How are they in the dirt?

     Here at Carlisle Cycle and Scooter we do a little bit of everything on two wheels. We sell and service scooters, motorcycles, dirt bikes and even the famous Harley Davidson from time to time. Several of the small scooters we sell are styled towards the dirt end of things. We are often asked just how they are in the dirt.
      The Genuine Rough house 50 and the Lance Cabo are two popular models that have some dirt bike styling and a bit of a bad boy image. For this test we had a Kymco Cobracross 50 ( a model very similar to the RH50 with almost the same specs) and a Lance Cabo 150. We will be doing some off road testing in a future post with a RH50. If you want to see how well one of those holds up, we also suggest looking at A Symba in the Wild. The author owns a few small scoots and the RH50 gets a few write ups along with the others.

    For our adventure, we had a hot muggy modern morning and a few hours to kill, so we searched out some real back woods trails.                      
                                             

       Okay, those of you that know us will surely notice the total lack of gear on my son, Cody. Okay, okay, we goofed off in our backyard after breakfast, BUT we do have 7 acres and some good dirt bike trails.

                                                                        

       That looked a bit to easy, so we found a steeper hill to climb.

                                                                            

      It may not look like it in the photo, but wet leaves and some slime made for a tough pull for the 50cc. He needed all the room he could get.
                                                                 

                                                                            

    The Cabo, being a 150cc machine, handled the hill with ease, unfortunately the video for the Cabo came out a bit shaky; so it was time to go find the equalizer, MUD.
                                                            

                                                                                  

      There may have been some mud slinging committed against some poor sod stuck on a 50. The witnesses weren't talking.

                                                                               

                                                                            

       We did finally get the 50 out of the stream (time for a new tire) and took the bikes up by the pond for a break.
                                                                                

     The Cabo, being the ham, decided to pose for a picture out on the dock. It was fun getting it back off without being tempted to make the jump. We do our own stunts ,you know.

       After a fun morning of testing these bikes on steep uphills, mud and even stream crossings. We found that they are not dirtbikes, but they DID take us everywhere we wanted to go. The pace has to be backed down a bit for the size of tires and lack of armour under the engine. However, these guys will take you down just about any fireroad you can imagine, and can certainly keep you from walking to your favorite fishing hole.
     Both testers are experienced dirt bike riders; so we were willing to push it a little bit more than is recommended for these machines.The makers of these bikes stress that they are not for off road use, but if you keep your ego in check and use them for utilitarian transport. They will do quite well. 

Operation Malted Falcon

    A few days off, a few friends, and a new bike to test. Sounds like a recipe for an adventure, and that it was.
      The shop had just purchased a new Lance Cabo 150 for use around the shop, kids running errands, etc. So, we put 175 miles on it locally ; changed the oil and set out for Ocean City, Md on a new bike. Not foolish enough you say? How about we bring a friend along on a new Genuine RH50 to make sure the speeds are in the 40 M.P.H. range? We meet a good friend with a 30 year old Honda scooter halfway and continue on? It sounds like a great plan to me. Let's GO!
                                                                 

We set out on back roads, in the Lancaster, Pa. area, well suited to our speeds. For those that don't travel these areas to often, this meant sharing the road with Amish buggies and their horses.  The pics above are of  rutted roads repaved in the center due to the wear from horses shoes over the years. Something most people will never see unless you find the right roads.

 We stopped for a quick lunch in Gap, PA. and discovered that the Amish are into scoots, too 

( we knew it)

Now three strong, we set off to terrorize the roads in away only a scooter gang can.

Much mayhem was had.

 Penelope was out of town so, fresh Ginger would just have to do.

There were many bridges with possible Troll sightings

There were interesting sights were all around; all you had to do was have a look.

Finally, making our way to Ocean City for the night, we were put up in comfort by some scooter friends in town. There may have been stories over strong liquor and a few tall tales, but unless you were there you will never know.

The next day we were greeted with clear skies and a bit too much heat. After a great breakfast (who knew our host could cook! ) it was time to buzz the streets of a small seaside town. We were now 4 scooters strong; so the hooligan aspect was in fool (or is that full) effect. 

