Morning Glow
It’s difficult to identify the exact moment when my mistrust of a machine is born. It’s certain though to prey on the mind and from there the brain wanders toward thoughts of failure and catastrophe. And from that nervous vantage point I can see the purchase of something new. I missed my smooth and silent riding partner.
This has happened numerous times with cars and trucks. And a few times with computers and cameras. But it was something new regarding my Vespa scooter, the vehicle that transcended transportation to serve as a smooth and silent tool to see the world more clearly.
On a misty morning ride I could feel the machine interrupting, the road rumbling through the hand grips, the transmission rattling, the normally smooth and silent ride displaced by thoughts that something isn’t right. As the odometer approaches 38 thousand miles and the departure of the local Piaggio dealer I found myself thinking of machinery rather than the morning glow to which I was witness.
Through the Little Window
For me, and other Vespa and Piaggio owners in central Pennsylvania, came the good news that Kissell Motorsports would continue to provide service despite dropping the dealership. The addition of some expensive new TEXA diagnostic equipment, and a commitment to service, will allow them to maintain my Vespa scooter along with other orphaned machines in the Ducati and Triumph lines.
I watched periodically through the little window as Taylor worked on my Vespa. New tires, filters, sparkplug, drive belt, rollers and a Pennsylvania Safety Inspection transformed the 12 year-old scooter into a new machine.
The Freeway Test
A dash home on Interstate highway 99 would provide an opportunity to wear in the tires and drive belt assembly. A few slow miles followed by a few faster ones. The 35 mile trip home a variety of speeds to allow everything a chance to wear in.
Just as a new battery a few weeks ago silenced concerns around starting, the new tires — Continental Zippys — converted a rough riding scooter into an off the showroom floor Vespa. Amazing the difference new tires make. I need to quit monitoring tread and listen to my gut concerning the quality of the ride.
My smooth and silent riding partner has returned.
Hmmm… mine is due too. My head is so deep in the books, 11-13 hours a day, there’s no a moment to devote to my Vespa. Maintenance will priority #1 as soon as my ordeal is behind me.
I’ve wondered how you’re doing with your preparations. Eleven to twelve hours a day studying is beyond comprehension for me now. Bravo for the passion and drive to do what you’re doing. Best of luck wrestling through the ordeal!
Huzzah! Always trust what you feel.
At 32K, my trusty ET4 is in for service, the scope of which has yet to be determined…
Fortunately for her, I’m absurdly loyal to my vehicles.
Fortunately for me, I’m at the fine tuning stage on my ’64 Lambretta restoration.
I’m always slow to acknowledge what I feel — mechanical and otherwise. With the Vespa, I would do myself a big favor to listen more closely and not rationalize away noises and vibrations. This old dog needs to learn new tricks.
Hope the scope of service for your ET4 isn’t painful. A ’64 Lambretta restoration — that must have been a big job. Best wishes for a speedy completion and first ride!
Nice to read about Kissel.
My GS and Ducati need some love soon.
Would like a scooter someday.
Is there hope for America?
Hope for America…. in regard to scooters, I’m not optimistic. Like four-wheeled vehicles, there’s not a lot of profit in selling scooters. You need to sell a lot of them to stay in business if they’re your product line. That rules out pretty much every location other than highly populated areas. I think the future of scooters (and motorcycles) isn’t very bright. I see little interest in them by young people. Not enough to support the industry unless something transforms them as they age and suddenly they need one. Who knows. I don’t have a crystal ball. I’ll just keep riding my scooter until I can’t or don’t want to…
I. was. having a coffee with a friend of similar age the other day. He stopped riding about a year ago after a rather spectacular accident on two wheels; a lorry slide into him on a wet road, he is still hurting and his Goldwing is no more. At age 75 is wondering if he should buy another machine, however his doctor has told him if he does so, he’ll have to find another doctor; he had too many injuries and broken bones, and walks with a cane.
To continue he was mentioning his two grandsons in two families have no interest in obtaining either standard motor vehicle licenses to drive a car nor drive a motorized two wheel vehicle. They ride bicycles everywhere or walk. They both attend university in far-flung places from home and find if they really need to go somewhere there is Uber or a coach or a train or similar. Neither can see the need
to drive something that clogs the air, be it petrol based or electric which still uses some material to make the steam to drive the turbines to produce the electricity.
They do have a point. Is a proper electric Vespa in the future, with a long-life electrical storage capacity which will allow 150 mile trips?
