Still Chinese, But Looks More High-Quality Than the Temu "Random Letters Are Our Brand Name" Stuff

With a new, better motorcycle, I'd been planning to buy a new, better air pump. I've had two Temu products (one for each of the old bikes). One shit the bed after about six months; the other has held on, but I can't say I really trust it.

Of course, I kept forgetting that I needed to, you know, actually buy the thing until today when I was watching a FortNine video that is "sponsored" by a "PSA" (about 45 seconds in) advising me to "check my damn tire pressure":

And, of course, the "PSA" recommends a brand and offers promo codes (in the video's description text) for discounts on several models. After looking at reviews (and noticing that Ryan FNine prefers this one) I got $6 off the Fanttik X9 Ace Mini (not an affiliate link, but presumably FortNine will get a taste if you use the promo code).

Because I know the trolls will be chiming in with "why not American?" BS, I looked for an American maker of motorcycle air pumps. There's one -- and their product looks fairly large, seems to rely on manual checking of pressure with a separate tool, and has to be connected to the bike's 12-volt battery. The Ace X9 Mini is compact, runs off its own USB C charged battery, and monitors the pressure itself (you can even tell it what pressure to inflate to and walk away -- it will stop when it hits the correct pressure).

I'm planning, Real Soon Now, to consolidate all my ride tools (inflater, plug kit, wrenches, sockets, etc.) into one kit that I can just move between bikes instead of having three separate, but usually incomplete, sets, one always on each bike.

I Guess I'm Riding a Bagger Now

But only when I want to. The Viking Bags 28-Liter Pantheon Saddlebags (not an affiliate link) come with "quick mount/release" hardware, so I can have them off in about 30 seconds (there's an internal lock so no one else can remove them, at least easily).

They arrived this morning, I installed them in 15 minutes or less (as advertised!), and took them on a quick test ride. No unseemly rattling, etc. I stopped mid-ride to snap a picture.

Pretty sweet. I think I'm going to like them, and they'll definitely make long-distance, multi-day trips more practical.

Key Motorcycle Choice Metric

While at my local Kawasaki dealership looking at the bike I got, I also sat on one of the other candidates: The KLR 650, an adventure touring bike that arguably answered better to certain characteristics I sought in that it's more configured toward carrying luggage, etc. for touring.

But the KLR 650 has a seat height of 33 inches plus, and I have a 32 inch inseam. So, impossible to flat-foot it on both sides at stops. Even at kickstand lean angle, my toes barely touched the floor. At my age and with my knee problems, not ideal. The time would almost certainly come when I'd roll to a stop, lean the bike over to put my left foot down, and just go on over.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, which had been my target bike, has a slightly, but not much, lower seat height, adjustable from 31.5 to 32.5 inches.

The Eliminator has a seat height of 28.5 inches.

These seem like small differences just looking at the numbers, but it's the difference between stability and instability for a rider of my height/inseam at stops (or,  in off-road or soft-sand-road riding, when needing to get a foot down for a controlled-skid turn).

My other two bikes range from 28.7 inches for the Lifan KP-Mini 150 to 30.7 inches for the Italica Bulldog 150. On the Lifan, I can easily flat-foot it; on the Bulldog, not really ...

... but a factor to co-consider is weight. the Mini and Bulldog are much lighter bikes, coming in at between 220 and 250 pounds, wet. The Eliminator is next up that scale at 330 pounds. The KLR and the Himalayan, 400 pounds plus. An extra 100+ pounds would make a big difference coming to rest with the support of an unreliable knee.

So that turned out to be a big equation for me: If I'm going to ride a tall bike, it also needs to be a light bike, which probably means, at most, a 250cc air-cooled job. And those don't produce quite the power/speed I want for longer rides that entail at least some freeway travel.

I've got more than 200 miles on the Eliminator now and am starting to get comfortable with it. In addition to higher speed potential, it also has taller tires (18" front/16" rear vs. e.g. the Mini's 12" pairing). That sounded scarier to me, but the taller tires handle bumps and potholes a lot better and feel a lot more stable. The rear tire has yet to break loose on the sand roads I ride (including the cow path I live on ... but if it does, that lower seat height will make easier for me to get a foot down.

Lena Mae: The First 150(ish) Miles

Perfect mix of a ride yesterday: A few blocks of city street here and there, about 80 miles of "country highway" (including what passes for hills and curves -- near rivers, that is -- in north central Florida), and a little bit of the "sugar sand and ruts" country road action. Finished the day with the odometer at 147 miles.

Running a top box with maybe 8-10 pounds of rain gear, etc. didn't seem to affect the handling or aerodynamics at all, and the bike didn't disappoint on any metric -- speed, power, handling, comfort, etc.

