Vroom

A couple of months ago I decided I would buy a motor scooter. I've always wanted one to putt putt around on. As a adolescent, many of my friends had motor scooters and motor bikes. They were kind enough to let me ride with them and, on occasion, let me take a spin on my own. For the past several years I've looked at scooters, read reports on scooters, and daydreamed about them.

I went to the local scooter store and looked at the Genuine brand. They are known as good dependable scooters.

In Mississippi to operate a scooter with an engine larger than 50cc one must have a motorcycle endorsement on the driver's license. That means you must take a written test, a driving test, and plop down some dollars and you are in business. Since I really have no experience I decided I should sign up for a motorcycle safety course which will exempt me from the driving test.

Still shopping for scooters, I started making the rounds of all the motorcycle dealers in the Jackson area. That was a mistake or maybe it was good. When I went to the local Yamaha dealer, I found a small motorcycle that had a 250cc engine. I sat on it. It felt comfortable...more comfortable than the scooters I had been sitting on. The cost was just a shade more than a scooter, but it has much more flexibility.

That got me interested in small motorcycles. I searched the internet to find out which were good starter bikes. All the information seemed to point to the venerable Honda Rebel and the Yamaha Star 250. Both engines are the same size. The spec's for both bikes are almost identical. They are both comfortable to sit on. So I inquired of a friend who has a Rebel and is getting a bigger, faster bike to see if the Rebel might be for sale. The answer was in the affirmative. So I went to see the bike. I liked it.

But, everything has to fall in place before I can purchase and ride it on the streets. I need to get a motorcycle endorsement for my driver's license so I sought out and signed up for a motorcycle safety course where they teach new riders the proper way to handle a bike.

In order to take the safety course, I have to have a helmet, a protective jacket, gloves and boots. So I went on the web to do my research. I purchased a helmet locally about a week ago. I have been trying to order a jacket in high visibility yellow which looks like neon green. Lo and behold I cannot get high visibility yellow in any of the jackets I like. So today, I purchased a red one and I purchased a pair of gloves from a source on the internet. For boots, I plan to use my old Army combat boots which are still in good enough shape to pass inspection.

Now all the pieces are starting to fit together. I'll have the protective gear in hand by the end of next week. I'll take the motorcycle safety course the weekend after. Then comes the license and, hopefully, the bike will be delivered the weekend following Easter. The bike presently lives in a town in South Mississippi and the owner has graciously offered to bring it to my house via a pickup truck.

Then, that exciting sound, "Vroom, Vroom, Vrooooooom".