Uncle Punk

What does someone have to do to be able to eat a frostie in peace? First it's quick then it's the rescue squad. I think there is something wrong with Wendy's in Zanesville. Didn't I hear that Zach and Sue thought they would skip another scooter ride if one gets planned? So much hurt.

Maybe we will get to see what a million dumbass fags in one place looks like? Vrooooom, Vroooom

Hey, where was this guy?

I wasn't trying to be funny and I have stated my opinion on here about the MSF before. It was a bonus that it came out humorous because I'm cool like that. For the record I really do think the MSF course is a waste of time if you already have the ability to control a clutch and gears on a motorcycle. Anyone with a weekend of riding a dirt bike should be able to bypass the MSF course. This is my perspective without taking the course and I am not trying to put words into speedytriple's mouth.

How's this for an opinion I never took the MSF course and think it's a waste of time for people who have any experience with the physical controls of a motorcycle like a dirt bike with a clutch and gears. Take my opinion for what it's worth because I have no knowledge about what value the MSF course offers.

Not only fun but beneficial. I think we have ridden together before and if I'm correct it was last year’s Coshocton disaster so I didn't get a good feeling for your pace and you probably didn't get one for mine. I think I remember you wearing good gear so I know you are conscious of safety and take this as information instead of controversy. I have no shame in stating that my ability to do street riding safely at an accelerated pace was paid for by doing track days. Before I had done track time I might have ran a quick pace but it wasn’t safe and I for sure didn’t have options when trouble presented itself because in most cases I was over committed. I luckily made it through those years but disaster was always close by, I am trying to safe someone from taking the same path that I did and avoid injuries. I have rode with some fast people that I'm sure you have ridden with from the C.O.R.E. site, the two guys in particular I'm thinking of have done track time. I can’t speak for them but I'm certain that their ability to ride the pace they do come from track time. In fact every rider that I have ridden with that runs the same pace that I do with the exception of one absolutely crazy fucker (Who has gone down riding with me because he was over committed.) has done track time. Not that running a fast pace is the goal but it is a byproduct that comes with being smoother, having more knowledge of the bikes/your limits and that is something you can't or shouldn't be trying to teach yourself on the street. Having knowledge to assess hazards that are in abundance when street riding is a skill everyone should work on but having the skill to avoid them is enhanced by doing track time. Please do a track day then come back to this subject and I expect to see a different perspective on the skills that transfer to street riding.

Have you done a track day and found it to be a waste of time? I rode for 25 years off and on and thought I could ride. One track day proved to me that I was wrong. I no longer have pucker moments and have way more in reserve to avoid unforeseen problems purely because of track riding. I know what the bike will do when heavy braking is applied. I can change my line in a curve when gravel is present with the knowledge of how to do it and confidence because I'm not over committed like I once was. Track riding gives you the control over a bike needed to avoid most of the situations you have addressed. I would be interested to find someone who has done a track day and thought that they hadn't learned any skills that would benefit them when transferring to street riding. I can't justify that experience in my head and need some clarification.

I love to let the kids twist the throttle it makes them really smile. I especially like the kids who like to pin it to redline and make it bounce off of the rev-limiter that really makes me smile.

I kind of doubt an annual thing. I had fun and can say I've been to the river and back in a day but not enough fun to do it again unless others really want to do it; won't be my idea. A few thoughts on scooter rides. With the exception of my scooter (because I was leading the route) everyone was positioned in the conga line by scooter size for the most part. Your skill set can't make a little scooter faster no matter what you do. I expected to be able to dice it up with people and do some same lane passing unlike most sport bike rides. I know this is frowned upon but I don't care we were going slowly enough and people were skilled enough to handle people riding that close to them. A 250 scooter is so much faster than a 150 it isn't even funny so if I would have wanted to dice it up with them I would have had to stop after a couple curves, let them all pass and buzz them. That is not really all that fun. It would have been more fun if everyone was on the same size scooter because no matter your skill level most people can ride to the limits of a scooter. Think of an advanced track rider riding in the novice group, it wouldn't be much fun for them. Riding a 250 scooter with a 125 scooter is about the same as an expert riding with a novice on the track, you pass them and you’re gone only to ride on your own. (I wouldn't suggest this behavior on a sport bike group ride that kind of riding should be done at a track.) I can ride okay but put me on a 125 scooter and anyone else on a 250 and they will check out on me. I guess I was expecting something different than what we ended up with. Two of the folks I had in mind when this ride was planned didn't show up with the bigger scooters so we didn't do any swapping around scooters which I expected to take place. Riding a scooter makes every redneck driving a pickup into an instant asshole. I guess they have the power to keep you behind them so they have fun fucking with you. The same holds true with most every dumb fuck riding a Harley. I had a guy flip me off while I was passing him, he then gets up on my ass to show me who was boss, I could do nothing about him being there and thankfully a few curves came up so he disappeared. I am used to being able to pass slow moving vehicles at will which can't even begin to happen on a scooter, even farming equipment will keep you behind them until you get a long downhill grade without any oncoming traffic. It is a very frustrating experience for me and it doesn't offset the fun you can have on a road like 555. I would trailer down to 555 and trailer home before I would ride there again but probably not because I have a sport bike to ride down there on. I will definitely take a scooter to Deal's Gap again, the last time I had a 150 there and had as much fun as I did on the sport bike. This new 250 will kick ass there and I am looking forward to getting down there. I know I can get through there faster on the bike but on that road a scooter is so much fun. The scooter is a great 2 up machine to ride through the park and get some ice-cream but it's not a ride around the state looking for good roads machine. YMMV.

