Probably a mid-life crisis..but a small one.

After years of peddling my bike to and fro, jostling with the masses on the bus, and putting one foot before the other in the daily quest to get to work I decided to purchase a scooter and gloat about getting 90 miles per gallon.* I did my usual shopping routine which involves serious but often slanted Internet searches using criteria like "safe" and "efficient" and "super cool." Finally after losing my nerve in the showroom I found a sweet little bike on craigslist and took it for a test ride. All went well and just like that I was the proud owner of a TGB Sunset 50.





Yes, I'm sure you've all heard of the Taiwan Golden Bee company and its fine scooters. It's pretty much a household work like Vespa or Honda. Right? Ok fine. It's a bit obscure but they say TGB is solid, dependable and will function for years if treated well. As that's a pretty good endorsement for both machines and people my confidence is high.

Getting it home was the only issue.

Washougal is the a small community approximately 20 miles east of Portland in the fine state Of Washington. It is the home of approximately 9000 people, is known as the "crossroads to discovery" through its connection to the Lewis and Clark expedition, and was home to a lonely scooter. Washougal is also hard to get in and out of if you can't ride the highways (which you can't on 50cc scooters).






This left me with the wonderful option of taking scenic back roads and byways all the way home. I won't liken it to Merriwether's and William's voyage of discovery but I did manage to get home in one piece, didn't spill gas on myself during refueling and only pissed off one cyclist who looked pretty cranky already.

I now enjoy shorter commutes and the undying respect of any boy under the age of twelve.


*By decided I mean convinced my wife that it was necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of the family, the state, and the nation.