Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Mid-Winter Moto Maintenance

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Vespa GTS scooter in the snow
Vespa GTS scooter in winter.

Moto Maintenance Laws

Minimalism is the term I most often associate with my approach to moto maintenance. I conduct my riding life with two-wheeled machines in the belief that there are four laws of maintenance. They are:

  1. Proscribed maintenance schedule items by the manufacturer (fluids, belt, sparkplugs, etc)
  2. Maintenance of use (don’t let it sit around unused – keep driving the moisture out of the system, fixing and adjusting things that wear out)
  3. Cosmetic maintenance (rubbing, scrubbing, and keeping it shiny)
  4. Vanity maintenance (chrome, accessories, and other items I convince myself are vital to riding life)

I suspect all riders fall into some mix of all of these with varying levels of personal satisfaction from the processes involved with each area of moto maintenance. Or maybe you have your own set of laws.

Added to the mix are my own special personality quirks and defects which command my engagement or adherence to any of them. Plainly stated, I do as little maintenance as possible to keep the machine running and safe. With that in mind, I recently did some mid-winter moto maintenance.

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Spring Vespa Tune-Up

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Vespa GTS scooter in driveway
With the warm weather comes plans to do a spring Vespa tune-up

Sing the Vespa Mechanic Blues

It was time to remove the Tucano Urbano apron and bar muffs and prepare for the spring riding season. The one with warm rains, flowers, blossoming trees, and no need for the heavy winter riding gear. But before that happens I need to do a little spring Vespa tune-up.

I pushed the scooter out of the garage during a break in the rain to start the engine and make sure the COVID19 pandemic induced operational hiatus did not adversely affect the scooter. The engine jumped to life immediately and a spin around the block did not reveal any outstanding issues. As soon as things dry off and I don’t mind laying on the driveway I’ll begin my spring Vespa tune-up

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Smooth and Silent Riding Partner

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Vespa GTS scooter on early morning wet roadMorning 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.Continue Reading

Basic Motorcycle Tool Kit – What You Need on the Road

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BMW F800 Adventure motorcycleFully Equipped Motorcycle

Saw this motorcycle (I think there’s one under all that gear) at our local BMW dealer (Kissell Motorsports soon to be renamed under new ownership) when I dropped my friend Paul Ruby off to pickup his scooter.  It got me thinking about the need to carry a motorcycle tool kit.  Along with all the other gear this rider had packed on his motorcycle, he had the tools necessary to do some work on the front wheel.

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