We just got a new scooter in this week. The SYM HD 125. My favorite all round do everything scooter is the SYM HD 200. While my Lambrettas are waiting for parts, I’ve been commuting on the HD 200 this week. And I’ve fallen in love with it again. The 125 shares just about every feature with its big sibling except the engine size. Both are liquid cooled, which is a great feature for our hot weather. Both have ceramic lined cylinders, which means much longer life and smoother running. The 125 has a great price point too… MSRP is only $2,698 (yes that is less than the Buddy 125).
New scooter in town… The SYM HD125
June 10th, 2010Drag Races this weekend
February 18th, 2010Ron and Jimmy, our fabulous and expert technicians are off to Phoenix this weekend for the NHRA Arizona Nationals Drag Races. They’ll be there Friday through Sunday, 2/19-2/21 manning the KYMCO booth with a special guest. They got our their tools and prepped a KYMCO Super 8 with a Yoshimura pipe. Yeah, it is fast! They’ll also be handing out KYMCO schwag and showing off the KYMCO line of scooters.
Come say, “Hi”!
Super Super 8
Let’s Talk About Pressure
February 9th, 2010Tire pressure is the most important pre-ride inspection point. At the very least you should try to inspect and fill you tires every two weeks in the winter and monthly in the Summer. Low tire pressure can cause a loss of control, flat tires, poor gas mileage, and low performance. Standard tire pressure on most scooters is 25-35 psi in the front and 30-40 psi in the rear.
How do you know for sure what the right tire pressure is? Look in your owner’s manual or on the sticker on your scooter. Where not to look? At the side of your tire. The pressure on the tire is the maximum you want to ever put in the tire, not the right pressure. The owner’s manual and sticker pressures are calculated by the engineers who engineered your scooter and are chosen for the right combination of performance, comfort, and safety.
Pressure can be personalized for a softer or harder ride and the rear should be raised by 5psi when riding a passenger to maintain performance characteristics. You are always welcome stop by Scoot Over for a FREE tire and pressure inspection. Compressed air can also be found at most gas stations and it is the same air hose your car uses. Unfortunately, they often charge for it and you will usually need an air pressure gauge (pick one up here for $4). Scoot Over also offers a huge selection of economy, performance, and whitewall tires to keep your scooter looking great, and performing well. Please call our team of Scooter Specialists at 520.323.9090 with any questions, or to schedule an in store service, scooter pick-up/drop -off, or Mobile Service.
Care and feeding of your scooter’s battery
January 23rd, 2010Unlike my 1960s Lambretta scooters, modern scooters come equipped with electric starters powered by batteries, very much like a car. Actually one of my Lambrettas has a battery, but it is only 6 volts and only powers the brake light, horn, and parking light. No fancy electric starter on these old bikes.
We get a lot of calls from customers whose scooter won’t start. After making sure that the kill switch is set to on, we then ask how long it has been since the scooter was last ridden. If it is a long time, chances are high that the battery has discharged to the point that it 1) Doesn’t have enough power to run the starter and 2) Probably needs to be replaced. The lead-acid batteries used in scooters and motorcycles (usually) will not hold a charge if they are discharged too far.
Although scooter batteries are being constantly recharged while the engine is running, they are only receiving a ‘top up charge’. Scooter batteries are not rechargeable like mobile phone batteries, which run almost completely flat then can be recharged. Once a scooter battery drops below the level required to start the motor (usually around 12.4 volts), it means that the battery is starting to fail and is going to have to be replaced because it will no longer hold a charge. Unless you are a diehard scooterist who rides almost every day, you should get yourself a battery charger. (We sell them, of course. A great one costs only about $30.) The battery in your scooter will lose between 1/2% to 1% of its output PER DAY. The rate is very sensitive to temperature, too… The discharge rate at 95F is TWICE as fast as 77F and 130F is pretty much lethal. Our desert summer temperatures are very hard on batteries.
The best (and most fun) thing you can do to ensure a long life (up to 3 years) for your battery is to ride your scooter often. If you aren’t going to do that, your best bet is to get a charger.
Here’s a nice long article that goes a lot deeper into the chemistry and theory behind scooter and motorcycle batteries:
AWESOME BUDDY ACCESSORY: Gen-U-Bin
January 23rd, 2010So many folks fell in love with the Buddy scooters for the attention to detail: retro styling and color combos but forward thinking 12V outlet for the iPod or cell phone with the tray! Take that practical tray, multiply the function by 10 and you own a Gen-U-Bin. Hot cuppa’joe in the winter, replenishing Gatorade in the summer stands upright and ready to grab in the built-in cup holder. Tuck your phone or music player securely in a snap lidded compartment and rock on.