I was especially impressed with the part I was most worried about, that "might as well be dirt single-track" stuff. She just plodded along through sand/ruts with almost no rear-wheel slaloming, etc., none of it wild enough to feel like pending loss of control. If I want to ride on that kind of stuff for fun, I'll crank up the Lifan KP Mini 150 and see how many bones I can break. But when riding to get somewhere, I prefer boring and dependable performance where the terrain gets sketchy (I'm fine with just getting my jollies by riding fairly fast on pavement).

So far, this bike looks like the right decision for my "forever bike." It will get up and go, and it will settle down to low-speed work when that's what the situation calls for.

I think spending a couple of years on cheap, light, small-displacement bikes first actually served me well. 

Those smaller bikes are simultaneously more demanding and more forgiving.

I had to learn to use a clutch that might as well have been made in 1970 before moving up to the modern "slipper/assist" clutch. The difference is quite noticeable. It's just easier and feels slicker. But I've got muscle memory helping me do things right instead of just counting on modern technology to fix my miscalculations for me from the beginning.

I had to learn to get myself out of trouble with ~15 horsepower at my disposal instead of ~45 horsepower.

But at the same time, I only had to worry about wrestling (when it came to that) 260 pounds of motorcycle weight instead of 390 pounds, and I had a lot less money at stake repairing or replacing a badly damaged bike if I messed up, which allowed me to be more comfortable taking some risks to see what happened.

For the Most Part, I Won't Be Modifying the Eliminator Myself ...

... but this was an easy, five-minute exception.

BEFORE*:

AFTER:

It's from Wolf Line via Amazon (not an affiliate link). It's a Kawasaki Intruder specific, rather than "universal," rack, rated for up to 45 pounds.

At some point I'll put my large top box on it, probably semi-permanently, but I probably need to run to the hardware store and pick up some large washers first. I have a ride planned for tomorrow and will likely just bungee a backpack with my rain gear, etc. onto it.

UPDATE -- AFTERER:

Instead of waiting to get to a hardware store after figuring out how many and what sizes of u-bolts, washers, etc., I'd need, I decided to just use about 3 million zip ties to attach the top box ... for now. The sheer quantity, and the ability to fasten it from so many different angles, is probably about as good as four or five steel bolts on a rack like this. I may very well go from a top box to a top bag (in concert with my saddlebags) on a permanent basis anyway, and I had the zip ties lying around, so ...

* The "before" photo is not of my actual bike -- I forgot to take one and grabbed an image off the web to show the bike in stock condition. The "after" photo is the real Lena Mae.

First Round of Motorcycle Accessory Purchases

I have slip-on covers for the two older bikes ... when I remember to use them and I'm not in a hurry.

For Lena Mae, I don't want to leave that to chance. So (not an affiliate link):

Matches my tent in terms of color, or close, and will have room for related stuff to spare. Arrives early next week.

And (not an affiliate link):

Neither of my other phone holders fit well on the bike. This one is supposed to, and it's inexpensive. I may upgrade later to something with a vibration dampener, etc. I keep hearing that the Eliminator's parallel twin vibrates a lot. I haven't noticed that it does so nearly as much as one of my thumper engines. Arrives tomorrow.

I'm already scoping out the saddlebag/tank bag/top box/rack situation, but I'll be taking my time with that one. It's easy to get a thousand bucks deep in luggage, which I don't plan to do. I'll be on a budget but very selective.

I'm Already Pre-Shopping Luggage Options ...

 ... for the Kawasaki Eliminator 450 SE. And I already found something interesting:

I hadn't even been thinking about a "sissy bar" backrest, but now I am, for two reasons:

1. It costs about as much with a 22-pound-rated luggage rack as some of the luggage racks I'm looking at; and
2. The bike is comfortable to sit on, but I suspect that cruiser-style seat might be be hard on my lower back on longer rides (which is why I am also considering after-market bench seats, etc.).

I have a top box that would likely fit that rack just fine, and I'm not sure I'd need additional panniers even for longer trips. The engine guard has good mounting points for bags, I could run a tank bag for smaller stuff, maybe even a fork bag for tools and/or ultralight camping gear.

This things would get rid of the pillion seat, but I'm really not expecting to be hauling any passengers, other than perhaps trying to talk Tamara into taking one short ride, early on (I had to haul her to work on my little 50cc scooter once when her car broke down, but she just generally hates the idea).

I won't be making any decisions until I've put a few miles on the bike, but I'm already seeing options that are somewhat less expensive than I had anticipated.

Coming Soon

Put a deposit down today, picking up Wednesday:

It's a 2025 (new old stock, not used) Kawasaki Eliminator 450 SE in Metallic Matte Old School Green. Beautful machine. I initially skipped past this bike on the dealership's web site thinking "green -- ugly" but I kept getting pulled back to it and it grew on me. Much more distinctive than their black, white, or gray options.

