Monday, April 13, 2009

Troll - On the road


The Troll overlooking Perth

Having sorted out the starting problem with help from members of the IWL Stadroller forum I've been keen to take the Beast out at every opportunity. I've got a very busy schedule over the next couple of weeks which will seriously eat into my aimless scootering time and any week now the weather is likely to turn and the scootering season will be over for another year. I'm not a fan of riding in the wet. Apart from the discomfort factor, my only real motorcycle accident happened while riding in the rain and, well, once bitten, twice shy. Today I took the Beast on a 50km ride from Fremantle, up the coast to Cottesloe Beach, then along the northern side of the Swan River to Kings Park overlooking the city, then back to Fremantle via the southern side of the River.

The Troll's biggest handling problem remains its lack of stability in the wind and today was particularly windy. It can be a struggle keeping the Troll under control in a crosswind, which meant very cautious handling, especially along the coast. Nevertheless, apart from almost being run off the road twice by impatient car drivers it was a pleasant trip. For comfortable riding the Troll is light years ahead of the Vespa.

Here's a couple of videos of the Troll in action.