I've been thinking about a new scooter, primarily a 170i. I had a TNG a few years ago, and boy was that a piece of junk. But when it worked it was a blast. Unfortunately, it didn't work more often than it did. I got it from a friend who had it in her garage for 3 years unridden. She used it when she lived downtown, but when she moved to Arvada a 49CC wouldn't cut the mustard.
I've been car free for 4 years. I live in Denver, Downtown, in the Five Points area. I take the train to work in the Tech Center, and ride my bicycle or walk everywhere else. It works really well for me most of the time. I bike out to Stapleton if I need Walmart, or down to Cherry Creek for other things.
It's too far to bike to work, and I don't bother taking my bike on the train. It's a pain in the butt, and I'm only about a half a mile on either end, so I just walk.
Lately though the train has been irritating me. It has been late much more than usual, and it's baseball season, so whenever there is a game the train gets overrun with people who don't understand train etiquette - like standing in line, for example.
I was feeling all grouchy and thinking about buying a car, like maybe an electric Smart car if I could figure out where to plug it in, since I live in an apartment. I don't really want to buy a car though.
So I thought, what about a new scooter? I had looked at the Genuine models 4 years ago when I was having problems with the TNG and they have a very good reputation. My boss had mentioned that a 4 stroke with fuel injection would help avoid some of the carb problems I had which caused the TNG to not start, and foul it's plug repeatedly. Commuting to the Tech Center I would obviously need something larger than 49CC. I was thinking of taking Quebec all the way down - which I think tops out at 45MPH. My commute by train is about 15 miles in each direction.
I'm not sure how feasible this is, and I am also a bit concerned because motorized vehicles enable my natural laziness. Riding the bike to the store forces me to get exercise. When I got the TNG I figured, I will ride the bike when it is nice, and take the scooter when it is cold and crappy. This is the opposite of what I should have done, since the pedaling warms you up when it is cold. That requires motivation, though.
This is long and rambling, but I guess I am looking for advice on how realistic it is to think of commuting to the DTC on a scooter. Obviously, in the winter if it was really snowy or icy I would be back to the train for a day or two. Maybe I would just be adding more stress to my life though, and should just enjoy reading on the train? I don't know. I'm trying to figure out if this is something I should drop 4k on, or if I a searching for a solution to something that isn't really that big of a problem. LOL
I'd be interested in hearing from any Denverites on their thoughts, as well as anyone else who commutes 10-15 miles one way each day on their scooters.
Thanks!
Thinking about it, but shouldn't
Moderator: Modern Buddy Staff
-
frazzledglispa
- Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:58 am
- Location: Denver
-
Th17kit
- Member
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:57 pm
- Location: Corvallis, OR
Hey! You have an interesting conundrum. I think the train will continue to get busier and busier as more people are drawn to downtown living and avoiding i25 and IMO it will take years for people to get used to train riding. So I agree with you that it would be nice to have an alternative.
I'll tell you my experience, perhaps it will be useful. I bought my 150 Buddy when I was living in Golden and working in Cherry Creek so I didn't have to use my car. I took 32nd all the way to Speer, a route which might be similar to Quebec but probably less busy. My job required me to visit hospitals from Boulder to Parker and I would do it all on the Buddy. It really worked for getting around Denver, except I had to be willing avoid the highway. On average I'd guess I was about double the trip time of a car commuter but half the trip time of public transport.
Gradually I started taking 6th Ave downtown because it is downhill and so much faster. This habit started once when I was late so I took it out of necessity. Of course then I started wishing for a more powerful scooter so I could take 6th back uphill safely, but regardless I was very pleased to have gotten one of the most powerful Genuines available at the time. If I had to do it again I might go for the new Blur: cause it's fun to ride scooters, but nice to take highways without jaw clenching stress. Best of both worlds.
Since Denver is so spread out it makes sense to get the most powerful scooter you're comfortable with (besides maybe the maxi scooters) and then you can really use it for everything you might want/need to do.
I hope this is somewhat useful to you!
Ps- I didn't find it much fun to ride in the winter. I had gear so the cold wasn't the issue. It was the exhaust fumes. They don't dissipate well in the winter so in traffic I would breath gross exhaust. I mostly drove my car in the winter.
I'll tell you my experience, perhaps it will be useful. I bought my 150 Buddy when I was living in Golden and working in Cherry Creek so I didn't have to use my car. I took 32nd all the way to Speer, a route which might be similar to Quebec but probably less busy. My job required me to visit hospitals from Boulder to Parker and I would do it all on the Buddy. It really worked for getting around Denver, except I had to be willing avoid the highway. On average I'd guess I was about double the trip time of a car commuter but half the trip time of public transport.