A picture from Scratcher Look at the little Ruckus 50 next to my 250

If you think you can't afford a track day then wait until you wreck and see how expensive that is. Seriously a track day is a wise investment to give yourself a skill set that you can't acquire on your own and will give you the ability to get yourself out of trouble. How long it takes you to get more comfortable is a question that can't be answered. If it were a formula then everyone would be able to ride the same pace after they hit a spot on a time line. Not ever going to happen. There will always be someone faster than you with less riding time. In any group of riders there are faster and slower riders but in most cases the amount of time each of them has been riding is not the deciding factor.

That corner gives me the biggest pucker moment on that whole road. I don't ride the road enough to remember it until after I have gone through it. I especially hate it because it makes me tired pushing the bike back up the hill to get it on the road. I would have called you if Roy's wishes weren't for the bike to be towed back up north. I would have doubled my girlfriend down and rode it home for him next weekend of came down with a trailer some night this week. I don't blame him for not knowing or trusting what we could have done for him and now it was done the way he wanted it done.

Keeping up with others is a recipe for disaster. Am I enjoying myself should be your measuring stick. The size of the bike or how long you have been riding has nothing to do with your speed. What you are willing to risk, how mindful of the law you want to be are better indicators. Just because someone is faster on a back road than you are doesn't mean they are a better rider or a better person.

I have news and permission to post about our injured rider. Roy, the non OR rider is the guy who went down on 555. He rode my scooter the 30 miles or so to Zanesville and decided he should probably have himself checked out. We were in the line at the Wendy's discussing the logistics of what to do with his scooter and about Slowroller (Rick) taking him to the hospital when another guy in line asked us what was going on, stated that he is an EMT and would be happy to check him out. After doing so he convinced Roy to let an ambulance be called to transport him. I would stay with the scooter until AAA showed up to tow it and Rick would follow Roy to the hospital. Roy's wife headed down to tend to him so Roy sent Rick on his way but he came to where the scooter and I were at. We waited until the towing was all taken care of and the two of us rode to Millersburg together. Rick was anxious to get home because he was to become a grandpa that day so he went on from there on his own to get to the hospital where his new grandson was born. Roy spent the night at Genesis hospital and his wife was able to take him home with a few broken ribs. I hope he recovers well and gets a new scooter. He had over 15,000 miles on this one so he definitely likes to ride. Roy and Rick know each other so Rick took it upon himself to look after him. In fact he went above the call of duty. Roy has AAA but they only cover 100 miles for a tow. The tow company charges $4.25 a mile for anything over 100 miles and Rick paid the extra $236 fee for the extra miles. A very nice thing to do and is cool to see someone stepping up to help a friend. Roy doesn't know me, had never met me so he might have been a little leery of my alternative suggestions to get his scooter home. We have a lot of people on this board who are willing to help out and I don't mind asking them because I would help out if possible just like they will. Having that safety net when riding so far away from home is comforting and a bonus to being on this site. I have had another rider go down on this same curve and I consider him to be one of the best riders I ride with. It is a very tricky curve that sucks you into thinking you are done braking so you set up for the curve only to find out that you need to brake again. If you aren't riding with anything in reserve or there is gravel in the curve or the illusion of gravel in the road a lot goes wrong quickly. I don't know exactly where it is but it is just south of Elliot's crossing. It's an uphill left hand curve that falls off after the apex, a very difficult curve to figure out and get right. The more local guys may know which one I'm talking about.

Horses, horses, are you kidding me, you have found the most expensive hobby I can think of. Say goodbye to the ST soon. Your only hope for riding is to get a scooter so you can bring it with you to show grounds.

Is this bike going to be replaced or are you just going to be riding the ST?

