It was 16F this morning when I left for work. That temperature feels especially cold to me at the beginning of the winter riding season and I’ve not yet adapted to the harsher environment. In a month I’ll think nothing of it. Riding a Vespa in cold weather, or any other two-wheeled conveyance for that matter, requires a little bit of thought. I advise most to think “no”. Just don’t do it.
Walking Junior up the street with the wind at my back I was convincing myself that a ride would be fine. Returning with it cutting through my tender face I was thinking how nice the van would be. Checking the road surface it was obvious the wind during the night had dried most of the moisture and there were few patches of ice to be found.
Few.
They’re not bad when you hit them straight but while braking or leaning and you become YouTube fodder. I realized on the ride in that I’ve developed a system of continual road surface scanning. It’s not obvious or time consuming but other things just become apparent quickly. I know guys who see the pretty girl right away. I see the place where ice might lurk.
Being stupid I had let the fuel level drop low and had to make a stop. Definitely try to get the tank full in cold weather and don’t want to run out. I have mastered a technique that allows me to manipulate the credit card payment device and fuel the scooter without taking my heavy gloves off. I consider that a notable accomplishment. I can shoot pictures with the Canon G15 as well with gloves. THAT saves a lot of cold hand agony.
No competition for parking this morning. Just some leaves to deal with. I am a bit gun shy about leaving the Vespa outside in the cold after several “no-start” events at the end of the day. One I attribute to fuel line freeze but the others seemed like battery issues. I’ve replaced the battery but each time I crank the engine I swear it sounds a little “weak”. Really should invest in one of the portable motorcycle batteries for peace of mind.
Parking is never an issue for a Vespa. At lunchtime I rode to the hospital for some routine blood tests and there were cars prowling the lot looking for spaces. I had a dozen choices. Chose this one because of the picturesque rock.
Knowing I would be in the office late I decided to ride home, have lunch and swap the Vespa for the Honda minivan. Riding in the dark when it’s cold and you need to watch for icy patches is more tedious than I was prepared for. The smart choice when in doubt is to always choose four wheels. At least that’s how I see it.
On the way home I passed another scooter rider and I’m not sure if I’m impressed or astounded. It’s cold and I’m completely buttoned up from head to toe including electric gloves. This guy is riding with a 3/4 helmet, no visor, no goggles, a winter jacket, jeans, tennis shoes, and some gloves. He looked frozen but happy.
I’ll never look happy when I’m frozen.
I had to stop to have a look at the sheep and take a few pictures. By this time the temperature was a balmy 22F. If I didn’t have things to do in the office I could have easily kept riding towards the sunset, cold or not.
I hear ya’, Steve… The Guzzi was displaying 19 degrees this morning here in Salt Lake. There is an up side (another one) to riding as much as sanely possible during the winter: After the deep freeze, those not-as-cold days in late February and March can feel like an early Spring. We get a big jump on the season while some other riders are still adjusting in April.
By the way, do you plug the scoot into a trickle charger at night? That might help to keep the battery fresh at other times.
I do use a trickle charger — a Battery Tender. Have it on my daughter’s Yamaha Vino at the moment but will be returning her scooter shortly and will put the charger on mine. Since I’m riding almost every day it’s not a problem yet.
At least the sheep were dressed for the weather even if the other rider you spotted wasn’t! Good choice (4 wheels) for cold, icy and dark!
I hate surrendering to the car though. Feels so final…
63 degrees tonight was bracing. 22 is too much.
Conch: Some years ago I read a post of yours, or maybe a comment, pretty much insisting that once the temperature gets to 60 riding is damn nonsense. Now, every time I see the indicator light on the Vespa show 60 I think of you.
At our latitude, 63F is tropical, 22 is bracing.
I don’t think it would be very enjoyable to ride without a full face helmet at those temperatures. Still not cold enough to need the winter helmet but no face shield or goggles?
I like your parking spot at your office. Even that is picturesque.
I thoughtful photographer can make any place picturesque!
And no, no face shield or googles. Crazy right??
I have been using a computerized “plug-in” mains battery conditioner for a good while now and it seems to be preserving battery life. My battery is four years+ and like new. But then our climate is much more temperate than yours. Have you had any feedback on these devices. I plug in whenever I’m not using the Vespa, it keeps the battery topped up. About $100 here in Oz.
The Battery Tender I use is similar though isn’t a pulse charger that balances the cells. Still, it works well. I was talking to a fellow today who says he just puts a new battery in every year. Not in a Vespa but in his Yamaha Vino. I change my battery in the Vespa every two to three years.
Thanks for reply about battery conditioners. Maybe I’m pushing my luck trying to extend the battery to five years. I’d hate to be caught miles from home minus power. Think I’ll get a new battery next week.
Five years is a long time for a scooter battery. I read on the ModernVespa forum about people getting long service but my experience has been that batteries die suddenly – cars and scooters. So I just change them periodically. And if I am stranded with a dead battery in the Vespa I can easily jump start the scooter from a car. I’ve done that a couple times.
Thanks for the post on cold weather riding. Here in Ohio, we have been hit with very cold weather, right off the bat. I had been riding and monitoring how cold is “too cold”. Temps in the low 20s in the morning keeps the scooter parked in the garage. I have a 45 minute commute to work. Can’t wait for it to warm up a little bit so I can get back to riding!
A 45 minute ride in the low 20s is work, especially if you don’t have the right riding gear. I’m with you hoping for some moderation in the cold weather. I’m not ready for a long deep freeze!