Scooter in the Sticks

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

Vespa Mileage — What’s Important?

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Interstate 99 superhighwayDo Expressway Miles Qualify as Riding?

Scooting along on a four-lane highway can rack up miles in a hurry as the world flies by at 70 miles per hour.  I’ve found myself in this situation many times as I hurry from one point to another because I’ve become enslaved to a clock or calendar.  But what of that Vespa mileage?  Is it anything other than tedium because I’m robbed of experience save for keeping the scooter upright and in a straight line, especially when a tractor trailer rig blows by at breathtaking speed.

When rider discussions turn toward mileage, I often wonder about the quality of those miles and whether it’s just a big contest requiring a ruler…

Man lying on a road along the center lineThe Slower the Road the Richer the Experience.

A photographer I know who has documented this country from vantage points on roads and byways once told me you see nothing over 35 miles per hour.  And if by chance you do you’re going too fast to do anything about it.  He’s not a rider but takes in the world from an SUV.  While you could argue that the cage further insulates the driver from the world requiring even slower speeds to take things in but my own experience has been, scooter or cage, that you need to go slowly if you want to appreciate the details in the world and not just the outlandish sculpture of the American landscape.

Lying on a road isn’t something I suggest anyone do.  But on this ride with my friend Paul, it represents the relative slowness of the road.  No one pushing to go faster, no traffic pattern to conform to.  Only my own decision on how fast to ride.  I may pass fewer miles but I suspect I see and experience more.

Vespa GTS 250ie scooter on gravel roadTime Not Miles

Should someone be tallying annual miles ridden on their scooter or motorcycle I might suggest something more in line with an airliner — what’s the hour count on the machine.  How many hours have you ridden?  I’ve been on many 50 mile rides that have taken all day to complete.  During that time I’ve seen more plants and trees, turtles and birds, eaten food with the wind in my face, turned my camera toward passing clouds, and generally felt the electricity of being alive.  And I’ve flown as one can only do on two wheels.

Everyone’s interests, goals and needs are different.  Some race across the country on the superslab just to spend a few days puttering along the quiet roads of some more exotic place.  I’ll probably do that myself someday after I’ve experienced all there is to see here.  I’ve only been exploring on two wheels for ten years so it may be awhile before I feel the need to travel to the next state.

But generally, 200 miles on an interstate highway?  Or more?  I’d rather have a sharp stick stuck in my eye…

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

Alone on the Road

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Vespa GTS scooter on empty street at dawnEmpty Streets

Black Friday.  Early into town for breakfast with a friend.  Town seems deserted on what is supposed to be one of the busiest retail days of the year. It’s one thing to be alone on the road in the forests and mountains outside of town.  But in town, well, it almost feels creepy to not see anyone.

Stuffed toy duck on the back of a Vespa scooterToy Duck on a Vespa Scooter

After breakfast I passed a toy store, Growing Tree Toys, and thought it made sense to browse their wares for something that might interest my granddaughter.  Ducks are high on her list of interests so this fellow joined me for a little ride.

Vespa GTS scooter in the woodsRide Through the Woods

My back wasn’t up to a ride and to be honest, I sort of forced myself to take the scooter out at all.  I have a pack of reasons why I should keep riding but few suggesting I stay off the machine and let my back heal a bit more.  Recovery is slow but moving in the right direction.

I let the Vespa draw me along some forest roads to enjoy the last of autumn before the snow begins to fall.  And on Monday an army of deer hunters will make riding in Pennsylvania forests a bit unnerving — even with a high VIZ jacket on my back.

Vespa GTS scooterUtilitarian Vespa Scooter

As transportation the Vespa scooter is outstanding.  It gets from point A to point B without a fuss.  And it’s indifferent to the type of road; comfortable on backroads, freeways or tours across a cornfield.

I don’t know why I keep choosing paths that bump along.  My back is far more pleased with smooth pavement than bouncing around of the road.  I did stop at a local body shop for an estimate to repaint the undercarriage of the scooter.  Many winters of salt and much have made a mess of things.  In a couple weeks I drop it off for a bit of restoration work…

Cup of tea at the Pump Station in Boalsburg, PennsylvaniaCafe Life…

I suspect for most of December I’ll be without the scooter.  Opportunities to be alone on the road may give way to more work on other projects — ones I plan to work on in retirement.  I’m still trying to figure out how that second career will unfold and where my “office” will take shape.  I’ve considered cafes and coffee shops along with the local library.  I’ve also thought about renting an office space somewhere so I’ll have a place to provide some structure to any new endeavors.

For now though, I just keep wandering, alone on the road…

Vespa Medicine

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Reflection of Vespa rider, Steve WilliamsNoise and Chaos

After a week of a sore back, thoughts of retirement and looming deadlines at work, I was ready for some Vespa medicine.  Something to slow down the neurons firing in my head. A ride on the scooter to soak up the crazy energy and let me savor the world.

Heading for a cup of tea I looked at my reflection in the window.  Smiling, thanks to a little ride into town.