I can’t imagine being in an accident now. Running into a table in the house seems a catastrophe. Landing on the pavement would be a nightmare. And taking a blood thinner would complicate any injury further. So far none of my doctors have suggested stopping riding. But I haven’t had any accidents to fuel concern.
I kind of admire people who can get by without driving. Seems a monumental task in my mind. Seems impossible in a rural area where there is no UBER, bus or options. The Amish manage but their world is small. And they have horses. If I grumble cleaning snow off the car I think I would grumble more hitching up a wagon.
Vespa has an electric scooter in the works. Can’t remember the mileage range or charge time but it seemed adequate for urban use. I’m sure a reasonable range will evolve. And if battery swapping ever becomes a reality — if manufacturers can standardize the batteries — then range will become less of an issue. I should live so long…
Here’s the new 2018 electric Vespa:
https://newatlas.com/vespa-elettrica-electric-scooter/52117/
I like the silver body of that electric scooter. The slightly better than 50cc performance and a 62 mile range leaves something to be desired.
Really happy to hear that Kissel’s not just hanging in there for you, but actually upping their game on the service front. Also great to hear how that extra bit o’ TLC put your GTS to rights quite solidly.
Melody, relatively young pup that she is by contrast, isn’t far off from her 6k once-over, will take place at our newest dealership a mile and a half(!) away. My original dealer dropped Vespa, which ultimately is a good thing IMO, since they seemed rather indifferent to the line, whereas the new dealer (which handles Indian and, more recently, Royal Enfield) seems a good deal more enthusiastic. And they’ve already sold a literal truckload of Vespas.
It feels good to know that I have a service option locally. I really was concerned that I would have to abandon the Vespa. And it really does feel like a new machine right now. That’s great.
Fantastic that you have a Vespa dealer so close. I hope they’re service is all you expect from them.
Pleased to hear you are not replacing the loyal wee beast and have given it a good service which brings peace of mind. You can get attached to a machine that’s given long honest service, looking forward to hearing future adventures with Wee Silver.
Same here. I did not want to be in the position that I would have to get rid of the Vespa. And with the recent service I’m feeling good about riding the GTS anywhere. I’ll be sharing some stories about some recent rides when I have some time.
Quite a comparison: 38,000 for you and only 3800 for me. Guess I have a long way yet to go:) 2010 Vespa GTS 300 Super.
The miles creep up on you just like the years!
My GTV250 (Vinnie a.k.a the green machine) is approaching 25,000kms….. luckily for me and her, I have a wonderful scooter mechanic 1km from my house who does a service every 6 months. Gotta keep my baby in tiptop condition.
Must be nice to have a mechanic so close who can care for the scoot. I’m trying to do a little more service myself but to be honest my heart isn’t in it. I want to ride. I just haven’t seemed to be able to cultivate the desire to wrench.
It’s so good to have one of your posts to read on a calm Sunday morning, with Chilled Jazz playing on Spotify! What could be better!?. Great photos and on-point as always. It encourages me to go have a ride too. Many thanks.
Chilled Jazz and Scooter in the Sticks — funny. Not a picture I have in my head. While writing these posts, I’m alone, in a quiet place, and sometimes with a cup of tea and a candle burning. A different picture.
Glad to know you find some enjoyment in them. And better yet, something that helps kindle the desire to ride!
Curious how many miles/years you target for tires? I’m in need of new tires for my GTS Super. Age more so than miles.
I have no target with tires. I ride until I see they’ve worn badly or I start suspecting the rough ride is tire related. The Heidenau tires that just came off had over 4K on them. Not sure the exact mileage. And I almost always change both even though the front tire doesn’t wear as fast. In terms of mileage I’ve had tires that were shot at 2K and others that went 7K. Age doesn’t factor in much. I ride enough that I don’t worry about it. Unlike some riders, I don’t really care a lot about what brand I use or how well they perform. My riding is so slow and non-aggressive that it hardly matters. The only exception is winter tires. But in that case there are few options…
It warms my soul to be reminded I am not alone in my anthropomorhism….all my 2 wheeled children have had unique personalities…and sometimes expensive head scratching flaws. They have also given me lifelong memories I rely on to keep me ridin’…but wrenching has become a chore.
Rainy day in Happy Valley….thanks for sharing.
Rainy indeed. Just as I readied myself to go for a ride the rain began to fall heavily and I sat back down. Perhaps later in the day.