We had eight scooters and Gregg (littlecarbsbigsmiles) on the GS500 riding sweep, lead, cameraman pass the whole group to get action pictures, pre ride scout and Millersburg organizer. He actually did most of the heavy lifting I was very busy last week and wasn't thinking about the ride very much. We had five of us leave from the original starting spot. Slowroller (Rick) who I had never met with a buddy of his (Roy) who is well known in the local scooter community (I have heard stories about him while hanging out at the scooter store looking for accessories.) They were on the fastest two wheel scooters of the group with Vespa 300s. Scratcher was on his tricked out big bore little Ruckus dressed in full racing leathers and the most entertaining of us all, watching him overachieve with that thing is very fun and scary at the same time. The steering geometry on that thing wasn't meant to handle the speeds it was achieving let alone doing it in curves on rough roads. Justin was on a 150cc scooter that is one of the many scooters in Scratchers stable. Justin is a fast group sport bike rider and I bet it was frustrating for him to be stuck out back most of the day, especially when there is nothing he could do about it when the thing is pinned the whole time. My 250 was probably the third fastest two wheeled scooter on the ride and handles surprisingly well. I found the hard parts scraping limit on right hand turns but not the left. This is a new experience trying to keep a scooter group together on our way to Millersburg. Justin on the 150 had a max speed of 60 on level ground so passing was out of the question, well almost. The key is you just look for a downhill grade to give you an extra 10 to 20MPH. We were lucky that traffic was light, I only made one pass that everyone couldn't make and we arrived in Millersburg by my ETA. Gregg had a group of four waiting for us in Millersburg, mostly family riding out of the household stable. Big Speazy (Zach) is on a little 125 and it just so happens that he was the biggest one of us. He is also a very good sport bike rider and I bet it was very frustrating riding that thing. I'm sorry but I can't remember Gregg's wife’s and Zach’s mothers name but she was there riding along with us with her pink jacket keeping up with us taking away our self image of the bad boy scooter gang. I may get this name wrong but Mike was there on a Piaggio MP3 500. That thing is so cool to watch corner when the front wheels split up and down it's amazing how much extension is built into the front end of that thing. We now start out on our entertainment portion of our ride, 83 from Millersburg to Coshocton is our first chance to hit some curves. Fuck, there's a god damned semi in front of us with absolutely no chance to pass it so this will be a slow ride to Coshocton. I would slow way down to let the semi get out of sight then pin it go only to be right up behind the semi in three curves, repeat the whole accordion several more times to Coshocton. The truck stayed on 16 so we had a clear road to New Concord. We arrive at the gas stop earlier than my ETA only to find no one there to join our group. We were gassed up and ready to leave by ten till noon but we waited until noon before we departed just in case anyone might make it to join us but no one did. Now I find out that we start out on the slowest scooter ride our matriarch had ever been on, how’s that for an ego buster. I really love the section of 83 from 146 to 78 riding a sport bike; the road is new within the last two years so it is smooth and fast. On a scooter it's full throttle the whole way; fun no doubt but requires little skill. When I planned the route I wanted to get to the river and back riding back roads with the route being as simple as possible going down so that if anyone joined the ride but decided that riding that far on a scooter was retarded they could just turn around and ride back on one road. When 83 meets 60 down close to Beverly I decided to take 339 to 7 so we would accomplish our goal of making it to the river but be close to 555 so we could start our trip back home. For anyone reading this that is out on a sport bike looking for good roads 339 can be avoided. It is boring but served our purpose to get to the river quickly. We get to 7 and our gas stop in very reasonable time without any complaints about what a mistake this ride has been so all is good. When I met Roy the seasoned scooter rider at our original meeting spot he wisely told me that he might not make it to the river with us and would be peeling off at sometime depending on how he felt. I assumed he was going to check out this bunch of scooter riding rookies and if we were lacking he intended to go off and entertain himself. Roy was still with the group so I took that as a good sign. Now he had no choice but to stay with us because we had done all the hard work getting down to this point, it would be a shame to let the best scooter road on our route go without slaying it. Up 555 we go, now this is where scooters shine, it felt like the perfect road for these machines. The guys on the smaller scooters could keep up with the faster ones and really made the whole trip worthwhile. On a sport bike this road is scary as hell with blind rises that will launch your front in the air, dirty curves that make you slow down to give yourself an out, just constantly on your toes looking out for the road to try to throw you off of it. Some people enjoy it some don't, I happen to like it but I know not everyone I ride with share the same fondness for it and with good reason. It's a whole different ride on a scooter and I can't recommend it enough, forty miles of smiles if you start at the bottom and go north. We did have an incident on 555 and until we know the guys status, he posts the details or gives someone else permission to post details we won't discuss it too much. He did eventually make it to a hospital after he rode for 30 miles. The group went on from Zanesville without three of us so I would like to hear how that went.

I am home and need some recovery time. Nice to meet the folks I haven't before and hope all are well. Will post more later.

See everyone at the meeting spot. This may be the last time I get to check this thread until after the ride.

Have you seen me?

I've been told that more than once.

I have updated the first post and will check in this thread in the morning. If anyone from the Columbus area plan to meet us in New Concord and I don't already have your number please PM me with it so I can update you if we are going to be way off of our arival time.

No laces on my flip-flops. See everyone in the morning; I plan to be there at 8:30. Millersburg about 10:30 New Concord about noon. I know we are picking up Gregg's group in Millersburg but don't know who all we are meeting in New Concord.

I am not bald and my scooter is black. Whoever sent that too you is a liar. Plus with the head piece and seat color I wouldn't be caught with the clashing rhinestones in my boots, if it were me they would have been pink to complete the ensemble. I can't believe this rookie would have allowed himself to be pictured without having his outfit complete.