Scooter in the Sticks

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

Vespa in the Rain

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Sunday morning in a slow rain, meandering over familiar roads on my way to meet a friend in town.  I’ve stopped in this same place many times to gaze towards Mount Nittany, watch the landscape swallow up the road in an easy turn.  Twisting my boots into the pavement checking the traction, evaluating how much oil and scum was washed off through the night, gauge how far I could push the Vespa while riding though I never push very far.  Still, it’s comforting to know what to expect.

Made this image with the iPhone camera using the Camera+ app.  Processed the image in the HDR mode.  I continue to be pleasantly surprised at the technical and creative range of these devices.  Feel bad now that I dropped in on the pavement.  No damage save for another scuff mark.  Saw a student in town last week busily texting on an iPhone with a shattered front.  Didn’t seem to slow them down.

The rain slowed to a mist as I threaded my way through the alleys and streets of State College, my destination arriving too soon, the ride ending before I was ready.  Humes Alley is a favorite backdrop, old brick, hand lettered signs.  About as close as I come to an urban environment on any regular basis.

Prime parking for Saint’s Cafe — just twenty yards to the front door and never any charge.  At least not until the Borough decides to give me a ticket.  Or tow the scooter away.  So far Kelly Alley is my first parking choice.

Rainy days are for laying in bed or on the couch, reading a book, watching television, or indulging in some other sort of horizontal enterprise.  On the way home while making this picture I decided to pursue the bed despite how much I love the light on this kind of day. 

One last picture before home.  The monochrome nature of things in the rain almost prods me on to ride farther. 

Almost.  But there are naps to take and other things to do. 

That’s how to make good use of a rainy Sunday.

Short Reflection on the BMW K1600 GTL Experience (More to Come)

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I made an error in the previous post indicating I would be reviewing the BMW K1600 GT.  The bike I actually departed Kissell Motorsports with was the GTL version.  More features, more luxury, more of everything.  And this motorcycle was probably the most dramatic change from my Vespa GTS 250ie ever.  And again, in almost every respect.

The past couple days I’ve been looking over notes scribbled on 3×5 index cards, on my iPhone, and examining memories triggered by the numerous photos I made.  Still searching for the story of this motorcycle, what it’s like to ride, what it did to me.  Yes, I think it did something to me but can’t quite put my finger on it.  Perhaps I’ve not put enough miles on it and should plead a case to Craig Kissell to borrow it for a few more days.  After all, the typical K1600 rider will be thinking in terms of thousands of miles.

It was a beautiful couple days of riding.  Photography and riding are always at odds and the K1600 GTL wants to go and not dilly dally on the way.  By force of will I would transcend whatever magic the BMW was trying to spin on me and bring the motorcycle to a halt to pursue other interests.  I swear I cannot pass a lone tree in a field.  And we have a lot of them here in Pennsylvania.  Big trees in the middle of a field were there to give a team of horses or oxen a shady place to rest at lunch time. 

With gas prices so high some farmers are returning to draft animals. I don’t except John Deere to be shutting its doors anytime soon though.

Weird.  I’m talking about the most modern BMW motorcycle, draft animals and John Deere tractors.  Just what the marketing group was hoping for. 

To complete the bucolic rural picture I present the BMW K1600 GTL with a passing manure truck.  Thank god the motorcycle has traction control.  Liquid manure on the road is a real hazard.
I’ve been jotting down notes in my Moleskine journal and trying to piece together what to say about this machine.  As a diehard Vespa rider I can say it was, well, amazing.  The challenge ahead is to define amazing. 

Cozying up to the BMW K 1600 GT

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I quick note while downing a cup of lunchtime tea.  This evening I’m supposed to be heading out on a BMW K1600 GT.  The transition from the Vespa to a motorcycle is always sort of strange.  This one will prove to be a bigger leap than usual.  To help relax into it I looked to YouTube for some vicarious experience. About half way through you can see the motorcycle on the road. Looks like it handles as well as my Vespa.

I’ll let you know what I think.

Style and Serendipitous Riding

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There’s nothing unusual about heading to the convenience store for some chocolate to go with my late night cup of tea.  A short ride, nice night air, a satisfying experience.  Seeing my reflection in the front doors though had me asking what sort of rider I was.

Not long ago I watched a guy ride up on a big Victory touring bike.  The motorcycle sparkled and the black leather fringe hanging from the hand grips matched his dazzling leather riding suit.  Boots, helmet, gloves, everything was selected with care.  He could have stepped out of a catalog.

So here I am standing in front of the doors looking at my reflection. Unshaven, messed up hair.  Short, black and yellow Triumph vented riding jacket, unwashed since I bought it in 2006.  Hanging out from under is the shirt tail of the beat up red flannel shirt I was wearing all day while working in the garden.  My eyes look down past my filthy jeans to a pair of mud crusted boots.  Some riders dress like pirates, others don their Aerostich gear, while others assume the careful attire of a variety of riding styles.  Me on the other hand, I’ve completely dropped the ball.  A derelict has just ridden up on a Vespa.

Grabbed a couple Hershey bars while mincing through the store trying to minimize the amount of mud shedding from my boots. I’m not sure I’ve every seen a muddy, unkempt rider who wasn’t associated with a dirt bike.  Perhaps I lead a sheltered life.

And don’t ask why as the clock neared midnight I was still in such a sorry state.

The next morning all was well with the world. The sun was out and so was I — this time clean and in my traditional riding clothes.  A quick stop at the local quarry for a picture as I tried to figure out where to go and what to do.  Being Mother’s Day I couldn’t wander far being a good husband and son-in-law.

So breakfast is always a good choice.  Time to think.  A scrap of paper on the table had the words AAUW Used Booksale scribbled on it.  Perfect.  A serendipitous revelation. You never can have too many books right?

