Scooter rider no more

[dustin91]

Last Saturday, I rode my PCX down to a local dealer and got a great price for it on a trade-in. It was time to upgrade to a motorcycle. I'd had my eye on the Kawasaki Vulcan S for a year, and went out on a group ride with someone who had one. It was everything I wanted on two wheels, and after 170 miles on the ride, I knew my scooter would no longer fit the bill. It just didn't have the pickup I wanted, I learned to hate the seat (even after removing that horrible 2013 hump), I was tired - and nervous - about bad road conditions and seams and potholes, and I was just no longer comfortable on it. I loved it for quick jaunts, but longer rides had become too taxing.

I brought it to the dealer yesterday, all cleaned up, with every piece of paperwork and accessory I had, and turned it in as a down payment on the Vulcan S. Spent over an hour putting 4 miles on the bike in the dang parking lot, making sure I could muster up some shifting technique after my safety course three years ago, and once I felt I was ready to head home, I gave that PCX one last look and said goodbye.

It was a great first ride, and gave me 4,410 miles of fun. But it also showed me I needed something more. My time on a motorcycle may eventually be limited by age and reflexes, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can, and maybe I'll see you all on the Forza forums in a few years.


Be well, and ride safe!

Dustin



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[honkerman]

The Vulcan is a decent bike and a very good looking one at that. I hope it is all you need for it to be.

[chicaboo]

Possibly my favourite "LAMS" bike in Australia. Nice work!

[db22]

Beautiful machine! If I was just a few years younger . . . Safe riding to you!

[Mel46]

My wife and I had looked at the Honda Shadow and thought long and hard about trading but decided that we were too old for a motorcycle now. Your new bike looks a bit like it, and it looks like it would be fun to ride. what is the engine size?
When I retired my wife had told me that the scooter was as close as I was going to get when it came to getting back on a motorcycle, now that I have leukemia. I have always had one but I guess she thinks the motorcycle is more dangerous than a scooter...and yet we had an accident in September on the scooters that ended with her in surgery and me walking away from the accident unhurt. In some ways a motorcycle is safer than some scooters, especially with disc brakes and ABS. It then depends on the rider's skill. Good luck, and ride safe.

[WhiteNoise]

Hi Dustin
Yes, I do remember you mentioning the possibility of moving up to a shifty bike. Now the day has come. Sadly you leave us but I join you in believing that you might be back.
Know that You're always welcomed here, whatever Bike your rolling
Good luck and "Ride to Live"
She's a beauty, WN

[homie]

There is need for both a scooter and a street bike. You'll long to ride the PCX now and then and when you do you'll fall in love all over again just like the first time... I'm sorry but this is truth

[dustin91]

Hi Mel & Noise,

Thanks for the kind words! Mel, sorry to hear about the accident and diagnosis – hope both you and your wife are doing well. My new bike is equipped with ABS, and already commenters on the Vulcan forum have discussed how glad they are they've had it when they needed it. We can all be as safe as possible, but like anything else, we have no control over other people on the road. Between the engine, weight of the bike, and ABS though, I do feel safer on it than I did the PCX. And White, it was always a pleasure being on the boards with you. The people here all gave such great advice, coming from both new scooter riders and experienced m/c riders who "scaled down", and I read everything with great interest... and some jealousy. For now though, my heart – and my butt – know I needed to be on a bigger bike, and interestingly, I even feel *safer* on it because 3 years on the PCX has trained me to grab both levers for safety, which has translated perfectly into what I should do on the bike – I never thought about how well that skill would transfer. The shifting needs quite a bit of practice though!

[dustin91]

There is need for both a scooter and a street bike. You'll long to ride the PCX now and then and when you do you'll fall in love all over again just like the first time... I'm sorry but this is truth

Oh, I know... the first time my wife asks me to run to the store to pick up a bottle of wine or some ingredients she needs, and I remember I've got *no* storage on my bike.

Yet.

[homie]

There is need for both a scooter and a street bike. You'll long to ride the PCX now and then and when you do you'll fall in love all over again just like the first time... I'm sorry but this is truth

Oh, I know... the first time my wife asks me to run to the store to pick up a bottle of wine or some ingredients she needs, and I remember I've got *no* storage on my bike.

Yet.

There's a little more to it than just storage I feel like i'm whipping around like a dust devil, dragging the C-stand and FREE!!!! I know it sounds weird but perhaps you get a chance to get back on a PCX after the summer and you'll get a similar euphoria as when you walk on a (belt walk) at the airport

[dustin91]

There's a little more to it than just storage I feel like i'm whipping around like a dust devil, dragging the C-stand and FREE!!!! I know it sounds weird but perhaps you get a chance to get back on a PCX after the summer and you'll get a similar euphoria as when you walk on a (belt walk) at the airport

Just had my second ride on the Vulcan - this whole dang week has been cold and wet, so I was able to put maybe 30 miles on it today. I do miss the quick nimbleness of the PCX, but I'll forgo that for the ability to ride so much smoother on the road, and to be at 55 mph and just twist the throttle a bit and be at 65 in a heartbeat. I just feel safer on the bike than I did the scooter.

But it was a lot easier U-turning the PCX in my garage!

[roger44]

Interesting that so many consider age an issue. Infirmity is an issue, and often one goes with the other.
I am lucky I guess, Im 72 now and ride a BMWR1200RS sports tourer, and just about ot go off on tour round Italy on it from the UK.
I also have a PCX125 and just love the little machine, it feels so naughty to ride, it can go places and do things the RS cant, and I get away with murder with the traffic in town. Much fun.
Its all two wheels guys, if you can push it, you can ride it.
stay safe

[dustin91]

I just assume that at some point – and hopefully at least at your age or earlier! - my reflexes won't be what they used to be, and I'll prefer an "automatic" bike versus a "manual", for safety's sake. But I also love hearing people who stay on bikes as long as you have.

Ride on and be safe (and healthy)!