Scooter in the Sticks

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

Video: The Brevity of Life and Other Thoughts While Riding a Vespa Scooter

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Lessons on the Road

I don’t often write about how to ride a scooter. So I won’t start now. Rather I share some of what I experience while riding a Vespa. The thoughts that swirl in my head, concerns for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That sort of thing.

This VLOG entry is a reflection and re-creation of the sort of things that rattle around in this old man’s head — at home and on the road. It’s almost a video about riding a Vespa.

I’m halfway to my goal of ten video entries before I decide if there’s reason to continue.

Let me know what you think. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel if you want to see more.

I’ll be riding a Vespa scooter more and more as I determine it’s safe to do so. I hope each of you finds the right decisions for you and the specific part of the pandemic you find yourself in.

Video: Maintenance, Helmets and Riding A Vespa Scooter in the Pandemic

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Riding the Vespa scooter around the neighborhood after changing the engine and transmission oil to make sure there were no leaks. Any excuse to ride.

Another VLOG Entry

Only four entries into my ten video target to determine if making videos has any utility in my blogging life and I’m behind schedule. My plan was to post every other Monday.

This entry is a quick update on the status of things in my world and a continuing experiment with cameras and microphones as I search for the idea blogging setup for me.

If you like these entries let me know and subscribe in YouTube. I’m not sure why at this point though someone told me it’s important. As I understand it, if I get a million subscribers I can make some money. I think I have to take some of my clothes off though to achieve that number.

Stay safe on the road and in your dealings with the strange new world we’re traveling through now.

A quick update on the moto and pandemic happenings in my little world.

Reminder: Be Safe on Your Scooter or Motorcycle

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Accepting Risk While Riding a Scooter or Motorcycle

I’ve posted this video titled “Morning Fall” by Edward McGinty before as a reminder as the spring riding season (pandemic allowing) gets underway. It’s always seemed prudent to me to be honest about the realities of the road and the risk I’m willing to assume. What made sense last month, last year or decades ago may have no bearing on reality today. What matters now is to be safe on your scooter or motorcycle.

Every time I watch this video I’m reminder of aspects of riding I hold important — helmets and protective clothing, boots, gloves, and the haunting specter of deer on the highway. And I’m also reminded of the strategies I employ to make the most of the risks I take on.

As a video, this piece is well-produced and delivers an unexpected turn at the end. I hope you find some utility in watching.

https://vimeo.com/bossboyd/morningfall
“Morning Fall”
Cast: Zia Harris
Written & Directed by: Edward McGinty
Produced by: Suzi Yoonessi & Ben Odell
Director of Photography: Adam Silver

Be smart and be safe as you embark on your spring rides. If you’re like me you’re itching to take advantage of the restorative powers riding can bring to the table.

And if you have parked your machines until stay-at-home orders expire or you just feel comfortable on the road again during this COVID-19 pandemic, let’s all hope we can ride again soon, safe from a virus, and with the best skills and strategies to return home in one piece.

Video: Dreaming of Riding a Vespa Scooter

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Vespa GTS 250ie in the woods.
Robbed of riding by the COVID-19 pandemic, I reach for dreams of riding.

Riding a Vespa Scooter

It’s been almost a month since I’ve been riding — either the Vespa scooter or the motorcycle. I stopped for sound reasons but I have to admit the world feels a lot smaller right now. And despite the rosy rhetoric about opening up the country again, I have little faith that it will make much sense for someone like me for months to come.

I hope I’m wrong.

In the meantime I’ve been remembering and imagining rides gone by. And dreaming of rides to come. It’s a strange place to be when something so common and familiar is suddenly gone.

I’ve made another VLOG entry exploring the feelings surrounding riding a Vespa scooter. For me at least. It may be meaningless for someone else.

Video production remains an awkward dance between the equipment on hand to capture pictures and sound, the ancient computer on which I attempt to edit the video, and the ideas in my head that I struggle to give life to in the digital realm.

Here is VLOG #3.

My third attempt at a video entry. I’m struggling technically, especially with audio. But I hope I have some small measure of success in sharing a little of the thoughts, feelings and dreams of riding a Vespa scooter.

Thank You to Poet Susan Mitchell

The opening line of the video, “In my dreams, the ride goes on forever” was inspired by a poem by Susan Mitchell titled, “The Road.” In that work, she writes, “In the car’s dream, the road goes on forever”. From the moment I first read that poem that line has echoed in my mind. It was before I started to ride and has only grown more intense with each passing mile.

Thank you, Susan Mitchell. And to my wife Kim for sharing that poem with me. That gesture and others have helped move me away from being an educated barbarian…

Do I Need to Practice Riding a Motorcycle?

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Shadow of man on winter farm field
If I’m completely honest, I need to practice riding a motorcycle.

Life-Long Motorcycle Training

I’ve been riding a lot during the past 15 years. While I may not have racked up the miles of some riders I have invested a lot of hours on the road on my Vespa scooters and now with a BMW K75 motorcycle added to the mix. With all that experience it would be easy to believe that I know what I’m doing and need not concern myself with additional practice or training.

There is a technical term that is used to evaluate that system of belief:

BULLSHIT.

If you’re riding a motorcycle or scooter on the road and what to more effectively manage risk, the need to practice skills, review riding strategies, and do an honest assessment to uncover bad habits is something that never goes away.

During this time of staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic I’ve been rerouting my non-riding towards training and riding strategy development.

What about you? Where do you fall on the spectrum to take time to practice riding a motorcycle?

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