Yesterday I bought a scooter!

It’s a little 50cc Daelim Super Cab.  Daelim also makes most of the urinals I piss in in Korea.

Most people would think riding a scooter in Korea would be utter suicide, but to be honest, Gumi isn’t unlike my hometown of Richmond Hill, Ontario.  At peak horus the streets can be kinda busy, but otherwise, it’s real easy to get around.  I”ve also spent enough time in the passenger seat, and in the back seats of cabs to know my around and know the traffic rules/traffic habits of Korea.

I’ve also got a real hang of driving it pretty quickly.  My first time riding one was test-driving one, right before I bought the one next to it.

Today I was driving Lina to the Waegook Cook (despite the 0 degree weather) and she says to me “Who taught you how to drive a scooter?”

“Oh, I taught myself.” I yell.

“Oh, how long have you been driving a scooter?”

“Oh about 1 day now.” I yell back.

“Oh.  Really?  What about back in Canada?  Like a few years back there?”

“Nope.”

“What about a motorcycle?:

“Nope.”

“Oh.”

And then fear sets in, heh.  But she says I drive like I’ve been driving for a few years.  Her brother drives a motorcycle and she said my skillz weren’t bad at all.

I really need to find a helmet that fits me though.  I mean, free-riding without a helmet is totally awesome, but I think a helmet would be a healthy precaution despite my usual aversion to hat/helmet hair.  The helmet I got for free is perfect for passengers, but needless to say, on me, it looks like a thimble on a basketball.

I bought it off a guy named Mr. Yu.  Real nice guy, and he speaks a bit of English.  He sells to all the foreigners here.  Unfortuatnely, in the 24 hours that I’ve had it, I’ve had to go back for problems.  1st, about 10 minutes away I stalled from a faulty gas pump or something.  Then I had to leave it at the bar where I was playing poker because my tire was flat.  Mind you, I did win at poker, so maybe it was semi-self-inflicted, ha.

Regardless, I’ve heard quite a bit about the level of service Mr. Yu offers.  He pretty much maintains the bike for you, for like, ever.  Oil changes, battery charges, etc., etc..

I’m pretty excited for riding when it’s warmer, especially since it’ll be my air-conditioning.  I’m sure I’ll have days where the humidity is just overbearing, and the only remedy is more cowbell a ride on the scooter.

P.S. Don’t tell my Mom and Dad.

March 3rd, 2006 | Random shiz

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