The South has been on my mind lately. Just read The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird, and I’m trying to decide whether to tackle Gone With the Wind. Oh, and there’s a scooter rally coming up in Nashville, Tenn.

The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War is being celebrated throughout the former Confederacy (and in a lot of Union states, too). Scootnashville.com‘s first-ever scooter rally happens June 1-3, 2012 in and around the Music City.

Details can be found on the event’s Facebook page. There will be rides to historic battlefield sites and other activities that are still in the planning stages. You can register online for the Blue vs. Grey Scooter Rally now.

Traffic? In Bellingham? Really? (Orin O'Neill photos)

The last of the piles of plowed snow have melted, and while another snow event in the Western Washington lowlands might be possible, it would need to happen soon.

Not that it doesn’t get cold at night, but it warms up to around 40°F by midday. And the sun’s been shining, making for brisk riding weather.

I’d left the foothill villa at around 2:30 pm to run some errands and found Bill McDonald Parkway absolutely packed, in both directions. Bellingham seems to have an afternoon commute, but not a morning one, but I didn’t think it began that early. I’m still learning about this place. And still trying to get used to it not taking half an hour to get somewhere, as in Portland and Seattle.

Rally season is fast approaching, people are making plans for out-of-town trips.

The Top Dead Center SC in Eugene, Oregon has posted info for its May Day 2012 rally.

I’ve long wanted to go to one of TDC’s rallies, but things just haven’t worked out. This year may be the year—May Day alternates years with Run to the Sun, and I’m not much for camping. I think the last time I spent any meaningful time in Eugene was in 1980. We’ll see.

The GTS looks so lonely in the parking space across from the library.

Her recovery has been nothing short of miraculous, as you’ll see in the video (she was shot in the head at more or less point-blank range). She is resigning to devote her full attention to continuing her recovery.

Ms. Giffords is a fellow scooterist, and was a member of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus. She hasn’t said whether she plans to resume her political career. Or riding.

The Fourth Estate was my primary means of transport this week (Orin O'Neill photo)

“A winter wonderland,” said NPR. The Weather Channel sent Jim Cantore to Seattle (“It’s never a good thing when they send people to your town,” observed one wag) to stand out in the record snowfall, which ended up falling between Olympia and Portland. We’re famous; Bellingham was colder than Anchorage, for a short while.

By the weekend, normal Western Washington weather—45°F and rain—is supposed to return. Good.

Thing is, on Monday I probably could’ve taken the GTS for a short ride. The city of Bellingham anticipated well, spraying de-icing compound on the main streets early Monday morning. The pavement remained bare and wet, and while getting out of the foothill villa’s parking lot can be a challenge, the maintenance guys even plowed and salted the little uphill leading out to the street.

But I didn’t want to tempt fate. And the Fourth Estate has a good heater.

In fact, the car got around rather well, without snow tires or chains. If the local climate were drier, I’d consider riding in below-freezing temps as Steve Williams does. You can be quite comfortable if you dress properly.

So, with actual winter behind us (said he, hopefully), thoughts turn to spring, and better riding weather. Maybe a new scooter is in your plans?

Piaggio MP3: outta here

If you’re thinking about a Piaggio MP3, you might want to move sooner rather than later: 2strokebuzz reports that as of Q2 2012, MP3s are no longer available for dealer order. None of them.

In fact, Piaggio has done a slash and burn of its 2012 model lineup, leaving only the Fly 50/150, Typhoon 125 and the recenly-introduced BV SportTouring 350.

2012 Vespas won’t be available in red, orange or 2-tone colors. No RED? That’s right. Black and titanium, and silver, but no red.

As Bryan points out, none of this should come as a surprise. Dealers have been falling like bowling pins, and the ones that remain are up to their eyeballs in ’11, ’10 and even ’09 models. And it’s not just Piaggio; Honda and Yamaha only list a few offerings as 2012s.

As I’ve said, scooter dealers are dealin’. Be not afraid of a brand-new ’09 model, especially if the dealer’s taking a couple grand off the price. Where I live, you can get an actual Yamaha Vino 50 for less than an off-brand Vino knockoff.

