riding Archives - Page 41 of 86 - Scooter in the Sticks

Ducati vs. Vespa

September 21, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 20 Comments

Comparing anything, motorcycles and scooters included, invariably leads many to the mental trap of “which is better?”. As I think about all the times I’ve engaged in that pointless battle — which is the better camera, tripod, paint, microwave oven, car, faucet, tile, window — you get the picture, it’s been a complete waste of time. I will battle on though to rationalize my decision making process though. I’m that dumb. And so it goes with the Ducati vs. Vespa as it turned in my head during a ride to breakfast that my friend Paul and I undertook over the weekend.

Before delving into anything related to the machines or the ride I need to say something about the photography, or more specifically, the camera used. I’ve misplaced my trusty Canon G15 point and shoot and was left with only the iPhone to make images. Normally I would have gone to great lengths to find something to shoot with but on this morning I decided to let go of image making. It was not easy but well worth the struggle.

The iPhone 4 makes reasonably good images and I put it to use a few times during the ride. But mostly I found myself riding unencumbered by any concerns to document or illustrate what I was seeing or thinking. Many rides are filled with a mental narration that can consume the experience as I commit more and more mental resources towards photography. On this day I found that I got to a point where my mind was, well, empty. I was just on the Vespa flying down the road.

Paul’s Ducati Hypermotard is a pretty thing. He got rid of his Ducati 1198 to make room for this one in the garage. A lot more fun and more comfortable to ride in my opinion though each rider has their own taste in machinery. He acquired it on eBay and had to go to Mobile, Alabama to pick it up. He really wanted the Hypermotard. It does have a nice, throaty engine sound and can easily leave the Vespa evaporated in it’s rear view mirrors but on a ride through the countryside for breakfast it didn’t come up.

As fall approaches the world starts to change. The soybean fields are turning yellow in preparation for harvest and the atmosphere is just perfect for riding. There’s a trade off to keeping the power of the Ducati in check — foregoing dazzling speed for the dazzling scenery. The Vespa isn’t capable of dazzling speed but I suspect you can’t pay a lot of attention to the roses when you are dazzled.

During a stop for pictures Paul had me ride circles around him so he could get an action picture. I reminded him to make the scooter and I look heroic. He succeeded in making me look like the circus bear riding a bicycle. So much for heroics. I will say the scooter looks really clean — a testament to the dishonesty of photography.

When we left State College, Pennsylvania there were a number of options for route and breakfast eateries. Paul left it to me to choose so I thought I would surprise him by deviating from our normal 20 mile ride to breakfast by increasing the distance to 60 miles. For a moment I thought rain might intrude despite the forecast calling for sunshine. I didn’t care though having not been on the Vespa all week. And the Ducati, nice and shiny as it is, could use a bit of rain to humble itself. Turned out things remained dry.

The official Ducati portrait for Paul’s website. I’ve been photographing him with his scooters and motorcycles for 20 years or so. He has quite a collection. I’ll try and get him to pose again when I have a real camera available.

It is a nice bike.

This portrait was made just a few miles from one of the breakfast establishments Paul has trying to get me to for the past couple years — Mamie’s in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. Luckily, the surprise remained intact until we pulled into the parking lot because for all the riding in Pennsylvania Paul possesses a common talent of not really being aware of where he is. Or so it seems to me.

Mamie’s has great food and the fresh baked donuts are to die for. I forgot how good they were. If you pass anywhere near this part of Pennsylvania you must stop for breakfast or lunch.

The Ducati vs. Vespa question surfaced a few more times on the way home. Once on a three exit run on Interstate 99 as I watched the Ducati in my rearview mirror as we tooled along at 70 mph. Even though he could go a lot faster the beating by the wind wouldn’t be any better than what I was experiencing on the Vespa. Those naked bikes stick you right in the middle of things.

And a bee in my helmet and subsequent sting brought the Vespa to a rapid halt along a rural road with Paul following closely. The Hypermotard seems able and agile in negotiating pavement to gravel in a hurry.

Damn bees. It’s been awhile since I had to content with that stuff.

All in all a great ride. First time with the new (used) Ducati. At this point I’d say the score is Ducati 1, Vespa 1. Arrived home with just shy of another 120 miles added to the clock and a smile on my face.

Can I ask for more?

Riding a Vespa Scooter is Different for Everyone

September 16, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

The first late summer morning where the temperature dropped to 50F, chilly enough to use the liner in my winter riding jacket, the bright sun adding just enough warmth to temper the cool air making its way inside jacket and pants. The leaves are starting to fall as the fall equinox approaches. Before long the warm, sleepy summer rides will give way to the more bracing rides of fall. Over the years a pattern has emerged showing my riding mileage increases as the temperature decreases. Riding a Vespa scooter is different for everyone I guess.

