James Rogers - Proud SYM HD 200 Scooter Owner

by James Rogers
(Wichita, KS, USA)

My new SYM HD 200 scooter

My Starbucks mug

Fall in the Flint Hills of Kansas

A used up bus pass

Jim loves his SYM HD 200 scooter!

Scooter Owner For: 3 weeks as of Aug 11, 2008

Reasons for Owning a Scooter: Because scootin' is fun!, It's good for the environment, I can save money on gas

How Used: Around town, Back & forth to work

Longest distance I've ridden: Between 10 & 25 miles one way

Fastest speed I've gone: Around 50 MPH

My Story: Actually planning to sell a car and commute on my scooter to work every day

Comments for
James Rogers - Proud SYM HD 200 Scooter Owner

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I Love Your Blog!
by: Kathi, Site Owner

Hey Jim... I finally got a chance to read through most of your blog and I really enjoyed it. I'm sorry to hear about your recent accident, though. Sounds terrifying, but I'm glad to hear you're on the mend. As a nurse, I think you're doing the right thing by listening to your body and balancing the whole wimp/tough guy thing. Hope you keep feeling better & better and are back on Max before long.

Thanks again for sharing your blog and also your club website.

Kathi

Thanks for Sharing, Jim!
by: Kathi, Site Owner

Thanks for this post. I look forward to checking out your blog and the other site you mentioned as well. Good to hear you're having such a great time with your scooter...

7/23/09
by: Jim Rogers

It has now been a year since I purchased "Max", my SYM HD 200. I now have over 4,100 miles on "Max". A lot has happened recently and I thought Kathi and a few others might be interested in another update.

With the help of a few other people we have gotten a scooter club organized here in Wichita and have had some very fun get-togethers.

A couple of weeks ago we took a drive down to another city south of here to visit the local A&W Drive In for root beer and food. It was a blazing hot day, but a very enjoyable ride. We have only existed as a club for about 3 months now, but one of our members set up a dynamite little website for us which you can view at:

http://wichitascooter.webs.com/

People here seem to have been starving for a club and the chance to get together with other riders. We have all types of scooters in the club from SYM, Genuine, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Kymco, Vespa, Aprilia and others.

I have also gotten into reading scooter and motorcycle blogs. Many of them are very informative and interesting. Some of them contain some of the funniest stuff I have read in many years, even if a couple of them may be a bit R rated in content. I have gotten to know some very nice and interesting people through this process, even if I have never met them face to face.

In May I even started a blog of my own. It is called "Premeditated Scootin'" and you can find it here if you wish:

http://cpa3485.blogspot.com/

It is sort of a personal diary, most about scooters and 2 wheeled vehicles, but with a few other things thrown in as well. I have been posting articles about twice a week and it has been very fun. You can learn a lot from some of these people and there is a huge network of scooter and motorcycle bloggers out there.

Ride Safe Everybody!

3/10/09 - More SYM HD Adventures
by: Jim Rogers

[Winter Riding]
I now have 2,200 miles on the scooter and have ridden throughout the winter except for about 10 days when the snow or ice prevented riding.

On days when I cannot ride I take the city transit to downtown. I would much rather ride, but the bus works fine. Part of the trick in winter riding is to dress properly and through trial and error I was able to come up with some clothing configurations that made the ride tolerable, even enjoyable.

With multiple layers of clothing I usually am quite comfortable. The weakest point in my clothing has been my gloves. In weather below 20 degrees, I have trouble keeping my fingers warm even with a silk liner, a fleece liner and waterproof gloves. Maybe I'll get some electric gloves someday, but the commute only lasts about 15 minutes and I can usually stand it for at least that long.

I recently purchased some armored mesh jacket and pants. This outfit has 2 liners, one windproof, and the other, a heavier liner for cold. It is well made and is some of the best money I have spent. It will afford me some additional protection in case of a crash as well as being very useful in a variety of weather conditions.

