Scooter in the Sticks

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

Riding in Circles

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Paul Ruby on his red Honda Trail 125 motorcycle.
A wild man in paradise.

Text Messages

“I’m honda trailing to grange if u want to tag along for the ride”

Verbatim from Paul. Capitalization and punctuation aren’t required to understand the offer. While I have no desire to go to the Grange Fair it would be nice to get out of the house and go for a ride. That’s reason enough and the text message provided the nudge to get up off my ass.

We took the back way to Centre Hall, slow roads with little traffic. When we stopped to say goodbye I can’t help to shudder a bit thinking what it would feel like for me to ride with no gloves and short pants. Paul is unconcerned.

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Thinking and Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter parked at a quarry.
Overhaul the scooter or just ride it?

Pondering Maintenance

The GTS is running great. But I’m doing a lot of thinking and riding. Thinking I should do some serious service on the scooter yet riding it gives no clue that it needs much of anything. And with 45 thousand miles on the clock and on the road since January of 2007 I wonder if it’s worth doing much of anything to it.

What have I been pondering? Well, a valve check for one. It’s never had one. Ever. It starts fine. Runs fine. Why bother even though it is suggested to check them every 6000 miles or so.

New front shock maybe. New steering bearings. New rear brake caliper. The list goes on and on as my logical mind runs down an engineering checklist.

My free spirit brain says ride it until it explodes and then buy another.

Thinking and riding is what I do. I would like to do less thinking about service and maintenance.

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The Eveready Vespa GTS

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2006 Vespa GTS 250 on lift in shop
My 2006 Vespa GTS at Kissell Motorsports getting its annual Pennsylvania Safety Inspection.

Eveready Vespa GTS 250 Keeps on Ticking

Once a year, Pennsylvania requires motor vehicles to undergo a safety inspection. And for some, an exhaust system inspection for emissions. Motorcycles and scooters are exempt from the emissions test. I know a lot of riders that never have their bikes or scooters inspected. When I recently acquired my father-in-law’s Vespa ET4 I noticed it had not been inspected since 2012. So unless you’re stopped by the police, it’s difficult to see those stickers on a motorcycle, unlike a car where their bright colors are visible on the windshield.

I have mine inspected regularly at Kissell Motorsports, not so much for safety since I do those checks routinely myself, but rather because, well, I’m not much of an outlaw when it comes to rules. It’s probably related somehow to my aversion to high speeds and roller coasters.

My friend Andy’s GTS in the Garage of Despair, machines waiting for service.

While at Kissell’s waiting for my GTS I noticed a couple of Vespa scooters in the repair cue. The GTS belongs to my friend Andy and has a mystifying starting issue that has been difficult to resolve. Paul spied the scooter outside over the weekend at a Kissell Motorsports event and it appears it is ready to return home. Good news after losing many weeks of riding.

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Do I Really Need a Royal Enfield Himalayan?

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I’ve been riding my Vespa GTS scooter on dirt and gravel roads for 15 years. Why do I need a motorcycle for those rides?

During a ride last August on my 2006 Vespa GTS 250ie I finally came to believe two things:

  1. Riding on rough, unpaved roads, the scooter in not the best choice of vehicles.
  2. I want to explore the dirt and gravel tracks that I’ve largely ignored for the past 15 years.

And as a result of the experience that day on my Vespa scooter, I began to think I needed to sell my BMW K75C motorcycle and buy a Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

A ride on my Vespa led me toward a Royal Enfield Himalayan.

It took a few months before I made a final decision, but the Himalayan was the right fit for how I ride and where I want to take it.

Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel if you want to see more videos of the Vespa and the Himalayan in the coming weeks and months.

Thanks!

A Scooter Video on a Cold Morning Ride

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Writing about riding a scooter or motorcycle in the winter is one thing. Showing it in video gives a more visceral experience. On this particular morning I planned to ride despite sub-zero temperatures. On a sunny day, despite the cold, it’s not so bad.  Have a look at this scooter video and imagine what a decision to ride the Vespa in the winter might look like…

Riding in cold weather isn’t for everyone and should be approached cautiously. When asked I always tell people don’t do it, especially if you’re impatient or if you don’t think you can radically change your riding style.

Often it’s best to just stay at home.

Vespa GTS scooter on a snowy winter ride

Generally speaking — I advise against riding in the snow.  It requires so many changes in behavior, technique and mindset that most riders I’ve met just aren’t willing to make.