments/0509201132-jpg.2297244/)
The tag was "Big foot, black bear other animal statue. I didn't expect anyone to find another big foot but later that day rdhood, who rode with us on Thursday found a big foot cut out similar to this somewhere in the area.
I rode on. It was a beautiful morning.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-FqFk7MT/0/10cb0d59/X2/P5090077-X2.jpg)
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Would you mind if I joined on a ride. I live right there.
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Klav, you have some beautiful scenery down there. Its going to be about 70 here in RI today and I can finally get out snd ride to the stae park and beaches, since our militaristic governor just opened them back up again. BTW what are you using to post your pics on here? I have some beach/ocean photos to post. Thanks
Dean
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Would you mind if I joined on a ride. I live right there.
It's open to anyone who wants to come. I recommend registering on ADV and joining the discussion but that's not a requirement.
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Klav, you have some beautiful scenery down there. Its going to be about 70 here in RI today and I can finally get out snd ride to the stae park and beaches, since our militaristic governor just opened them back up again. BTW what are you using to post your pics on here? I have some beach/ocean photos to post. Thanks
Dean
I use SmugMug to for 99% of the pics I post on forums. Occasionally I will post pics directly from my phone to ADV but I don't know if that is possible on this forum. There are many other photo hosting sites out there. SmugMug is not free, I think around $45 per year but I post thousands of pics every year so it's worth it to me.
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Continueing with my ride report, my destination:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-vHqKDb6/0/13a9a83f/XL/P5090081-XL.jpg)
I realize the sign does say "MOTORCYCLE PARKING ONLY" but so far no one has said anything about me parking my scooter there ;D
My Like was not the only scooter there.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-tHSDKKW/0/3101a36a/X2/P5090082-X2.jpg)
It's a 2009 Piaggio BV250 that the owner picked up recently with very low miles on it. It looked pretty much new.
Since it was cold the crowd at TWoS was much smaller than it would have been on a warm Saturday.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-tM4PRT6/0/b5ae91a5/XL/P5090083-XL.jpg)
They were serving lunch but no inside dining. No problem there were plenty of picnic tables outside, properly spaced of course.
The view from the porch.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-WBRPvvt/0/23a6fd15/XL/P5090085-XL.jpg)
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After hanging out a while and talking to various people it was time to ride some more. I rode a short distance and took a pic of Woody Lake.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-D6Q5vjf/0/29a03759/XL/P5090087-XL.jpg[img]
Then I came back and took several pics of the waterfalls right across the street from TWoS.
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-LmStf2q/0/b8468756/XL/P5090090-XL.jpg)
hen I was off to ride the "cooler run". This is a 36 mile loop that goes south on 60, left on 19, left on 129 over Blood Mountain and left on 180 back to TWoS. This is about as good of 36 miles of twisties as you will find anywhere. 60 had been repaved in the last year or two as was 19. Then it was 129 up Blood mountain. This is the same US129 that runs through Deal's Gap and is known as the dragon. As 129 twists and turns its way up Blood mountain it has two lanes going up much of the time. This makes for an awesome ride and allows for easy passing of slower traffic. Even though I was on a 150cc scooter and going uphill the whole way, I took advantage of that extra lane as the car traffic was all going slower than I was. I was having too much fun to take a lot of pics and only got one.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-Lwnd9Wg/0/a7cdaa0d/X2/P5090092-X2.jpg)
I stopped at the store on top and talked a bit with an ST1300 rider. I tried real hard to infect him with the scooter virus ;D
I rode down the mountain and stopped to get a pic of the lake at Vogel State Park.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-VpMzbBh/0/ba287940/XL/P5090094-XL.jpg)
Then I rode up 180. There wasn't much traffic and I only had to pass one car. I was also passed by one GS rider.
I stopped to take some pics and happened to catch some cars coming by. This area, like the area around Deal's Gap had become a playground for fast cars.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-rF2JnFk/0/8bde5610/X2/P5090095-X2.jpg)
The reason I stopped.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-SBCk9JK/0/2835d279/XL/P5090096-XL.jpg)
Just across the road, Lake Winfield Scott.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-C3kqtGL/0/334fd277/XL/P5090099-XL.jpg)
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Wonderful pictures there. Thanks for sharing.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Wonderful pictures there. Thanks for sharing.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thanks. I have a few more to go.