Commuting through the winter has been a challenge, but is actually quite enjoyable most of the time. I get some strange looks from people in cars, but they do not know how much fun I am having. I certainly do not mess with trying to ride in snow or ice.

Take care all and ride safely!!

Jim

10/20/09
by: Jim Rogers

Another little update. Lots of stuff has happened.

I had an accident on July 31, not seriously hurt, but banged up a bit. Didn't ride much for a couple of weeks. I am fine now and the scooter has been repaired. I think I was hurt worse than the scooter. All I can say about it is "Never trust cage drivers!" Especially ones turning left.

But the more recent news is that I just went on my first relatively long trip on the scooter. I went back to Topeka for a high school reunion. I traveled on county roads and state highways and avoided the interstate. During the total weekend

I traveled a total of 490 miles through the Flint Hills of Kansas. The traffic was light and the weather mostly beautiful. It could have been a bit warmer and the ride back was really windy, but was one of the best experiences of my life.

You can read more about it on my blog.

Ride safe everybody!

Jim

11/6/08 - More SYM HD Adventures Part 2
by: Jim Rogers

cont'd from previous comment:

Performance wise, I have been very very happy with my purchase of the SYM HD200. It has awesome performance up to 50 mph or so and I feel very confident and safe in city traffic. The scooter is supposed to be capable of 75 mph or so.

I have had it on the highway just a couple of times. The fastest I have had it to is about 65 mph. But I find that I am uncomfortable riding it much above 50 mph just because of the wind. It can be very windy here in Kansas. You can really get blown around and the thought of laying it down at that speed scares me a bit. (No, a lot!) I think I am very happy just riding it in town on city streets at more reasonable speeds.

I am very glad to see comments on my review of the scooter and am pleased to report that the scooter has really exceeded all my expectations. The dependability, economy (running about 75mpg) and exhilaration I get from riding has made it all worth it.

Thanks again, Kathi, for having this site and letting me post my thoughts on it.

Take care to everybody.

11/6/08 - More SYM HD Adventures in Scootin'
by: Jim Rogers

Just about time for an update from Kansas. Been meaning to do this for awhile.

I now have over 1,100 miles on my scooter (in 4 months)and all is well. I have been commuting to and from work ever since I bought the scooter and I find that I actually get upset on days where the weather is so bad and I can't ride the scooter to work.

I am lucky to be able to garage the scooter both at home and at work. Keeps the weather away except when I am out riding it.

I did buy a top case for the scooter and it has helped immensely with the storage issues. I can keep lots of extra clothes, gloves, etc in the new case. I didn't mention previously that there is a little hook on the front of the area where you normally put your feet. It's great for hanging a backpack there.

I teach a class at a local college and frequently use my backpack, and there's usually a lot of stuff in the backpack as well. I used to bungee it to the rear rack, but now find that the hook in front is better because the center of gravity is lower and scooter handling is better.

The weather here in Kansas varies a lot and since it has gotten much cooler, I have had to modify my clothing a bit. Some clothes I had that I thought would work out well in cold or wet weather didn't work out so well, so I bought a new jacket, boots and waterproof lined gloves. I think I am set for cold weather pretty well.

I find it amazing how the wind chill increases exponentially when you are riding. I take the city bus to work in really bad weather, but have ridden in rain and at night and really haven't had any big problems.

I am amazed at how bad some drivers really are. Maybe I notice it more on the scooter. Haven't had any real scares, but I am extra cautious and always plan ahead and watch for potential dangers. Have a brother in law that had a bad accident with a motorcycle about a year ago. He's fine now after recovering from a brain injury from an accident where a driver clipped his rear wheel. He wasn't able to see it coming at all. So be safe out there!

And how about the motorcycle low five waves with the left arm. How much fun is that! I actually thought that motorcycle riders would look down on us scooterists, and some do, but over all I have had some great conversations with motorcyclists and I think many of them are impressed with my scooter and what it can do.

cont'd in next comment

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James Rogers - Proud SYM HD 200 Scooter Owner