Mud
Riding a Vespa in mud isn’t a great idea. The small wheels and street tires can bog down and leave the scooter motionless. Worse, you run the risk of sucking wet stuff into the air intake which is quite low on the scooter. The only plus side is the relatively light scooter (compared to a big adventure bike) can be pushed or pulled out of the muck.
Fortunately, in this case I could easily ride around the mud. But I’ve been on a number of muddy roads that did not offer that option. In almost every case I was able to continue onward, however ugly, without incident. Only a couple times that I remember did I have to turn back. Usually because of deep water associated with the mud.
So, checking my list of things the Vespa doesn’t do well:
- Deep, watered mud
- Speeds in excess of 80mph
- Production of ear splitting noise
That’s about all I can recall at the moment. I’m sure there are more but right now I just don’t care…
I saw, on a tv show my husband watches, that clean mud makes a great face treatment. Can’t be ALL bad!
More news of Kim, please. I’m four months past ollif surgery and interested in her progress.
I remember being at an outdoors workshop and being told the mud in the pond on the property had healing powers. Always the adventurer, I slathered mud all over my feet and legs in hopes that it would help with the pain I was having in my toes. All I can say is that it felt great and washed off easily with a dip in the pond. But in terms of the toes — they still haunt me.
Kim is progressing slowly. Because of the severe compression of nerve roots in her spinal canal the surgeon does not expect to see marked improvement in pain and well being for a few more months. On a daily basis she’s able to move and walk in the house with less support needed from me for the little things like putting on clothes. She’s persistent in moving forward!
Lol…another great post. I myself won’t even take my “baby” out in the rain. She’s pretty “spoiled”.
Mud is not the friend of a spoiled baby. Takes a lot of work to get it off and depending on the mud can have abrasive or corrosive properties that provides lasting gifts. I’m not sure why I never spoiled my Vespa. Or much else for that matter. I use things without much concern for how they look afterwards. Everyone’s different about that sort of thing. No right or wrong approach. Whatever makes a person happy in that regard!
I tried mud on Martha’s scooter….it wasn’t, as you wrote, a good experience.
FWIW, a Ural sidecar rig with stock tires doesn’t do that well with mud either….but it can be a lot of fun. 🙂
I’ve seen enough videos of URALs tackling snow, torrents, raging rivers and worse to know that the people who pilot them and the situations they’re attracted to are nuts!
Not you of course.
The only thing that mud is good for is wrestling
You have a lot of experience with that do you? Was thinking about you yesterday Billy as I looked in the mirror at my hairstyle that shouts, “homeless.” Thought I should pay you a visit but then I figured just to piss me off you would give me a mullet!
Not too many things without tracks do very well in deep, watered mud. Time to put a snorkel on your Vespa…
Or not go in the mud anymore!
That is a pretty gooey looking kind of mud. Perhaps some clay content? If so, bits of your undercarriage not to mention the muffler will be forever imbued, with character.
Definitely a lot of clay in that mud. And you’re right about it being forever imbued. Hard to get that stuff out of every nook and cranny…
Haven’t done too much mud, but did take my daughter on a joy ride in the corn stubble on the family farm on my LX. Was kind of fun, but had less fun cleaning the bits of corn stalk out from the center stand and the dirt off of everything else. Worse yet, somehow managed to overheat the clutch and looking to replace the bell this spring. Lesson learned….leave the teenaged thrills to the teenagers. ;o)
Let me add another don’t…. large, rounded gravel stones. Or deep pea gravel for that matter.
The Vespa scooters just aren’t great for that sort of exuberant bombing around. They’re more mature and elegant in their approach right?
I’ll second the large rounded gravel stones. I almost dumped the Vespa making a stream crossing on them. Neither tires or suspension on the GTS was designed for that sort of route. I was talking with a friend today and told him I’m getting close to a commitment to asphalt and concrete.
I sometimes ride at an off-road riding park not from where I live. I use one of their rental bikes, as the KLR is just too big for that sort of thing (at least for me). I have been there twice during muddy conditions. The person I went with loved it, but I did not enjoy riding in mud at all, even on an off-road bike. I very much like riding on backroads, paved or unpaved, but the thrill of mud riding,; I don’t get it.
I’m pretty close to your thinking Steel. Maybe I’m just getting too old to play around in the mud. As a kid I loved riding a two-stroke Kawasaki dirt bike through a strip mine full of mud and water. No more.
That is some serious looking mud. I wonder what kind of speed you would have to do on the Vespa to actually attempt to go through it (glide over it)?
No gliding over that mud. I didn’t attempt riding through it but I suspect the Vespa would bog down quickly and lose all traction. Then it would be a tug of war to get it out. A motorcycle with bigger, more aggressive tires may fare a little better but the rider would still need to fight to not get bogged down in the deep mud.
I would be just fine without those 3 things! ?
I wouldn’t take my 1200GS through deep mud either. Too much trouble for a little entertainment.
The 1200GS would be a real challenge. I’ve seen riders take them over logs and water hazards but man they seem big and ponderous for such nonsense. A 250 dirt bike would be a far more compliant companion.
Lots of better riding entertainment than mud!
Totally agree, Steve!
I tell you, even putting a mountain bike in the mud has gotten me in trouble. Then there was the time I was on a 125cc dirt bike, bombing up and down this hill; it was all smiles until I came to a dead stop in a mud puddle, self-satisfied with my ride, and felt the bike suddenly slide out from under me…
Back to the present: Haven’t done much muddy stuff with Melody, but dealt with a bit of gravel, some fire roads, and lots of rain and snow; rain is fine, snow not so much (as I’ve previously chronicled here). Since I’ve had the bike at an honest 85mph at least twice, I can confirm the bike’s general stability at this speed; I would not care to be flogging her like that for more than ten miles or so at a stretch (and around here, you can’t realistically go that fast for more than three or four miles anyway, mostly because of traffic, partly for the sake of keeping your license), but it’s doable, and more fun than scary.
Mud is just a problem with the Vespa. I avoid it if I can. The only advantage over snow is that mud is usually in an un-trafficked area and you don’t have to worry about other vehicles.
The Vespa will run fast for long periods of time. I’ve ridden at 75mph on the Interstate for several hours and it performed fine. I know others will flog it like that all day long when traversing long distances. Certainly not my cup of tea in terms of riding but the machine can cruise on the highway. Just make sure the oil and coolants are where they should be, good tires, etc.
And no speeding!