For me, riding continues to be a solitary experience taking place in the quiet, empty places in central Pennsylvania. At one point in time the ride was about the machine but that faded a long, long time ago. Now it’s become a form of meditation, at times simple and free and others difficult, puzzling, and moving into the unknown. There is an element of self-surrender and introspection, probably the closest I’ll come to mysticism in this life. Strange what a ride can become.

I’ve ridden enough motorcycles to know that the experience would eventually move in the same direction. On the Vespa I just get there quicker. Still, those moments of mystery are short lived and fleeting. One moment I’m flying and the next I’m so hungry that all I can think about it finding somewhere to eat. And this day I ended up at Cool Beans Coffee House in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. My bad luck that they are closed on Sunday. And worse as I did the mental gymnastics of the next best food stop my phone rang sending me off in another direction all together. And so it goes, even the most innocent rides on the most mundane days can swing from sublime to routine, sometimes in moments, others in miles. Regardless of what the experience is for me I want more, an undeniable craving to be in the world, on the road, air rushing by in a shimmering shaking of living.

As I worked my way home I came upon this odd collection of covered shipping containers, a motorcycle wheel revealing the cargo. The eighteen motorcycles, or I suppose there could be some scooters too, are waiting to provide their rider with a jumping off point for the body, mind and spirit. Riding a Vespa, or anything else for that matter, will be different for everyone. But ride long enough and the machine will vanish and something else will creep into your mind, a flight of fancy that’s unlooked for but mesmerizing.

At least that’s been my experience…

Sentimental Journey

August 30, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 22 Comments

You never know what you’ll experience once to take to the road. Even the roads well traveled. Like peeling an onion, riding through the same places with an eye to the narrow gravel lane bearing off into the woods, or the cracked concrete street leading into a strange neighborhood, wandering deeper into the familiar can yield some unexpected treasure. Just as the Vespa floats through the world my thoughts can drift along at once in the present and the past as it conjures forgotten feelings and memories kindled into life by an unlooked-for sight. One those days a ride becomes a sentimental journey.

Last weekend I found myself riding deeper into places that I’ve passed a hundred times. I understand the notion “I’ve already ridden there,” but at the same time realize you never really have. By that I mean there is always something more to see right at your feet. I don’t have the time or opportunity to make epic rides. Most of the time I’m limited to what I can pack into an hour or two, or during a ride to work, an errand to the grocery store. And I’ve learned how to transform those into something more than they might seem to the casual observer. Absorbing what’s in front of me now, what’s revealed on the rides I take, are likely in line with what some consider an active alternative to the grand journey — slow travel. Slow travel is, for me, a focus on squeezing experience from the moment rather than collecting miles and sights. It’s not for everyone but I feel everyone can probably get something from the change in mindset.

The Vespa scooter is a perfect foil for my slow travel adventuring. With no interstate highways to burn up or great distances I consume I can wander at a pace that allows me to see wildflowers and listen to the trill of summer insects in the forest. There are a few sounds whose mental recall provide almost instant relief from the pain of a day — one is the rolling of waves on a shoreline, and the other the sound of crickets, katydids and cicadas in the forest. Each time I shut the engine off and wander along the road I have the chance to reinforce those memories. You never know when you’ll need them.

There is no right way to ride, no perfect machine, no ultimate journey. Every rider makes their own choices for their own reasons and it accounts for the wonderful diversity of experience that’s so obvious when riders get together to tell lies. There are times when I ride that I feel I’m in another world, alone, and with a blank canvas in front of me. I’ve ridden on this road along Spring Creek hundreds of times and still stop almost every time because there is still more to see. And the memories of living in this place are breathtaking at times as those experiences spin up together with the knowledge that the years of my life have slipped by so quickly and there is more that I want to see and do. It’s times like this that I find I’m on a sentimental journey.

During the ride I passed by the University Park Airport where the “Sentimental Journey” was parked, a B-17 Flying Fortress that had been flying over the valley for the past couple days. The WWII bomber was their as part of a visit by the Commemorative Air Force out of Arizona. Visitors were able to go inside the plane and if you had the cash you could go for a ride. When I was in college I used to work as a black and white printer in a darkroom. One of the full time guys had been a gunner on a B-17 and flew a number of missions out of England until his plane was shot down over France. I’ve not seen this fellow in many years but seeing the plane brought a rush of memories of his stories. Would never have anticipated them when I left in the morning.