I stopped again at TWoS. There weren't very many people there. I got a pic of Suches Creek.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-5tH28pG/0/0e9406ef/XL/P5090101-XL.jpg)
The picnic tables with social distancing signs.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-bT32xNz/0/18d5d44f/XL/P5090103-XL.jpg)
Then I headed North on 60. This road has been one of my favorites since I first rode in in 1990. The combination of almost non stop curves, some tight and some easy sweepers, combined with peaceful scenery make this road a joy to ride.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-CBrMT2C/0/31ff61fe/X2/P5090104-X2.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-fb3NmqF/0/0f12d49f/X2/P5090105-X2.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-VJvN8Kq/0/3aa0ff9e/XL/P5090108-XL.jpg)
Everything is such a bright green this time of year.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-6MKtHTw/0/8161895f/XL/P5090109-XL.jpg)
Eventually I turned off of 60. I was nearing Steve's place when I saw him riding the other way on his Vespa. He was doing a test ride to make sure the belt change was successful. He said it made a big difference in accelleration and was smoother. We rode a few miles and then swapped bikes. This was my first time riding a Vespa. The riding position of the Vespa was much roomier than the Like. I think the typical NBA player could probably fit on a Vespa. The seat was comfortable. Being a 250 it was of course much faster than the Like. The ride was much smoother. What surprised me was that the steering was also much lighter. It felt twitchy although the scooter handled fine. I think it's something that would feel normal once I got used to it.
We stopped for dinner.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-DJWgj3g/0/ff287b45/XL/P5090111-XL.jpg)
Country Fried Steak, Mashed taters and veggies!
After dinner we headed for Steve's place stopping by the Toccoa river for a few last pics.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-8McZLhN/0/578bd45c/XL/P5090114-XL.jpg)
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(https://photos.smugmug.com/2020-pics/i-qWPgtwB/0/606302c0/XL/P5090116-XL.jpg)
The next morning I loaded up and drove home. I'm glad I got away for a bit. I was starting to go stir crazy from the Covid lockdown. It was good to see life starting to turn towards normal.
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perfect riding weather and I find out two people upstairs got the virus, the house is in lock down , no riding till 11 june, got to wear a mask outside ,. even in the garage, prison with out bars,
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perfect riding weather and I find out two people upstairs got the virus, the house is in lock down , no riding till 11 june, got to wear a mask outside ,. even in the garage, prison with out bars,
Well good for you De Dee, at least you’re sticking to the rules! Hope you can find enough fettling to do to keep sane.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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Too bad this ride started with bike in a truck
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Win - what were your impressions of the Morphous? Take it on any of the curvy stuff?
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Too bad this ride started with bike in a truck
perfect riding weather and I find out two people upstairs got the virus, the house is in lock down , no riding till 11 june, got to wear a mask outside ,. even in the garage, prison with out bars,
Ah geez de dee!
perfect riding weather and I find out two people upstairs got the virus, the house is in lock down , no riding till 11 june, got to wear a mask outside ,. even in the garage, prison with out bars,
So sorry de dee.
Maybe pretend it's January again.
Hang in there.
Major Tom
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Win - what were your impressions of the Morphous? Take it on any of the curvy stuff?
I did ride it on a curvy section of road but took it easy. Steve said it had limited cornering clearance and had not been able to stay with us when it really got curvy. I didn't want to find the limits on a bike that didn't belong to me. It had a softer suspension and just felt "looser" than either of my scooters but to be fair, it had something like 40 or 50 thousand miles on it so the suspension was not exactly new. I would describe it as more of a plush cruiser than a sport scooter. It was also fairly heavy. I think Steve said it was 410 pounds. It would be a good scooter for relaxed riding and also for getting attention at stops.
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Too bad this ride started with bike in a truck
I was glad that it did since the weather would have sucked for riding.
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I did ride it on a curvy section of road but took it easy. Steve said it had limited cornering clearance and had not been able to stay with us when it really got curvy. I didn't want to find the limits on a bike that didn't belong to me. It had a softer suspension and just felt "looser" than either of my scooters but to be fair, it had something like 40 or 50 thousand miles on it so the suspension was not exactly new. I would describe it as more of a plush cruiser than a sport scooter. It was also fairly heavy. I think Steve said it was 410 pounds. It would be a good scooter for relaxed riding and also for getting attention at stops.
Thanks, Win. I wanted to get your impression - you may recall that I own one. It is a heavy, lumbering beast but perks up at about 40 mph and the handling lightens up. Kinda fun in the turns, but I don't push it and the seating position doesn't lend itself to hoonery. Quite the different beast. ;)
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"... doesn't lend itself to hoonery."
I learned a new word today. Thanks.
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+1