If you have to wait for the snow to melt, well, it’s one more reason to look forward to spring.

Nice, eh? Some thief certainly thought so. (Scootering Magazine)

I’ll bet you’re thinking, that’s a sweet group of scooters. Well, every single one of them was STOLEN.

The picture has been circulating on the Interwebs for a short while now. The U.K. magazine Scootering broke the story, and here are the details:

We’ve just received the horrible news that a lad has had all four of his scooters stolen from his garage in Hampshire… 11 January (2012).The garage is in Hartley Wintney, Hants (between Basingstoke and Camberley) and the scooters stolen (pictured) are as follows:

Lambretta LiS S3, 1966: Gold, Pathfinder spots and a Mugello 225 (only just re-lined and new piston!).

Vespa GS 1964: White, North American non-Battery model (no ignition in headset is an easy spot).

Vespa GS 1964: Black, with a PX200 engine.

Vespa Sprint 1967: Pastel green, with a PX166 Malossi, registered as a Sprint, trapezoid headlight, it has no toolbox space in panel (as per the SS180, and Motovespas).

If you hear anything that could help Darren recover his scooters, please call him on +44 07917 244472 (omit the zero if not calling in the U.K.) or contact local police.

Obviously, the perp or perps seemed to know what they were looking at. And the small form factor we all know and love not only makes a scooter easy to hide, they’re easy to transport, too. There’s no telling where they might be at the moment.

About all we can do is be on the lookout as we peruse Craigslist or otherwise spot scooters for sale. Let’s hope Darren gets his bikes back.

The Washington State Capitol in Olympia (Brianhe, via Wikimedia Commons)

The legislature’s in session in the State of Washington, and among many (many) other things, a bill is in the hopper that would be of particular interest to anyone who rides a scooter or motorcycle.

Have you ever pulled up to a traffic signal and discovered your bike won’t trip the pavement sensor? House Bill 1527 (8 KB pdf) would permit you, after one cycle of the signal, to proceed cautiously, even though the light is red. One of the bill’s sponsors is Seattle Rep. Reuven Carlyle (D-36th District), who is a motorcycle rider.

I’ve done that many a time, first checking carefully to make sure a police officer is not watching. It would be nice not to have to be paranoid. Or to stop over the markings that are supposed to be the best place for the sensor to read your bike (indicated by a ‘T’ in Seattle, a bicycle icon in Portland, and nothing in Bellingham), only to sit through a cycle anyway.

You can follow the bill’s progress here. Illinois has a similar law, which applies to motorcycles, scooters and bicycles; Idaho has one for bicycles only, which also allows cyclists to treat stop signs as “Yield” signs (even though most bicyclists just blow through stop signs and red lights without even a hint of slowing).

HB 1527 doesn’t address what happens if the intersection you’re trying to proceed through has red-light cameras, but a few other bills may make that a moot point. Red-light cameras, especially ones that are outsourced to companies that are receiving a large chunk of the fine revenue to operate them, are not popular in Washington State at the moment.

Let your elected representatives know how you feel. If you live in Washington State and you’re not sure who your representatives are, the Legislature’s Web page can help you find out. Other states have similar resources. Let your voice be heard.

Way to park, Mr./Ms. Lexus SUV! (Orin O'Neill photos)

Oh, joy. There’s a chance of snow on Sunday. And for once the GTS’ ambient temp readout agreed with the credit union sign on Holly Street: 35°F.

It felt more like minus 35 degrees. Western Washingon is rather more humid than the other side, which means cold feels that much colder.

But it’s been so long since any kind of precipitation fell that there’s an air stagnation advisory. The streets, therefore, are quite dry. Yes, a B’ham motorcycle cop dumped his police Beemer, but he hit a patch of oil, not ice. The GTS needs as much exercise as possible before the snow arrives.

Once again, I am reminded how much protection from the cold the mid-height windscreen provides. The shape of the screen (mostly) keeps the cold off the handgrips, so the snowboarding gloves are plenty warm enough. I just don’t like the idea of garments with hot electric wires running through them being anywhere near my skin. As people will tell you (and tell you) in this part of the world, dressing in layers will do the trick. No electricity required.

