When I started it up, it sounded just like a chainsaw. Afterall, some chainsaws have two-stroke motors about the same size (49cc). Only this chainsaw can move. I donned the helmet and got ready to ride.

It was then that I noticed my wife was still sitting in her car. She didn't get out at all. Turns out it was out of shame for her husband that she wouldn't leave the vehicle. So it begins. Heh heh.

Anyway, like the previous owner said, it was easy. OK, there is a little getting used to. The brakes, as I said before, were reversed from what I was accustomed to. I had to make a conscious effort to learn a new pattern of braking. And, of course, I had an almost totally foreign method of controlling power now: a twist throttle. That would take some getting used to in order to become smooth. But with so little power available, I would discover that it doesn't really lurch all that much if you're hard on it.

Another thing to get used to, compared to riding a bike, is that the thing weighs in at 200 pounds, rather than the 25 pounds of my mountain bike. Oh, yes, and the wheels are pretty small compared to a motorbike or bicycle wheel. This means that it will ride bumps a little harder, since they'll be able to sink deeper into small potholes. Surely something to keep in mind. Taking turns on these small wheels seemed a little intimidating, so I decided to take the first few fairly slowly until I could get used to how it felt as I rode.

Time to stop considering things and get moving...