451cc, liquid-cooled, dual overhead cam, parallel twin engine. 47 horsepower. Listed top speed is 100 mph, but real world tests say 102-103. Anyway, at least 20 mph more than I'll need under ordinary conditions. 150+ mile per tank range, and I expect to stop more often than that whether I need gas or not. If I'm crossing e.g. Nevada and Utah, I will bring a fuel can.

Two things were biggest in making up my mind to just pull the trigger on this rather than looking at others.

One was seat height. I found the KLR 650 taller than I liked to get on and off of, and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is taller than this bike, although not as tall as the KLR. This bike has a seat height of 28.9 inches, and height-adjustable foot pegs. I have an inseam of 32 inches, so I can flat-foot this, and adjust the pegs if I find the rider posture cramped. I may move to a slightly taller after-market bench seat, but I'll give the stock seat a chance first.

The other was that my nearest Royal Enfield dealerships are all ~100 miles away, while my local Kawasaki dealership is 20 minutes away; and that Kawasaki has seven times as many US dealerships as Royal Enfield. Since I don't intend to wrench on this bike myself beyond maybe oil changes, I prefer a nearby dealership for parts (at least) and labor (probably). And when I'm on the road, I'll almost certainly be closer to a Kawasaki dealership than to a Royal Enfield dealership should I happen to break down. There's also the break-in period -- I'd have to get the Himalayan home the first time in 30-minute, sub-50-mile increments on highway. This, I can ride home at mostly street speeds, then take out on short jaunts over a couple of days. 

It's a roadster, not an adventure touring bike, but I think it will handle Florida's worst roads without too much trouble and I have no ambition to explore 50-mile dirt single tracks in the Smoky Mountains. After my own body weight, I have 150+ pounds of capacity for carrying luggage, and I'm already looking at aftermarket racks for that purpose. I almost bought a pretty much color-matching compact tent I saw at a store after committing to this one. I may go back.

For those busting at the seams to ask if it's US-made, the answer is no. Some Kawasakis are US-built, but the Eliminator is built in Thailand.

Interesting Bike Discovery ...

This is the X-Pro Navy 150 (not an affiliate link) at Walmart:

Looks a lot like my Italica Bulldog 150 (except in gray -- there's not a yellow model on offer).

Because, for all practical purposes, it is an Italica Bulldog 150. Same engine, same frame, structurally identical and, except for some exceedingly minor styling differences and brand name, otherwise identical.

Oh, and it's about $500 cheaper. That doesn't include the assembly I got when buying the Italica through my local dealer, but definitely not a bad deal if you'd like a Honda Navi but aren't willing to pay twice as much for the Honda name and a smaller engine and can do some fairly easy assembly work yourself.

I got my Lifan KP Mini 150 with the X-Pro branding, and since the experience with that has been excellent I'm not scared of buying that brand.

Even after I move up to a larger motorcycle, I think I will always want one of these around the house for in-town and short-distance rides. I might go with this one, or with Italica again, or find a used Navi, but they're just so convenient and fun to ride that I'd hate to live without one.

The Bike Is On The Road Again ...

... and doesn't appear to be leaking after having the cover removed/replaced. I'll be keeping an eye on that, though.

My impressions so far:

Having to shift gears is taking some getting used to. It's not giving me too much trouble, and I like the added control a manual transmission offers, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't missed the Continuous Variable Transmission Bulldog a couple of times.

So far, the top speed has been less than 60 miles per hour (57 or 56, I think), but I expect that to go up as the engine gets broken in and everything gets well-sealed/seated, even before I install all the performance-enhancing parts I've got on hand or ordered.

The natural riding posture is very close to that of the Bulldog, which I like -- sitting upright unless tucked to increase speed. I haven't decided yet whether the seat is as, or less, comfortable. If I decide it's less, there are after-market options for that.

BUT! When it comes to after-market options for anything, finding stuff made specifically for this bike is proving more difficult than I expected.  Some parts, like a rear rack, may have to be purchased as "universal" parts and then messed with to make them fit. No biggie. At present, I'm not seeing any reason why this shouldn't be my main personal vehicle for 5-10 years, so I've got plenty of time to personalize it in various ways.

One plan for the near future is to find a good camera mounting point and finally figure out how to use the older GoPro a friend donated to the cause. Although I will probably try the phone camera first -- I think the phone holder position may work out OK for that.

A Ride In The Country, Etc.

Yesterday morning, Tamara was busy and not prepared to be out and about, so I decided to ride the Italica Bulldog 150 over to Alachua for a breakfast buffet.

I never made it to the breakfast buffet. I took a wrong turn, decided to just explore, and ended up covering about 80 miles while seeing some new territory (none of it more than 20 miles or so from home), finishing up with what was supposed to be a quick breakfast at McDonald's.