Arrived early on the second morning of the sale and didn’t expect to find any treasures.  Wrong as usual.  Found three gems for Kim to add to her Mother’s Day loot.  And a nice hardback edition of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness for my daughter.  She likes travel books.  What could be a better choice?

Later in the evening I had to ride into State College.  On the way down the sidewalk, camera in hand I’m shooting pictures, little sketches of whatever.  I decide to make a self portrait with the photography word in the window.  That’s me — photography.  Later, at home, looking at the images I see the motorcycle in the reflection.  Never saw it while making the picture. Serendipity at work.
Didn’t hear it either.  Someone better man up and get a loud exhaust.

 
On the way home riding towards Mt. Nittany, that iconic geological formation so intimately tied to Penn State.  Perfect evening with postcard light.  A fine way to end an unusal riding weekend.  I don’t want to write serendipitous again because it doesn’t sound nearly strong enough to bolster my ego, reputation or style.   And that’s a big part of riding.
Isn’t it??

Things That Go Through Your Head When Your Throttle Freezes

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This is a story about what goes through a rider’s mind when their throttle freezes. On a Sunday morning awhile back I planned to ride into town to meet BMW rider Dan Leri at Saint’s Cafe.  The frost on the car and truck reminded me the temperature was still dropping below freezing and that I should pay close attention to the road.  And I worried a bit about Dan on his 1150 RT but more on that in a bit.

Dan wears a lot of hats in addition to a helmet.  He’s the director of Innovation Park at Penn State, a father and husband, and somewhere in his past a member of one of Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lion teams.  All this was of interest as I parked the Vespa in the pre-dawn light of State College, Pennsylvania where I was going to learn from Dan what goes through your head when your throttle freezes — something he’s recently learned on a ride to work.

It’s not often I arrive at Saint’s before they’re open.  Poor planning on my part to have to sit outside in the cold.  At least the light was nice for the few minutes I had to wait to get a cup of tea and a bagel.

This is the bike in question — a 2005 (?) BMW 1150 RT.  Dan describes it as the perfect machine.  It’s the typical conversation with a BMW rider.  They speak in a casual, even, measured tone, slowly drawing you into their delusion of performance, reliability, and rides around the world.  Eventually their eyes roll back into their heads, English transforms into an ancient Teutonic tongue and sweat beads on their foreheads.  At this point it’s best to nod your head politely and let them finish.  I think a requirement of ownership of these kinds of motorcycles is to evangelize whenever possible.  Dan keeps at me.  I recently joined the BMW MOA.

That’s Dan in his Roadcrafter jacket.  He is a hi-viz kind of guy.

I was in Denver when a text message arrived on the morning of March 25.  It read:

My throttle cable froze solid while passing a truck this morning on I99 on the way to work.  Since I was passing, I was going 80mph.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO GRACIE:  If you’re reading this you should understand the concept of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  Ask your dad to explain that.  Don’t scare your mother with this information.

The message continues:

Fast ride to work!  Good thing traffic was spaced out!  I eventually shut it off, coasted to a stop, messed until I got a little play in it, then high RPM clutched to Wegmans (grocery store) to get hot water to get it thawed, and down to idle, then let it run to generate engine heat to thaw it. That got me another mile and a refreeze, (it was 18F that morning — yes, Dan’s a serious rider) and a repeat procedure!

You have a lot of funny “now what” thoughts while stuck going 80mph and wanted to get close to help and a solution before shutting down!

So I’m in Denver reading these text messages and the first thing that comes to mind is, “Geez, you tap out a lot of characters for a text message.”  Then I think about what I would do — hit the kill switch.  As Dan and I talked he said that if he did that he would be a long way from anywhere.  Listening to him I realized he was more and more like MacGyver as he described his thought process and plan to ride on as far as he could.  If he only had tin foil and some chewing gum he could have continued around the world.  The long way.

 A bad photo of the cable distribution box on the BMW and the source of the freezing problems.
Standing in Dom Chang’s (Charlie6 of Redleg’s Rides) garage near Denver I showed him the text message.  In minutes the garage was full of Teutonic sounds uttered from a man with his eyes rolling back into his head.
I had sent a message back to Dan, short, concise, and embodying my interest:
Wow.  So what kind of thoughts?
Here are Dan’s.  Maybe you have others.
1.  Oops! This is interesting!

2. This will redline and blow if I pull the clutch in.

3. How many feet will it take me to stop this bike without the servo-assisted brakes?

4.  Why didn’t the folks in the Toyotas with stuck accelerators simply put it in neutral, get stopped quickly, and turn it off?

5. If traffic is spaced properly, I can make it to the 55mph zone before shutting down — I’ll be closer to help and a thawing solution.

6.  If I get near a Sheetz, they’ll have hot water to thaw the cable distribution box.
7. A Lowe’s or Home Depot will have a small torch I can buy.

8.  Where the hell is the sun?!

9. At 19 degrees at 7:15am, at what time will the temp be closer to 32 degrees?

10. How can I get the heat from inside my Gerbing gloves wrapped around the cable distribution box?

11. My wife will kill me if I die this way 🙂

12. I hope all the groundhogs are too cold to come out this early.

13.  What would MacGyver do?

14.  James Bond would simply ride up the deck of a slower moving truck.

15.  I might be late for my first meeting of the day.

16.  I hope it’s at least in the high 20’s for the ride home tonight.

17.  Diann will kill me if I’m late.
And that’s all he wrote.  In text messages mind you.  That’s persistence.  Didn’t realize how much so until I had to type all that.
Now that the warm weather is here you don’t have to worry about freezing throttles.  Dan determined there was a very small hole in the cable distribution box which must have taken in some water when he was trailering the bike through a storm.
Trailering a BMW.  Karmic justice that the throttle froze.