First week on the scooter

Well weather has cut my first week short, so I'm back on 4 wheels today. So I thought I'd go ahead and give my first week impressions of the new scooter.

First off, I love the look of it, I think it has a definite Euro style to it that the rental scooter lacked.  I've gotten a lot of comments on it.  People want to know 2 things in general: 1) How fast will it go? and 2) What kind of gas mileage does it get?

Well I can't fully answer #1.  There is a break-in period where I'm supposed to lay off the throttle.  So I haven't fully opened it up.  Typical speed is around 35, but cruising on a flat surface has gotten me up to 40.  Downhill I buried the needle once, which tops out at 50.  Uphill, it can slow to as little as 25 depending on the length of the hill and if you got a running start or not.  I'll know better when the break-in period (about 150 miles) is done.

As for #2, I can't really answer that fully either.  The manufacturer says 75mpg, but with an engine this small, there are a lot of factors.  My weight, my terrain, my driving habits.  All play into it. I haven't gone through a tank of gas yet, so I can't say what I'm getting now.

The benefits. I've gone 60 miles on it this short week.  Based on current gas prices, that's a savings of $13 over driving my car. But more important than saving money, I feel like I'm doing my part to reduce petrol consumption.  Since I've travelled on less than one gallon of gas what would have taken me over 4 in the Saab.

The cons. The biggest complaint right now, is that it is full of this shipping oil (which will be replaced with smokeless synthetic at 300 miles) that smokes at startup like crazy.  As a result, I smell like I've been using a chainsaw when I get to work.  This will be resolved of course, after the first oil change.

Overall, I love my new scooter!