Fun ride -- an elderly lady approached me while I was gassing up and told me how "cute" my bike is: "It looks like a wasp!" I thanked her. I had, the day before, gone over all the yellow fairings with "protectant" wipes, and the yellow is back to its factory pop.

Less than fun McDonald's experience.

McDonald's is no longer really very well-equipped to take orders and accept payment at the counter. For one thing, they're just not staffed for it. They expect customers to input, and pay for, their orders at automated kiosks.

On this particular morning, two of the four kiosks were down hard, while the other two could take an order but not let you pay for an order. It took my order, then gave me an order number and told me to pay at the counter.

So, I got in line at the counter, and frankly that process seemed to move fairly quickly, except for one upset customer who happened to be two people in front of me. As best I could understand the prequel to my arrival, she thought she had ordered X, but had instead ordered Y; the manager had attempted to fix things, and had ended up refunding her money and telling her she could keep the food she got.

But this lady ... wanted. I didn't count the "I wants," but they were well into two figures. She didn't want this food, but as soon as the manager shrugged, said "OK," and started to walk away with the food, it was "I WANT MY FOOD." And the manager would hand her the food. And then she would shout "I WANT" X where X was apparently the thing she thought she'd ordered, and the manager would offer to either sell it to her or replace the order there on the counter with it at no upcharge, at which point no, "I WANT THE FOOD I [THOUGHT I] ORDERED AND THIS FOOD" and the manager would explain that after a refund and free food, she wasn't going to get an additional order at no charge. "I WANT A CODE" (for free future food). No, she wasn't getting a refund, and free food, and more free food in the future.

This went on for about 10 minutes.

At about the ninth bazillion "I WANT," I said "I WANT YOU TO GET OUT OF THE WAY SO I CAN GET MY BREAKFAST."

At which point, the manager asked her to leave, which was met with another round of "I WANT"s. Then someone else yelled "CALL THE COPS," and the manager already had the phone in her hand.

At which the point lady exclaimed that it was just fine if the cops were called because "I WANT." And manager, who continued to speak in a calm, measured, nearly angelic tone, said (again) "Ma'am, I've taken every reasonable step to satisfy you, and now I'm asking you to leave."

At which point the lady had some kind of physical tantrum involving her arms, with one hand managing to slap the motorcycle helmet in my hand, and for a brief instant I considered responding to that as physical aggression and slapping her good and hard across the face ... with the helmet.

I'm not like that, though, so even though someone behind me said "I think that qualifies as assault," I just stood there. I'd said my piece and I was unharmed.

Finally, the lady took her food. Walked away. And as she approached the exit, threw her coffee and her food at the wall before walking out.

I've only seen tantrums of that type in checkout lines a couple of times, and this was by far the most drawn-out and tedious such incident (I did, however, dine at a Burger King in Hollywood a few days after Jerry Lewis apparently threw such a tantrum, and when I asked the girl at the counter if this was that Burger King, it turned out she was the very one he'd yelled at because he wanted breakfast after they had switched to lunch).

So anyway, fun ride, not as fun breakfast. Although I do wonder whether my upgrade (I ordered the Big Breakfast, but received the Big Breakfast with pancakes) was intentional compensation or just an error.

In other motorcycle news, I finally have some panniers/saddlebags on the way from Walmart, and a transparent custom sticker with the bike's name (Olivia D) on it on the way from Temu. A recent arrival from Temu was a pair of sub-$5 fleece "handlebar mittens" -- I ordered plain black, but for some reason I got ones with big pictures of something called "Lucky Bear" on them. I guess they'll keep my hands as warm.

I expect to hit 1,000 miles on the bike -- second oil change point -- some time in the next couple of weeks. Average fuel economy so far, per Fuelly, 66.1 miles per gallon.

Schrödinger's Car II: This Time It's Personal

Well, more personal, anyway.

I knew I would eventually meet that one driver -- the one I mentioned the other day -- while riding the Italica Bulldog 150.

Just got home from the encounter, with minor scratches to body (left elbow, left knee, just like my motorcycle school "wreck") and bike.

I was entering a 15 mph traffic circle, and wasn't even going the full 15 mph, both because of conditions (rain, some wind, fairly heavy traffic) and because was maybe 50 feet out of my turn onto the road from a gas station/convenience store parking lot and so would have had time to develop much speed even if I'd wanted to.

I saw the guy. You know the guy: Car doing the herky jerky as he vacillated between stopping or just trying to sneak into  the traffic circle ahead of me, even though I was already in it and therefore had right of way.

I went down. I suppose it might have been just my body's reaction while on a wet surface and in a slight lean that caused it, but I think it's more likely that I gave the rear brake a slight reflexive squeeze at the instant I saw he was going for it (which he was), just enough to skid the rear wheel. I was up, back on the bike, and moving in probably ten seconds. Pulled over at the next convenient place to adjust mirrors and check for any serious damage, then rode home.

