Scooter in the Sticks

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

Embracing the Risk of Riding a Motorcycle or Scooter

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Morning Fall — An Cinematic Reminder of Risk

I’ve posted this video many times over the years. In part to remind readers of the risk of riding. But mostly as attempt to keep myself honest about it. Especially as I get older. It’s easy to slip into complacency and pretend the risk isn’t really there. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dwell endlessly on it but I pay attention. Recently I found myself riding more often without the usual protective gear. Plain jeans. A denim jacket. Reading a few interviews with men and women suffering from severe road rash reminded me that as I approach my 72nd birthday I probably won’t heal as quickly as I once would. And it’s easy to mitigate. I’m afraid I’ve leaned too hard towards the irrational wisdom of “Dress for the ride, not for the crash” rather than the original slogan and it’s nod toward risk management — “Dress for the crash, not for the ride.”

A quick visit to Revzilla had me ordering some armored riding jeans. I already have one pair and they look and feel pretty much like regular jeans. Now I will have a choice of two. Just a little thing that hopefully will never been needed. I already have some impact and abrasion protection in jackets with my Merlin Hixon II leather jacket, and for hot weather my KLIM Induction jacket.

For cold weather there’s a gap though. And a few days ago I bit the bullet hard and ordered an Aerostich Darien jacket complete with back armor. I figure it an early birthday present as I prepare to celebrate 72 years around the sun. It will be 10 to 12 weeks before it arrives but in time for the cold weather this fall. All that’s left is a decision on whether to buy the Darien pants as well.

“Morning Fall” is a quiet, elegant, almost lyrical look at what an accident on a motorcycle might be like. I’ve watched YouTube videos of crashes where the feel is catastrophic impact and power. They’re mechanical and disconnected from any feeling of the crash. This video is different. It’s not scary or adapt to have you looking away. But it has a powerful resonance that for me at least, makes me consider not just the risk of riding a motorcycle, but also stimulates me to act.

Embracing the risk of riding a motorcycle or scooter is something I learned while taking my first Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding course. The idea has stuck with me and I actively apply what I learned about being a rider. Be safe on the road. Come home to those who love you.

When Riding Alone Isn’t Enough

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Man checking the rear wheel tire pressure on a Vespa ET4 scooter.
Checking the tire pressure on the Vespa ET4 is a challenge. (Photo by Andy Heckathorne)

Ungracious Awakenings

By temperament, I prefer to ride alone. Free to embrace the road at whatever pace I desire. Stopping to look or make photographs without concern for the tempo of others. No need to keep checking the mirrors or adjusting speed. Just the freedom to ride with my tumbling thoughts.

And still I ride with others because finding balance between solitude and connection makes life richer. I didn’t always understand that. Moments and opportunities arrive more frequently now when I realize riding alone isn’t enough.

The plan was a long scooter ride with friends Andy and Paul on an unexpectedly chilly morning. It was the Vespa ET4’s turn to ride and Andy caught me checking the tire pressure, an increasingly challenging operation now requiring knee cushioning and a limber back to engage the tire valve.

There seems to be no end to the reminders that I’m no longer young. Physically at least.

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Sticker Shock and Other Puzzlements

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Steve Williams with his Pentax MX camera at Penn Roosevelt State Park.
A stop with an old Pentax MX camera to ponder the analog world. Photo by Paul Ruby.

Puzzling Economic Thoughts

Having a head full of 1980s prices leads to endless shocks when paying for things. Doesn’t matter if it’s a ribeye steak at the grocery store or a new pair of jeans from L.L. Bean. Thankfully I seem to be insulated and unconcerned about the price of gas at the pump. No doubt buoyed by fuel stingy two-wheeled machines and an insignificant number of annual miles on our four-wheeled vehicles.

Wandering around the past few months shooting film costs money compared to the mindless triggering of digital images. Even processing Tri-X 35mm film myself costs $0.55 each time I press the shutter button. For some reason I don’t flinch. But there are a few things lately that have strained the economic area of my brain.

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Summer Doldrums

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self portrait of Steve Williams in a window reflection.
Self-portrait

Weird

Unlike most scooter and motorcycle riders, summer has always been the season I ride the least. I’ve blamed the heat. Or the laziness I feel whenever the temperature rises into the upper 70s. Whatever it is I seem to come back to life when I can step outside in the morning with the temperature at 50.

This summer was no different. But a few things were stirred into the mix that has kept me from posting anything for months. A faux heart attack scare, endless pondering about whether to move to a different blogging platform, and most recently a laser to the eyes to remove cataracts and install new lenses in my eyes.

Maybe not so weird.

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Riding and Getting Older

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2001 Kawasaki W650 parked along a rural road.
An old motorcycle is perfect for an old man like me.

Responses from an Aging Population of Riders

The 2001 Kawasaki W650 motorcycle continues to prove it’s mettle as I wander the backroads of Pennsylvania. I’ve noticed that riding and getting older have begun to intersect and have raised at times some uncomfortable questions. There’s some truth to the idea that when old men get together a big part of their conversation is consumed by tales of aches, pains, medications, doctors, and myriad flash points to complain about.

But the subject of change doesn’t often come up other than plans to move to warmer places or where the next vacation will change place. But for a rider, aging introduces a growing element of risk. And how to manage it was the topic of two recent videos I posted on YouTube. And I am in the process of making a third. That’s what brought me and the W650 out to play.

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