Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Finding Myself on the Road

Friendship Follows Interests: Riding and Photography

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A black & white photograph of two men in a mirror.
A familiar state of being.

Making Friends

A young man I know complains how hard it is to meet people. To make friends. For me, friendships have all developed from common interests. Years ago it was hiking and backpacking. Then photography, and now riding. I’d like to tell that young man he is unlikely to find friends at bars, playing video games, dabbling in crypto, and placing bets with Draft Kings. I won’t offer advice unless he specifically asks for it.

My friend Paul recently gave me a photograph he made of the two of us at a local diner. It immediately struck a chord — that’s my friend Paul, always making photos, always sharing a ride.

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The Trail 125: Keeping the Spark Alive as the Years Roll On

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Steve Williams selfie in Moshannon State Forest.
Getting older but still having fun.

In the Mirror

A few years ago, just before turning 70, I looked in the mirror and acknowledged I’m getting old. Not an admission of failure or surrender, but rather an acceptance of reality and the need to make some adjustments. Especially as it pertains to riding. While still able to ride bigger motorcycles I could tell the comfort point had shifted. Particularly riding off the pavement. And that desire to maintain a reasonable comfort level led me to buy the Honda Trail 125. The perfect little motorcycle for an old man hell bent on still exploring places where the road isn’t always well traveled or maintained.

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Discovering New Places

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A 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan along a rural road in farm country.
Few things as pleasurable as finding a new road to ride so close to home.

Overlooked Places

Just a mile or so to the right in this photograph is a road I’ve ridden or driven a hundred times or more. Somehow I never realized another world existed just over the hill. Sitting in my living room the previous evening with my good friend Google Maps I discovered some roads I didn’t know existed. It’s a little unsettling to discover new places just 35 miles from home. A fine day to do a little exploring on the Himalayan.

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A 150cc Vespa Scooter: Grateful for the Little Things

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A 2005 Vespa ET4 scooter on a rural road.
A perfect morning for a perfect little ride.

Mistaken Thinking

In my brief and seldom views into the social and marketing realms of the Moto-world I’m always shocked at how overwhelming the size, weight, power, and tech can be. It feels a lot like going into a hotel and turning on the TV and feeling it’s all commercials and pitches with very little content.

A 150cc Vespa scooter seems a lost and forgotten machine amidst the din of macho claims and excitement of real motorcycles. Scooters are dismissed for a variety of reasons. “Real” riders dismiss them for lack of everything. Some find them embarrassing, common I think in a world of giant SUVs and trucks where size reinforces myriad weaknesses in self image. And probably the most egregious view of scooters is their inability to deliver on the road. Simply put, they’re toys for the beach and not much more.

Taking my ET4 for a ride always reminds me of how capable it is, and how grateful I am to ride one. For a week our hot water heater was dead and awaiting replacement. That first hot shower, something easily taken for granted, was suddenly an amazing experience. How grateful I am to have a hot shower. It’s the same with my 150cc Vespa scooter.

Out on a backroad on my way to breakfast and taking in the beautiful central Pennsylvania landscape in which I get to ride. I’m a lucky man.

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Do I Really Need a Garmin InReach Mini 2?

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Steve Williams with a Garmin InReach Mini 2 device attached to the sleeve of his riding jacket.
Satisfied with a decision for safety and peace of mind.

Puzzling over Risk, Safety, and Economics

After several years of thinking about the wisdom of having a reliable way to reach out in case of emergency I made a purchase. The question turned over in my head for a couple years is do I really need a Garmin InReach Mini 2? While I don’t normally ride alone in places without cell coverage it happens often enough that I kept thinking about the risk I was taking should something bad happen. A crash that left me unable to ride, another heart attack, running off the road and down an embankment where it might be a long time before anyone found me.

There are plenty of reasons why I should have one. Those reasons are piled against the cost of the unit and the ongoing monthly subscription expense. Not long ago I talked with my motorcycle riding cardiologist about the risks and he felt it was a good idea. Not so much for heart attacks but for an unfortunate incident that would take me off the trail and into a place no one would find me.

Still, the cost seemed excessive. And some lingering butch attitude made me seem weak if I bought one. After some honest reflection I determined two things. First, the cost isn’t something that I have to factor into my decision. All I had to think about is whether I wished I had one if I found myself somewhere without cell coverage, alone, injured, or with the bike broken down.

The answer was yes.

Immediately after making the purchase and subscribing to the $8 a month ENABLE plan it felt right.

Now on to the next safety item — a Helite Turtle 2 Airbag…

Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

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