Last month we exposed Sacramento scooterist to the jewel of Yolo County. No, I’m not talking about Cache Creek Casino (though we haven’t ruled that out for a group ride one of these days). I’m talking about the quaint little river town of Knights Landing.

Not much to stop and look at in Knights Landing, so…we didn’t.  Instead, we buzzed right through, choosing instead to enjoy the other portions of this scenic route. May’s shop ride led scooterists north out of West Sac along River Road which winded it’s way up the Sacramento River as cool water breezes and warm Spring air made for a delightful cruise. Our group just brushed the outskirts of Woodland as we turned north and headed along Road 102 toward Knights Landing. We then scooted back over to the river’s edge and hopped up on the narrow, but peaceful levee road.  After winding our way into Knights Landing, we headed back to base at The Scoot Shop.

There were zero breakdowns or mechanical issues on this ride and were it not for a vintage running out of fuel (in town so not a huge issue), this was a near perfect ride. The pace was good and the ride leader carefully briefed all the aspects of the route to be aware of before we departed. When the riders returned to the shop, they were rewarded with a special deal just for them - - a little thank you for participating in the ride. Several riders took advantage of a deep discount on our popular Mad Maps, which detail dozens of scooter and motorcycle routes across Northern California and the Sierras. We like the idea of a "Rider-only" "Ride-day" special and plan on continuing the new tradition for our future months’ rides.

We hope to have all our riders back for next month’s ride and are always eager to see new faces, as well. Between now and then, stay safe and get scootin’!

Tires may very well be the most overlooked part of a scooter. But ask any professional and they’ll tell you that along with suspension and brakes, your tires are the most important component on your scoot. Unlike a car that has four wheels (Really!? Since when?), scooters rely on just two (narrow) wheels touching the road to not only maintain traction, but to transfer power to the ground and keep you upright. Your scooter tire has to be soft enough to maintain traction in all conditions, yet hard enough to last more than a few hundred miles. That’s why today’s motorcycle and scooter tires are quite a bit more sophisticated than some people might think.

Most owners are largely concerned (and rightly so) with getting the most mileage out of their tires. Tires and tire changes aren’t free. We’ve seen quality, name brand tires wear out in as little as 3000 miles. But keep in mind that, generally speaking, the longer a tire lasts, the harder the rubber. And hard rubber doesn’t tend to "grab" the road as well as softer rubber. Additionally, how you ride can impact your tire’s lifespan, as well. A 30 mile daily commute, straight shot down Highway 50 is going to wear your rubber faster than short trips in town to the store or even a weekend ride in the "twisties".  

So, as with many aspects of scootering, the "right" tire comes down to a matter of what kind of riding you are going to be doing. Again, generally speaking, your scooter’s manufacturer matched your scoot up with the best type of tire for the particular application. It’s best to consult the experts when considering switching tires. Now, how do you tell when your tire has reached its limit?

There are a number of factors and indicators to look for. The first is the tread-wear indicator that’s built into your tire. Typically, there is a small arrow (a triangle shape, usually) that is raised on the sidewall that points across the tread face to "bars" of rubber between the tread. When this bar is even with the surface of the tread, you’ve reached the recommended minimum tread depth. Most often, tire manufacturers recommend a minimum tread depthof 1.5mm. You can check this depth with a depth gauge or the old trick of taking a penny and turning Abe upside down and sticking him between the tread. If the top of the tread doesn’t come to the top of Abe’s head, it’s time to replace your tire.

Another thing to look for on your tires, especially on an older bike, or when considering purchasing a used bike, is cracking. Tires begin "off-gassing" the second they come off the assembly line and the rubber continues to degrade and breakdown forever. Eventually, as the rubber becomes dry and brittle, small cracks will form, usually on the sidewalls and along the tread valleys. This is bad and is a sure indicator that it’s time to replace your tire.

For this reason, the lifespan of a tire, regardless of mileage, is generally no more than seven years. You can actually check the date your tire was manufactured by looking for a 4-digit code on the sidewall. This code is stamped on the tire and is usually found near the D.O.T. stamp. The first two digits represent the week of the year the tire was manufactured (52 weeks in a year), while the second represents the year. So, "3808" would be the 38th week of 2008 (or the week of September 15th, 2008).

So, we know age and mileage wear out tires. What else do you need to know? Tire inflation, either over-inflation or under-inflation can cause uneven wear to your tires and reduce their service life. Under-inflation, in addition to making for poor fuel economy, will cause the face of your tires to "cup". The outer portions of the tread face will wear faster than the center strip. These outer strips are often softer rubber than the center strip (remember that it’s the outer strip that’s maintaining contact with the road in a corner). Under-inflation is often the cause of premature tire failure.

We see it all too often. Customers will bring their scoot in for service, only to find that they were 10-20 psi low or more. Often times, the air gauge actually reads zero! Yikes! It’s so important to check your tire pressure often. But many of us don’t think about it or don’t want to fuss with it. Not to worry. There is an easier way. Special valve stem caps (available at your favorite scooter shop) are designed to instantly show you, at a glance, if your tire pressure has dropped 2-3 psi from the recommended pressure. Trust me, they’re worth every penny.

A safe scooter starts with a good set of tires. Stop in today for a free tire inspection. We’re more than happy to do whatever it takes to keep you on the road and as safe as possible. Now, get out there and get scootin’!

You may not believe it, but trust us…neither did their owners. We’ve already seen more than one scooter come in this season for service after their owner reported, "I was riding and all of a sudden it just died and I couldn’t start it again." After closer inspection we find that the engine is seized up. The culprit…no oil!

While not bone dry, several more scooters this year have come in with dangerously low oil levels. In these cases, catastrophic damage may have been only a few miles away. No oil? How could this be? Oil is the lifeblood of any combustion engine. Everyone checks their oil, right? Wrong. 

