Around the Next Bend
I’m attracted to winding roads, curves and the twisting challenges they present. While some riders strive to race through them, I find I travel slower while taking in as much detail I can. Central Pennsylvania is rich with bright yellow signs of winding roads. And it’s flush with metaphoric symbols like this tree that has toiled and endured insult and the advancement of years. I see myself at times in the gnarled growth of trees.
Sometimes. On winding roads.
Each ride, long or short, I try to look to what’s important. The messages that lay in wait.
Friend or Alien Invader?
Paul Ruby and I have been riding together since I bought my first Vespa in 2005. The miles on winding roads can’t be measured. In many cases those rides have been forgotten or merged into a sweeping mental memory of riding. What’s been consistent is the bond between friends — riders, photographers, a person who is there when you need them. No questions. I can count on one hand the people, aside from family, that fall into that category.
Riding, on roads paved with asphalt, concrete, gravel and dirt, and traveling the mental ones that glow while flying the Vespa, what’s important and has value in life is revealed. And what’s just noise. It’s easy to neglect the importance of people in my life. And then while standing along a gravel road under a heavy gray sky it all becomes clear.
New Motorcycle
No doubt a 2015 Honda CRF250L will be appearing from time to time in posts. Mr. Ruby has been searching for a machine to trail ride with his step son. After an infatuation with the KTM 690 Enduro, a story best left to him to tell should you ever cross paths, he settled on the Honda. From my point of view — a far better choice for an old guy thinking of single track riding.
But what do I know; I ride a Vespa scooter.
I had to ask Paul what year his motorcycle was — needed the information for a blog post. He commented that he better be the center of attention. I shared the photo of him in his helmet and he responded immediately:
“Thats good. It shows my expensive Sena unit and Shoei helmet. It will appeal to shallow BMW riders concerned with self image. In other words, it offsets the cheap Honda.”
Paul still has his 2017 BMW R1200RT. I didn’t ask about the “shallow” comment.
On one of our first rides with his new bike I found myself stopping before heading toward an wet, unpaved section of road and asking, “Your bike might get dirty on the road ahead. Is that ok?”
Paul likes his machines to be clean. He also enjoys a good winding road. The less expensive motorcycle allows for some dirt.
Road with a View
What is it about a view of the world that’s so intoxicating that I have to slow down or stop? As if there’s a cosmic opportunity to pull back the curtain to see a little part of my universe. I’ve been drawn to them my entire life. From those early days where my mother would drag me to a mountain top in the Alps to the countless scenic overlooks along highways from which I’ve gazed. They remain a compelling force.
In the distance, Interstate 99 cuts up and across Bald Eagle Ridge as it makes its way into the Nittany Valley. For years people fought its construction for myriad reasons. Construction caused environmental problems. And as happens with most roads, it’s had a dramatic effect on growth and development. For some , a terrible outcome. For others, an improvement in the scope and quality of life in this part of the Commonwealth.
I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Winding Roads Through the Mountains
The Vespa and Honda are tolerable riding companions. Save for serious single trail riding or fording streams and creeks, they can handle the same roads. Aside from the obvious visual differences my initial observations and input shared by Paul, it revealed that the Honda’s suspension gives a far better ride on rough, winding roads. The Vespa scooter’s seat provides a far more comfortable ride. They travel at the same speeds. The Vespa has more space for carrying stuff. The Honda is lighter but much taller. And you can stand on the pegs of the Honda more easily that you can stand up on the Vespa.
Little things. More important to us though was breakfast.
Street Machines
Our usual motorcycle parking space in downtown State College was unavailable, forcing us onto the street where the “others” park. After wandering in the mountains the onslaught of vehicular and visual stimuli is startling. From feeling one with the universe to being a bug waiting to be squashed by two ton vehicles operated by a distracted drivers.
But there was breakfast. And the fresh memory of winding roads on two wheels to chase away the darkness.
Another fine read, Steve. If you can twist your friend Paul’s arm to let you share his 690 Enduro story, I would love to hear it. As a long time KTM fan (three 690 Dukes, an RC 390, 625 SMC , 390 Duke… outstanding) I just acquired a 690 Enduro. If bikes were measured solely on their ability to thrill, I would place the 690 Enduro pretty much at the top of my list. To say the nearly 70 horses , motivate the bike’s 340 pounds in spirited fashion , would be understatement. The scoot is as agile as it is ferocious and even with Knobby rubber , acquits itself wonderfully in the twisty bits. It is also a great teacher. The first time I took it out , I gave it not a moment to warm … something that makes big singles very grumpy. At the end of the driveway, just as I banked it over for a hard right, the engine stalled locked the front wheel which then tucked and sent me to the pavement. Had it not been for it’s towering 35 inch seat height, I might have saved it. Neither I, nor the bike was hurt and I … yet again… was schooled in the value of patience. Like you, I see the Wee Honda as a far better choice for tight single tract. Also like you, I see my Vespa GTS as a far better seat for practicing the contemplative arts.
