Another winter project: homemade footpegs...

Over the winter months I came up with 2 ideas for adding footpegs to my Ruckus. The first one was adding BMX pegs to the frame just under the seat. Honda has provided holes there and all it takes is a set of BMX pegs and a few washers and bolts. So I got those and added them on and took the scoot for a spin. First time I went to put my foot down I hit my ankle bone on the peg sticking out! OUCH! I thought, "oh well, get used to it and see if you like it." I tried it out for a few more days and finally took them off. I just did not like their interference in my foot placement. That idea is tabled for now and I am not sure if I will try it again in the future.

The second idea was to add a footpeg set-up to the front of the scooter floorboard. I had seen some mods on-line for purchase, but they involved removing the entire floorboard and I did not want to lose that space for foot placement. So I made my own. I took a length of aluminum rod (from a mop handle), added some bicycle grips for footpads, and bungeed it onto the front of the floorboard. It is totally secure, removable, and lightweight. I like this option and will ride with it some of the time.

More winter projects...

In addition to finally naming my scooter, I spent a lot of time over the winter on TotalRuckus.com reading in the Epic Journeys and Rides and Events forums. I am posting a pic here of a group of Ruckus riders who gathered last year for a gathering and rides in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. This ride was sponsoreed by BlueRidgeRuckus, an awesome Total Ruckus forum member. Riders came from everywhere and they are planning to do this again in 2011.

I downloaded a few of his panoramic photos of their rides and this is one of my favorite here. This photo kept me going through the snow and ice and sleet while I trudged to the garage and started up my Ruck once a week and let her idle on the stand for 10 minutes to keep her juices flowing!

Anyway, it was great fun reviewing all his photos and with his permission I may post a few others. Click on the pic to go to TotalRuckus.com, one of the premier web sites for Ruckus lovers. It is a great place to hang out and meet new on-line scootin' buds.

Almost spring!

Wow! It has been awhile since my last post in November! Though today is a rainy, gloomy March day I have gotten 2 brief but chilly rides in on the scoot in the last month when we had amazingly warm, sunny days. Just about 5 miles apiece and I still got cold while bundled up like an Eskimo. But it was glorious to be able to ride a bit!

My "scooting life" has been mostly in my imagination over the winter, but I have made some changes to my ride. Small, but significant. First, I finally settled on her name which has taken awhile to emerge. I had bought a Peanuts salt and pepper set of Snoopy and Woodstock on a motorbike/scooter. Snoopy is "Joe Cool" and Woodstock is the faithful companion. I added them to my "little scooter shrine" out on a hallway table. The "shrine" has a few other scoots, a yellow Vespa scooter and Snoopy riding with Woodstock on a motorbike with a sidecar. Seeing this set-up with those two on a red motorbike/scooter it hit me: my scooter's name is "Woodstock"!

Not only because of Woodstock himself being a "faithful companion" (as my scoot is!) but because I also have peace signs on my scooter and relate that to the passionate era of the '60s (my generation) and the concert at Woodstock-peace, love, and happiness, Baby!