In stock and ready to install at Scoot Over.
Clean as a whistle
January 9th, 2010
Our beloved, classic 1978 Step Van that we use for deliveries and services was tagged twice! I hate tagging because it is a very cowardly act. I have used grafitti removers to remove bad rattle can paint jobs on old Lambrettas and Vespas before. Never had to use it on actual grafitti until now. It worked like a charm, with Beth’s help.
2009 Downtown Parade of Lights
October 30th, 2009
The 2009 Downtown Parade of Lights is coming soon! This year it is on December 12 and Target already has battery operated Christmas lights in stock. Scoot Over has sponsored a group every year since 2003 (we won an award 2 years ago) and this year is no different. Mark your calendar and plan to join us. 2 of our favorite scooterists live on the parade route and offer us a place to decorate and prepare for the parade. The parade is a blast and we are always a crowd favorite. After the parade, we meet back at their house for post parade refreshments. It’s hard to describe how much fun this is.
You’ll find more pictures on our Community page.
Fall Classic Scooter Rally is Next Month!
October 29th, 2009
Are you making your plans to attend Tucson’s annual scooter rally? This year the rally turns 22! It’s one of the longest running rallys in the US, probably the world, too. The fun starts on Friday night, 11/6, at Club Congress with registration and meet and greet and live music. (The picture is from the meet and greet in 2003.) Saturday “morning” (translated into scooter time, it might be close to noon), join the ride through the Rincon Valley to Sonoita, Patagonia, and up to the campground north of Nogales. If you stay and camp, there is food, beer, and lots of scooters. Sunday, we ride home.
Don’t let all the pictures of vintage and classic scooters keep you away… ALL scooters are welcome, and there’s a heck of a lot more of us riding modern scooters these days.
Don’t wait till the last minute to bring your scooter in for a pre-rally tune up, or hop up. We’ve got some great go fast packages for Buddies!
Visit the rally web site for more info on the rally, or stop in.
Great Financing on SYM Scooters
October 29th, 2009
Our scooter companies are always working on ways to help us help you get the scooter you want to buy. Here’s the current deal from SYM:
Financing by GE Money
* Valid on purchases up to $5,000 on all new SYM Scooter models and all new Carter product purchases made through 12/31/09 that are madeon a GE Money Sport consumer credit card account. On promo purchase, monthly payment is required, but no finance charges will be assessed if (1) promo purchase is paid in full with 12 months, (2) any minimum monthly payment on account paid when due, and (3) account balance does not exceed credit limit. Otherwise, promo my be terminated and finance charges assessed from purchase date. On promotions requiring a minimum payment, payments over the minimum will usually be applied to those promo balances before non-promo and other balances. If you have a non-promo balance, this may reduce the benefit of your promo. If you want to change this allocation, please call Customer Service. Standard terms apply to non-promo purchases, optional charges & existing accounts. As of August 31, 2009, variable APR: 22.99% & on all accounts in default, 29.99% Minimum Finance Charge $2. Subject to approval by GE Money’s Sport Finance Program. “
Come on in and fill in a credit application. We want to help you ride away on your new scooter.
I <3 Plexus
October 6th, 2009
Plexus Plastic Cleaner is a must have for every scooterist! I use it mostly on my helmet visors to keep them clean and scratch free. In fact, that’s what it was invented for… Well, not quite, but close enough.
From their website: “Plexus® was developed for use in the aviation industry – specifically, for cleaning and protecting aircraft windshields and painted surfaces. As Plexus became more and more popular, people quickly discovered it could be used on a limitless variety of plastic surfaces. Since then, Plexus has continued to grow in popularity, and today it is recognized as the most effective plastic cleaner, protectant and polisher on the market.”
My dad used it on the windows on his Cessna. Pilots need to see to be safe, just like scooterists. Plexus is cool stuff because it cleans up your stuff, makes it shiny, and protects it by putting on a micro-thin layer of shiny, protective wax. And that will make your stuff last longer. It even resists scratching!
Unless you are addicted to old classic scooters like I am, you have a lot of beautiful colorful shiny plastic on your scooter. Plexus is perfect for it. In fact, the last step of every service we do is to give you scooter a quick cleaning with Plexus.
We carry it in 13 oz cans for $8.99 and pocket sized 0.5oz cans for $4.79. The smaller, pocket sized one is perfect for you glasses. I use it on all my glasses and sunglasses.