Taking some time to smell the roses – recovered from the Wayback machine
[Originally posted on October 26th, 2016]
While my man never promised me a rose garden, we did manage to buy a house with one: Here is a photo from June of one of the finer blooms. One of the best things about the whole rose bush outside your front door is that you do get to see them during the summer.
What may not happen is getting the scent. Every other day, I check the bushes and dead head the ones past their best. I do this without gloves which bathe my hands in rose oil: the expensive resource in many perfumes. It softens my hands, smells amazing and gives me amazing looking roses.
There is no downside to this job.
When I come home each evening, the roses and my family greet me. It’s a good life.
Pretty, so what?
Yesterday, I test rode a NCS50R which is a 50cc moped from Honda. In the UK, these 4 stroke bikes are limited to 28mph but the really interesting thing is the fact they can be ridden once a 16 year old goes through a Compulsory Basic Training (aka CBT) on a learner plate.
Don’t you have a full license? I remember talk…
Yes, I do, but child #1 turns 16 soon and this would mean his 45 minute commute to school could be done on such a machine in less than 10 minutes including putting on the safety equipment and parking up at the other end.
While in the UK, such machines are seen as gateway vehicles (what you drive until you’re allowed to drive something better), they have a 140mpg consumption rating, depending on how you ride it (115mpg is more likely in day to day use).
As a motorcyclist, the storage is amazing – it will take a helmet under the seat and the one I tried had a top box (like a pizza delivery bike, only curvier and more sturdy looking) which would allow my kid to store his books going to school and the waterproofs ready for the journey home.
Ah, 16 year old on a bike, insurance must be steep!
I thought that. But he has a 2.5 mile commute to school by road so his annual mileage is likely to be less than 2K miles. I got quotes from Carol Nash for 1.5K and 2.5K and there were £30 between the two. He would need to lock it – these machines are so light, they can be picked up by me, let allowed a dedicated man with a van…
Safety, what about that?
The great thing about the CBT, is someone other than his parents will take him through why being seen is important. The use of the horn and judging gaps.
Of course, he may not pass his CBT. He may not like riding a moped. In which case, no problem!
But if a third of all cars swapped for a moped or motorcycle, there would be no congestion on Britain’s roads. These options need to be examined and considered.
While it would be ideal if everyone were keen to use push bikes, the weather is not suitable for significant periods. Wind and rain make cycling horrible and put the possessions you are carrying at risk of damage.
Motorcycles exist where carrying luggage is integral to the design, much like a boot on a car. The Honda NC700X is a great example, storing a small laptop in the “fuel tank space”.
Having ridden the NCS50R, I was impressed with its handling and performance. I wouldn’t want to take it out on the A1 but round town, at junctions and going up some steep hills, it was great.
A 5.5L tank at £1.16p per litre costs £6.38 to fill up and that gives you 140 miles for £6.38 or 21p per mile, plus servicing, insurance, tax (£17 per annum) and tyre wear.
Anyone for an electric moped?
Posted: July 4th, 2018 under 42.