Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

When the Vespa Won’t Start

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shadow of Vespa scooter and rider

After weeks of grey, gloomy skies, the return of the sun and the thermometer soaring to 39F could only mean a wonderful opportunity to go for a ride.  And with the recent addition of heated grips and Tucano Urbano muffs there would be a cosmic alignment of solar and electric heat to produce the coziest of rides. With an entire day open the last thing on my mind was what to do when the Vespa won’t start.

farm landscape near Pennsylvania Furnace, PA

After weighing geographic options I headed south towards breakfast at the Spruce Creek Bakery.  The light was dazzling and the air seemed swept clear of any dense or negative energy.  Gazing into the distance I entertained a rush towards the Maryland border and on into Virginia — just because I could and because I haven’t gone for a long ride in awhile.

Vespa GTS 250ie scooter in cornfield

The Vespa now has Koso heated grips and Tucano muffs installed to keep my hands warm.  Usually at this temperature I would have my electric gloves on but instead opted for my LL Bean deerskin field gloves — light, supple, and comfortable.  They’re similar to the Aerostich elkskin ropers that I wrecked in the garden.

While it wasn’t that cold (39F) it was obvious that the muffs did a great job offering protection from the wind.  The heated grips weren’t warm, they were HOT.  So hot that I had to run them on half power.  As the weather gets colder I’ll experiment with the need for heavier gloves.

I was also surprised how quickly I adapted to my hands being inside the muffs.  No issues at all save for a need to be deliberate with any thumb actions — starter, kill switch, horn, turn signals — since your hands are inside these big, fixed muffs.

The bakery was closed so I continued on towards Sinking Valley and another place to eat.  Twenty-six miles from home and the scooter died.

Vespa GTS scooter at railroad underpass

This is as far as I got.  Stopped to make a picture inside the underpass, got back on the scooter, started the engine, it ran for a few seconds and it died.  I’ve been here before and some will probably say I should have gotten it fixed already.  Try again, runs for a second and dies.

My best guess is the fuel pump is failing.  When I turn on the ignition I don’t hear the pump running which is a bad sign.  It’s done this twice in the past year.  Each time I’d wait a minute or so, try again and it would start right up and run all day.

After about a half-hour I decide it’s time to get someone to fetch the scooter.

iPhone showing No Service

It’s always something when the Vespa won’t start.  Having no cell coverage doesn’t help.  At least the sun was shining and the temperature was in the low forties as I started pushing the scooter back towards Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania in hopes of a cell signal.  It’s less than a mile.

A half-dozen vehicles stopped to ask if I needed help.  Not a single Vespa technician among them.  Nice to know that people care about an old man pushing a Vespa along a road.

Spruce Creek, PA church

In the parking lot of the Spruce Creek United Methodist Church I was able to get one bar of AT&T coverage to reach out to my friend Paul.  He was available and would bring his truck to haul the dead scooter to Kissell Motorsports and most likely a new fuel pump.

trout fisherman on spruce creek

While I waited I watched the fisherman work their way along the Little Juniata River just a few hundred yards from where Spruce Creek dumps its water and fish into the river.  This is a popular spot for fly fishing.  Not far from here is the club where President Jimmy Carter was a frequent fishing visitor.

Now, on to the dead scooter.  I wish it would stay dead because it would be easier to diagnose and fix.  As luck (bad) would have it the Vespa started.  And more bad luck showed no cell signal again.  So off I went with an eye open for Paul’s big blue truck.

About five miles up the road I saw him, we coordinated plans, and headed to Kissell’s to drop on the scooter.

Moto Guzzi V7 Racer at Kissell Motorsports

After checking the Vespa in for repairs Craig Kissell showed us a 2012 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer that was just traded.  Amazing bit of engineering and I could see Paul wanted it.  Craig was ready to make it happen but Paul was too close to a recent Ducati acquisition.  The more amazing part of the story was what the owner traded this motorcycle for — a new Vespa Sprint 150.

Go figure.

Anyways, I won’t see the Vespa again until after the new year.  Until then I can focus on other projects like getting my darkroom rolling again or clearing the basement so a new gas fired boiler can be installed and the smelly old oil fired one (and the storage tank) can be carted away.

Always things to do, especially when the Vespa won’t start…

Winter Riding and Camping in the Arctic

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Any winter riding I’ve done pales in comparison to British rider Ed March.  He’s ridden his C90 Honda all over the world, by himself, without backup.  That’s adventure.  The video is definitely worth watching.

You have to consider March’s riding extreme by any measure.  The fact that he rides a small machine earns him some dismissive reactions from those that think adventure is the realm of bigger bikes.  I suspect it led to his production of “Hitler Finds Out Ed March is Riding to the Arctic Circle”, one of dozens of parodies of all types built around clips from the film “Downfall“, a chilling portrait of the last days of Adolf Hitler played masterfully by Bruno Ganz.  Be warned if you are a big adventure bike rider, especially of the BMW variety, you are in for some not so subtle ribbing.  The description of BMW’s wiring and electronics crack me up.