My own sentimental journey…

The video below is from CAF Airbase Arizona provides a dramatic view of “Sentimental Journey”, a reminder of the airplane that played a big role in the war in Europe.

Triggering Curiosity

August 23, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 10 Comments

Usually a ride on the Vespa cures any ill, the acceleration into flight strips away concerns and distractions and transforms darkness into light — at least with the normal noise and chaos of living. Riding can trigger curiosity and change my whole outlook on life. Saturday morning found me on the road, dodging the raindrops, pushing the scooter onto he little narrow paths that crisscross the area, focusing on the challenges of dirt and gravel, mud and water.

Whenever my mind’s not right I slip off onto less traveled roads to explore and let my mind wander in new directions. Rain threatened all morning as I passed across the valley towards a series of chores. The drama of the landscape never fails to excite, even on these little rides.

Mount Nittany looms in the middle of Happy Valley, a familiar icon for the Penn State faithful. As a young geology student I learning it was an inverted, truncated geosyncline. Or something like that. It’s been 42 years since hearing those words so I could have mixed them up a bit.

Everything is so lush right now with the consistent rain we’ve had this summer. Little pathways wind through tunnels of foliage and provide endless opportunities to explore without needing to travel very far. The only complaint I have is it only takes a few moments for the Black Flies to find you. Those beasts get into your helmet and can drive you a little nuts.

A last stop in a wet, dank tunnel beneath Interstate 99 before surrendering to the necessities of the day. Looking at this picture I’m reminded again at how little riding I actually get done because I’m in a constant search for things to look at which for me means stopping. Some riders make 5o miles in an hour. More often than not I’ll only accomplish 10. Or less. Someone once referred to me as a dawdler though I thought it more accurate to be identified as a curious toddler.

No wonder a motorcycle doesn’t make much sense.

Deer Strategies for Riders

August 19, 2014 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

On Monday morning when the alarm clock launched the radio I was brought into the world with a story about a couple on a Harley who slid their motorcycle 300 feet in an attempt to avoid a whitetail deer. In my half awake, mostly drifting state I still had the presence of mind to question the details of the event. And wonder about riding strategies for deer.

Deer are everywhere here. Everywhere. And despite their tendency to move more at dusk and dawn, they can be found bounding across the road at anytime of day. Anytime. The rider claimed he had to slide the bike to avoid the deer. Is sliding the best option for avoiding deer? And how fast do you need to be going to slide a Harley Davidson motorcycle 300 feet?

By the time I was riding to work my brain was still chewing on the story, turning the details over and over and pondering a few more questions. Knowing the road and location where the accident happened, a place where I have seen dozens and dozens of deer, why would a motorcycle be traveling at said velocity at 6:17 p.m. — a prime deer traffic time? And in one of those moments of clarity I dropped the mental inquiry realizing it was as pointless as asking why someone rides without a helmet or any other choice that varies from my own. We each are endowed with the power of making our own choices. Managing the risk of wildlife collisions is part fate and part rider choice. I like to focus on choices.

The remainder of the ride to work was spent thinking about how people manage the risks involved with deer, or wildlife of any kind. A recent inquiry from a reader in Australia detailed the lasting effects of an unfortunate encounter with a wallaby. Deer, groundhog, dog or wallaby — you don’t want to have encounters.

To be completely honest, I couldn’t come up with many strategies related to deer. If I had to list the biggest risk I face as a rider it would be Bambi. I feel comfortable that the speeding drivers, cellphone users, and incompetent motorists can be fairly managed. But my doe-eyed friends, they are unpredictable. Sort of like the guy who has a heart attack just as he is about to pass you and suddenly you have a head-on encounter with destiny. So with the heart attack and the deer all I can come up with is to slow down, learn the type of environs that deer like to use to cross a road, and pay fierce attention during the times of day that deer are most active. Oh, a remember during hunting season all bets are off. The deer are making mad dashes until the guns grow silent.

Thinking about the 300 foot slide, one hundred yards of Harley inspired sparks, that’s impressive. Thankfully the rider and his passenger survived and were taken to a local hospital when they could be treated and hopefully ride another day.

Riding across the farm lane on the way to work where the dazzling sunlight in the open fields provides expansive visibility and few places for all but the most determine deer to hide I felt reasonably safe and unlikely to do much wildlife induced sliding.

But how do other riders manage or rationalize their choices regarding riding behavior in the face of wildlife obstacles? Maybe there’s something I can learn.

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