2012 Yamaha TMAX with top case

The Yamaha TMAX makes such a great touring companion that I decided to order a top case to increase my storage areas for longer trips. I ordered my top case from my local Yamaha dealership as I wanted the top case to match my bike's white paint. 

2012 Yamaha TMAX with top case makes this sport scooter great for touring

The topcase arrived very quickly, it only took 4 days coming from Ontario to Alberta. 

It still maintains the sporty look of the scooter

My top case size is the 39L and cost $213.95
Rear Carrier is required to attach your top case to the bike, it cost $212.95

You can also add a passenger backrest pad, but I ride solo so I decided for now it's not required

This top case does not come with a lock, you have to order a standard lock set through Yamaha and it costs $20.95

I have put Givi cases on my other bikes, but I find Givi never has the white cases in stock so Yamaha was the easiest and best choice when I needed one. The purchase was well worth it, and I have no regrets. 

My Yamaha TMAX is such a great ride for those long adventures. And now it just got better!   

  

Top Gear Vietnam Special DVD review

I wanted to tell you about this great Vietnam Special that Top Gear did in Season 12, episode 8. It starts off with the boys from Top Gear taking on a challenge to buy a motorized vehicle that will take them from Saigon to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam in 8 days. You could look at it as their version of the Cannonball Run 1000 since they will travel 1000 miles to get to their destination.

This is a DVD you should add to your movie library

This is great fun and very entertaining to watch Jeremy, Richard, and James try to complete all the tasks in beautiful Vietnam. The scenery is at times breath taking and you will want to pack your bags and go to Vietnam when you're finished watching this episode. Of course it would be alot of fun and laughs if you could experience it with these guys, but I assure you they would test your patience, what is very funny to them will become a migraine headache to you! ha ha! Just watch what they do to Richard through this road trip and you will understand what I mean!

I do love watching a great man-trip and this one will not disappoint, they enjoy moments of chaos, shenanigans, male bonding, and of course testing their other road companions.

Jeremy and James pictured on their rides

The boys find themselves trying to buy vehicles with the amounts of money they have been given in shoe boxes, these large amounts of money turn out to be not enough to buy cars, so they are left to try and find two wheeled rides that will get them through the journey and win some bragging rights when they finish. Jeremy is not fond of two wheeled rides and he makes that very clear, however James and Richard are in their glory. Finally they have a huge advantage over Jeremy and the laughs begin.

The chosen bikes:
Jeremy ~ Vespa Scooter 150cc
Richard ~ Russian made Minsk 125cc motorcycle
James ~ Honda Super Cub 50cc

They will try to overcome weather, traffic, poor road conditions, road side breakdowns, mountain roads, and night riding. This is a great DVD for motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts. The boys are great to watch and the areas they travel through are absolutely beautiful to see. It is also wonderful that everytime they needed help the local people would jump right in and give them a hand fixing their bikes. I bought my season 12 on ebay and it is a 4 disc set. My husband has enjoyed watching all the episodes but my favourite is the motorbike challenge. Jeremy, Richard, and James will show you a good time Top Gear style.

It's Not A Race (Scooter Cannonball Run) DVD review

One day while scrolling through my Facebook news feed there was a post from Vespa that showed a movie that required help on Kickstarter to be made. It was going to be about the Scooter Cannonball Run. I was immediately excited and quickly went on the Kickstarter site and made a donation. Then I eagerly awaited for my DVD and poster.

After almost a year wait my Blu-ray arrived. Perfect timing since here in Alberta we are going through our winter season, the best time to watch and enjoy motorcycle and scooter movies. Keeps all of us enthusiasts content and happy while we look outside and see the snow swirling in the winter wind. Awwwe, nothing better than drinking a hot chocolate, eating popcorn, and watching a bunch of scooter shenanigans unfold on the wide screen television. 

The movie It's Not A Race, follows 22 scooterists who will ride from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Portland, Maine, USA. The trip takes our adventurers 10 days riding on an assortment of scooters.

The story follows Lawson, Cory, Oz, Aaron, and Starr. There are also interviews of many others that have joined in the journey of love and hate for the ride. It is alot of fun and quite enjoyable to watch these interesting people as their laughter and also agony reveal themselves as quite a few ride days are 12 to 13 hours. Crazy but I can tell you I would do it in a heartbeat!

