Awaiting Tender Loving Care
Stopped by the body shop today to see how things were coming along on my Vespa scooter. I didn’t expect anything yet and was not disappointed. The scooter sat among other parts, pieces and vehicles awaiting transformation, much like droids in the original Star Wars where we first met R2D2.
As I looked around the shop I could see that body work is nothing like mechanical repair. It’s more of an art where the craftsman must find the path that best suits the situation. It’s sort of inspiring to see all the custom metal work, fabrication, welding and other activities going on to restore old vehicles. And brand new ones too.
I was told that they have a plan to do the work without pulling the steering column. The scooter would be hoisted into the air on the lift and they think they can access everything without any disassembly. That would save a few dollars.
Not being able to ride has led me to surf Craigslist and eBay for a used scooter. Found one exactly like mine with less than 3000 miles on the clock for $3000.oo. Same color too. As much as I daydream about motorcycles I should probably just buy a backup machine. With that in place maybe I can entertain some repair and maintenance myself when I retire.
Right now though, wish I could ride…
Body work really is an art form. Even more than painting! What an opportune time to install a sidecar…
Oops! Missed adding a sidecar!
’round these parts (no pun intended) non-essential businesses shutdown the entire week, from December 23 to January 2; other services will reopen today December 28 yo Saturday December 30. Not that much will be accomplished especially if others in your line of work are also shuttered. That said, interesting your local automotive body shop was open; probably to receive vehicles mangled over the holiday.
As to your Vespa, as with motor vehicles of similar age; don’t be too surprised if additional hidden rust damage is discovered.
You may then have to look beyond the current situation. Then again your particular Vespa will not be subjected to daily rides to employment after June 30/2017. There is that aspect as well.
Keep us posted.
How wast your Christmas?
There’s a lot more open over the holidays than there used to be. A symptom of the growing metropolitan area I guess.
I’ve not looked too close at the paint job or if there is other rust lurking. If I can get a few more rust free years of riding I”ll be happy. And even happier if I can actually manage to ride for a few more years!
Christmas was relaxing. And as you can see on Scooter in the Sticks, I didn’t invest any time here.
Time to either buy a bike or that Honda Ruckus. Not to belittle any brand but a Honda is always darn near bullet proof. Like your daughter’s Vino a Ruckus would be available any time and would allow you to consider your musings and the landscape at a reduced pace. If it has to another Piaggio any big wheeled Beverly would suit you quite nicely.
As would a KYMCO People GTi300.
I agree with the kymco 300. Great scooter with a great warranty. …. check them out.
Roy smith
We used to have a dealer in town but they’re gone and the nearest option is far away. That alone will likely keep the Kymco off my radar. I have heard great things about them though. Who knows, everything always changes…
I like the Ruckus. Makes sense in a lot of ways. And a backup GTS, well, hard to improve on that.
Given some of the issues you’ve had with the Vespa having another brand as a backup might better serve you. A Yamaha SMax has about the same speed as your 250, comes with Japanese reliability and won’t have the “maintenance requirements” of a European scooter. Life is short, experiencing other makes is always an eye opener.
I’ve certainly considered other makes but they’re all so damn ugly to my eye. So I keep coming back to a Vespa. And my more intelligent spouse, someone who knows my thoughts and actions well, reminds me of how I function and a second anything always ends unused….
Fix or replace.
Life is short. And I suppose I don’t want to spend it experiencing other makes of scooters. I found one I love. Now I should ride. Still, there’s those times when it’s not available…
I can relate to your feelings on a Vespa. I always love the admiring glances I get on my Kymco Like 50 and Chinese Bashan Biella from people who tell me they like my Vespa. The styling is classic and the rounded shape appealing to the eye.
It might take a while, but it does look like your machine is in capable hands!
Restoration work is something of an art, and I’m confident this will show in the finished work. Betting that on first sight you’ll think it’s too pretty to take out and ride. 😉
Scooter is back. My riding spirit is still out to lunch…
Mine wasn’t faring too well lately, between getting hit with a one-two punch of a flu-like illness that put me out of commission for the better part of two weeks (which Sig. Other caught a handful of days later while taking care of me…that’s togetherness for you), and about 6″ of snow – I had barely enough energy to cover up Melody before the storm hit. I did manage to go for an errand-and-fun ride on that One Freaky-Warm Day we had a few days ago, and I’ll likely take har out again for a bit tomorrow; these are the “pockets” of Winter I talk about, keeping the bike at least semi-active, and the battery tender at bay. We’ll see how long I can keep this up. Meantime, hoping a bit more rest helps what ails you!
