Scooter in the Sticks

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

Annual Vespa Wash

by 14 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter is self wash bay

The weather warmed over the weekend providing an opportunity to wash the scooter.  Usually this can wait until spring but for some reason the Vespa was already caked with dirt, mud, salt and other roadway ugliness, so much that I just couldn’t stand it.  So off to the local Redline Speed Shine facility to make a lot of that go away.

Vespa GTS scooter along rainy rural road

Once clean I couldn’t resist a little ride despite the rain.  By the time I got home another sheen of grime was starting to build.  Can’t say I wasn’t a little excited — felt like one of those intrepid BMW Adventurers with a dirty bike.

Seriously though I have to confess a profound disrespect for machines.  Or so it seems as indicated by my pathological disinterest in maintenance of the cosmetic or investment protecting sort.  I squirm a bit when I think of all the cars and devices that went to early graves because I didn’t attend to them the way I know others do.

Next time I’m at WalMart I’ll look at the cloth diapers and see if it motivates me to rub and shine the Vespa in the manner I know a few others do…

The Vespa is Ready for Winter Riding

by 10 Comments

Braving the cold in an unheated garage, tools strewn across the concrete floor, the scooter is now ready for winter.  Tires, oil, antifreeze, all changed and checked.  Surveying the mess I am reminded of how disorganized I can be.  I’ll never have one of those workshops that appear in The Garage Journal.

A quick ride to make sure the wheels don’t fall off and the oil stays in the engine.  The Heidenau K66 SnowTex tire’s aggressive tread pattern and extra sticky grip provide a little more security on cold, wet and snowy roads. They feel weird at first, like riding on big balloons.  That feeling quickly disappears.

The weather forecast calls for 19F in the morning with snow showers.  I’ll look in the mirror tomorrow morning and ask that guy if he wants to ride.

Surrendering to the Experts

by 9 Comments

After some gentle but direct nudging from an bass fishing expert on the West coast I rode my Vespa to Kissell Motorsports in State College, Pennsylvania and surrendered it into the care of the capable service staff to replace the broken centerstand.

This bass fishing expert (who never posts here) sent me an email reminding me of the obvious — that I ride, not repair.  He’s right of course but I got the idea into my head that I wanted to do all the work.  I have no doubt I could do it but history indicates I would take my good old time getting around to it.  At the end of the day I’m more interested in riding.

So here’s the GTS leaning against a shed with a bungee cord holding up the center stand which now prefers to drag on the ground.

While there I had the chance to covet this yellow and black (a favorite combination) BMW R1200 GS parked outside of Kissell Motorsports.  The thought occurred to me that it would be nice to have two machines so that if one was in for repair I would still have something to ride.  I had some plans for this weekend but those are out the window now.  No Vespa, no ride.  My dog Junior will try and pencil something into my schedule.

Parts will have to be ordered but I should see the Vespa again next week.  In addition to all the other things outlined in the previous post I also suggested they do the valve lash adjustment.  So things should be in pretty good shape by next week.

Vespa Maintenance

by 14 Comments

My Vespa is nearly ready for the road again.  Snow tires mounted, drive-belt and rollers replaced, new spark plug, wire, and cap, oil and filter changed, everything ready to hit the road.  Aaron Grove, the technician at Kissell Motorsports who was working on the scooter, showed me the faulty plug and cap.  Somehow the threaded end of the plug stripped out and fused itself in the cap of the plug wire.  Not sure how it happened but with the new parts I should have another 30K kilometers of trouble free riding.

At least.

Aaron is a year round rider like me which meant he understood why my exhaust system was so heavily rusted.  You ride in the winter with salt on the road and things happen to metal.  He rides a vintage, (I think I can call it that) 1970s Honda CB400.  Raining hard outside he assured me that he would have ridden to work if the bike wasn’t apart in his garage.  I’ll have to keep my eye open for him this winter.

Most of the work was finished when I arrived but it was nice to watch a skilled craftsman work.  Aaron has a confident manner as he methodically moves through a task.  I watched him connect the battery leads and Battery Tender wires with a speed I can only dream about.  Not a single curse word to be heard.  That’s probably just one of the differences between a professional and myself. 
Almost had me wishing I would take the time to reacquaint myself with the tools in my tool chest.  Someday.  Just not today.
Snow showers forecast for tomorrow with the temperature hovering near the freezing mark.  If all goes well I should be riding the Vespa late tomorrow morning.  It’s about time I got back on the road.
I keep telling myself that but with a week off for the holidays I am getting pretty comfortable laying on the couch…

Motorcycle Maintenance: Back on the Road Again

by 17 Comments

Almost a month has passed since my last post. During that time my local Vespa dealer worked diligently to solve my rear brake problem and finally determined a failed rear caliper was the culprit. After a brief wait for parts I got the GTS back with what seems like a monster powered rear brake. It’s during times like these I fantasize about learning to do some of the motorcycle maintenance myself. Once I’m back on the road those fantasies evaporate. Gone. Who cares. Such is the nature of my desire to turn wrenches. Maybe when I mature a bit I’ll change.

I did feel fortunate to have purchased an extended warranty on the Vespa.  I never buy extended warranties but for some reason I bought an extra three years of coverage.  And it more than paid for itself on the recent troubles with the rear brake.

There have been a lot of fine riding days missed. I know why many riders have two machines. No reason to be sidelined because of some repair issue. Someday perhaps. My wife expressed a passing comment that it would be nice to have a scooter so she could ride along on some of my adventures. I’ve spent some time looking at alternatives. Who knows.

The ride to work this morning was fine, a thin morning fog gave way to a little glistening light when I stopped to make this picture.

I had lunch yesterday with my friend Gordon at Otto’s Pub and Brewery in State College. Gordon and I have been working on the 3 Prints Project but an illness in the family has kept me from getting together with him. It was nice to see a friendly face and have a good cheeseburger.

It was a good cheeseburger. So good that I didn’t think of a picture until a less than gourmet view was available.  

It’s good to be back on the road again.