Scoot2TX Ride - Day 1

Spartanburg, SC to Columbus, GA

Eleven of us rolled out of Spartanburg, SC at 8 am today and headed 310 miles southwest along a ribbon of two-lane blacktop stretched out over the red earth and green, rolling hills of South Carolina, past roadside stands selling boiled peanuts, peach groves, large stands of pine trees, historical covered bridges, and quaint towns rich in history, to our first overnight stop in Columbus, GA.

Established in the 1780s as a courthouse village, Spartanburg is thought to have been named after the Spartan regiment of the South Carolina Militia. Incorporated in 1831 and built on the cotton mill boom in the years leading up to the Civil War, Spartanburg today is home to not only KYMCO USA, but also the world headquarters of Extended Stay Hotels, textile giant Milliken & Co., Denny’s restaurants and a BMW automobile manufacturing facility.

Participating in the 1,400-mile journey to San Antonio, Texas, are: KYMCO USA’s Kymco Lee, VP; Frank Yang, new product development team; Bruce Ramsey, VP of operations; Rick Pawelka, director of marketing; Joe Woffford, VP of technical services; Steve Lazoff, director of sales; long-time industry insiders Robert Pandya, Guido Ebert, and Justin Dawes of Moto USA. Also joining us for this first leg of the trip were KYMCO customers Judi McLane and David George of Columbia, SC.

McLane owns a 2008 KYMCO Xciting 500. George owns a 2007 KYMCO Grand Vista 250. What attracted them to the KYMCO Scoot2TX ride? “Because it’s our manufacture, and because I had never been on a scooter trip this far from home, and a group like this offers good support,” McLane said.

McLane has owned her Xciting 500, her first scoot, for almost two years. How did she get into scootering? “It looked fun,” she said, “and they’re easy to ride.”

She now rides several times a week, and is set to put 10,000 miles on the unit tomorrow. “I love my KYMCO – it’s great. It’s been very easy to own, and I haven’t had to do anything aside from standard service in 10,000 miles.”

George uses his scoot to commute to work, as well as in his free time.

“My father’s friend got him interested in scooters,” George explained. “I rode my father’s, became interested myself, and finally bought my own – a Honda Elite 80. It wasn’t powerful enough – couldn’t really keep up with traffic – so I bought the Grand Vista.”

So here we are, 6:30 pm Sunday, in Columbus, GA. Founded in1828 and located 100 miles south of Atlanta, Columbus is situated at the beginning of the navigable portion of the Chattahoochee River, and once connected the plantations of the region with the international cotton market via the port of New Orleans. Today, Ft. Benning serves as a major employer in Columbus, which is also home to the headquarters of Aflac and Carmike Cinemas. In 2009 the city was ranked number four on the 100 Best U.S. Cities to live by Best Life Magazine.

See pictures from our first day on the trip on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KYMCO.Scooters?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=172630&id=74250042688

And watch our progress LIVE: http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ljKjFrjDZjIbCBy24hLH6Fba89HErDTN