my Scooters and the Options they afford me..

[orangetom1999]

While this is not directly survival per se...i do find my 50 CC scooters to come in very very handy ...in numerous ways...versus driving my truck and car daily.

The big one of course is that it saves me a lot on gasoline purchases.

I run some 8 miles to work in about 20 to 25 minutes...depending on the traffic volume....of course..and it works out fine for me. That is a 16 mile round trip daily.

One of the ways i found out that the scooters offer me a useful option is that I will often just let my vehicle inspection run out and take my cars to get inspected at a later date when the lines have subsided....like a week after the end of the month due.

This is precisely what I have done this month with my car. I let it run out and have been taking my scooter to and fro. I spent this weekend getting it ready...purchasing four new tires and also replacing the rear brake shoes and not under the gun ....trying to get it done before the Inspecdtion ran out. I just let it run out...without a lot of stress and worry. No drama!!!

These new tires I recently purchased...one was purchased a couple of weeks ago. I removed it from the vehicle here at the house and put it on my scooter and drove it up to the tire place at my leisure

And so too it was this weekend with the other three tires.

I have learned that if I take my car to the tire place..it sits for some three to four hours while they finish other jobs and I sit and wait. If I remove the tire and take it there, they can get to it almost immediately
Works out well this way. I verily dislike waiting....or waiting in line behind everyone else.



Often I will take my scooter to and fro the grocery store as I have two of them outfitted with double wide milk crates on the back and this affords me a good bit more of carry space. Works out fine if I am not purchasing a lot.


So in effect my scooters afford me a lot of options...in my day to day affairs...and thus works out well for me.


Mind you now...I am very fortunate that I only live some 8 miles from work and ride it both winter and summer...,.and have the gear to make do. The proper gear makes a huge difference in riding two wheels.

Were I to dwell some 30 or more miles from work...this would not do.


Here in Virginia...scooters do not need licenses, or state inspections,..or insurance....so for now this is a great little niche for me...and I intend to use it as long as I can.

Of recent we do have to register them ..but no license, no inspection and no insurance.



What has concerned me over the years is the steady rise in gasoline ...prices. This tends to make my scooters more valuable and people at work often stop and ask questions of me about them during these high gasoline price times.'

With this supposed diesel shortage coming up..again gasoline will be in short supplies as just about anything and everything in this country is delivered by diesel truck and in particular gasoline

Concerns tend to grow about my scooter security...during times like this. I have three such scooters.


Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite

[Tugaloo]

Diesel shortages will affect prices big time.

Buy a "plastic" coated steel cable. It takes more time and effort to cut a multi-strand stainless steel cable than a chain.

The lock is the weakness. The neighborhood has a large parcel box with a combination lock for FedEx, UPS and USPS packages. Somehow, the fancy hardened lock broke. My bolt cutters cut through it with ease. It didn't even leave a mark on the cutter blades.

I'd also purchase a few no (IR) glow trail cameras; place them at angles to cover every angle and conceal them.

When you are home, it is easy to build some break wire circuits. Break the wire and a light flashes or a horn blows.

Shortly after election day, gas will increase in price. To lower the pump prices, they've been raiding the Strategic Oil Reserve. Obviously, it is all about not losing control of the House and Senate.
It will take decades for this nation to recover the incompetence of this administration

[orangetom1999]

Tugaloo,

Your are correct about the cable system. I use three locking methods for my scooter....

First of course is not much....tjhe steering column lock. Then through the front wheel the cable lock...secured by one of those big U type bicycle lociks...and then a chain and heavy padlock through the rear wheel....all secured to a ....heavy duty gauge pipe bicycle rack.

At home I have my scooter/scooters parked in my garage or out back of my house. My parking area is not on the side of my house or out front but in the back. One has to definitely come onto the back of my property to get to any of my vehicles. Most two legged wildlife is hesitant to so do...fortunately.

When years ago..I parked a car out front ..someone went through it one night...after gaining access and took some items.

That cured me of ever parking out front.


Nonetheless...I worry more about parking at work....than here at home with my scooters.More so and again with the changing economic conditions.

When I am going about town and taking care of business.on my scooter.....I am often carrying...

Not looking for trouble....but also not looking for two legged wildlife..

They do save me a lot of bucks...these scooters..

Here at home i am thinking about one of those video cameras at the front door and another overlooking the parking area and my garage out back.

Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

As I learned when an idiot somehow managed to screw up a fancy hardened lock and my bolt cutters cut it. If I was you, I'd buy a set of bolt cutters and test the locks. You will be surprised, I was.

[Armyjimbo]

I run multiple cameras with overlapping coverage. As to scooters, I've got a CT70 Honda and my RV 90 Suzuki. I've been trying to get them registered into my name the last year. With all the upheavals I misplaced some information and am awaiting it's replacement. But I also have my XT250 Yamaha, it gets parked in view of 3 cameras. The full year sized bike is nice but occasionally i just want to putt.

