Scooter in the Sticks

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

Falling in Love with the Royal Enfield Himalayan (AGAIN)

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2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle parked along a farm field in winter.
A quiet, subdued, lovely motorcycle.

I Remember Now

Cold mornings. Reasons to stay home. Safe. Warm. Unencumbered by the need to do the heavy lifting to ride in the central Pennsylvania winter. Suddenly the body vibrates from the thrum of the engine, the spin of the tires on the asphalt, the wind pushing against the body. And then I am falling in love with the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Again.

I’m an unreliable lover of the machines in my garage. One day I’m in love with my Vespa scooter. And the next with something else. I commune with the machine I’m riding. Each for their own personality and grace.

It was a fine morning to ride no where in particular. Just enough to drive the moisture from the oil. To energize the battery. And restore my soul.

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Vespa GTS Scooter at 6-Degrees Fahrenheit

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Vespa GTS scooter parked on a snowing lot.
Nice to arrive at a heated diner.

Questioning My Decision to Ride in the Cold

The plan was to meet a friend for breakfast as the Sunset West Diner. Watching the weather forecast and the predicted low temperatures I wondered whether I could ride my Vespa GTS Scooter at 6-degrees Fahrenheit. I’m older and less tolerant of the cold. And my mind doesn’t see the same exciting challenge in facing adverse weather as it once did. Still, I have my moments.

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Embracing the Cold: A Rider’s Journey

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Vespa GTS scooter fallen in the snow.
Pondering the combination of riding and snow.

Change is Inevitable

Age wreaks havoc on the plans and actions of youth. Gone are the days when choices of clothing and activities had little to do with the weather. Walking out the door into snow was a time to make snowballs and see how well my old Ford would do on roads clogged with ice and snow. Time has changed me. And with it my reaction to a cold morning. To continue to ride through the winter will require annual adjustments in mind, body, and spirit. Despite having ridden through many winters, it hasn’t become any easier to begin.

This is the beginning of my story on preparing for winter riding.

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Riding at the End of Summer

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Kawasaki W650 motorcycle parked in front of a municipal building.
Signs of the end of summer — paying property taxes.

Motorcycle Utility

On this day it was the Kawasaki W650‘s turn for a ride. With five machines in the garage I have had to set up a rotation to keep them all working, the fuel fresh, and the moisture driven out of the oil. Fifteen to twenty miles is usually enough to do the trick. And it helps me keep my head on straight.

Paying property taxes is an annual August event. Pay the total by the end of the month and you save a few dollars. So that’s what I do. Any excuse to go for a ride at the end of summer.

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Vespa GTS Scooter — A Chore Runner

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Vespa GTS scooter parked in the shade in a bank parking lot.
Successful chore running means finding the shady parking spot.

The Right Choice for Errands

Of the scooters and motorcycles in my garage, the Vespa GTS scooter is my first choice for running errands. Why? Because it is utterly simple to use and it has more than enough power for any situation I will encounter. And among all the things it is good at, it is the perfect chore running machine. And on this day I had four chores to accomplish.

By the time I arrived at the bank to deposit a check I was already appreciating why the Vespa GTS scooter was the right choice.

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