No-Ped in Worcester

Although I called it a moped, my Tomos is apparently a "no-ped" in that it has no pedals. I've been riding it to work and back when weather permits (we had a recent spate of good weather), which is 40 miles round trip. The bike runs great, but I have to say, the seat sucks. Not very comfortable after a mile or so, and very uncomfortable after ten miles.

In spite of this, I've put over 300 miles on the Tomos, which my wife has nicknamed "Zippy," apparently in reference to the pinhead that rides it, moi. A friend of mine, when he saw the Tomos, asked me, "So have any of your friends called you a crazy idiot yet?" I've gotten some odd looks, but drivers seem to assume that I'm on a motorcycle, which in traffic is a good thing -- they come up more slowly -- and I feel much safer than when I've ridden a bicycle in the same circumstances.

Now that I've put on over 250 miles, some maintenence needs to be done. I've got to change the oil and tighten the chain, for starters, so I'm not commuting on the Tomos until I've made sure I don't run out of oil or throw a chain. Throwing the chain would be VERY BAD. But I'm looking forward to spring, and A NEW SEAT.

Moped Around the House

After spending a summer working on a 1980 Vespa Grande moped, I relented and bought a 2005 Tomos Arrow moped to ride until I actually succeed in getting the Vespa running. The Tomos, although a 2005, is new, so I've spent the last week breaking in the engine, riding it daily back and forth to my job at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton. That's about 20 miles each way by Route 70 north and 110 East.

Never having ridden a moped before, I can only compare it to a bike. The Tomos handles a lot better than a bike, as it has big, fat scooter tires and shocks front and back. It has been damned cold, too, and unlike pedaling a bike, riding a moped doesn't warm you up. The full-face helmet helps, though.

The best part was riding into a gas station and filling up with $2.00 of gas. Every time I take the moped instead of the car to work, I save about five bucks. Now I just need to find some fellow riders in Worcester so I can start a moped gang.