One Month, Two Wheels

It's officially been a whole month since I've given up on cars.



Over the last 30 days, I've only piloted a four-wheeled automobile on one occasion - and that was to sell it... so that doesn't really count, right?

Even when facing mother nature's tears (commonly known as rain), I just somehow don't feel the draw to cage myself for the trip. However, we shall see how things fair soon when Florida's (mildly) bitter cold winter sets in.

I've clocked over 2,000 miles since registration in July and plan to continue piling them on until the little Ruckus has paid itself off through commute savings alone in Spring. Then, I just might move up to a big-boy bike.

Last week had me bravely (read: stupidly) testing out a short stretch of Interstate - my first and last time. The relatively-near future will likely hold a trip to South Florida - very possibly my first trek as an adult to the Florida Keys, where scooters are king!

My scooter-media blitz is still in the works. Fans have been pushing for a blog - can't let them down. I'm also considering mobile updates while on the road courtesy of Bluetooth and Utterz.

Until next time - peace, love and 49cc's!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Ruckin' To Work

If you've been keeping up with Cakeplow, you already know that I feel in love with the little Honda Ruckus scooter within the past few weeks.

I looked around to find one for myself, but with the rising gas prices, they're becoming pretty scarce, and people are starting to gouge prices by nearly 50% over retail!

However, I found just what I was looking for, but had to travel to Georgia to pick it up! Within 24 hours, I was there and back - read more about it here. Regrettably though, I had to miss our first picnic.

Then it happened again! Not a week goes by and I find another one. However, this one has less miles, is cheaper, and has 50% of its worth in upgrades - but was two times as far away! Being the crazy man that I am, I skipped another party and traveled to Fayetteville, NC to pick it up - read that story here.

The original Ruckus turned into a Birthday Present for my girlfriend, and we can now cruise together - it's loads of fun!

After a little bit of trouble getting tags for the out-of-state scooters, I was ready to strap on my helmet and ride it to work - all 26 miles! I diligently planned out the best route which was less than a half a mile longer than taking the interstate.

Jump ahead about a week and I'm on my fourth day of riding with no regrets. I even picked up a new spiffy helmet to keep my noggin safe and looking good!


By saving $6 per day on gas, I only have to ride to work another 35 times to pay it off and then another 20 to pay off the jacket that's on order. However, if I ride it to work for the rest of the year, the scooter will literally pay for itself in gas savings alone (even if prices don't go up, which they will)! Not even a Hybrid can do that in less than ten years!

That's it, gotta go get the Ruck out of here!

What's all this Ruckus?

As we all know, gas prices have been soaring high. Even with my fuel efficient Integra, I'm still not satisfied with my gas budget.

So I came across a possible solution: The Ruckus!



It turns out this little gem can get over 100MPG! At $2000, they could pay for themselves just in gas savings over a year. I hadn't really ever considered a scooter until this project got me interested.

I fell in love with the look, and over the last few days I've been reading everything there is to know about it. The only problem is that they are no where to be found! My great idea is just a little too late.

However, I've been scouring the country to find one. I'm currently negotiating a potential deal in Iowa and am considering taking a week and riding it home myself while taking in the countryside. This may seem a little crazy crazy, but a legend among the online Ruckus community, known as WAN, has already done this - more than once! He's driven coast to coast, visiting up with avid Ruckus enthusiasts along the way. His Ruckus is also being raffled off for charity, as he is leaving to go back to his home country, Korea. Click here to see some of his pictures from his second journey.

As for me, some local enthusiasts have greeted me with open arms and invited me to give their "Rucks" a try. I'll be continuing my quest until I find the perfect Ruckus, or the '09 model years hit the showroom floor!