8/12/2008
Wow, it's been a long time since I have written I've been really busy. I just got back from a few days at a business conference in San Diego. I've not only been busy with work and family, but with the planning involved in a ride like this.
I got my auxiliary gas tank delivered to my office, it isn't the tourtank that i had talked about, in the end it was just too much to spend for a gas can. I ended up buying one from ebay that was made for a go-cart for 29 bucks. Brad at Tulsa Scooters is hooking it up to the gas line as we speak. The tank holds 2 gallons It will sit on the rear rack. I'll add some pictures and a description of how it is hooked up as we get closer. I've added some foam grips to reduce the vibration from the buddy's front shocks. I added a throttle-lock to be able to rest my right hand every once in a while as I am riding. I've added some 12 gram Dr. pulley roller weights, which I may be removing before the ride. They don't seem to add much top-end and I know the take-off speed has been reduced by the heavier weight. When I first got on it I could tell it was much less responsive at the throttle than it used to be. I may go back to the original weights or I may get some 11 gram Dr. pulleys instead. the Dr. Pulleys aren't as easy to come by, and Brad seems to think that the Dr. Pulley just cant do much better unless you change the variator all together. The Dr. pulleys can't push out much further than the stock weights.
I purchased some Fieldsheer pants to go along with my Jacket. The two zip together so give the feel of a one piece suit. The pants are the Four Season Pants from Fieldsheer, they are basically a mesh pant with a very heavy liner for cold weather. So In the summer time you can wear them with shorts or even just underwear (beware mesh will reveal the color of your undies, no vital parts are exposed these are PG-13 pants) In the spring and fall you can wear pants underneath (if you're gonna do this buy a size larger than you think you need) In the winter they have a quilted down filled liner that seems like It'd keep you warm in some pretty cold temps.

The same week I purchased some Frank Thomas stunt boots. They have a little less ankle padding than a hiking boot or something so they should be much more comfortable on the scooter. They have steel shanks for a stiff sole and plastic disks at the ankles for abrasion protection. They are very comfortable, unfortunately they don't come in half sizes so you just have to pick the size above your normal size. I have to say they are comfortable, but the first time I put them on I tore the loop at the back of the boot that you pull to help get it over your heel. I am worried now the I may have other stiching problems with them but I'll let you know.

Both packages came in the same day, it felt like christmas. It did for me anyway when my wife come home to see the boxes of gear on the floor she shook her head and said something like "this trip is gonna be expensive..."
I cannot say how they perform in any weather as It was 105 degrees out the day they arrived, and my bike is now in the shop getting ready to rumble.
I've yet to get my airline ticket to San Francisco I am trying to decide whether to go 1 or 2 days early depending on how I get my bike out there. I need to buy it soon as flights are selling out and prices are rising.
The closest stop we'll have to my home town of Tulsa, OK is Fort Scott, KS so my wife will hopefully be skipping a law school class to come and Greet my arrival into Ft. Scott.
My father has volunteered to meet me in St. Louis with a pick-up truck and follow me for the last few days of the ride. We'll then put the buddy in the back and head for home. It is great to not have to buy the plane ticket home or pay to have the bike shipped back but the best part will be spending some time on the road with my dad. This will be one of the thousands of road trips that we've been on together.
I've made hotel reservations. I've not yet made reservations for shipping my scooter via forward air as a few other options have come up. I have discoved u-ship which is like an e-bay for shipping large items and I have corresponded with a trucker that may be able to take it for much less than forward air will charge. Without having to build a crate for the motorcycle i will have to pay $600 to ship to San Francisco. The trucker is willing to ship it to a local scooter shop for $400, now I just have to get the local scooter shop to agree to take the delivery. Timing is everything shipping either way, with forward air I will have to ship out almost a week before it needs to arrive. With U-ship you are sort of on the timeline of the trucker who is carrying your scoot. Then there is a guy from Kansas who is taking his scooter in a truck and I'm trying to convince him to take the scooter instead. So I have a few options. If one of the cheaper options doesn't pan out in 2 weeks i'll have to go ahead and cal forward air to be sure i can give them enough lead time.
If you have any input on my gear questions please drop me an e-mail at robonz23@yahoo.com