new wheels Archives - Scooter in the Sticks

Motorcycles as Experienced by a Vespa Rider

Scooter in the Sticks — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Thanks to a wonderful opportunity extended by Craig Kissell of Kissell Motorsports I’ve been able to share my experiences riding the latest BMW, Triumph, Ducati, Vespa and Piaggio motorcycles and scooters from the perspective of a committed scooter rider. If you’re currently riding a scooter or small motorcycle and plan to move up to something […]

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The BMW F650 GS: A Crisis of Confidence

Scooter in the Sticks — Mon, 03 May 2010 04:06:00 +0000

I feel guilty. It’s been over a month since I returned this BMW to Kissell Motorsports. It’s taken equally long to write this post. I knew I had to put something down here, so I began with an image I remembered: stopping, pulling off my gloves and walking across the road to take this picture. […]

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Taking Home a BMW F 650 GS

Scooter in the Sticks — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:25:00 +0000

The time has arrived to check out one of the new BMW motorcycles at Kissell Motorsports. I was going to wait until the weather was a bit warmer but when Craig Kissell send an email asking when I was going to take a GS for a ride what could I do? So I am starting […]

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2009 Vespa GTS300 Super: A Beginner’s Ride?

Scooter in the Sticks — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:26:00 +0000

Ideas and attitudes towards scooters are wide ranging. One common notion is scooters aren’t suitable for serious riding. Beginner bikes. Glorified toys to play with in the neighborhood. Perhaps even ride to work if it’s not too far. My guess is that most of these ideas come from a lack of direct experience riding scooters […]

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2009 Triumph Street Triple: A Transformation

Scooter in the Sticks — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:03:00 +0000

I’m not adventurous and my habit of pre-judging tends to torpedo new experiences. During the past 35 years at Penn State I can probably count on two hands the number of times I have not ordered chocolate ice cream at the world famous Berkey Creamery. I find something I like and I stick to it. […]

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2009 Kawasaki KLR 650: A Ride in the Fog

Scooter in the Sticks — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:41:00 +0000

Finally, the first long ride on a Kawasaki KLR 650. Long an occupant of an imaginary world that finds me breaking out across empty deserts or untracked tundra in a never ending life of adventure. The fantasy roots in the same place that gave rise to my dreams of the Triumph Bonneville. After a near […]

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2009 Kawasaki KLR 650: First Evening Ride

Scooter in the Sticks — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:35:00 +0000

A gray, wet day seems an appropriate backdrop for a ride on a Kawasaki KLR 650, the next bike in the New Wheels in the Sticks project. The KLR has been on my mental radar for a long time as a sort of utilitarian do anything motorcycle. The Jeep of the two wheeled world. There […]

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2009 Triumph Bonneville: Image, Myth and Ride

Scooter in the Sticks — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Why do I like this motorcycle so much? I had to make a picture of the two of us to figure it out. Image. Part of the fascination with the Triumph Bonneville is the way it looks and the way I think I look with it. Let’s say it allows me to pretend a […]

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2009 Triumph Bonneville: Heading West Just After Sunrise

Scooter in the Sticks — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 23:47:00 +0000

My friend Paul Ruby and I were on the road early with plans to ride west towards Clearfield to find a new place to for breakfast. I have begun to wonder how many riders make a ritual of riding to breakfast. Something like private pilots and the 200 dollar cheeseburger. A short stop at the […]

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