Would I have hit him if I hadn't gone down? Probably. And then it would have been "his fault," but both me and the bike would have likely ended up in considerably worse shape.

Shit happens. And I was out and about specifically because it was rainy and breezy. The way you get good at riding in such conditions is by riding in such conditions, so I decided to run out and gas up the bike because why not?

Mileage between last fill-up and this one: 68.8 miles per gallon. Average mileage so far: 69.6 miles per gallon.

Pleasant Bitcoin Surprises and New Motorcycle Stuff

As I've mentioned before, it feels like any time I spend a significant amount of Bitcoin, the price shoots up immediately afterward.

This morning, I decided to spend a significant amount of Bitcoin ($200 worth in the form of an Amazon gift card via BitRefill -- yes, that is an affiliate link, we both get $5 worth of BTC if you join through it and spend $200), and was pleasantly surprised that the dollar value of BTC had increased from about $59k to more than $63k while I slept. So I'm getting more stuff for my Bitcoin than I expected to, even if it does race to $70k now that I've spent a little.

So, you might wonder, what did I buy? Glad you asked!

The small stuff (the links are NOT affiliate links):

• A $9.99 assortment of motorcycle center stand springs, at least one of which will hopefully substitute well for the one that went missing from the Italica Bulldog 500.
• A $16.99 Bluetooth headset for my motorcycle helmet. I don't expect it to be used much for things like music or phone calls -- I try to ride safely -- but I want to be able to hear instructions from a navigation app, which proved to be problematic from a handlebar-mounted phone at, say, 50 miles per hour in traffic (speaking of which, the phone now goes in a velcro-mounted waterproof bag atop the gas tank cover).
• A pair of comfortable-looking short work/hiking/motorcycling boots that I noticed on sale for $19.99.

The big thing: A $150 motorcycle "shed."

Covering the bike is not really optional. For most of the year in Florida, there are two kinds of weather: Very rainy and very sunny.

You can identify a non-garage-kept car in Florida from the paint fade/disintegration on its hood. It's not just the engine heat causing that, it's long-term daily exposure to the sun.

On the rain side, your car seat is generally dry if it's been raining out. Not so a motorcycle seat. And if it's rainy and windy, the mechanical innards of a motorcycle get a lot more water exposure than with a car.

Nothing against my cheap "drape it over" motorcycle cover, but there are problems, both with it and with me.

The problems with it include its tight fit and elastic band. No matter how careful I am, I suspect that sooner or later, I will snag on, and snap off, a turn signal while putting it on or pulling it off. Also, I don't reall trust the elastic or the straps very much, so I weigh it down at each end, meaning that when I'm ready to leave I have to move a 32 pound kettle bell from in front of it.

The problems with me are laziness and inattentiveness.

Heck, it doesn't look like rain today, I'll put the cover on later (after which I remember, about the time the skies open up).

I'm in a hurry, I'l just pull it off and throw it down real quick and haul ass (after which I notice the sound of something -- you know what -- dragging behind me as I drive down the street).

This thing solves both those problems.

Drive up, roll the bike in, grab metal frame, pull closed, walk away. Walk up, grab metal frame, pull open, roll the bike out, drive away. Plenty of room, no clinging to turn signals, etc., nothing else to move, nothing to procrastinate about, etc.

And as a bonus, the cheap cover can replace the even cheaper cover on the old 50cc scooter which isn't getting much use these days.

Cruise Control? No.

You can probably guess why: One of those "throttle lock cruise control" mechanisms would be suicidal on a continuous variable transmission bike. On a standard transmission motorcycle, if you suddenly realize you need to reduce speed you can just pull in on the clutch grip. On the Italica Bulldog 150, if the throttle is back there's power going to the wheels.

BUT!

For $2.99, I can't resist trying this (not an affiliate link). It's in my Amazon shopping cart and will head my way the next time I have enough in that cart to justify actually placing an order.

It just slips around the throttle grip. You still add/subtract throttle by twisting your wrist on way or the other. No difference there. But your palm does the work so you don't get cramped arthritic fingers.

Yes, I'm buying the $2.99 version.

In yellow, naturally, to go with Olivia D's fairings (I'm also slowly building a collection of inexpensive black and yellow clothing to ride in, and of course I still have the cheap Kill Bill / "Bruce Lee" yellow track suit with black piping I bought last December for winter scooter riding).

Yes, it is probably crap that won't last a long time.

If I don't like it, I've only wasted $2.99.

If I do like it, I'll eventually buy a more expensive, and presumably more robust, version when the El Cheapo product breaks or stops being rigid enough to remain responsive.