Seems like illness is sweeping the northeast. Or at least in this part of central Pennsylvania. A stomach virus has hit the area hard and made the local newspaper. Just one thing after another. Myself — i’m emerging from a tunnel of unfortunate health misfortune…
My scooter awaits my return. I look at it every day but only manage to mutter “ugh…”
It’s funny, I wind up surfing Craigslist any time I am not riding. I love playing; “if I could buy a second bike what would it be.”
I’m trying to stop. Are there 12-step groups?
Would definitely suggest a second machine – for backup and perhaps for variety? If you’re committed to riding in the snow, maybe a sidecar? We don’t have snow in Phoenix, AZ but I picked up a used sidecar rig six months ago purely out of curiosity – being an engineer, the physics are goofy (took a 3 day sidecar class) but it’s really fun to ride. After 45 years of riding all sorts of motorcycles up into the superbikes, it slows everything down and makes me appreciate the basics of being on a bike. After getting a little comfortable on the sidecar, I was reminded of the feeling I had when I got my first bicycle at age 5: it wasn’t about the bicycle per se, it was the movement, the wind, and being able to go “anywhere.”
Buy a second machine – anything!
Buy a second machine….
I’ve owned and ridden larger displacement scooters made by Honda, Kymco, and Vespa. The first two were bulletproof, and the Kymco offered the most performance of the three. I would not hesitate to own either of those first two, or a Yamaha or a Suzuki, or even a SYM or TGB.
I once had a master Vespa mechanic of many years tell me that if I want to own a scooter, I should buy any one of the Japanese brands – and not a Vespa. That was of course his opinion based on many years of working on them – and we all know what they say about opinions.
Despite other makes of scooters with bulletproof performance, I remain in a stupor when it comes to the Vespa. It’s form and appearance keep me insensible, and the on-the-road performance for me is second to nothing I have ridden — motorcycles included. Maybe someday I’ll awake from my stupor but for now I’m an addict looking for his next Vespa fix…
OK, I’ll jump in here. I’d recommend a second bike be different, for different purpose, than the other. For instance, I have the shiny Harley for sunny day riding and long trips, and my “rain bike,” the Suzuki for bad weather, off-road, or going round the world for that matter. Each is equipped to carry groceries, clothes, camping gear, etc. Why repeat with exactly the same? At one time we had 5 bikes, but each was for a specifically different purpose.
I understand the logic Robert and have certainly seen it in practice with other riders. But as I look at your list — save for serious off-road riding (which I don’t do) — there isn’t anything I can’t do with the Vespa — long trips included. In the cold sober light of morning when I am honest about a second machine — the only rational reason for me is when the Vespa is down for repair. But if both were running I would likely use one exclusively. I used to have a lot of cameras, models, backups, but in practice I gravitated to one and the others sat unused until I eventually sold them. My brain doesn’t do well with multiple option I guess.
Steve, buy a second Vespa!! I have a BMW GS Adventure, parked next to my Vespa. I really like the GS. I must say, since having bought the Vespa, i look long and hard at the GS and ask myself, should i sell it and get a second vespa? I do two annual trips on the GS of 5000Km (3125 miles) each trip and a few local trips around my area each year. I did a trip to a neighbouring country (Lesotho) from my home in Johannesburg. The trip is about 1200Km return (750 miles). ALL ON MY Vespa.
The point i am trying to make is, i never thought that a Vespa was that capable. WOW it was so impressive it was that trip that put into my head WHY have the GS! I am still wrestling with what to do. But that is for another day.
Your idea of doing your own maintenance! A GREAT idea and not that difficult, if you like doing the mechanic thing now and again. I started doing it, only because i am so fascinated by the Vespa scooter. Hell its been going from 1946. The big plus is the cost saving on the maintenance.
So Steve, you have your winter to come up with will you own a second Vespa. I know you will.
You’re doing some serious riding on your Vespa Danny. Your observations about the capabilities of the Vespa mirror my own. And I’ve put enough miles on motorcycles to make a comparison on function. Despite the knowledge I still want a motorcycle but it’s a lot like a kid who wants a fire truck…
A second Vespa GTS to back up my aging machine, the chance to tinker more and to always have something to ride has great appeal. So you’re prediction may come true at some point…
Having a backup steed is a good idea….it’s why I have a backup sidecar rig…but that’s because URALs tend to break all to frequently sometimes.
You’re my model for riding and wrenching wisdom Dom. A backup scooter seems the logical choice.