As I watched the movie for the 3rd time I can tell you this about the main riders:

Lawson (Vespa 150cc) ~ Constant GPS issues, lots of cursing, and so freaking funny! His agony will become your enjoyment! 

Cory (Kymco) ~ Thank God he talked Lawson into it! ha ha

Oz (Honda Ruckus 50cc) ~ Great guy who is entertaining and having to deal with concern of "The Jinx" from his riding buddy Aaron.

Aaron (Yamaha C3 50cc) ~ Riding with his buddy Oz and teasing him about his scooter issues keep him going, and enjoying it!

Starr (Lambretta) ~ All alone in the manual class keeps Starr a winner. She also does roadside repairs which makes her a cool scooter rider.

Matt (Vespa) ~ Calm, cool, and relaxed, that's the way he rolls!

This movie is very entertaining, funny, amusing, interesting, educational, and scenic. There are so many other people that I have not mentioned and you will have a great time watching and listening to their stories also. I highly recommend this movie to anyone that loves riding scooters, motorcycles, and also doesn't mind a movie filled with alot of swearing. If you ride on two wheels there is something for everyone in this movie. 

To purchase this DVD or a poster, please visit their website:  itsnotaracemovie.com

What kind of people drive a scooter?

When I started riding over 8 years ago, my first bike was a Yamaha XT225 dual purpose dirt bike. I started out on dirt trails and eventually moved on to street riding. Once I got into the street riding it wasn't long before I realized that this bike was not going to be a keeper due to the fact that living in Alberta you have a lot of distance to cover to get to places you want to see, mainly the National Parks and touring into British Columbia.

2009 Piaggio MP3 500 looking like an alien's scooter

When deciding to upgrade to a bigger motorcycle I found that I was immediately drawn to the great advantages of a scooter. The under seat storage, small storage areas located up front with easy access to retrieving your camera or cell phone, kleenex, wallet and plenty of other items you take traveling, it was a no brainer for me, a scooter was what I wanted! And the protection from bad weather was a great advantage also.

2013 Vespa GTV300 ready for a fun ride

I laugh when other motorcycle riders judge people who ride scooters and say it's because they can't ride anything that is a standard transmission. I assure you this is not the case! Driving a standard vehicle is easy for me, I have drove plenty of them. I also own a Suzuki Gladius but find I am constantly wanting to take my scooters out for a ride because they are so much fun!

2012 Yamaha TMax sport scooter

The big thing I notice about scooter people is they are a very casual, relaxed, and fun loving bunch of people. I have not met a scooter rider yet that is uptight and all about their ego, but I can tell you I have met plenty of motorcycle riders that definitely ride only for bragging rights and are HUGE POSERS! Scooter riders also love to laugh, that is why there are so many 50cc Scooter Rallies popping up that have endurance races, and what is more hysterical fun than people riding around at Rallies in costumes, driving all day and all night on a small scooter. Having fun, laughing, and sharing our stories of craziness with other riders is good medicine. It keeps you young and makes you forget about any stress you might be feeling.

While having dinner in Buck Lake we enjoyed the view, gotta love a Honda Ruckus

I recently sold my Vespa trying to downsize my small fleet of scooters and motorcycles but I have found myself back onto the dealership websites picking out my next scoot for this summer. I do have to mention that the Honda Grom isn't making this an easy choice as it just screams fun to me. In 2017 when The Mad Bastard Scooter Rally happens in Ontario this new scoot will have to be a small displacement bike for higher points. It is a on my bucket list of things to do and I can't wait! Driving around on a 50cc scooter dressed in a costume while doing an endurance race just seems like a crazy time filled with chaos, shenanigans, and unforgettable memories. Sign me up!

So if you're debating between buying a motorcycle or a scooter, really give the scooter a second look. I have no regrets buying mine, and hopefully there are plenty more in my future. They can be addictive and offer great times on two wheels. Anything that makes you have a shit ass grin everytime you ride scores huge with me, Well I better get back to shopping, I have a scooter to pick out, so lets see, should I buy a Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia, Yamaha, Honda........oh ya, great times are in my future :)