I resisted the urge to ride today and see if I feel like that plug/coil replacement improved anything, both because the weather is less than wonderful and because I had work to do. But tomorrow is my "day off."

Tonight Reminds Me ...

... of why I seriously considered buying, and perhaps should have bought, that "cafe cruiser" on Amazon instead of the Italica Bulldog 150:

Because it's pretty naked.

Not porn-type naked. I like motorcycles, but I don't want to have sex with them.

Naked as in "without a bunch of fairings."

I changed out the stock plug and coil this evening: A five-minute job that only ended up taking oh, two hours or more.

Really, changing a plug and coil just amounts to:

1. Detaching one end of the coil/wire from the plug, unscrewing/removing the plug, and screwing the new plug in (after making sure it's correctly gapped and putting some anti-seize lube on the threads);
2. Detaching the other end of the coil/wire from the ignition wiring;
3. Plugging the new coil into the ignition wiring and attaching it to the plug.

Oh, and one more thing:

Getting to the plug and coil/ignition wiring junction.

Which, in the case of the Italica Bulldog 150, required removal of the left side fairing, the handy-dandy built-in storage compartment, and the vented piece separating the storage box from the engine compartment. With some of the screws and bolts holding all that stuff in located under, or blocked by, other stuff.

And then putting all that stuff back on.

Because there doesn't appear to be a Haines Manual, etc. for this specific model, I had to play detective, and followed a few false clues at first, adding to the time. I also broke a U-Bolt that's one of four bolts holding the storage box in place. It's not strictly necessary to have that, but I'll probably pick one up some time. Oh, and I forgot to put in one fairing screw before putting the storage box in, making the relevant area inaccessible. I'll put that screw back in the next time I have the storage box out for something else, like re-jetting or replacing the carburetor.

Too early to tell whether the better plug and coil make any material difference. Maybe I'll see slightly better mileage. Maybe I'll see ever so slightly more power/speed. Maybe I'll have just wasted my time (except that I did learn a few things!). Anecdotally, she sounded ... happier ... when I took her out for a quick two-mile run afterward.

Anyway, with "naked" bikes, everything is pretty much just hanging out there in the air, making it easy to remove/replace/adjust parts. And they're just as cool-looking in their own way. 

But I still love my Bulldog. Her name, by the way, is Olivia D. Can anyone guess why? Looking at her might help:

Ah, Some Data ... And Better Results than Expected

Contrary to my prediction in a previous post, the Italica Bulldog didn't get 60-70 miles per gallon in its first "fuel up, read odometer, ride, fuel up again, read odometer again, do the math" check.

It got 72 miles per gallon!

That's based on only about 60 miles of travel, but I suspect the travel produced a fair average. It included "at the limit of its power on the highway," "wondering if that f**cking light is ever going to turn green," and pretty much everything in between.

And I suspect the mileage will improve as I mod the bike.

For example, if the stock plug and coil are kinda crap (likely), and the new NGK iridium spark plug and Nibbi coil I have sitting on my desk right now are substantially better (also likely), well, better spark = more complete consumption and of, and less wasted, fuel in the cylinder = less fuel needed to produce the same amount of power output from the engine.

I'm also now reasonably sure that the tank holds 1.3 gallons, not the 0.9 gallons some sites say -- I got 0.817 gallons into the tank today, and it did not look all but empty on pre-fill visual inspection.

So, 1.3 gallons @ 72 miles per gallon = 93.6 mile range. I will plan any long trips around refueling every 80 miles or so (with my 750ml fuel bottle kept full in case I take a wrong turn, a station I expected to be open isn't, etc.).

The Italica Bulldog 150 Manifests Its First Malfunction

Yesterday in the late afternoon/early evening, I took the motorcycle out for another ride -- into town and back out, just to enjoy the day and develop my "driving in traffic" skills (my return home was during the typical rush hour period and along a typical rush hour route).

A couple of miles from home I started noticing an intermittent metallic sound, not unlike a tin can being kicked or dragged down the road. It didn't sound internal to the engine, but it was coming from that general area. I was in the "lots of cars moving fast" part of the trip rather than the "lots of cars in start-and-stop" part of the ride, and only a few minutes from home, so I chose to just get home rather than stop to investigate.

As soon as I stepped off the bike and went to put the kick stand down, I thought I could see the problem, and I was right: The spring that holds the center stand up was gone -- either broken or just slipped off somehow. The stand was falling and scraping the pavement, presumably when I'd hit a little bump; the next bump probably knocked it back upward, ending the metallic dragging sound until another bump.

I zip-tied the stand in the "up" position. I'll either get a new spring, or remove the stand entirely (it has its uses, one of which is positioning the bike for an accurate check of the oil level, but it's not strictly necessary and adds weight).