Alas, Paul let go his focus on the 690 KTM after he took it for a test ride. Too heavy, too powerful for what he had planned. He settled on the smaller, lighter and less expensive Honda. It was a story of obsession and realization of the folly of that obsession. I guess. Perhaps he’ll comment.
Each machine brings it’s own unique attributes to a ride. As you say, the Vespa GTS supports contemplation in a manner that something like a Ducati Hypermotard or countless other machines would struggle with. Paul wanted the KTM but an honest look at his intended use eventually ruled it out. My own riding has kept me squarely in the Vespa arena. All desires for other machines have turned out to be that — desire without need. Someday that will change.
Glad your education didn’t hurt you or the machine. I’ve only had one drop education. That was early on while riding in snow. I learned it’s really slippery stuff and a scooter tire can fly out quickly.
The Vespa seat is nice. It’s probably the best seat I’ve been on save for the big BMW touring bikes.
Nice write-up of a nice day.
Thanks Robert. It was a good day.
BTW — I fixed your typo.
Motorcycling, like most equipment intensive activity, is about matching a machine to a mission.
After owning a multitude of Honda 250 incarnations I applaud the choice…for the single track mission.
Central Pa is blessed with miles and miles of good dual sport opportunity.
The trails reopen late in May….
As my English colleagues use to say….”horses for courses”
I think it’s a good choice as well. And there are so many great places to ride in this area.
I forgot something…If I buy a big buck D$LR camera….it wont make me a good photographer.
You guys could still take better photos with an old IPOD.
Keep shootin’….keep ridin’
SW: Thanks for your kind and thoughtful comments. There are only a few people (my brother for one) I can count on no matter what. Pretty much I can’t think of any circumstance where you wouldn’t be there to help me even if it was tough or you didn’t like it or it was at your expense. But you would help me or be there for me anyway. I’ve probably told you that before. I’m lucky to have you. I’ve lost track of all the places we’ve rode together in cars and motorcycles. Taking photos, eating Dolly Madison’s, chewing the fat. Let’s go to Moose Meadow this summer with our cameras. I want to see what that’s like now. Terry Bell hit it on the nose. I did not want to be on the ground with that $9000 KTM 690 enduro. I took it for a ride and it was too powerful and too tall. It was super cool and good looking but I had to dismiss that. As soon as I rode my cheap Honda dual sport down the rocky path and horsed around a little over the rocks I thought, “Man, I got the right motorcycle!” I was not afraid to fall, I didn’t care, and that gave me all the confidence that I would NOT have had with the KTM monster. Rob E has volunteered to give me an off road riding lesson. I’ll take him up on that. Paul
We’ve had quite a party so far Paul. Here’s hoping for many more years of adventure!
It will be a good thing to take Rob up on the off road lessons. No sense giving the medical community any unnecessary dollars.
Tell Paul that he should visit his BMW dealer when they get in some new G310GS cycles. Initial owner reviews have been tremendous. It has cast wheels with tubeless tires but still can handle single track; does most road work better than the 250cc crowd; is still smooth on-road at high rpms.
“The Vespa scooter’s seat provides a far more comfortable ride.” Too bad Honda didn’t continue upgrading their CT line from the final CT110 to a present-day 300cc model. It had a comfortable solo seat (much like a touring bicycle) that could allow peg standing.
I really like the looks and capabilities of the BMW G310GS. I haven’t had the opportunity to ride one, but on paper it seems like a reasonable alternative to the Vespa should I ever have to abandon it.
It amazes me how many uncomfortable motorcycle and scooter seats there are. Seems like something a manufacturer would try and get right.
Nothing more boring on a bike than long strait roads. Here in Scotland we have thousands of miles of meandering rural roads with scenery that keeps making you want to stop to look or photo. I just love to dodle along these roads without the threat of heavy traffic behind.
I like to doddle as well. Plenty of roads here to do that. It’s perhaps my favorite riding activity.
Lovely story, motorcycles aside, it’s the friendship that is woven through the fabric of the story that is the the best part. I have a few friends like that and they are pretty amazing.
I’ve ridden both scooter and motorcycle and right now it’s motorcycle that is owning my being, but at some magical point it is going to be a scooter. I love my Honda NC700Sa it shares some scooter-like qualities by having a storage compartment (frunk) where the gas tank normally sits, which fits a fullface helmet. It also has a low centre of gravity, it shares the same chasis platform the Honda Integra D scooter, so it has its bones and DNA in the scooter world.
My riding school’s novice fleet bike is the Honda CRF250L , it is a marvelous bike, The choice was made because it ticked so many boxes, durable, relatively light weight, performance , flickable, forgiving and it takes the daily hardship of student drops and survives. We have lowered a few with lowering links and lowere even a few more with links and supermoto tires to reduce heigh. I love these bikes and if I was getting a dual sport this would be it. I tried a BMW 650 for an off road story I did and it was way too heavy and I spent the entire shoot fighting the weight of the bike and knew if I was going to do any type of riding like this it would be on a smaller bike. Mr Ruby made the perfect choice.