Steve: I don’t know if you should take my advice on buying more bikes …. I was recently up to nine bikes in the barn! I’m now down to only 5. Having said all that, and having owned two GTS 250 scooters (both Dragon Red), I strongly recommend getting a GTS 300 as your second scoot. Everybody told me that there wasn’t that much difference between them; they were wrong. The 300 is everything you like about the 250, but with more guts. The additional torque is something I appreciate every time I ride it. By the way, my GTS 300 is Dragon Red, too! You can get a used 300 (mine is a 2010 model) for very reasonable prices that are not materially more than what a good 250 would cost. It’s a no brainer.
Bill,
Good advice and pretty much my conclusion. If I get a second something it will be a Vespa. And likely a 300 if I find the right price. Saw a local sale for a 2006 GTS 250 with 4500 miles, topcase, wind screen, and a trailer for $3200. Same color as mine too. Missed it though…
Funny how easy it is to lust after another PTW. I’ve “shopped” for something bigger when I only had my LX150, then for something “extra” just in case I stumbled across a good deal….
Having a bike in the shop would really set me off….even in winter. Even if I’m not riding, I don’t like knowing I couldn’t anyway!
Good luck on getting your old wheels back soon!
There were some good riding days while the scooter was out of service. It’s back now and plan to take a ride today.
I have silently read your posts for a while now and found it refreshing. There is a certain gait to your writing that it is wonderful to hear you tell the stories, reminds me of a close friend who moved to Florida from Brooklyn a few years ago. But he being from Alabama originally and a Jazz bass player, had many stories and his style is similar to yours and it is wonderful, keep it up..
I live in Brooklyn, used to ride a Suzuki GSX750 when I was in grad school in 1990-94. Then I had a Honda when I moved to NYC in 1994, but it got stolen and I did not buy another vehicle for a long time. When the subway fares went up to $2.75 a ride while the quality of service went down, I decided I had had it, and searched far and wide for a Vespa 300 GTS( cuz I want to be able to ride it on the highway without being blown off by cars/semis passing me( I weigh 152lbs and not heavy enough to feel good riding anything light on the highway).Took me a while but I finally found one on Craigslist and over a 4 month period bargained/negotiated [from $4200 to $2750 for a 2010 GTS 300 with 4780 miles] and got a fair deal ( In life there are no great deals, at best one can hope for is a fair deal).
I got it in October 2015 and had been riding it all through winter except for a few days when it was snowing, NYC roads are horrible in general but in the snow it becomes nastier.
Broke my wrist in July 2016 and wasn’t able to ride the Vespa until Dec 2016 only to be barred again as a tendon has ruptured and made it difficult to ride for the near term.
Vespa sits covered up and I made a deal with NYPD traffic meter cops to not give me a ticket for keeping it on the sidewalk, explained to them the situation and thus far they have not written me up for a ticket for parking on the sidewalk.
The riding gear you use in the winter seems to keep you warm. I on the other hand have Reynauds disease/syndrome I think as my fingertips and toes freeze. I tried the heated Gerbing gloves and it wasn’t doing the trick, ended up installing heated grips from Koso and that has worked like a charm though haven’t tested it this winter as yet. I haven’t yet found a comfortable warm gear for the core and feet.
I have loved reading your posts and will continue reading…. If I healup fast I hope to take my first over 100 mile ride maybe to the Berkshires, TBD…
Thank you for your kind words on my writing. I appreciate hearing how people respond and what they think about the things I share. Telling stories is something I have long admired in others and the connections and insight they engender in me, and in others. In a rushing world we don’t have enough storytelling anymore.
I hope you soon surmount your injuries and are back on the road with your Vespa. A trip to the Berkshires from New York sounds like a great trip.
Keeping warm in winter is an ongoing challenge, one that seems to have grown more difficult the past two years. My hands and feet are weak points for me. I don’t have Reynauds but do have something similar — Chilblains. Seems each winter of late my feet get too cold and disaster ensues. Chilblains causes blistering (like you get from bad shoes) and if too bad, it causes capillary breaks and some nasty blood blisters which in total leaves me almost unable to walk without some serious pain. My Tucano Urbano muffs and electric gloves handle the extreme cold well and my electric grips are fine in the 30F and up weather. My feet though — ugh, haven’t found the right solution yet.
So I keep on searching!
Be safe and good luck with your recovery.
Feeling Glad to see your informative post about scooter “Steve Williams”. I read it and thing myself, Vespa Scooter is a wonderful scooter today. I hope it will change the scooter market along with unexpected success.
I hope Piaggio sees some growth in their market. In the US, scooters remain under the radar.