Photographer Scott Branch is riding from Miami to LA on a Kymco People 50. He expects to take 30 days and spend $65 in gas. It does not appear Scott took the weight and aerodynamics of his giant backpack into account when calculating his speed or fuel consumption, but good luck to him! You can follow Scott’s journey on his blog.
8 thoughts on “Miami to LA”
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He also didn’t take into account headwinds through New Mexico and Arizona this time of year. I hit 40mph sustained with 60mph gusts. That will slow him down to a walk.
If he was going from LA to Miami, he would save tons in gas. Especially if he turned that huge backpack (which he’ll get sick of real soon) into a sail.
But best of luck to the guy, looks like a fun trip either way.
Geez, I was knocked over at a stoplight by a 25mph-or-so gust last spring. And that was without a giant backpack. Riding in gusty winds is no fun.
His blog has a link to one of the least convincing girl on girl make out sessions I’ve ever seen.
Most painfull idea ever. The empathy alone is killing me inside. Sometimes the benefits of better gas mileage do not outway the costs-in this instance it would be speed and control.
Bigger isn’t always better; but at least pick a 150.
If he really wanted to make a statement on fuel consumption he should have just used one of those electric stand up scooters from Target.
I hope he makes it okay. He mentioned being surprised his hands and feet didn’t go numb the first day, then realized it’s because he wasn’t wearing flip-flops. He’s riding in a t-shirt. His raingear consists of a poncho. He planned his route two days before he left.
I hope he arrives safely. But I don’t have much empathy, since I put more planning into a long 1-day ride.
I like the idea of doing something spontaneous, that’s the spirit of the old-school american scooterist. But even the ill-prepared beatnik stars of “I Can See By My Outfit” had a pretty detailed game plan.
As far as saving money on gas, he’ll spend more money on camping fees, motels, candy bars, and all the gear he forgot to pack over 30 days than he would on a plane ticket and scooter shipping, but I don’t think that was the point.
No long pants, no jacket, no sunscreen, no windscreen. And a big backpack. Can I send this guy my saddlebags?
I feel like a grandmother here.
Spontaneous is different than perilous.
I was so sore everyday without carrying a backpack. Eric (sit_properly) is right–he’s headed into rough winds. I was blown to the side of the road numerous times. Got the best blow job of my life out there I like to say. Dust devils and what not. Intense stuff.
Hey, it’s me, Scott, the guy who took the trip. And am nearly finished with the return trip. In Charlotte, NC right now.
I read this a while back and now with the comments here as well, wanted to address a couple of things. I actually never made any estimate about how much it would cost me in gas: someone else on another site made that guess. I DID, however, estimate that it would take me about 35 days which it took me exactly.
And no, I didn’t have a route mapped out or a plan for the tip. Each day, or the night before, I would map out where I wanted go next knowing that eventually, I’d reach my destination.
I didn’t make this trek on a 50cc because I thought it would be economical. I made it because I could. And because it would be an adventure. I made little to no preparations other than packing what I thought I needed. But I made enough preparations so that I could make the trip. And make it back. And of course, I ran into problems. I’ve traveled 7,200 miles now (with 800 left to get back to South Beach.) To go that far, on a 50cc, it would be ludicrous to not expect problems. And along the route, I made adjustments. The ponchos were gone before I got out of Florida and I picked up rain gear (which came in handy the two times I used it) in Houston. If something was needed, I picked it up. But mostly, I had everything I needed when I left.
The backpack choice was made simply because I couldn’t find adequate saddlebags before I left and I was on a definite timeframe for departure. While it was definitely strenuous, I felt it added a nice extra challenge to making the trip. I became used to it.
It’s been a great experience. Less so on the way back because I’m in familiar territory now and there isn’t much here that I haven’t seen, but I’m incredibly glad I decided to do this. And I did it my way. :)
Thanks for the support, 2stroke.