After a morning tooling around, one of the gang had to head home ( to meet with us again later) and one was staying at the beach, so just two lonely travelers set out to make a 200 mile run to another stop for the night. Two hundred miles may not sound like much to hard core bike travelers, but when you're running with a two-stroke 50cc machine; it may be a bit farther than you think.

The impressive part? There was a stretch of Rt.1 that we had to do about 45 miles on for the sake of time. How many machines can you hold WIDE OPEN for over an hour without them even making a hiccup. The Genuine RH50 is such a machine. It ran full-tilt, with no rest for over an hour and didn't complain. The owner runs Spectro lubes in his machine and it shows. I came away totally impressed! Meanwhile my trusty Cabo 150 was racking up the miles with no complaints

Finally time for another wonderful back road. If you have never done Rt. 9 through the Delaware marshlands; it is something to put on your list of drives to make.

There are large machines to see. 

We wondered if it would be possible to drive under.

 Maybe our bikes fit; maybe they didn't.

 If you weren't there you may never know.

As night began to fall there were flooded roads and strangely lit towers in the marshes. It was a pleasure to have reliable machines and decent headlights.

We reached our friend's house LATE at night, and were welcomed by made beds, and cool rooms. To say we slept well was an understatement. We were made to feel like we were at home.

The next morning we awoke to friendly pets curious of the new visitors and an eager host. There was more sights and riding to be had, but first Breakfast at Frankies. 

Then, back on the road for more adventures. 

There were abandoned buildings patiently waiting to be discovered.

Castles to be seen:

And strange underground rooms to be explored.

Even bizarre relics of old

Finally, after a great day of adventure; it was time for some of us to part ways. We shared a drink and said our goodbyes . The same two travelers who started this adventure heading home. A bit tired, a bit sun burned, and nothing but smiles and a few more miles left to cover.

The Lance Cabo and Genuine Roughhouse impressing the entire time. These small machine clocked roughly 750 miles in summer heat in the span of just 3 days. Neither machine missed a beat; not even once.

After a bit of a highway run again (the last one) we paused at an abandoned bridge to cool ourselves and the bikes down a bit. It turns out we needed it. We may have heard the bikes both considering trying to jump the distance. OR, it may have been the heat. We  weren't sure.

A few more hours on back roads. There may have been a dirt trail or two and a bit of mud, but I don't believe bikes were allowed back there. So, for some strange reason there are no pictures. 

Over 700 miles on two wheels. A total of 5 different riders and bikes. There were no problems of any kind ( other than coming back to work). The Cabo took everything I threw at it, and the RH50 did nothing but impress. After 3 days and lots of back road miles; just a simple beep of the horn and a wave as the bikes find their own paths home.

For another view of the same ride from the drivers seat of the Genuine RH50 https://adamdanger.wordpress.com/

July Specials

Stop by and take advantage of some good deals. We are offering free set-up on SYM and Lance motorcycles and scooters for the month of July.

June Specials

    These are the in-shop specials for June. We ARE in the tire business. If you need a GoGo hoodie, this is the month to grab one.

Two digit ride. number 2

    The ride was a great success. The first one had 7 riders and this time we had 18; so we have doubled in size in just one year.
                                                         

    The first stop was The Twirly Top ice cream stand outside of Mt. Holly. Sadly, they are not open on Sundays. A note of correction for next years 2 Digit Ride.We still decided to stop for pictures and to introduce the place to new folks.
                                                                             

    The weather could not have been better. The sun was shining and the haze of two-stroke oil was in the air. We had a great mixture of bikes, a beautiful vintage small-frame Vespa, an assortment of 50cc two strokes from Kymco and Genuine, and even a highly modified moped. This is a video being shot from a RH50. The bike PULLING AWAY is a 50cc??? Tomos moped, and then a Genuine 50cc Buddy puts on a pass. YEAH, these guys were riding like this all day.

After a brief roadside stop to let the small bikes cool down.

The ride continued on to a  great roadside attraction. Mr. Ed's Elephant museum for Candy and sweets. If you like roadside attractions or elephants be sure to stop by.