We understand that, as with cars, not every scooter owner is interested or inclined to check their own fluid levels. And for the most part, that might be fine as long as you are bringing in your scoot for service on a regular basis. We’d love to service your scooter for you, but there are some basic checks that should be performed periodically at the user level. Checking your engine oil level is one of those basic checks. "I didn’t even know where my dipstick was," is not an ok response to dangerously low engine oil.

Motor oil performs five basic functions: lubricates, cleans, seals, cools and protects. Typical scooter engines utilize a wet sump oiling system where engine oil collects at the bottom of the crankcase. When the engine is running, an oil pump circulates the oil throughout the engine by way of a series of ports where oil squirts out onto the moving parts. Most oil pumps are "constant displacement" which means that in order for oil to be pushed out of the pump, oil has to be sucked into the pump (thus "displacing" the oil in the pump).

If your engine oil level is too low, you may not be getting oil to the key places in your engine where it is needed. The oil will not be able to do its job. It won’t be able to reduce friction (lubricate), thus causing excess wear to critical components like your piston, rings and cylinder walls. It won’t be able to keep the engine cool, which not only risks seizing your engine, but affects the ratio/mixture of air and fuel in your engine.  It won’t be able to protect the metal from corrosion. It won’t be able to seal the cylinder as the piston moves up and down, thereby creating a loss of power. And it won’t be able to keep your engine clean by removing harmful particles to be suspended and filtered out by the oil filter.

OK, so I’ve convinced you that its vitally important to check your engine oil. So now the question is, "how" and "how often"? To find the answers to these types of questions, the first place to look is always your owner’s manual. As a general rule, I would say you should check your oil at least once a month.  The easiest way to get into the practice of checking your oil is to make it a habit. Find a set time each month, say… every Friday before you ride home from work or every pay day, that you will always check your oil. You could keep an oil rag in a ziplock baggie under the seat. Plus, stash away a couple of Grease Monkey wipes for quick and easy clean-up. Lastly, how you check your oil is also important.

Again, always consult your owner’s manual first. The customary way to check your oil is to let your engine warm up to operating temperature by letting it idle for about 15 minutes. Then, cut the engine and with your scoot on level ground, you can remove the dipstick. Wipe the dipstick with a clean, no-fiber cloth (you don’t need lint getting in your engine). Now, this is where you really should consult your owner’s manual, because most dipsticks are designed to be inserted back into the hole, but not screwed down when checking the level. In that case, simply push the dipstick back down the hole and pull it back out. There should be markings on the end of your dipstick indicating the low and high oil level marks. For safe operation of your scooter, the oil level (as indicated by how high on the stick the oil is) should be between those two marks. If you are low, add the recommended oil for your scooter. If you are high, call us so we can assist you with that.

Congratulations! You just preserved the life of your two-wheeled little buddy. Now get out there and get scootin’!

I realized that many of you have not yet met Destiny, our intern here at The Scoot Shop.  Destiny started a few months ago and has been working on a project to help us get our parts and other miscellaneous items organized back in the shop.  I asked Destiny, a student at The Met Sacramento, to write an entry for us and this is her first contribution to The Scoot Shop’s blog.  If you stop by on a Tuesday or Thursday, make sure to say hi to Destiny and tell her a neat fact about you and your scoot! 

“Before I came to intern at The Scoot Shop, I thought nothing more of scooters then them being “cute”.  I didn’t see them very often mostly because I didn’t know what I was looking for.  Having never been exposed to the Scooter world before, I didn’t know there was much else out there other than the traditional Vespas.

Thank goodness that all changed about 4 months ago, when I took my first steps into The Scoot Shop.  I am now fully aware that scooters come in all different colors, shapes, sizes, makes and models.  Plus, there are tons of accessories from gloves and jackets to cup holders and bungee nets! 

I love being here!  The people we meet are amazing, and the stories we hear are incredible.  I think the most important piece of info to pass on is always, always, ALWAYS wear a helmet!!!

I look forward to riding a scooter of my very own so I, too, can know what it’s like to scoot.  I can’t wait to be part of the scooter movment.

I wanna Ride!”

Destiny Marrison

On Wednesday we were excited to have the opportunity to visit the San Francisco headquarters of Ultra Motor, makers of the hottest electric bikes on the market. We get lots of requests at The Scoot Shop for alternative transportation options. Therefore, we did a bit of research and discovered Ultra Motor’s awesome lineup featuring the A2B Metro and Velociti models. These electric bicycles are designed and engineered in Berlin, Germany and manufactured in Taiwan. The bikes offer plenty of power and best of all, require no special registration or license! You can significantly reduce your carbon footprint by going with a zero-emission vehicle without sacrificing power and fun.

While in SF, we met with several members of the Ultra Motor team.
We are confident from our experiences with Ultra Motor that they offer the highest level of customer service as well as excellent dealer support. We got hands on technical demonstrations and, of course, tested out the different models. The Scoot Shop will start with 3 electric bikes, the Portia, A2B Velociti and A2B Metro. We have several colors in stock and can easily get anything we don’t have so you can get on the road fast. Once you try one of these A2B bikes, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one.

Offering another option for scooting around Sac, the A2B electric bikes also have optional accessories, making them the perfect commuter vehicle. You can load it up and go. With the ability to peddle or use the throttle it’s up to you how hard you want to work to get there. Heavy on the torque, the A2B can pull you up a hill if you get tired or just help you get where you’re going faster. We are very impressed with the build quality and fantastic modern design of the A2B products. We’re told by the folks at Ultra Motor that electric bikes are popular with couples looking for a fun activity to do together. With the holidays quickly approaching, consider a pair of A2B electric bikes. Come by The Scoot Shop and see them for yourself, they’re even better in person!