Time saving machine

It's been a few weeks now that I ride my Symone to work (not all the days thou, I still have no confidence at rainy conditions).

But I can now make some analysis of the difference between riding a car and riding my Symone.


It's a really time saving machine! 
I'm so glad I've decided to buy a maxi-scooter :)

Still feel like a rookie on the road, still very afraid of cars and other motorcycles, but even so I still can make better times than ever by car.

Best time ever by car, mid summer when the city was empty and didn't stop on red lights, took me some ~16 minutes. Average time by car going to work ~20m, going home ~30m .
Best time ever with Symone, in a normal day, took me 12 minutes.
Average time by scooter going to work ~16m, going home ~15m.

These results are on the "normal" conditions...

Since the start of using the scooter I've faced 5 major traffic jams...
If I've drove the car those days none of those traffic jam could be made in less than an hour.
With Symone... It's been smooth... :)

First impressions

I've never own a motorcycle before. In fact, I've never drove a motorcycle until two moths ago, when I took a 4 hour beginner course. I choosed the bike from reading magazines and reviews on the net. I didn't performed any test-drive on any machine (much due to my lack of experience and fear of some casual fatality).

(click to enlarge)

The price was one determinative aspect in the final choice. Compare to similar motorcycles, the SYM GTS 125 Evo is cheaper.
Also the looks... the bike is very beautiful, no? At least for those who like maxi-scooters, I believe it is.
And the technical reviews from magazines and fewer articles and posts on the net were also very positive.

So the choice was made... and yesterday my brand new bike was delivered...

With lot's of caution, some mixture of anxiety and a little fear, there I was trying the bike around the streets of my neighborhood. Very slow at first and then speeding it up a little. I drove it for an hour or so.

I loved the feeling of riding it. Felt really nice and secure.
Easily turned on the roundabouts, nice acceleration, nice breaks.
Very pleasant... for an rookie like me that is.
It seems that in comparison tests there are better scooters in every other aspect, but overall I was very satisfied with it. And that's what counts. :)

There are some minor issues nevertheless...

It's a very heavy scooter, 162kg (162 kilograms, 5714 ounces, 357 pounds). I mean, heavy. At least for me.
It's hard to turn when stopped. To enter and exit small spaces it will be a challenge... and I have to arrange a way, since my garage will be packed with 2 cars and the scooter (I know, my fault. But I never though it would be so difficult to turn on small places, specifically on the backwards mode).

(click to enlarge)

The other disappointing topic is not about the scooter it self... It's a mix of stupidity, distraction and beginner error. I also bought a great looking helmet, which I assume would fit onto the enormous space available under the seat. It doesn't. Just for a tiny little bit, but it doesn't fit. And since I made a very small scratch on the helmet, must probably the store will not exchange it for another. Damn.

Piece of advice: make a list of stuff you need to check prior to the moment of buy, and check it and recheck it on the store. This was a detail I remembered when first went choosing helmets, but due to last change switch totally slip my mind.

The space under the seat is really great, big, probably can fit two helmets, but be aware of the size, test them first if possible.

Unfortunately today started heavy rain... so I just stare at the scooter and did this blog...