new-to-me scooter, boondocking outside Boulder

Denver scoot

I took a shower at one of the Denver-area PFs, picked up my Amazon packages at Whole Foods, then headed over to meet with the seller of a scooter I was interested in.

what I was looking for

Having some kind of two-wheeler does a few things for me:

• makes me happy (I sold one motorcycle and gave away two Chinese scooters when I moved into the campervan)
• provides passage into places I cannot go with the campervan due to height or prohibited items.¹
• allows a quick way to scout for additional boondocking spots
• allows the camper to stay in place while I make quick runs into town for packages or provisions

I had a few requirements:

• must fit my body
• must not be excessively heavy, especially top-heavy
• must be able to cruise at ≥50mph without strain. Some of the rural areas I boondock in have 50mph rural roads toward town.
• must be fuel injected. I camp at elevations from 0 to 11,000 feet above sea level. I am NOT going to jack with carbs.

and some preferences

• valves must be screw-adjusted rather than shims for field maintenance.
• ability to kickstart would be nice
• prefer disc brakes front and rear with no ABS and none of that “linked brakes” crap.

Instead of looking for one particular model² I decided to buy whatever showed up that met my needs.

Going into it I knew the bike would be heavy (~330lb wet) but the weight would be low because of the low scooter engine placement. And it didn’t have a kickstart.

seeing the bike

Spoiler alert: I bought it.

Wally had a garage full of scooters and scooter gear and obviously takes care of his stuff. This particular scoot, a 2009 Piaggio BV250 was as close to new as one could expect, and in no way looks 15yo. It has 6,800 miles on it an maintenance records. Recently serviced with new belt, coolant, fuel pump on recall, and a fresh set of Shinkos. Malossi slip-on gives the scoot a throaty but not obnoxious sound.

The BV is a big girl and fits me nicely. Plenty of room for me to stretch out and move a bit. Legs almost straight at stops. It was looking good.

The owner offered to lead me on a short trip around various roads to get some sense of the bike’s dynamics. He did a good job leading on his Buddy 50; lots of advance signaling for turns, staying a good distance, etc. The bike performed well, launching, cornering, and braking predictably and with authority. The big-wheel ride is generous over road irregularities and the footboards extend far enough back that I could stand, mostly, going over some railroad tracks.

loading up

The next hurdle would be if I could get it onto the hitch carrier. It was nearing 100F by this time and Wally and I spent some time figuring out the logistics. It’s obvious I’ll have to modify the carrier a bit to widen the loading ramp and to find a way to secure the ramp to the carrier while loading; it wants to move around. I think a bolt will do it.

We got it loaded and completed the sale.

The only missing thing from my wishlist is a kickstart. I don’t think I could have gotten a better machine for the price.

a stop at HF

I stopped at a nearby Harbor Freight to pick up some 2” straps since the ones I had were too flimsy for a healthy girl like the BV. Here it is re-strapped before leaving:

Not a great pic but it was the only shade I could find to do the rearrangement.

The PM knows the bike is back there but it feels like having a full water tank or something.[^tank] [^tank]: after saying that I did the math; the bike weighs almost exactly the same as my 35gal water tank.

since then

I’ve been exercising significant levels of self control. Haven’t even started the bike since I got her. I was sapped from the heat and exertion on Sunday and went to bed early. It rained a bit yesterday.

Today I installed an SAE connector to maintain the starter battery. Cleaned the battery terminals and wires while I was in there. Before the rain started again today I ran a 12v wire out to the bike to top off the 12Ah battery.

I came inside to stay out of the rain and got insurance from Progressive ($81/year) and downloaded the motorcycle registration packet from the consistently friendly and helpful folks at the Polk county tax office. Not kidding, they are great. They are used to have Escapees folks and so go out of their way to make things work for nomads.

I’ll have to print out the forms at a library and get a M.O. for ~$200 to cover titling/registration/plates/tax. I’ll mail it all in next time I’m in a town.

Boulder boondocking

I’m boondocking at one of those “numbered spots only” places outside Boulder. Wouldn’t be so bad but the limited supply means folks engage in resource guarding: leaving chairs and tents in the limited spots to “save” it for whenever they decide to use it. Grrrr…
I think there are 15 sites and about half are “saved” and unused.

I finally found a spot. Kinda ugly and no tree cover so no one else wanted it. I ain’t proud so I pulled right in.

1. military installations don’t want folks bringing in weapons, hooch, whatever. I may use the scoot to explore commissary privs and also the reportedly well-stocked reloading components on Ft Bliss. ↩

2. The mini shortlist included the z125 and CT125, the scooter list included used zumas and new Genuine Hooligan 170i, the dualsport list included used KLX230, XT250 or a new Lifan X-Pect. ↩