Again, worth a look.

Riding Naked

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For any readers expecting skin — let me dissuade you now — no skin in this post. Naked has connotations beyond the body stripped bare of clothes, it points to times of vulnerability and being leaving the mind exposed to the world. It’s in this vain that I was riding naked.

iPhone 4Gs on a Vespa rideI spent two days without my iPhone; unplugged, disconnected, cut off from the world and I have to admit I felt uncomfortable, a bit anxious, and sensed the obsessive nature of my relationship with the thing.

It wasn’t until Friday night until I realized I had left the phone on my desk at work when in a moment of boredom I attempted to fill the void with headlines from Google News.  Without the phone my easy access to time, weather and calendar was gone.  No quick glimpse of email to make sure there was nothing to attend to for work.  As the evening progressed I found myself feeling as if I was missing something, that life was going on without me.  All because the little device was not with me.

While doing errands on Saturday I was like a stranger in a strange land as I noticed how many people were walking through the grocery store looking at their phones, tapping into an unseen flow of energy that kept them safe and content.

Like a drug.

I would find out later that my wife tried to reach me by phone and text.  The assumed reliable access is gone when you don’t have a cellphone with you.  I found myself wondering when I surrendered my independence for the safe enslavement of a smartphone?  I remember not having one and feeling just as safe on a trip as I do now even though a breakdown would require reaching out to fellow travelers for help.  Seems frightening today.

Vespa GTS scooter with front rackI have no illusions when it comes to riding adventure.  I don’t believe it exists anymore, at least not the idea in my head of the rugged individual facing the world alone.  Today every rider I know has the convenient smartphone lifeline that provides access to support, maps, directions, weather and more.

But wouldn’t the real adventure be to leave the phone, the GPS, the tablet and whatever other network connection you have at home?  Certainly would force a person to consider the road differently.  I suspect the ride would be more challenging and the experience more intimate. Looking at a map is different that following a dot of a digital screen.

I would like to say I am going to leave my iPhone at home but I know I won’t.  I can’t.  I need it.  But I also know that having one and using it daily leaves a person with an addiction to the thing, especially if you take a lot of hits from it.  That I can do something about.

Right now I’m powerless over my iPhone so I can’t ride naked.

Riding Under a Clear Winter Sky

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Shadow of a Vespa scooter rider on a snowy field
One of the treats of riding in the winter is the air is so sharp, crisp and clear that you can almost feel your spirit soar.  At least that’s how I experience it.  Today, from the right vantage point,  you can see for forty miles.  With the sun shining and the air still the cold felt far away. Riding a Vespa in winter is magic.

Vespa GTS scooter and Mt. Nittany
 A stop (again for the thousandth time) at Mount Nittany to make a photograph.  The image is burned in my brain but I still make pictures.  Not sure why…

Vespa GTS scooter in snow covered forest
The roads were mostly dry but you can’t ride in the sticks without paying close attention to possible ice.  It seems to grow unexpectedly — snow from a branch or a car roof, a splash of water or coffee from an unthinking motorist.  As the sun pushed towards the horizon I made my way towards home from a few afternoon errands.

Vespa GTS scooter along rural road with snow
There is a weird, strange thrill in riding in the cold that’s hard to describe.  Part visual, part physical, part spiritual.  The ride is important, an anthem to living, a meditation on feeling blood and breath course through the body.  The cold sharpens the experience.  Another gift of a Vespa in winter.

Or so it seems.

Vespa scooter in snowy field at sunset

Time passes quickly on the road.  The destination approaches rapidly regardless of how many times I stop or detours I take.  The ride, as is life, seems to short, too fast, too soon over.

Under a clear winter sky each breath feels special.  Each moment sparkling with life.

No wonder the Vespa finds its way out onto the road…

My Winter Riding Checklist

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Vespa GTS scooter between snow covered carsVespa Scooter in Snow

Winter riding, especially in the snow, generates the most interest and traffic on Scooter in the Sticks.  I’m uncertain if that’s true because it’s like watching an accident, or people are searching for reasons to try it themselves, or something more or less profound.  Regardless, this activity that I find so satisfying resonates.  With that resonation in mind I thought I would share the mental checklist I go through before venturing out into the snow.  I made all these pictures this morning and started gathering my checklist thoughts on the road.

There was snow on the ground when I got up this morning with more on the way until changing to sleet and freezing rain.  That transition was many hours away.  When I made the above photo I had already made the decision to ride.  Shoveling snow and cleaning the cars could wait until later.  A rider has to have their priorities straight.Continue Reading