Vespa GTS scooter in State College, PennsylvaniaScooter for the Urban Jungle

I can hardly invoke the term “urban” or pretend the towns I ride through are a “jungle”.  Still, it’s what I encounter. The ribbons of asphalt encountered in the countryside make the jaunts through town seem hectic in comparison.  The Vespa was designed with these sorts of places in mind and performs so well that I almost look forward to the times when I’m not looking for groundhogs and deer and instead grow wary of pedestrians and traffic lights.  The Vespa medicine is so strong that I seldom find even a slight rise in heart rate amidst the traffic that has others voicing their displeasure with horns and hand signals.

Riding soothes the beast.

Vespa GTS scooter under a heavy gray skyEuphoria in the Mist

God I love riding in the mist, navigating under a murky sky in a thin drizzle.  All riders have a description in their head of ideal riding conditions.  My own lean toward cold, dark and wet.  An unexplained thrill runs through my body that I can only attribute to some internal fantasy at work transforming an ordinary experience on the road into something just short of magical.  There’s a romance in the ride that sparks a physical reaction that’s hard to describe.

The effect of the Vespa medicine is enhanced.

Vespa GTS scooter at Wegmans grocery storeUnexceptional Riding

Seldom see a motorcycle at the grocery store.  Nothing adventurous, heroic or ego-building in collecting supplies.  The scooter seems to yield more easily to utilitarian tasks.  Or so I believe — it’s something magical about the Vespa and has little to do with the rider.  Whatever is at work, a ride to the grocery store can be as thrilling as a ride through the Quehanna Wilderness area.

I’m powerless over my Vespa and my life has become unmanageable.  Vespa medicine has unlooked for side effects.

Vespa GTS scooter on a rainy dayHome Again, Home Again Jiggety-Jig

From home to market and back again — living a nursery rhyme on a scooter, an aging man swept up in mechanical magic that propels an ordinary experience into something more, an undeniable craving to be flying along the road with the cares and concerns of life burned away leaving a simple thrill at being alive in the world.

Amazing what a little Vespa medicine can do.

Riding a Vespa Scooter

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Vespa GTS scooter at Pennsylvania Military MuseumThinking About Riding

After a week without riding,  I rolled it out of the garage, to test how far my still sore back has healed, and to quiet a mind grown restless from not being able to fly.  Trapped in a riding-less life, it’s odd to observe how much mental space is consumed by riding.  From waking in the morning and thinking about what gear might be appropriate to ride to work to gazing at night sky while the dogs run in the garden and wondering if it would be a good night to ride — it can seem like riding a Vespa scooter has taken on an unhealthy bite out of consciousness.

It’s like an addiction, gnawing at restraint, whispering rationalizations to reform reality, providing false evidence to gain what it wants — to be moving along on the road.

I took a short ride this evening,  through the village and on to the park, a riding researcher collecting data coldly disconnected from desire and want.  The prognosis is positive yet issues persist.  An intentional “bump” triggered a groaning response from my back.  Getting the Vespa on and off the center stand wasn’t a problem.  Mostly, no issues or concerns.

Another night of sleep and I may be able to ride a Vespa scooter again.

Vespa Off Pavement

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Vespa GTS scooter along gravel road in Rothrock State ForestRider, Tires or Vespa?

Last year I could easily ride the scooter along a stretch of gravel road like this at 35 to 45 mph without much trouble.  Now at 25mph I’m backing off the throttle. Have I changed?  After some more focused investigation this past weekend I’ve come to the conclusion the tires I now have on the Vespa aren’t much good when you leave the pavement.  And they may explain why I unexpectedly dropped the scooter recently on some steep, loose shale.

So I headed out into the Rothrock State Forest just a few miles from my front door; nearly a quarter million acres of forests spread across the mountains of three counties — perfect for testing a theory:  Heidenau K61 Racer scooter tires don’t perform well with the Vespa off pavement.

Vespa GTS scooter at overlook on Thickhead MountainOverlooking the World

By the time I arrived at the overlook on Thickhead Mountain I was hot, sweaty and ready for a monkey grip — that’s a banana for those of you not from Altoona. After only a dozen miles on dirt and gravel at a variety of speeds I’ve concluded the tires are exceedingly not well suited off the pavement.  They wander in the loose stuff which is to be expected, but they do the same on well packed gravel and dirt.  So much so that I had to reduce my speed by at least 20 percent to feel safe.

Steve Williams in Rothrock State ForestOld Man on the Mountain

Like a smart dog I seek shade and water on hot days.  But I do so with the knowledge that my tires deman an extra amount of attention when riding off the pavement.  Maybe next time around I’ll finally spring for the Kenda K761 dual sport tires I’ve been talking about for ten years.  Back in 2006 I was talking about them back in 2006 on Gary Charpentier’s Rush Hour Rambling blog — the source of my winter riding disease.

Now that I’m older and wiser I hide from the sun.  This winter we’ll see if I hide from the snow.