OK, I just have to rant a bit. Boise (where I live) is a town filled with motorcycles & scooters. Really, I’ve never seen so many in one place. It’s the high desert climate, where it’s (normally) dry and even pretty warm at last 9 out of 12 months of the year. It’s a perfect place for us motorized 2-wheelers.

But, getting around — at least if you need to turn left at traffic lights — is a royal pain in the butt. You see, the lights around here are operated by sensors triggered by weight on the line at the light and scooters (and some motorcycles) just don’t weigh enough to trigger the sensor.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come up to a light, the first one in line, and it fails to give me the left turn signal. And local laws say you can’t turn left on a red, even if there’s no oncoming traffic… at least not until one full rotation of the signals. And since many of the left turn signals I travel through have 4 separate rotations, one for each direction, that’s a long time to just have to sit and wait.

Even my significant other, who drives a Yamaha sport touring bike that easily weighs 3 to 4 times my scooter’s weight, has this problem. I can’t understand why a town that has so many 2-wheel motorized vehicles doesn’t do something about this.

Any suggestions?

Kathi

I’ve said it before, but it just has to be said again… scooting is just plain fun.

I know I probably sound like a complete broken record, but here’s the thing. I have rarely encountered the kind of primal joy I experience when I’m riding along on my scooter. It’s a sense of freedom, for one thing… nothing between me and the world around me except a small metal machine. I love the wind whipping my face, even when it’s a 45-degree wind and it’s blowing my Buddy around on the road.

I love that I feel closer to the beautiful snow-capped mountains that surround Boise on 3 sides. Am I closer? No, of course not, but I sure feel as though I am, without 2 tons of steel and glass cocooning me.

I also have a sense of superiority to all the poor grunts poking along in their traditional cars, pickups and SUVs, while I glory in the growl of my 4-stroke engine, feel the warm sun direct on my face, and hear the birds singing, the dogs barking, and the kids shouting because I’m not tuning out the world with radio music (or worse commercials).

It’s just a feeling like no other, and I am SO excited that spring is getting closer every day here in Boise, so that I may soon be able to park the car in the driveway for good for the season and take to the roads permanently on my scooter.

If you haven’t driven a scooter of your own… I highly recommend it. I guarantee, you’re going to love it. Heck, if a 50+ suburban mom can do it, why not you? And every time I go to the filling station and pay less than $3 for a fill up, it’s a good day. :)

If you haven’t visited my content site on scooters yet, here’s what you can find there:

• Learn about scooters (what they are, scooters vs. motorcycles, and more)
• What scooter brands/sizes etc. are available
• How to choose the right scooter for you
• Scooter driving tips
• Scooter gear you might need (or just want) :)
• And, oh yeah, the legal stuff

You can even leave your reviews of scooters or scooter dealers there. Why not visit now?

Till next time, just keep scooting along, Kathi