While the ability to park a vehicle between painted lines is apparently not universal here, for some reason today it was particularly so.

The lead pic was taken at the Meridian Haggen, which has two spaces next to the cart corral that are wide enough for a scooter or motorcycle. Unless, of course, some entitled twit in a luxury SUV is deathly afraid of being door-dinged by, horrors, a lowly Ford Focus. In most parts of the world, drivers of such vehicles are likely to be much more worried about roadside bombs, which, one would hope, might make them a bit more… courteous?

The Prius illustrates another curious trait of the Bellingham parker, the surprisingly common practice of backing into parking-lot spaces. Invariably, people most likely to do this are driving vehicles affording the worst rear visibility.

No worries, the Prius was there first, and the triangle is quite large. Still, it would be nice if these and other spaces were specifically set aside as scooter/motorcycle parking. I’d happily volunteer to paint such markings, if the property owners were to provide the paint.

Upon my return to the foothill villa, the clouds parted and the sun came out. There’s no chance of moisture falling from the skies until Saturday. The best way to keep gas from going bad is to burn it. I have plenty of layers.

A scooter for a garden gnome..? (Orin O'Neill photo)

If you live in the United States or Canada and get around primarily on a scooter or motorcycle, you are partaking in alternative transportation. You’re a trendsetter, you’re a rebel. Or something like that.

In spite of this, there is no shortage of visionaries (or “visionaries”, your choice) who proffer alternatives to the alternative.

Lit Motors illustration

Behold the Lit C-1, the latest in a long line of enclosed scooter/motorcycle concepts. It’s rather attractive, offering the enclosed comfort of a car with the 2-wheeled je ne sais quoi of a motorcycle.

Lit Motors produced a video showing how the C-1 might work in everyday use.

 
Gizmag.com recently ran a story about the C-1 that offers considerable detail about it. Conceptual, mind, but detail nonetheless.

Its designer had this to say:

“We’re creating a safe motorcycle, and that’s never been done in the way that we’re doing it, where it’s also incredibly efficient” said (Lit C-1 designer Daniel) Kim. “We’re trying to open up safety to a huge market of 200 million motorcyclists, daily in the world. We have a huge market, and I think we could have a lot of impact.”

Oh, lordy.

Let’s set the 200 million-motorcyclist figure aside for the moment and consider why Americans ride motorcycles. Just about all of them would tell you its because you’re out in the very elements which the C-1 so completely seals off from its driver (you sure don’t “ride” the thing).

In fact, some riders rather like the element of danger. Others in other parts of the world don’t seem to give safety much thought, the places they live lacking a “safety” establishment that constantly beats the drum about how DANGEROUS motorcycles are!!!!

The C-1 is described as a having a gyroscope to keep it upright. This would make unnecessary the retractable feet most similar concept vehicles employ to make up for the fact one can’t put one’s feet down. This is also touted as a safety feature in the event of a crash.

However, watching the part of the video where the C-1 gets t-boned by a Nissan LEAF(!) is troubling because the result of the impact is to radically alter the C-1′s trajectory, which even the most skilled drivers might not be able to react to in time to prevent a collision with, say, a bus approaching from the opposite direction.

Never mind how the heck you’re supposed to turn the thing. A motorcycle (or a scooter, or a bicycle) turns by leaning into the corner. The video shows how fiercely the test mule resists doing that.

Most entertaining are the claimed speed/range figures quoted in the Gizmag article: at least 120 mph (193 km/h), with range for the higher-end model expected around 150 to 220 miles (241 to 354 km) per charge (emphasis mine). Really? Where are these people buying their batteries? A LEAF has 46 batteries and can only manage 50-100 miles/charge. Most electric scooters can barely go 20 miles.

You can learn more about Lit Motors by clicking here. The company claims to have taken twenty-five $250 deposits, “mostly from Europe.” However, at this point it appears there’s a gyroscope test device, a nice non-running mockup, and a lot of CGI. But no actual vehicle.

My advice, as always: Spend your $250 on a Basic Rider Course and some foul-weather gear. This is a great time to buy a scooter, the dealers are dealing.