Honda’s NC700 is an interesting machine. I’ve spoken to a few owners about them and looked them over at the dealer. After some consideration, and taking account of my own limitations due to arthritis, I think any change in my future will remain in the lighter range of machines.
I can see how the Honda CRF250 would be a great bike to learn on. And for what Mr. Ruby wants to do — the right choice too.
Another terrific story, Steve. Riders in south-central Ontario have been journeying to Pennsylvania for the roads for more than 25 years that I can recall. Miles and miles of smooth, curvy pavement with relatively sparse traffic makes us happy as clams.
As I age, and as I read your blog, I’m fast becoming a fan of lighter motorcycles and scooters plus a fan of more-contemplative riding on other than paved surfaces. Considering that my trusty 650 Burgman weighs in at a not-so-svelte 600-plus pounds, and with a pair of arthritic knees, I plan to sell the Burgman this spring and replace it with something similar but approaching half the weight. The suggestions in your stories and in the comments are all appreciated.
Thanks Jim. Pennsylvania is blessed with having paved so many cow and wagon paths. Add the Appalachians to it and you have some windy roads.
Aging and machine weight. A great topic. It’s funny how much heavier a lot of things feel now. Four years ago I had no back issues. Didn’t blink getting on a BMW K1600 or similar big machine. Now they seem dangerously ponderous to me. Even the smaller 800s and such seem big. While I realize I get used to the weight, I’m constantly reminded of it as I try and push them around, get them on a center stand, etc. So I look to lighter machines — something under 400 pounds.
There are lots of things in that category. I was looking at the new BMW310R and GS. They would be a nice alternative to the Vespa though carrying capacity is sadly just a shadow of what the scooter can carry. But nice in terms of moving it around.
I’m getting old. My ride is getting lighter. If all I did was cruise on the highway, not stop very often, never venture off pavement, and not make a lot of U-turns, then a big bike would be fine. The way I ride though — ugh.
Didn’t realize Steve, until you mentioned it, that you’ve been on two wheels since 2005….only a year more than me! Somehow I got the impression you’ve been at it much longer! 🙂
I’ve definitely been spending too much time on three wheels, was on a winding canyon road the other day with Brigitta, the R80, and I was taking the curves way too hesitantly! Was better by the end of the ride but still…..
When I started to ride again in 2005 there was a 30 year gap since my last riding experiences. Effectively, I was a beginner again.
Perhaps you weren’t hesitant at all. Maybe it was just riding wisdom at work!
Compared to the Honda, the Vespa looks like the big, heavy touring machine.
The Vespa is bigger than people think. Stand it next to almost anything other than the big touring bikes and it holds its own.
Great story’s , I have the huge BMW GS Adventure . I also have a Vespa GTS 300. Also been riding from 2005. Here in South Africa we have great distances, but … the Vespa is the choice of the day. Light, nimble, ample power. Cheap on gas and always fun to ride. Ride safely out there all and just ride plenty, during your coming summer.
I imagine riding in Africa is a completely difference experience than here once you get out of town. A BMW 1200 GS Adventure makes sense. But you’re right about the Vespa in town and for the small trips (under a few hundred miles) — hard to beat! Probably feels tiny though after any time on the BMW.
Scars on the landscape. I well recall driving to the hills of PA in the late 1960’s with two friends squeezed into a VW bug. Our purpose was to see steam, usually East Broad Top of three foot gauge (now closed) as well as other railway attractions. We also observed the interstate highway under construction ripping apart the landscape. It
now does serve a purpose however one must wonder at times. And then there was the open-cast strip mining. Enormous power shovels ripping coal from the ground and loading into railway hopper cars sitting on creaky rails to be hauled off by a locomotive to the mainline tracks for later pickup. Those coal cranes rose about the trees as if it was a prehistoric monster. Most strip mines were told to appease for their actions and to back
fill the areas stripped of coal, It was so unusual to go south one year and observe a nicely green hilltop and the next year the hill was gone, flattened with the interior of coal removed. Most of the small drift mines were reached by a path ostensibly called a road , with a railroad track of questionable condition beside. There was usually a dump for trucks or a tipple over the tracks. Old hopper cars, sometimes a small industrial locomotive would be in evidence. No security then, nobody cared, you were on you own.
So riding around those curves and twists in the road where you two travelled, you probably can still see evidence of coal mining in places, but that for me that was from 1968!
Still some coal mining underway but the vast stripping is over. And those scars have been covered over for the most part by mother nature. Unfortunately the mine drainage in some places has permanently contaminated streams and waterways, painting them bright orange with iron and making them toxically acidic.
Those injuries won’t go away in my lifetime. If ever.
It’s more difficult to get into some of those places now. Liability has spawned endless warning and no trespassing signs, fences and gates and at time live security. The days of fun on dirt bikes in strip mines has passed…
Nothing better than a friend you can always count on, and a bunch of yellow signs indicating wiggles ahead. ?
And the shallow BMW riders comment made me LOL!
Paul is always good for a shot at other riders!