Genuine Hooligan 170i Scooter Review

Ok, so I got down to my local scooter shop, Metro Scooter, and took a new Genuine Hooligan 170i out for a joy ride!

Sitting side-by-side with a Buddy 125 it is not that much bigger. I would not call it a "maxi scoot" by any means. It did not seem taller either. The floorboard is a bit wider-about the width of a Honda Elite 110 floorboard, but more generous fore and aft.

This really handy dandy black cargo net stretches over the floorboard, connecting to tabs on the side, which is really cool for hauling home pizzas, birdseed, or whatnot!

There are niches in the front of the floorboard that are nice for placing and resting your feet in a forward position.

Now I ride my Psycho with a low-profile seat and I figured I'd barely be able to reach the ground on the Hooligan while seated. Not so!

With my 29 inch inseam I was comfortably resting on the balls of my feet while at a stop.

I don't know if the Hooligan will take a low-profile seat, but it would be awesome if it did.Just a tad bit more foot on the ground would be nice for shorties.

The same comfortable ergonomic "reach" that I experience on my Buddy was there on the Hooligan too. Also the nice rubber grips that feel perfect on the hands were there.

The Hooligan mirrors are similar to the C3 mirrors-more of a flat, oval shape which offer a nice wide view to the rear.

It also has a little storage cubby under the handlebars like the Buddy but not as big. The under seat pet carrier is significantly bigger/longer than the Buddy, which is a plus. I did not see a 12v outlet, as on the Buddy.

The gas cap is mounted on the left of the cubby hole and the gas goes in and flows down into the under-floorboard gas tank, which is unique. There is a photo of this on the Scooter File review. It's ok with me as I like having the gas tank under the floorboard for increased center-of-gravity balance.

Now for the ride: fast off the line! 15 ponies is the claim and they are running wild, let me tell you! So here I am, blazing along, and I look down and could not find the speedometer!

Turns out it is digital and it is positioned to the right side and a tachometer is a big round dial to the left side of the dashboard.

Ok, but I would prefer just a regular dial speedometer as the digital one was harder to see in the bright sunlight. But I could live with it.

Going at about 50mph the scoot felt SOLID thanks to the bigger 12 inch, wider tires (Hooligan front: 120/70, rear: 130/70) and the slightly longer wheelbase than the Buddy. (Buddy WB: 47.6", Hooligan WB: 50.6")

These are my main interests in this scooter over the Buddy 125 Psycho, not to mention the 170cc fuel injected engine and the double disk brakes and enhanced double rear suspension.

All this makes for a solid, easy handling high speed ride that does not feel twitchy or unstable. And it is a smooth ride due to the double suspension and fatter tires! Not a bit of road bump or roughness.

This only lends to more comfort for longer distance riders.

As far as maneuvering it at slow speed I did not notice much difference between it and the Buddy. It does not seem to have much of a bigger turn radius. The handling felt intuitive and easy.

The look of the scoot was cool, stealth, curved with a little angle, and compact. I liked it!

I probably would go for the Army matte green if I got one because I like the "nature motif" in the color scheme, but it was sharp in matte black too.

Here it is in Army Matte Green:

(Photo courtesy of Scooter File.)

Would I like this scooter at some point down the road? I think so. It is going to be more versatile due to it's faster capabilities, small enough to grocery hop, offers a bit more storage, more stable ride, and is fuel injected.

An awesome joy rider, commuter, or even tourer. In fact, I think it might be the perfect scooter for me!

Approximate cost is $3800 OTD. No accessory information is available at this time from Genuine, according to my local dealer.

Thanks to Seth at Metro Scooter for letting me to test ride this awesome scoot!

It is one cool machine!

Read more about the Hooligan 170i:

www.motorscooterguide.net/Genuine/Hooligan

www.scooterfile.com/scooter-reviews




http://www.metroscooter.com/

Classic Car Rally Scoot

So after I left the School House Restaurant in Camp Dennison I scooted down SR 126 into the village of Old Milford and got on Rt 50 heading east.

I turned right at the traffic light at Rt 131 and rode over to the River's Edge commercial area.

Here there is a popular steak and burger joint that was hosting a classic car rally. They seem to have a lot of motorcycle related events and motorcycles were everywhere!

(This photo is the property of Quaker Steak and Lube restaurants.)

I parked my Yamaha C3 among the Harleys and got off to explore the expositions...

Here was an old hearse that caught my eye...

There were many beautiful cars, some antiques, some customized, showing their stuff...

So many! I took some photos of some of my favorites...

Not sure why this "kid" was posed inside the engine compartment. The sign revealed no clue and there was no one around to ask. I thought it was creepy, yet sort of cool...

I love old trucks! Here's one that brings the Schlitz right to your door...