There is plenty of parking.

There was a great lunch stop in Gettysburg at the Lincoln Diner

There were NO shenanigans at this table. 

Overall a fantastic day. The bikes ran great, and the weather was awesome. The food at the Lincoln was good and we all bought way too much candy at Mr. Eds. As always, we all found ourselves back at the shop way to soon. There will be more rides from the shop soon and be SURE to keep your eyes open for next years 2 Digit ride. If you want see more pics and video check A Symba in the Wild.

                                                                                       
                                                                                 

It ran when I parked it.

    It is that time of year again. The time of year when bikes were parked without any thoughts of spring. It got cold, you forgot to hook up the battery tender and stabilize the fuel. Its okay; we have even done that a time or two ourselves. Don't worry; we can help.

      The first thing is electricity. You need it to go. That means you need a good battery; if the old one is failing bring it to us. We can tell you without a doubt if it can be recharged and saved or if you need a new one. We save the old one when we can. If not. We STOCK dozens of batteries and have ones for most bikes on the road here IN THE SHOP.

    The next thing is the fuel. HOPEFULLY you remembered to stabilize it last fall with K100 or your other favorite brand of fuel stabilizer. There are several we sell, but we have found the K100 to perform the best.

                                                                      

     If you forgot to stabilize your fuel last year; this is where the K100 gets to shine over star tron and lucas(which we also sell). We can send you home with a bottle and instructions on how you might just get it running WITHOUT pulling the fuel system apart and cleaning the carb/injectors. We have never seen anything absorb water and clean small passages as well as this stuff.

 

The trick here is to give it a try. Stop by the shop to pick up a bottle and we will tell you the tricks to try before you bring the bike to us for a carb clean or fuel system overhaul. If that becomes necessary we can help you there as well.

There are times when all a bike needs is a fresh set of spark plugs to get it back on its feet. We keep hundreds in stock for ALL types of engines. This is often an overlooked item when trying to get a bike to fire up for you. If the battery is strong, the fuel is good and it just won't start or run correctly, stop by and get some fresh plugs.

 

 We want you back on the road in the breeze. There are lots of tips and tricks to keep you running and we know them all. Stop by and let us help you keep smiling.

                                                                     

Tires

    We are in the business of selling AND mounting tires. We have been doing this for decades and you can consider us experts. If it can or has been done with a round rubber device; we know how. You can bring us the rim off the bike, or the complete motorcycle; however you feel the need to have us do the work. Bead locks, split rims, angled stems, tubes, tubeless, clinchers; we can do it all.

                                                                        

     A little bit about mounting tires. It CAN be done at home by hand with irons, but we didn't invest $7,000 in a tire machine and a balancer because we like to waste money. We have them because they are effective and do not damage the rims or tires as we change them. We are masters of how they work and what to do when we encounter problems. We can change the tire on your sport bike, split rim scooter, or 70's KZ900 without screwing things up. We use a high speed Snap-on electronic balancer to ensure that your tires perform correctly at speed.

                                                                            

      Buying tires. Here we can also help. We offer hefty discounts on our tires every month, This varies from month to month. For example, this month we have Dunlop, Metzeler, and Pirelli  at  30% off retail pricing. This means a Michelin Pilot Power that retail for $207.95, we sell for $154.95! Are your eyes open yet? Also, we DO NOT charge for shipping. You save on the mounting, too. We don't need you to buy everything from us (that would be great); just that you call and give us a try. We know tires and try to be very competitive with our prices. You might be surprised just how easy it is to support the local guy. If its a tire, we CAN get it, don't think there is something out there we haven't heard of or don't know how to mount. There isn't. We can be helpful at pointing you in the right direction for a tire that will work for YOU. Not all tires are made the same, or work for the same purpose. We know what works and what doesn't.

     If you check our tire mounting prices under the service tab. You will see the mounting prices are less expensive per tire when you purchase the tires from us. If you are looking for a "deal", the best way to get one is to be a regular customer. We are a full service shop and we strive to meet ALL of your needs.