Cracker: Fillerup
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You can't take a scooter over the Auckland harbour bridge, you need something that requires a motorcycle licence and I am pretty sure I've forgotten most of the road code. :(
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Having spent a bit of time in countries where scooters are the rule rather than the exception, the downside is inner-city air thick with two-stroke [engine emissions]...
As long as they're like your scooter then this won't be a problem. I assume you have the Vespa GT200? That's a four-stroke single-cylinder quad-valve motor with some good thermodynamic design and a stupid acronym: L.E.AD.E.R. (Low Emissions ADvanced Engine Range).
And, yes, my honours dissertation involved the analysis of two-stroke motorcycle engines. I'm mostly better, but occasionally I have a relapse like this one...
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I'd just like to say I've seen Damian's scooter (he came straight from the showroom to the lavish media complex where we record Public Address Radio -- 4km on the clock!) and I thought it was quite cool.
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oil is going to run out
nah.
living in the last days of oil
you missed an important word: CHEAP
"living in the last days of cheap oil"
so, if you've got the cash, they've got the oil.
free market, and all that. supply, demand, blah, blah, blah.so a scooter sounds like a good idea.
pedal power is quieter though.i wonder how expensive petrol will have to get before the north shorians start begging for an electricfied train line under the harbour?
$10/litre?
we'll see, sooner than you probably think... -
Sue,
i miss my vespa
i wonder if they make them in pink?
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oil is going to run out.
nah.
Oil isn't running out? I thought the fact that oil was formed in the past means that it's finite... you know, has a beginning and an end...
but you're right, it probably is the end of the halcyon days of cheap oil - particularly if you're inclined to believe that we've reached the 'peak' of oil production - as purported here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/fade-to-black-is-this-the-end-of-oil-845092.htmlBut good stuff on the vespa, Damian. I think they're cute. In a manly cute kinda way.
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I'm the third of my friends to make the move to two wheels this year, and there's probably a dozen or so of my pals I know who've decided to ride.
That made me laugh because (trendspotter that I am) I've been telling my friends that we are soooo overdue for another mod revival:
You can be Sting.
Of course, while it always starts out nicely it's not long before caring carbon neutral yoof turn to Vespa inspired violence:
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Oil isn't running out? I thought the fact that oil was formed in the past means that it's finite... you know, has a beginning and an end...
yes, at human time scales, petroleum is finite. new stuff will not form to replace the stuff we've used up in just over 100 years. that would take several tens of millions of years.
but do you really think humans are capable of extracting every last drop from all the earth's porous rock?
have you ever looked at a "normal distribution" curve?
"long tail" might ring a bell.rather than "run out" i reckon in the end humans will be incapable of extracting petroleum with any net energy gain.
in other words, the stuff will still be there, but it will take more energy to get it out than the energy contained in the oil.
negative return on investment.
bit of a loosing scenario... -
I really don't know whether humans are capable of extracting every last drop of oil from all the earth's porous rock... but that's kind of the point isn't it? It's not much use if we can't get our greasy hands on it.
Then again, maybe humans will be able to do this in the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive.
I guess a potential problem with the "long tail" on your "normal distribution" curve (I almost got lost in the science there) is that it assumes demand will stay the same, which, despite rising prices, doesn't really look too likely at the moment. So, if we have actually reached some sort of accessible oil production peak, maybe the tail isn't quite as long as it might be?
Anyway, the point is that usable oil will run out - whether that's in terms of what's under our feet, or what's in attained (and attainable) reserves.
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maybe humans will be able to do this in the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive.
There's one thing I did not expect to get from this thread, and that's a Zager and Evans earworm. Curse you! :)
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There's one thing I did not expect to get from this thread, and that's a Zager and Evans earworm.
If that's all you got, consider yourself lucky. I got a Jennifer Sky flashback...
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I learnt that driving rain is even more aptly named when you're driving into it with your face exposed,
You might appreciate a full-face helmet more when you inevitably arse off. But perhaps that's just me.
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I've thought about a scooter but feel that rather than using it instead of my car I'd use it instead of walking. (I use my car to move stuff and for trips to the Hutt & beyond, both of which would be scooter/pointless).
I do like the Sachs Madass 125. It's like a mountain bike with a 125cc engine - I thought such a thing would be a scheme as a kid - the lightest frame possible with an engine on it. Only 10hp though, 25 would be more fun! But if I had one, I'd use it to get to work and Cuba St and would get fatter as a result.
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You might appreciate a full-face helmet more when you inevitably arse off. But perhaps that's just me.
By buying a wasp (Vespa), Damian has already shown that he values style over value. Style over safety comes as no surprise. In all the Vespa advertising I have ever seen, the riders either wear no helmet or just an open face helmet. It's all part of the style package implicit in joining the Vesparazzi. (Becoming a Vesperazzo?)
Do a Google Image Search for Vespa Helmet and you'll see what the market likes...
Yes, I am jealous. I've never been cool or stylish and my student budget never stretched to anything more than a clapped-out Honda Nifty Fifty. You could still make it do donuts... you just had to be on wet grass to break it loose...
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I'm on to my third scooter now and I love it but you DO need a full face helmet because some GOOBER will try to kill you (it's mostly to preserve the dental records so they can identify your body without upsetting your mum, as I understand it).