[orangetom1999]

Tugaloo..

As I learned when an idiot somehow managed to screw up a fancy hardened lock and my bolt cutters cut it. If I was you, I'd buy a set of bolt cutters and test the locks. You will be surprised, I was.

One of the odd ball type skills I learned in this shipyard....from the Elders here...is lock picking.

I have a set right now in my back pocket and often take them with me when going out.

I have also learned to manufacture my own ..picks as well as lock shims;

In like manner to my Ham Radio Elmers..I am grateful to the Olde Ones for teaching me this skill. It has saved me a lot of monies when I have been locked out of my house, garage, or r my vehicles.


Orangetom
Not an Ishmaelite.

[Tugaloo]

Lock picking takes a lot longer than brute force bolt cutters.

Years ago when I worked in western MD, the prototype welder during WWII was an OSS lock picker and safe cracker. My Elmer was an OSS CW operator.

A good friend from back home owns a collision repair business. When a customer dropped their vehicle off; he'd tell them to put the keys under the floor mat. He used to say too many of them would put the keys under the floor mat and lock the door.
As a result, he bought one of these: https://kiuiuc.com/products/lock-pick-auto-extractor It doesn't look similar to the one he bought.

[Armyjimbo]

I run a set of standard lock picks, as it was yet again a collateral job we did. The Captain of the boat locked his keys in his truck on the jetty, on a weekend. As I was one of2 engineer types onboard, he asked me if I could help him. Grabbed my picks and took a look. I decided since he had failed to secure his rear glass window, to gain access, with him watching. And that's why I get paid as much as some snr sgts in the infantry.

[Tugaloo]

Calling his intention to it was choice!! LOL

Once I helped a woman who locked herself out of her 3rd generation (1982-1992) Camaro. I said if you buy a newspaper, I'll unlock your car. She bought a newspaper. I unfolded the newspaper and put it around my right arm. As the Camaro did not have a frame around the window, it made it easy. I grabbed the window at the top with my left arm and pulled it away from the roof's rubber sear; I reached in an unlocked the door. The newspaper keeps the window from bruising one's arm.
Some guy said I know where you learned that trick; I answered "it was on 60 Minutes." As it was apparent he was a wise guy type and insinuating I learned that in prison; the crowd started laughing at him.
Same as what you did with the captain; it was enjoyable to publicly put down his type.

Does the Canadian Navy pay more to the fleet types, than ones who stay on land? About all I know about the US Navy is submariners are paid extra.
Here, soldiers on active jump status are paid extra, in a Combat Zone are paid extra and same with on flight status.

[Armyjimbo]

Some sailors are paid Specialist pay in 2 grades, it depends if your trade is a knowledge based or just a basic trade. Bo'suns, cooks, pay etc just get sea pay. My trade which requires special skills is level 1, Machinery Systems Operators get lvl 2 once they become petty officers (sgt).
Jump pay happens if you're qualified and in a jump position. Same with subs, it's a incentive to stay pay. Field pay/sea pay is if you're posted to a field type unit IE a school/admin garrison unit doesn't. Sea pay ceases when posted to the fleet schools and resumes when posted to a ship.

[Tugaloo]

Paratroopers made a "pay" jump before they were shipped to Vietnam. It allowed them to keep their jump pay the whole time they were in Vietnam. If my memory is correct; it was $55 a month. Combat was $90 and flight was $55. Not much; OTOH, a dollar in 1969 could buy a lot more than a dollar can today.

Today, it is $150 for rope stretchers and $225 for HALO/HAHO.

There is HALO or HAHO. With HAHO, the chute is opened high and using a GPS, they can glide for 30 or so miles before landing.
As there isn't any air up there; there is a lot more to it than believed.
https://military-history.fandom.com/...ry_parachuting

[Armyjimbo]

We have HALO HAHO , but those are generally left for Pathfinders or SF

[Tugaloo]

As HALO or HAHO require a different parachute and training either here in the US would be reserved for USSOCOM personnel.

As each Branch had their own Spec Ops group and trained them separately, USSOCOM was a need to coordinate joint missions.

I believe the first joint operation that included interbranch forces was in Afghanistan in the early 2000s.

When I lived near Ft. Bragg, Post welcomed the area's Boy Scouts and really put on a show for the kids. A flight of 3 Blackhawk helicopters flew in and their contents fast roped to the ground.
https://www.socom.mil/Pages/para-commandos.aspx

[Armyjimbo]

Yes those 2 methods are reserved to a limited few

[Tugaloo]

Correct, as it requires special equipment and more importantly, special skills.