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If you guys are not actively ignoring my posts, I'm sure you know that I have added scooters to our stable and I really like riding them. This comes up all the time though: should one switch from riding motorcycles to scooters, or why would you pick one over the other. I've mentioned many times that for short trips and errands, the scooter just flat out wins hands down. Even if one of my Triumphs is parked on the curb warmed up with the keys in it, if I have to run to the grocery store to pick up a small number of things, I'll go pull the Vespa down and take it instead. 100%.
What about the other way around?
Last week I managed to get out and ride my Bonneville on 1+ hour rides two days in a row. I did routes that I often do, and that I enjoy quite a lot. One day was US183 N to FM1869 west to FM1174 South to FM1431 back east to CP. Next day was connecting from an errand to Leander, back up Bagdad Rd. south to hop over on New Hope Rd. west, jog a couple of blocks back East on FM1431 to Anderson Mill Rd, then take Lime Creek Rd. all the way to the end at Volente, and Volente back to Cedar Park. These are good 1-1.5hr fun rides on the Triumph.
Prior to those rides, I hadn't brought the Bonnie out of the garage in over a month. It's been hot, so I don't really like getting out on a big ride like this. But a week or so before I needed some two wheel therapy of an hour plus and the GTS250 was out on the curb so I decided to see how it did. For this ride I left home and rode down Scottsdale to work my way towards Crystal Falls Parkway through Block House and Horizon Park. Then over west to Lakeline, which I took North to FM2243. I rolled back east on FM2243 up to some random connection of back roads that I eventually got to connect back to FM1431 in Cedar Park. This ride took me an hour or so, and I had intentionally picked slower roads.
OK, so here's the thing. Comparing essentially back to back, quick thoughts.
The actual ride, that is interacting with the bike and covering miles of tarmac, is more enjoyable on the Bonnie. There's a lot more to do as an operator of a regular motorcycle, and you really feel the road and have to find the right lines and pay attention to the surface, appreciate the actual road more on the big moto. I do notice big vistas and major sights to see when on the motorcycle, and in fact that FM1174 route I typically ride is chosen because it puts some insanely great views right in front of me. But there's a lot of stuff you just kind of ride past without noticing it, because your attention is on the road itself. The big moto ride satisfies the urge to just be one with the machine.
The scooter, even though it's fully capable of exceeding the speed limits on the very same roads, and in some cases I even covered the same roads, just does not provide nearly the same experience. You just slow down a lot for the corners, no point not doing that. You don't work your bodyweight to get it to corner properly. You don't have to change gears. You don't fiddle with braking. You just ride and look around. Which is to say, you notice about 1000x more stuff along the way than you do riding the big motorcycle. But the roads that are fun on the big bike are just stuff you kind of endure between points of interest on the scooter. I noticed a whole lot of cool stuff while doing the scooter version of my ride that I hadn't noticed on a hundred rides before.
One thing that really stuck out in the contrast though is just how annoying it is sitting in traffic on the Triumph. When getting out of what is turning into variable urban style gridlock in Cedar Park, the Bonneville is a chore and really makes you hate being on it, especially if it's hot. The scooter is far more enjoyable in this kind of traffic.
But still, I'll have to say, if you are going to ride just to ride, the Bonneville is the way. It's a better experience. It's effortless where the scooter is a little bit white-knuckl-ey (>60 mph), and where the scooter is effortless it requires skills but it's skills you enjoy deploying (low speeds, tight corners, etc.). The scooter is the better choice if there is a destination you are going to, and there's no moto-fun route to get there. And the scooter is way better if you are going to be navigating or parking in small spaces, or if your stop is a short one.
This is why I probably ride my scooter 10x as frequently as I do either of the Triumphs, and I ride about 10x as many miles on the Triumphs as I do on the scooter.
Unless you live way out in the country, I think a two-wheel Texan should have one of each.
What about the other way around?
Last week I managed to get out and ride my Bonneville on 1+ hour rides two days in a row. I did routes that I often do, and that I enjoy quite a lot. One day was US183 N to FM1869 west to FM1174 South to FM1431 back east to CP. Next day was connecting from an errand to Leander, back up Bagdad Rd. south to hop over on New Hope Rd. west, jog a couple of blocks back East on FM1431 to Anderson Mill Rd, then take Lime Creek Rd. all the way to the end at Volente, and Volente back to Cedar Park. These are good 1-1.5hr fun rides on the Triumph.
Prior to those rides, I hadn't brought the Bonnie out of the garage in over a month. It's been hot, so I don't really like getting out on a big ride like this. But a week or so before I needed some two wheel therapy of an hour plus and the GTS250 was out on the curb so I decided to see how it did. For this ride I left home and rode down Scottsdale to work my way towards Crystal Falls Parkway through Block House and Horizon Park. Then over west to Lakeline, which I took North to FM2243. I rolled back east on FM2243 up to some random connection of back roads that I eventually got to connect back to FM1431 in Cedar Park. This ride took me an hour or so, and I had intentionally picked slower roads.
OK, so here's the thing. Comparing essentially back to back, quick thoughts.
The actual ride, that is interacting with the bike and covering miles of tarmac, is more enjoyable on the Bonnie. There's a lot more to do as an operator of a regular motorcycle, and you really feel the road and have to find the right lines and pay attention to the surface, appreciate the actual road more on the big moto. I do notice big vistas and major sights to see when on the motorcycle, and in fact that FM1174 route I typically ride is chosen because it puts some insanely great views right in front of me. But there's a lot of stuff you just kind of ride past without noticing it, because your attention is on the road itself. The big moto ride satisfies the urge to just be one with the machine.
The scooter, even though it's fully capable of exceeding the speed limits on the very same roads, and in some cases I even covered the same roads, just does not provide nearly the same experience. You just slow down a lot for the corners, no point not doing that. You don't work your bodyweight to get it to corner properly. You don't have to change gears. You don't fiddle with braking. You just ride and look around. Which is to say, you notice about 1000x more stuff along the way than you do riding the big motorcycle. But the roads that are fun on the big bike are just stuff you kind of endure between points of interest on the scooter. I noticed a whole lot of cool stuff while doing the scooter version of my ride that I hadn't noticed on a hundred rides before.
One thing that really stuck out in the contrast though is just how annoying it is sitting in traffic on the Triumph. When getting out of what is turning into variable urban style gridlock in Cedar Park, the Bonneville is a chore and really makes you hate being on it, especially if it's hot. The scooter is far more enjoyable in this kind of traffic.
But still, I'll have to say, if you are going to ride just to ride, the Bonneville is the way. It's a better experience. It's effortless where the scooter is a little bit white-knuckl-ey (>60 mph), and where the scooter is effortless it requires skills but it's skills you enjoy deploying (low speeds, tight corners, etc.). The scooter is the better choice if there is a destination you are going to, and there's no moto-fun route to get there. And the scooter is way better if you are going to be navigating or parking in small spaces, or if your stop is a short one.
This is why I probably ride my scooter 10x as frequently as I do either of the Triumphs, and I ride about 10x as many miles on the Triumphs as I do on the scooter.
Unless you live way out in the country, I think a two-wheel Texan should have one of each.
It will quickly jump up to 50 mph, which is fast enough to deal with most traffic situations around Houston. Many of the maxi scooters are much faster. But the majority of the world gets along fine 150 cc GY6's. There are lots of options. Scooter riding just takes a little getting used to and some ingenuity. 