Gradually I started taking 6th Ave downtown because it is downhill and so much faster. This habit started once when I was late so I took it out of necessity. Of course then I started wishing for a more powerful scooter so I could take 6th back uphill safely, but regardless I was very pleased to have gotten one of the most powerful Genuines available at the time. If I had to do it again I might go for the new Blur: cause it's fun to ride scooters, but nice to take highways without jaw clenching stress. Best of both worlds.
Since Denver is so spread out it makes sense to get the most powerful scooter you're comfortable with (besides maybe the maxi scooters) and then you can really use it for everything you might want/need to do.
I hope this is somewhat useful to you!
Ps- I didn't find it much fun to ride in the winter. I had gear so the cold wasn't the issue. It was the exhaust fumes. They don't dissipate well in the winter so in traffic I would breath gross exhaust. I mostly drove my car in the winter.
-
frazzledglispa
- Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:58 am
- Location: Denver
-
skully93
- Member
- Posts: 2597
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2011 3:54 pm
- Location: Denver CO
Frazz,
Coming from someone who lives in Denver too:
DO EET!
w/ the right gear and some fortitude, you can commute most days. It's cheap, and if you are considerate/careful, you can even get away with parking the 'bigger' scoots on the sidewalk, so long as the meter maids don't see the plate. Not that I advocate bending the rules, but....
The ABATE courses are wonderful and fun. A friend who rode his 50cc scoots since the 80's says he learned a ton and enjoys legally riding his larger displacement bikes. Also cuts down on the insurance cost. Passing the course allows you to make an appt with the DMV, show up, walk past everyone else, take a picture, and get your M endorsement.
We also have a TON of local scooter groups that run the gamut, from a very hip Ruckus club to the Misfit Toys and Denver Scooter Meetup, where we ride all over the darn place.
Coming from someone who lives in Denver too:
DO EET!
w/ the right gear and some fortitude, you can commute most days. It's cheap, and if you are considerate/careful, you can even get away with parking the 'bigger' scoots on the sidewalk, so long as the meter maids don't see the plate. Not that I advocate bending the rules, but....
The ABATE courses are wonderful and fun. A friend who rode his 50cc scoots since the 80's says he learned a ton and enjoys legally riding his larger displacement bikes. Also cuts down on the insurance cost. Passing the course allows you to make an appt with the DMV, show up, walk past everyone else, take a picture, and get your M endorsement.
We also have a TON of local scooter groups that run the gamut, from a very hip Ruckus club to the Misfit Toys and Denver Scooter Meetup, where we ride all over the darn place.
-
frazzledglispa
- Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 2:58 am
- Location: Denver
Right now I am leaning toward no. That may change at some point, as I really enjoyed the scooter I had when it worked. I am wondering if I may be trading one irritation (late trains, and rude people) for another (rude people in traffic.) I am very irritable, and remember how happy I was to get rid of my car and not to have to deal with traffic.
When I ride my bike out to Stapleton I leave at 5:30am to avoid having to deal with the sh*t heads in their rage cages, so I am not sure I want to subject myself to them 5 days a week.
Now, when I was riding up the hill on 23rd behind the zoo on Saturday morning, and breathing in the stink of animal poo I did think "I could sure use that scooter right now." Of course, then I wouldn't be burning calories, and really it takes less than 10 minutes to get up the hill, the rest of the ride is pretty flat.
But again, I am very lazy, if I had a scooter I would use it instead of pedaling. I have enough issues with my weight without adding motors to the mix. LOL
So for now I think I am tabling the idea. My boss had a great suggestion to my should I buy a scooter/motorcycle/car question. Wait until winter and see if you still want it.
Good point. In the winter the train zips past traffic on the highway, the Rockies season is over (I never seem to see an increase in ridership for the Nuggets, or the Avalanche, and last year every single Broncos home game was on a Sunday - sweet!) so the chances of my wishing I wasn't on the train are slim.
Of course, all of this would be moot if my company would just move back downtown, when I started with them we were a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Man, I miss that
When I ride my bike out to Stapleton I leave at 5:30am to avoid having to deal with the sh*t heads in their rage cages, so I am not sure I want to subject myself to them 5 days a week.
Now, when I was riding up the hill on 23rd behind the zoo on Saturday morning, and breathing in the stink of animal poo I did think "I could sure use that scooter right now." Of course, then I wouldn't be burning calories, and really it takes less than 10 minutes to get up the hill, the rest of the ride is pretty flat.
But again, I am very lazy, if I had a scooter I would use it instead of pedaling. I have enough issues with my weight without adding motors to the mix. LOL
So for now I think I am tabling the idea. My boss had a great suggestion to my should I buy a scooter/motorcycle/car question. Wait until winter and see if you still want it.
Good point. In the winter the train zips past traffic on the highway, the Rockies season is over (I never seem to see an increase in ridership for the Nuggets, or the Avalanche, and last year every single Broncos home game was on a Sunday - sweet!) so the chances of my wishing I wasn't on the train are slim.
Of course, all of this would be moot if my company would just move back downtown, when I started with them we were a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Man, I miss that