While I was zip-tying it up, I noticed that a small, capped tube/hose coming off the air filter box was loose and floppy, so I zip-tied that in place as well. Not sure what purpose that tube/hose really serves. The old 50cc had one as well, and of course I pulled its air filter box off and replaced the whole apparatus with a cone filter, which I intend to do on this bike as well ... soon. But that modification comes after installing the NGK iridium spark plug and Nibbi performance coil, both of which should arrive today.

In a rare instance of foresight on my part, I ordered a big box of zip-ties during the period when I was shopping for motorcycle gear/accessories, assuming that I'd need some. Once I have the fairings off to do stuff inside the engine compartment, I plan to attend to any wiring/cabling that isn't snug and secure.

Update: I've added a selection of center stand springs, among other motorcycle stuff that I haven't bought yet, to my Amazon Wish List. After the layout for the motorcycle, taxes, tags, full-face helmet, etc., I'm watching my wallet at the moment. I'll get to this stuff eventually ... unless others decide to get to it for me first.

I Can't Imagine The Italica Bulldog 150 (and Analogs) Won't Be a Hit

At the web sites of various Florida scooter shops, I see the Italica Bulldog 150 listed at prices ranging from ~$1,800 to ~$2,200 (interestingly, one shop wants $300 more for the version with yellow fairings like mine than for other colors even though the only obvious difference is the color of those fairings). So far as I can tell, it's a very new product line, at least in the US.

That pricing is comparable with the Honda Navi, of which the Bulldog is a fairly obvious "clone."

BUT!

The Bulldog has an ABS disc brake on the front wheel (drum on the rear), while the Navi runs drum brakes front and rear. That's safer.

AND!

The Bulldog boasts a larger engine (150cc vs. 109cc), although it claims the same top speed (55mph) stock. Both bikes can be modified for increased speed, of course, but more displacement means more potential to work with.

AND!

I intended to buy a 2023 Navi -- "new old stock" -- at my local Honda dealership. It was on sale for $1,396. It was gone when I got there, but the sales guy assured me they could find another for "about the same price" ... "$3,000 or so out the door."

Because, see, "dealer fees" and "freight charges" aren't included in the listed price. Title/tags aren't either, but that's understandable. The "dealer fee" / "freight charges" thing is a bait and switch. They advertise price X, but when you get there the real price is approximately X*2.

The scooter dealer I work with (Campus Scooters of Gainesville, Florida) doesn't charge "dealer fees," and apparently freight is just priced into the list price. I did get a $200 "return customer" discount, but my price "out the door" -- scooter, title, tags -- came to less than $2,200. I'm under the impression that most scooter shops are more honest with their pricing than traditional motorcycle (or car) dealerships.

So if "something like the Navi" is what you're interested in, but you're not made of money, the Bulldog is probably the better deal.

FINAL AND!

Italica is a scooter company and moves its product through scooter dealerships.

The primary market for scooters, at least in college towns, is college students who need something to get around campus and nearby areas on.

Lots of people love the little "euro-style" scooters modeled on the Italian Vespa. I love them myself. I've got one.

But let's think about the student market segment for a moment.

More than 40% of undergratuate college students are male. 

And 40% of all college undergrads are 18-20 years old.

That has implications.

You're an 18-year-old male and an incoming college freshman.

You arrive on campus, with Mom and Dad there to help you move into the dorm. They notice all those scooters whizzing around town and say "hey, we should get you something like that so you don't have to walk to class and Uber to the grocery store" (the bar scene is likely left unmentioned). "Let's hit one of the local scooter shops and get you set up!"

So, do you want a low-riding, big-rear-fender, baby blue euro-style scooter?

Or do you want the high-riding "motorcycle" with bold, sexy fairing colors ... in the same price range, and featuring a top speed that doesn't give Mom the vapors?

I'm not in the "college student who needs to get around in a three-mile radius" market. But the Bulldog does serve that market segment about as well as the more sedate "scooter" market, and it does so more in The Wild One style than in Roman Holiday style.

Yes, your average 18-year-old male can pick up chicks on the Vespa clone. But he probably at least thinks he can pick up wilder chicks on the Navi clone.

I'm pretty sure the Bulldog is a "new" bike, at least in the US market (since it's a Florida-company "rebrand" of a Chinese bike made by Zhilong, it will presumably be sold under other make/model names -- I'm pretty sure it's a US "upgrade" of the Italika BiT 150 sold in Mexico for at least a couple of years now).

I'm not seeing much out there about it, but I'm expecting to start seeing a lot about it. It's a great platform for testesterone-heavy college kids, and for entry-level motorcyclists, and for "modify Chinese scooters/motorcycles" hobbyists.

Looks Like a Pretty Cool Site/App for Drivers (and Motorcyclists)

I registered with Fuelly (not an affiliate link) and installed the aCar app (not an affiliate link) on my Android phone this morning. There's also a Fuelly app called Gas Tracker for the iPhone (not an affiliate link and I have no idea if it's as cool as aCar).