While I haven’t ascribed as many human traits to the Vespa as I have our dogs, I certainly understand it having a unique personality that I listen too at times. Probably should listen more often. And like you, the memories provide potent motivation to want to keep on riding. I’m curious to how long that will last…
It never ceases to amaze me how people think that anything beyond 30,000 miles is borrowed time on a scooter or bike. I have two “Antiques” in my garage, a 1983 Kawasaki with 43,000 and a 1991 Honda Nighthawk 250 barely broken in at 15,000. Having gone 125,000 miles with one bike I can tell you that as long as you do the maintenance and don’t beat on the machine it will last a looooong time. Heck, one of my Chinese scooters has over 16,000 and shows no sign of stopping.
Yeah, oil and filter changes, coolant right and not beating the engine will allow it to go on and on. The stuff that triggers bad thoughts are the wear items that translate into a change in performance. Tires, shocks, CVT parts, etc. They make the machine feel “old.” The engine though runs as smoothly as the day I took possession of it. Right now the Vespa feels like it can do anything.
For what it is worth, I ride my scooters harder than most. I am still riding Rocket at 87,000 miles, but with a newer engine installed at 76,000. I could have kept the old engine in with a helicoil or new head, but I had the 6000 mile old engine in the garage.
While we have a Vespa dealership in Jacksonville, I have always used private mechanics. Boris Loose for years, now Chris and Alex at ACE Vintage Motorcycle Specialists. They installed Rocket’s engine and got Razzo, another GT I own repaired after many little issues. These are both perfect now.
After Boris moved 130 miles away, I had to learn how to do the basics and now do belts and oil changes. I also replace exhaust gaskets and remove wheels to have another mechanic mount the tires.
I have found that doing this work makes ownership better.
Because I buy used scooters these days, do regular maintenance myself and have quality mechanics for the rest, you don’t really need a dealership.
Whenever I think of scooter longevity you and Rocket come to mind. And your maintenance and repair stories leave me with a positive view of the future of my own Vespa. Still, the insidious fears arise — irrational no doubt and based on feeling rather than any reality regarding the problems. But the way the scooter feels on the road is more important than I realize. It’s kind of like when I wear an old pair of tennis shoes too long and I suddenly realize my feet hurt and I can see my toes. Same happens with the Vespa. Only difference is you can’t repair the shoes.
I can do some basic repair. Had planned to do the belt change myself but just couldn’t get it together. Next time. Whether the work makes me feel better about ownership — I’ll have to let you know.
My friend Paul echoes your thoughts about not needing a dealership. He has several vehicles that he has to fend for himself — a 62 Mercedes, 75 Ferrari, and a 64 Vespa. Dealers won’t work on those. Time will tell.
The Cannonball Run is starting soon. You and Ken are involved right? Ken riding and you doing support this year or something like that??
Squadra Lumaca (Team Snail) consists of me on Vanessa, Walt on another New Smax and Ken’s brother, Scott, riding Ken’s Big Red (Vespa GTS 250). We will gave the world’s coolest support driver in Ken.
It is not like he is missing any scooting as he just flew back from California after a two week ride out there. After driving back out there, then following us back, he is flying back out to ride home. Busy spring and summer for him.
I think you guys are having more fun than you’re entitled too. Man, what an adventure.
Good to hear your scooter is back to smooth performance again….as a Ural rider, I treasure the moments in between mechanical/electrical/hydraulic “changes to excel” in mechanical troubleshooting that are part and parcel of this Ural rider’s life.
Still, if a rider with marginal skills like me can fix/replace damn near everything on a Ural….I can sometimes look askance (mixed with envy at times on the perceived better reliability) on more modern conveyances which are complete mysteries in terms of mechanical status without the use of computers and expensive dealer tools.
Heck, Ural’s are almost at that point in terms of their ECU controlled fuel injection systems….without extra efforts, you can’t even balance the throttle bodies without a tool available only at dealers and involving computers….makes me wonder what Ivan would think sometimes, what Ural sidecars have become. Such is the price of increased reliability though….unless you get a Monday or Friday rig of course.
The new Vespa scooters are getting a little more complicated with traction control and ABS. But I think the drivetrain is much the same and most work short of an engine rebuild is within the realm of possibilities for me. Motivation to learn and do may not be though…
You sir take on some serious mechanical work. I’ve seen the pictures. Unless URAL starts placing sensors throughout the machine that control who knows what, you should be in good shape for most of the work. The computer stuff though — that’s the tough part. A company makes a diagnostic tool for my Vespa for about a hundred bucks that would allow me to read the codes on the scoot. But not sure how necessary that is. My learning is only beginning. And delayed a bit because I have some other irons in the fire at the moment.
Glad to hear your partner is back in travelling shape…nothing better than a fresh service and set of tires for your baby!
So true. Such simple changes make all the difference in the feel of the machine on the road.