BEHOLD! The Bastert Einspurauto. In the 50′s this scoot was the bomb! Well, even today it still is the bomb-diggity. Straight out of a Flash Gordon comic in my opnion and if I ever saw one I think I’d crap myself.

It’s the rarest of the rare and I could go on about it, but I have a screwy German accent. Let Bastert Werk Bielefeld give you the lowdown. It’s worth it.

Oh and by the way, someone is actually selling one on scoot.net. Anyone know what the bluebook on that is? Let me know. I’m going to start polishing my nickels.

As near I can tell, if you’re running a 4-stroke engine manufactured in 2001 or later you ought to be OK. You may have more fuel injector clogging, but as long as you always use fresh “gasohol” you will avoid serious engine problems. Ethanol separates into water over time, though, so avoid using old gas.

2-stroke engines are a different story, as petroleum-based 2-cycle oil does not mix with ethanol. So more ethanol in your gas means more problems with your engine, if you’re using petroleum-based 2-cycle oil. The solution to this is to use synthetic ester-based 2-cycle oil, such as Motul’s synthetic oil sold at Scoot Richmond, which mixes quite nicely with ethanol.

The bigger problem is for people who run vintage engines, because those engines were never designed to burn ethanol. A partial fix is to only use fresh gasoline, or to use fuel stabilizers to prevent water from accumulating in the fuel. Still, as a corrosive liquid alcohol is harder on synthetics like plastics and rubber, and even metal. According to Popular Mechanics:

Alcohol is corrosive and can degrade plastic, rubber or even metal parts in the fuel system that weren’t engineered to use alcohol-bearing fuel. Consequently, that antique Evinrude outboard or ’60s lawn tractor you bought at the swap meet might need some upgrading to stay together on today’s gas. That means corrosion-resistant tanks, alcohol-tolerant rubber lines, seals and fuel-pump diaphragms, and plastic fuel-system parts that won’t swell up in the presence of alcohol.

And the news is worse for vintage 2-strokes:

Highly tuned two-stroke engines will run leaner (and consequently hotter) on the lower Btu/gallon alcohol mix, potentially leading to melted pistons and scuffed cylinder walls. Alcohol will also scour varnish and deposits out of the fuel system that have remained in place for years, which will eventually wind up in the filter or main jet, choking off the engine’s fuel supply. Worse yet, the alcohol itself ­oxidizes in the tank and produces a tenacious brown glop that’s far more damaging to fuel systems than the ­varnish we’re used to seeing in pure petroleum fuels. In warmer weather, you can see varnish starting to form within a month of dispensing fresh fuel into a vehicle tank or storage can.

It’s not all bad news, though – turns out there are 189 gas stations in Virginia that sell pure gasoline! The closest to Richmond is in Powhatan, but there’s one in Hopewell, too. Stanardsville, the home of our spring scooter rally, also has one. So it’s obtainable, and maybe the introduction of E15 will motivate those of us with vintage scooters to go the extra mile to purchase the pure stuff they were meant to burn.

From Roxbury we headed south on Barnetts Road, though we lost three riders on the turn-off not realizing that they had fallen behind. (Sorry, guys.) From Barnetts we took a right on Wayside, and then took Wayside west to VA-5, one of the nicer highways in Central Virginia. My favorite view in greater Richmond is when cresting the hill in Lower Rocketts, on a northbound leg of VA-5, and suddenly the city skyline rises up out of the trees. It’s the most abrupt transition from country to city that I know, and no matter how many times I’ve seen it I’m still taken by surprise.

After getting back into town we had lunch at Blow Toad in Carytown. The food and drinks were enjoyed by all.

The total distance covered was about 56 miles. Click the map link below to see the full route.

Our annual camping rally is shaping up to be one of the funnest ’round these parts. The tomfoolery starts on Friday, May 11 at 7:00pm and ends before noon on May 13.

Check out the rally page for all the crummy details.

The Incriminators planned a thorough itinerary which included drinking, eating, riding, eating, drinking, riding, eating, drinking, riding and eating [order approximate]. Like our Indian Summer Rally, the events tended to be clustered around a central area; in FYBO’s case around two of the main venues, Fullsteam Brewery and Motorco Music Hall instead of a scooter dealership.

We had a great time and plan to attend next year; club officers are considering making it mandatory with a doctor’s note the only legitimate excuse.

One might expect that we will wind up somewhere at the end of the ride, but that has not yet been determined.

Here are the basics:
Rally fee: $25 

Where can you crash?
The Holiday Inn Express in downtown Richmond (201 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA23219).

Call the hotel directly at 804-788-1600 to book your room and ask for the Indian Summer Rally block or go to the website: www.hiexpress.com/richmonddtwn – enter arrival and departure date and use GROUP CODE: ISR

All reservations must be received by October 21, 2011 to avail of the discounted rate of $99+tax. Please note that parking fee is $10 per night in our parking garage – that’s for a space. If you squeeze more than one bike into a space, the space still costs $10.

Feel free to RSVP on our Facebook event page.

For more details click through to the 2011 Indian Summer Scooter Rally page.

*HIGH FIVE

For some reason I am unable to retrieve the embed code from vimeo. You going to have to check it out over there.

Go now to Skatepark Scooter Action!