The most basic feature is that you can log your gas fill-ups and odometer readings and get a nice continuous estimate of mileage/costs.

It also lets you log vehicle notes such as service/mileage (e.g. oil changes/mileages).

There are free versions of the apps, as well as paid subscriptions with added features like more advanced statistics and the ability to import/export data to various places and in various formats.

After installing the app, I ran the bike out and filled it to the brim (0.638 gallons got it there, and it seems to have been about half full, so I think maybe the 1.3 gallon tank size advertised at some sites is correct, rather than the 0.9 gallon size advertised at others). And when I do that again, I won't have to remember where I put a little scrap of paper with my previous odometer reading -- it will just give me a mileage calculation.

Since there's a little tick-box for "not a complete fill-up," I suspect that it will be able to update the mileage calculation the next time I actually fill it up, too. But I'm not going to go with my suspicion. Next time I get gas, it will again be to the brim.

Second Impressions of the Italica Bulldog 150

Today, I put about 100 miles on the new Italica Bulldog 150, taking it from around 70 total miles to around 170 total miles.

About 75-80 (I think) of those new miles were "highway" miles, at speeds ranging from 45mph to 57mph (yes, I managed to wring one more mile per hour out of it per GPS speedometer) on US Route 441 from Micanopy to Ocala, US Route 27 from Ocala to Williston, US Route 41 from Williston to Archer, Florida State Road 24 between Archer and Gainesville, etc. So varying types of "highway mile" from "straight, fairly flat four-lane" to "twisty, but still fairly flat because it's Florida, two-lane."

The bike hits its top speed at, to the extent I have time to notice on the tach, below 8,000 RPM. I think more like 7,000, really. I don't think it is RPM restricted -- I was able to "red-line" it on the mechanic's stand, but it never gets up there on the road. Since it's a continuous variable transmission instead of different gears, it doesn't really have a "power band," but the engine seems to feel least "stressed" and most "comfortable" at 45-47mph.

The bike also rides very comfortably, in my opinion. I'm sore all over, but I don't ever recall the ride itself feeling bumpy or painful. I'm pretty sure the soreness is all about using muscles I usually don't have to use. I had a certain amount of that from early/long rides on the 50cc scooter as well. Since this bike sits higher than the little scooter, presumably I'm using different little muscles and muscle groups for things like maintaining balance (and it's been some time since I had ridden the little scooter more than 20 miles or so).

No complaints, but one ... "issue."

I still don't know exactly how big the gas tank is. This page says 1.32 gallons, but I'm skeptical. I've also seen it listed as 0.9 gallons.

This morning, when I started the bike up, the "low fuel" light was blinking, which seems to mean a quarter tank or less. I put in half a gallon, and that did not completely fill it (although the digital gauge read "full," that really just means 3/4 or more, and I'm not sure the gauge is all that reliable).

Then I drove it the 40-odd miles to Ocala and put nearly 3/4 of a gallon in, which did have it pretty much to the brim.

Once my metal 750 milliliter fuel bottle arrives, I plan to make an opportunity to run the thing dry as near as possible to a gas station, fill it to the brim to find out the capacity, write down the odometer reading, then put, say, 50 miles on it under varying conditions and refill it to get a mileage calculation. Off the cuff, I'm guessing somewhere between 60mpg and 70mpg. I expect that to improve with a better plug, coil, etc.

I also wore my new full-face helmet today, after yesterday's "40-50mph in torrential downpour" experience.

On the little 50cc, 35mph in hard rain felt like small children were lining the side of the road to pepper my face with pea-gravel. The higher speed felt more like a platoon of demons firing ball bearings at my face from Uzis (while screaming "YOU'RE GONNA DIE!" because I was also accordioning in speed between a slowing/accelerating 18-wheeler in front of me and a Dodge Ram riding my ass).

The main thing I got out of the "riding in a thunderstorm" experience, other than facial pain, was confidence in the bike and in my basic, but hopefully growing, rider skills. I didn't lay it down, or feel like I was ever close to laying it down. I never felt anything like hydroplaning. I didn't do anything crazy or stupid, but since I don't plan to do anything crazy or stupid under any road conditions, I feel better about inclement weather riding. Which I expected today as well.

So naturally, it didn't rain today while/where I was riding.

The full-face helmet was more comfortable and easier to get used to than I expected. And I did get a visor full of splattered bugs, instead of teeth full of same, while coming up US 27. I think maybe I passed through a swarm of migrating grasshoppers or something.

Also, no matter how tightly I snug the half-helmet, it has a tendency to want to move backward on my head under certain wind/speed conditions, while the full-face was rock solid.

So I guess I'm a full-face helmet guy now.