GTS Archives - Scooter in the Sticks Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650 Thu, 14 Sep 2023 01:58:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 71084491 Thinking and Riding https://scooterinthesticks.com/2023/09/thinking-and-riding/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2023/09/thinking-and-riding/#comments Thu, 14 Sep 2023 04:05:00 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=10932 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 […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2023/09/thinking-and-riding/feed/ 19 10932 The Eveready Vespa GTS https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/09/the-eveready-vespa-gts/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/09/the-eveready-vespa-gts/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2022 13:11:03 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=10754 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 […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/09/the-eveready-vespa-gts/feed/ 14 10754 Do I Really Need a Royal Enfield Himalayan? https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/03/do-i-really-need-a-royal-enfield-himalayan/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/03/do-i-really-need-a-royal-enfield-himalayan/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2022 05:05:00 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=10637 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: Riding on rough, unpaved roads, the scooter in not the best choice of […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2022/03/do-i-really-need-a-royal-enfield-himalayan/feed/ 18 10637 A Scooter Video on a Cold Morning Ride https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/02/scooter-video/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/02/scooter-video/#comments Sun, 01 Mar 2015 04:44:39 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=4589 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 […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2015/02/scooter-video/feed/ 26 4589 Make Mistakes https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/12/make-mistakes/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/12/make-mistakes/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2014 04:05:44 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=4364 If I’ve learned anything in life it’s that I make mistakes.  Albert Einstein counseled people to make them as part of a method which makes life richer, deeper, and opens doors otherwise invisible.  I was pondering this idea while trying to ease my frustration at line of little mistakes and misjudgments that are maddening.  Ordering […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/12/make-mistakes/feed/ 18 4364 Triggering Curiosity https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/08/triggering-curiosity/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/08/triggering-curiosity/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2014 03:21:49 +0000 https://scooterinthesticks.com/?p=3957 Usually a ride on the Vespa cures any ill, the acceleration into flight strips away concerns and distractions and transforms darkness into light — at least with the normal noise and chaos of living. Riding can trigger curiosity and change my whole outlook on life.  Saturday morning found me on the road, dodging the raindrops, […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2014/08/triggering-curiosity/feed/ 10 3957 The Only Journey is the One Within https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/the-only-journey-is-one-within/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/the-only-journey-is-one-within/#comments Wed, 31 Jul 2013 23:12:00 +0000 http://69.195.124.229/~scootet3/?p=124 “The only journey is the one within.”― Rainer Maria Rilke And so a new day begins, a short journey from home to work save for the meandering divergence from the precise, economical, predictable route.  Birds chuckle and the faint scent of grass lingers in the air; a few wandering steps following the camera’s eye.  Meetings […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/the-only-journey-is-one-within/feed/ 3 124 Rain https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/rain/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/rain/#comments Mon, 29 Jul 2013 02:52:00 +0000 http://69.195.124.229/~scootet3/?p=126 This morning I decided to ride in the rain to Saint’s Cafe in State College, Pennsylvania.  Watching the Weather.com radar map on my iPhone I postulated that I could make it into town before the orange and red blobs arrived. I was wrong. By the time I was on the road the rain started falling […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2013/07/rain/feed/ 2 126 Windows of Riding Opportunity https://scooterinthesticks.com/2007/03/windows-of-riding-opportunity/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2007/03/windows-of-riding-opportunity/#comments Sat, 10 Mar 2007 04:00:00 +0000 http://69.195.124.229/~scootet3/?p=618 As I get older I’m not willing to tolerate cold like I did only a few years ago. Dropping temperatures, rising winds and falling snow provided an opportunity for personal challenge and satisfaction. Hiking, backpacking and more recently riding. Now I wonder what life in a warmer climate would be like. Fire ants keep me […]

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]]> https://scooterinthesticks.com/2007/03/windows-of-riding-opportunity/feed/ 9 618 Cold Commute https://scooterinthesticks.com/2007/02/cold-commute/ https://scooterinthesticks.com/2007/02/cold-commute/#comments Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:18:00 +0000 http://69.195.124.229/~scootet3/?p=625 Nine degrees for the ride to work yesterday morning. A number of people at work commented on how cold I must have felt but the truth is I was overdressed and should not have worn a long underwear top. That item rode under the seat on the way home, considerably warmer at 18° F but […]

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