Grandpa must have lost his choppers while working on this engine...

A flaming hot Lincoln...

A '55 Chevy! The first car I ever rode in as an infant coming home from the hospital...

A "mini me" version is hitching a ride on the rear ledge...how cute!

Beautiful custom paint jobs that sparkled in the sun! Love that lime green...

Some Schwinn banana seat classic bicycles got in on the show...

The sun was beating down intensely and "Hoot" was calling my name from the "Hog Pen", so I saddled up and rode toward home...

It was a pretty nice rally, complete with music and food. I really enjoyed myself!

I did not get a tee shirt because they only took cash, and I had none on me as has become my habit. Oh well, maybe next time!

Camp Dennison Civil War Scoot

Yesterday was a beautiful day with mild temps, low humidity, and plenty of sunshine. So I set off on an afternoon of riding the C3, with no particular destination in mind.

I started my ride by slowly scooting down some winding back road twisties along a little creek about 3 miles from "the cottage-by-the-mall". This country lane is all but hidden from the darting eyes of frantic car drivers and manic moto mongrels who are always in a hurry as they traverse the landscape.

I never knew it was here myself until I became a slow scooter rider.

This is the main road down into the valley where I then traveled a back road into Milford:

Here along this creek bed I came upon a doe, who stood quietly on the side of the road and watched me glide by as I hit the kill switch on the bike and immersed myself in silence tinged by the sweet rush of the stream and birdsong:

I was not able to capture a photo of the doe as she turned and bounded off into the woods before I could pull out my camera. Such a beauty!

Not my pic, but I felt she deserved a tribute!

I then rode along on a main lower valley road after this which eventually led me into the village of Milford.

Here I stopped in a little Catholic cemetery to rest in the shade:

I rode around for a while in the old part of the village and then headed out SR 126 to seek out a popular small grocery that sits beside the Little Miami Bike trail.

Here I stopped to grab a bite to eat and to explore some of the new historical signage that they have added alongside the bike trail.

I parked the scoot near the picnic tables and went inside and came out with a mett and a Pomegranate-Berry Vitamin water and some peanut butter Ritz bits:

After a snack I headed a few miles down the road to the The School House Restaurant at Camp Dennison. The greenery in front of the restaurant was pretty overgrown, so I took some photos from the sides and back of the building:

The restaurant is actually the original two room school house from 1863 that served the children of Camp Dennison through 1952. More history and details about the school house and restaurant owners, the Millers, can be found on their website listed below.

Camp Dennison was a Union Civil War camp that bordered the rail road line that ran alongside the Little Miami River. This same rail path is now the Little Miami Bike rail trail.

Here at the Camp 1000s of Union and Confederate soldiers were stationed and Morgan's raiders invaded Ohio along the nearby rail tracks. Interestingly, President Lincoln's campaign train also traveled these same rail tracks at one time. It is one of the few designated Civil War sites in the state of Ohio.

There are lots of historical markers near here in a little Civil War memorial park and more historical detail can be found in the links below:

Here is the Waldschmidt House which served as the headquarters for Camp Commander:

I tried to capture the details of the school house signage, but it did not come out very well. You can see the photo of the school house as it looked in 1863, however:

In back of the school house sits a little general store. Next to this is a little area where geese, ducks, and frisky goats usually are romping about. Today there were no goats and only one lone goose:

Now I am wondering where my beloved goats are and there was no one around to ask, unfortunately, as the restaurant did not open until 4. I hope they return soon!

Some rustic art around the general store entrance:

I turned and saw a baby bunny!

She was hopping right beside the front entrance:

The restaurant serves up all their food "family style", meaning you sit at a table with a big "lazy susan" turn pad and they bring in your main course of fried chicken or country fried steak or whatever and then everyone at the table gets the same sides.

Usually these are mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, green beans, kernel corn, homemade cole slaw, tossed salad (with awesome house dressing!), and homemade dinner rolls.

The day's menu is drawn up on the school room black board and you are seated in the classroom while you eat!

The food is fabulous and a carry out bag lasts several days if you need to stop and go while on the run rather than dine in.

Their pies and cakes are extra special Nummy!

The restaurant is where I usually park when I bring my bike to the Little Miami Bike Trail as it runs behind the restaurant. At some point soon I will do a blog entry about the bike trail, which runs over 70 miles north from Milford.

After I left The School House Restaurant I scooted homeward and ended up at a classic car rally on the way. I will post pics and do a sequel blog on that whole experience and call it "part 2".

Related Links:

http://www.theschoolhousecincinnati.com

http://littlemiamibiketrail.com/">http://littlemiamibiketrail.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Dennison

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Welcome_To_Ohio_History_Central

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2013/07/ohios_new_john_hunt_morgan_her.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_in_the_American_Civil_War