Quick Ride

Quick Ride

BIG BOY V-6 Leaf blower on steroids

THE 18 MILES THAT MAKE up my commute to work will never be the same again, thanks to the Big Boy V-6 scooter. A raised manhole cover becomes a jump, and driveways spaced 15 feet apart become ramp-to-ramp table-top transfers. If you let your imagination run wild, what would otherwise be an ordinary street becomes an endless string of obstacles. Brrrrrrrrrp! as you hop over your neighbor’s fallen trash can.

This is no ordinary scooter. Derek Nellmapius’ $2495 creation (www. higboyscooters. com) was born out of the Razor explosion that took place a few years ago. Back then, every kid in the country had to have one of the people-powered, foldinghandlebar, aluminum-running-

board scoots. The much-copied, urethane-wheeled runabouts eventually evolved into weedwhacker-powered. rubber-tired buzz bombs called Go-Pcds.

The Big Boy. meanwhile, takes things to the next level, with a twistgrip throttle, long-travel suspension and a ported-andpolished, 52cc, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine.

Pump the primer and lay a tug or two on the lawnmower-like pull-rope starter and 5 horsepower ring-dings itself to life. After a quick choke-enhanced warm-up. the powerplant responds willingly to throttle

and emits a healthy bark from the chrome-plated expansion chamber. A washable K&N filter keeps intake air clean, so there arc no worries if you decide to short-cut your way home through a field. In fact, when it comes to environments usually inhabited by shoveltoting, BMX-riding youths, the V-6 is more than capable of holding its own.

The off-road-oriented suspension comes courtesy of a preload-adjustable shock that boasts an unheard-of (for scooters) 5 inches of travel. There’s the same amount of

hoinnnggg up front, plus an adjustment for compression damping. To keep up, the Big Boy features a heavy-duty, heattreated aluminum frame that is anodized blue, red or black. The rest of the 65-pound machine is beef-city, as well, with a heightadjustable motocross-style handlebar mated to an aluminum triple-clamp. Fourteen-inch wheels shod with high-profile Bridgestone Trail Wings go a long way in helping to provide the V-6 with its 10 inches of ground clearance.

Subjected to impossibly big jumps, whooped-out trails in the California desert and Newport Beach’s urban crawl, the Big Boy managed to do things that I initially believed impossible. In fact, I fatigued before it did! Okay, I managed to shake loose a few hard parts, such as the exhaust bracket and a couple of frame bolts. According to Nellmapius, though, these are areas of standard upkeep, as is adjusting the cable-actuated disc brakes that went soft after one too many stoppies.

Conclusion? If you’re a scooter type with an off-road jones, it’s time to step up to the Big Boy. -Mark Cernicky