Whirlwind...

More running today than we've done in quite a while.  What?  No, not running as in jogging... running as in: making miles.  It is over 90 miles from our RV park in Fredericksburg to AF1 Racing in Austin.

AF1 Racing made us a good offer on the 2019 Yamaha Xmax they had, and Joan was excited about it.  In the grand scheme of things, I think this will be a better owner experience for her.  She has been looking for something bigger and with more power than the PCX.  That is a good way to describe the Xmax - about twice the CCs and horsepower of the PCX, and about 110 pounds heavier.  Also, more of a sportbike feel to it.

Well, first we have to go get it.  We talked about taking the cargo trailer, but Joan said she'd rather ride the PCX in to Austin and ride the Xmax back.  To avoid the hottest part of the day (another hot one here in Hill Country, with Austin predicted to be 100º again today), we decided to be rolling by 8:00 this morning.  I got the scoots out...

That's my Vespa in front, her PCX in back.  It was a delightful 72º when we geared up.  The ride to Austin was uneventful, even though it is a lot of highway and city traffic (something we try to avoid with the scoots).  We rolled into the parking lot at AF1 about 10 minutes before they open (at 10:00)... the employees there were busy bringing bikes out to put them on display in front of their building.

We went inside and waited for Sean (our sales guy) to finish moving bikes, then we started the paperwork.  It all went smooth and easy, with no "Gotcha!" sales tactics.  When we were done with that, I went to their parts department to pick up bar end weights for my Vespa.  We went outside where Sean went over some of the different features of the Xmax...

Compare that photo above with the one of Joan standing by the PCX (the red scoot) and you can see how much bigger the Xmax is.  The Xmax uses a fob instead of a key, so as long as Joan has the fob near the bike, she can start it, lock it, open compartments, access the huge storage under the seat, etc, without a key.  It is a different riding situation, and that and the larger bike will take some getting used to.  Riding the 90+ miles from Austin back to Fredericksburg will give her some time with the bike.

Ready to roll...

Besides the size difference, this new scoot hauls butt - although we won't be doing it, it will run 90 mph.  On the ride home, I asked Joan, "How do you like not running out of throttle when going uphill?"  She smiled.  We have both enjoyed the PCXes, but it is nice having more power for the times we want (need?) to make some highway miles.  Is it faster than the Vespa?  Oh, hell yes.  Will Joan be leaving me in the dust with the Vespa?  We'll see.  It will take her a while to get used to the extra heft of this bike, especially when pushing it through the curves.  The PCX was sporty... this Xmax is sporty and more powerful.  The Vespa continues to impress me.

Before committing to buy the Yamaha, we had made reservations for the factory tour at Collings Guitar, in Dripping Springs - that is located between Fredericksburg and Austin... the timing was such that we had just enough time to get the scoots back to the RV park, change clothes, spruce up slightly, and get in the air conditioned car to drive over an hour back to Dripping Springs.  Not enough time for a leisurely lunch, so we picked up Mickey D's along the way.

Why didn't we just hang around Dripping Springs with the scoots until the 3:30 tour at Collings?  Thanks for asking.  The temperature was pushing into the 90s when we left Austin.  We knew we would be tired after the Collings tour, and better to be in air conditioned comfort at that point.  So, approximately an extra 120+ miles (60+ by scooter and 60+ by car).  Collings only does their factory tour on Friday; limits it to 15 people on the tour, so they frequently turn people away.

Do you have a Collings guitar?  No, but I have admired their guitars.  More hand work than the Taylors I own.  Are they any better than a Taylor?  Some would say so.  They are very nice wood guitars.  No, I have no intention of getting one - the Emeralds are still my favorites.

We drove up to the building where the Collings factory is located - no signage and no customer parking.  We went inside to make sure we were in the right place.  Definitely a different experience from the Taylor factory tours we've done, where they have all kinds of guitars you can try and a large store full of Taylor "stuff."  Also, Taylor allows you to take photos during the tour, Collings does not.  Collings is also a much smaller operation.  Taylor makes hundreds of guitars every week, Collings makes 25 or so.  Taylor has engineered automation into much of their process, relying on hand work where necessary; Collings only automation is using a CNC machine to cut out their basic guitar shapes.  Is it better to sand or apply lacquer by hand instead of using robotics to accomplish similar results?  Well, the Taylor way is certainly more efficient.  End result: they both make fine guitars.

The only thing you can buy at the Collings factory is in this small display case...

 

Caps, a dozen t-shirts, and a couple nice leather guitar straps.  Yes, I did pick up a t-shirt as a reminder of the experience.  No guitars to play at the end of the tour, either.

And then, the almost hour and a half drive back to the RV park in Fredericksburg.  I think I will turn in early tonight.  ;-)