Part of the credit for the success of the evening belongs to Heet. The last couple cold weather rides were a bit frustrating because of fuel line freezing. Poured a little of this magic elixir into the fuel tank and no more no start events. At least not this evening at 21F. I have enough now to get me through the rest of the winter.
My first stop of the evening was for fuel, to mix the Heet with gas and venture off with crossed fingers. The world is salt covered right now. The scene actually looked like this. Yesterday I had lunch at the Happy Valley Brewery in State College, Pennsylvania and the parking lot, a freshly constructed blacktop area, was almost pure white and not from snow. Just the dregs of road salt.
My poor Vespa…
I had three goals for the evening — test the fuel fix, go to the grocery store, and stop by the Piston and Pints get together that was taking place at Legends Pub in the Penn State Conference Hotel.
Riding into Innovation Park I was wondering if anyone would show up.
It was a full house at the hotel and a lot of familiar faces at Piston and Pints though no motorcycles.
Didn’t attempt any pictures inside, was in a bit of a rush because here was more riding ahead, and I wasn’t sure if the fuel line was going to freeze. In the lobby I talked with a few guys and they had a fine suggestion that I might try — use a few of the chemical heating bags on the fuel line to thaw it out. Worth a try and certainly cheaper than a tow.
Dom Chang, author of Redleg’s Rides, suggested a couple cans of Sterno under the engine. That may work for a Ural but I have my doubts about it for the Vespa. I’ll have to think a bit on that.
The trip to the store was for the essentials limited only by what I can fit on the scooter. Then off into the night and cold. It’s hard to describe how much I enjoy these rides. I described the experience to Kim as similar to Junior’s excitement when the tennis balls are brought out — an burst of joy packed energy.
Oh to ride…
Ugh! All the road salt. All they usually spread in Fairbanks is sand and gravel. I’ve been told that they use chemicals in other parts of the state but so far we seem safe from the corrosive effects.
They use mag-chloride here, not as bad for rust as salt I think. My Ural remains down, engine to be shipped to the mothership for analysis. So it seems I too will ride vicariously through posts like yours and RichardM’s for a while. Sure there’s Yoshie but more on that later. Glad the heet is working and I like the idea of those hand warmer packs….
Does the 150 really got that much less storage space? I can fit way more groceries than that into my 250 and its top case. Occasionally I put the bread on the bag hook just so it doesn’t get damaged, but there’s usually more that I stuff into the case, the pet carrier, and occasionally fit a can of pop into the glove compartment.
Steve:
Don’t laugh ! Soon we are going to be in your predicament. It’s going below freezing for the next several days (Gulp)
and those groceries look healthy, esp those loCal cookies
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Love the pictures Steve, especially the gas station shot. I can feel the desolate cold and almost taste the salt. Yuck!
I’m definitely in recliner mode, well and truly stuck.
I kept reading your post aloud to my husband, only interrupted by adding my own exclamations which consisted mainly of “tough, tough, tough”…
Agree with David M. on the gas station shot. My favorite as well.
RichardM: Corrosive is right. I had to surrender the shiny Vespa up to the salt gods a long time ago as payment for riding through the winter. It began with the muffler and is now beginning to spread a bit.
Despite my complete disinterest in the cosmetic care of machines I really am going to have to take steps to be a bit more engaged with washing, waxing, and to attending to some emerging rust.
Really does seem like the government is spreading much more salty kinds of stuff now than in the past so people can continue to race through their lives unimpeded…
Charlie6: I’m happy the HEET seems to be working as well instead of having to build a fire under the Vespa as if I were on my way to Stalingrad in 1941…
Concetta Phillips: If I’m up to it and not in a hurry I can carry a lot of groceries on the GTS — topcase, underseat, pursehook, front rack, and tied down on top of the seat. Eight to nine bags of groceries. But when it’s cold outside I often don’t feel like fiddling around like that.
But even the simple haul of food is impressive!
bob skoot: The current state of my diet is terrible. Bad. Really bad. Cookies are just the tip of the iceberg!
David Masse: As desolate as that picture looks it was still invigorating to be out in that world. Hard to explain to most people, even other riders. I’ve quit trying to explain my madness.
Writing this comment from the blanketed comfort of my recliner….
Schnarpsel: After weeks of much colder and snowier weather last night was markedly easier to endure and navigate. Kind of straightforward in terms of managing risk (typical night riding and ice assessment) and 21F is really kind of, well, warm in terms of the riding gear I wear.
Still, I’m ready for warm weather in the 50F and above range and your comments transition from Tough, tough, tough to lovely, lovely, lovely…
Steve, I’m officially impressed. I don’t like to ride when it’s below 74 F, so “lovely at 50 F” is a foreign term to me. On the other hand I do not have all that gear either and that probably makes all the difference.