Vespas, however, are for girls. I know this because I work in a building full of scooter riders (we park for free) and all the marketing girlies ride Vespas with open face helmets and no armour plating at all. There I am, struggling into the wet pants, the boots with the steel toe caps, the jacket with Kevlar elbow pads and the full face helmet and gauntlets and they flounce down to the basement in their summer dresses, jam on a crap hat and toot! toot! they're away.
Sorry, Damian. Someone had to tell you.
Parking is an issue though - I've had tickets for parking on the footpath which annoyed me. I asked a parking warden and he said so long as you park out of the flow of foot traffic you should be OK. However I did that and got another one which I'm arguing about.
Then there's the bus lane thing. Can scooters turn right where only buses can turn? What about that dodgy little bit of road by the central library that leads on to Queen Street and is verbotten to all but buses... am I a bus?
I'm getting my learner licence this Thursday (fingers crossed) so it's 125cc for me. And then I'll be dangerous.
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You can't take a scooter over the Auckland harbour bridge
Actually, to clarify this a little, you can. As long as it can keep up with the flow of traffic. Which de facto rules out 50cc scoots - the largest engine size available without a motorcycle licence of some sort.
As Damiens scoot is 200cc, it's probably capable of 70-80km/h without too much bother, so he should be fine.
However, as you've pointed out:
You need something that requires a motorcycle licence
You can ride a scoot with an engine size of up to 50cc with a basic car licence (pass the scratch and sniff test at the AA), or a restricted or full car licence.
You can ride a bigger-engined scoot (up to 250cc) once you have your motorcycle learner licence.
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Yes - meant the 50cc scooters. The sooner they open up the outside lanes to 50cc scooters the better!!!
I've taken to walking anywhere that I can reach in less than a roughly two hour round trip. You would be amazed at how far you can get. From where I live that means if I take a compass and draw a great big radius at the one hour radius I can reach objectives like the Pak'n'Save in New North Road, almost to the roundabout of death in Royal Oak, St Lukes, Newmarket, all the CDB, the wall-to-wall wine shops of Mt Eden, Western Springs and Jervois Road. It saves me around $20 a fortnight in gas I reckon, I get to peer into peoples houses and see all the interesting things my fellow humans get up to and if my trip last weekend to Sydney is any guide I am a billion times fitter than all my friends.
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You can't take a scooter over the Auckland harbour bridge
Tom, I think if you get yourself one of the larger SUV's you'll find they can a fit a Vespa in the back quite easily...
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some snide comments there about vespas. if it's four stroke, i'm impressed (not the PX200 2 stroke then?)
i'm not a big fan of open-face helmets though. even doing snowboard jumps at snowplanet, i tend to remove face skin with my inverted landings. god knows what would happen when you kiss tarmac
the motorbike license test is a piece of cake. they just follow you round on another motorbike. i have no idea how they can see what you're doing
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I've thought about a scooter but feel that rather than using it instead of my car I'd use it instead of walking.
Actually this is a very good point. Given I walk to work in 20-odd mins at the moment, I wouldn't be saving much with a scooter. However I think I'd prefer to leave a scooter at home than the car as I currently do!
Senor Christie, may I ask what sort of dosh you have to hand over for a machine like yours? -
I tried to find out at Scooter Emotions site, but their product pages are down - presumedly a dastardly hack from Big Oil...
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Ok because I’m a geek and somewhat contrary I did some reading about the costs of driving your old car vs buying a new(er) more fuel efficient car. And not surprisingly it is complicated. If you want to read more I found this article very helpful. It’s based on data from the Netherlands, but it asks a lot of interesting questions.
The short summary is there is a point at which you are better to continue driving your old car than replacing it with a new(er) more fuel efficient car.
The article talks about things like - new cars are only up to a couple of percent more efficient in fuel use and new cars tend to get driven more (you are more likely to do a big road trip in a new car) and most importantly it costs a LOT of energy to build a new car and scrap and old car (even if you recycle).
The exact age where it becomes worth trading up is dependent on a lot of factors but it looks like from my reading that a 15 year old car is still close enough in fuel efficiency to a new car that the cost of scraping it and building a new car is not worth it.
So despite Damian’s best efforts he may well be helping the environment by driving his old Holden :P.
Of course if the new(er) car is a lot more efficient then that age of replacement gets shorter and it also depends on things like how much of the old car is recycled and also on just how much driving is done. Also if you make your old car more efficient that will always be better. The real point is it’s more complicated than new(er) more efficeient = better for the environment. -
I'm glad to hear that, Bart. I have an elderly but very reliable Legacy that I plan on driving until it rusts or petrol goes to $100/l, whichever happens first.
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What about electric scooters though?
www.kero.co.nz - these are electric scooters, the 2000w one seems to be the most practical one for N.Z. If you are keen on an electric scooter though, and you have an agent in China, these scooters are manufactured here http://erato.en.ec21.com/. I am looking into the 3500w model, and on past experience buying direct from the factory (via an agent) will save you up to 50%, even after you've had in shipped here.
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Senor Christie, may I ask what sort of dosh you have to hand over for a machine like yours?
Retail prices range from ~$4300 + ORC for the ET2 model up to ~$7700 + ORC for the GT200.
Prices taken from ScooterWorld. No association, just found them via Google.
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