Scooter in the Sticks

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

Farms are Cool

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Pushing the pen across paper while my dog noisily gnaws on a large Milkbone makes it really difficult to attend to my writing. Farms are cool places to look at and the surrounding landscapes are my favorite photographic subjects. Mountains, old growth Pacific forests, Yosemite, the ocean—-they are all beautiful. But I am disconnected from them because I live here. Photographing those traditionally beautiful places leaves me with postcard images. I never have time to get close enough to see past that pretty veneer. And it would take months, maybe years.

On the ride home from work my instrument panel showed 23° F. With the sky clear and the sun bright as it headed for the horizon it was warm enough for a detour through the landscape I love to look at. Almost immediately after leaving the main road I came upon Meyers Dairy Farm. Those red barns just glow in strong sunlight. The remainder of the ride home was a slow puttering event that allowed me to be a tourist again in my own neighborhood. I didn’t have the big camera with me but plan to haul it out this morning.


Arriving home I decided to do something about the salt and grime that has been collecting on the Vespa for the past two weeks. With a sponge and bucket of really hot water I was able to remove a lot of it. Perhaps today I will do a bit more.

A few have inquired about my non-electric solution to staying warm—especially my hands. I wear expedition grade Black Diamond Mittens with a pair of thin polypropylene gloves underneath them.


I added the gloves because I needed to slow down the chilling of my hands when I stop to take pictures. The metal body of the small Canon S50 digital camera is like holding a small block of ice. The thin gloves slow down the numbing effect on my hands. If I fiddle too long with the camera I will warm my hands on the headlight before slipping them back inside the mittens. Once my hands are really cold it is difficult to bring them back without returning to a heated area.

After a bowl of cereal I’m going to head out on a photo ride. No idea where I’m going or for how long. Most likely my hands will dictate course and duration. It’s 14° F right now with a promise of higher temperatures this afternoon. After a check of oil levels, air pressures, lights and things I’ll be off.

Cold Commute

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Nine degrees for the ride to work yesterday morning. A number of people at work commented on how cold I must have felt but the truth is I was overdressed and should not have worn a long underwear top. That item rode under the seat on the way home, considerably warmer at 18° F but then I did take the freeway home for a 70 MPH spin.

Riding again I realize that the cold is more a mental than physical challenge. Looking outside after I get up, checking the temperatures, the resistance I feel is related less to the data in front of me and more to my desire to still be in bed. The actual ride to work has no bite of cold, no numb hands, nothing like that. What it does have is the exhilaration of riding found anytime of year. And the bracing air I feel when I crack open my visor at a stop sign or traffic light just reminds me how great it is to be able to do this.

The thermometer shows 12° F for this morning’s ride. Saturday looks to be the same with temperatures rising to 25° F by afternoon so I may try a longer ride on the GTS.

A Search in the Cold

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Opening the online version of the local newspaper this morning revealed 10° F. Hardly the riding weather of choice. I decided to take the dog for a walk instead. Didn’t take long to confirm the paper’s temperature indication especially since they neglected to mention the wind. During the walk a young dog appeared and followed us along hoping to get Essa to play. Noticing his lack of identification or license reminded me that my own dog was illegal.

By the time we got home the sun was bright in a clear blue sky and my dog needed a license. The temperature has risen to 15° F. After a moment of mental wrestling and q quick examination of the road I decided the Vespa was ready for a trip to the hardware store for a license.

Rolling through the unshovelled driveway (the has to melt that snow soon) I thumbed the starter and the GTS came to life unaware of the near zero temperature it has slept through last night. The air temperature readout on the instrument cluster flashed 18° F. I moved out onto the road with feet down to test the surface. Some icy patches but generally clear. I would have to monitor the road surface carefully and adjust carefully. A few miles from home I realized my usual dog license supplier had gone out of business and I would have to ride farther to get one. The well-traveled roads were generally clear with only scattered snow or ice mostly where wind would continue to deposit new coatings. As long as I was upright and traveling in a straight line I was fine but curves, especially blind curves, had to be handled more slowly than normal and in several instances taking them so slowly that the scooter didn’t lean.

A long loop south of town took me through open farmland where the wind blew steadily. The scooter handled the wind and road surface challenges well and my comfort level is growing with each ride. I stopped at a local pet supply store for the dog license only to be told they were sold out. From there to another place that didn’t carry them but offered directions to a place ten miles away that surely would have a dog license. Rather than ride the back roads I thought it would be a good time to try the new Vespa on Interstate 99. I stopped at the ramp to view the road surface and it was clear and dry, at least what I could see. Still in the break-in period I had no trouble maintaining an indicated 70 MPH, well under the Piaggio admonishment to keep the scooter under 80 percent capacity for extended periods. I did twist the throttle once to bring the GTS to an indicated 80 MPH for a few moments with throttle left. The Vespa is surprisingly smooth and stable at that speed even with a crosswind. I was extremely pleased in the performance of my First Gear Kilimanjaro IV Jacket and Black Diamond Mittens. Running along at 70 MPH in 18° F air I was warm and toasty until I returned home after almost two hours on the road. And I was reminded once again how much I enjoy riding in cold weather.

I’m sure I made the right decision to move up to the bigger Vespa. The increased power and weight will expand the things I can do on the road. I never did find a dog license though. The last stop at Tractor Supply Company was a bust. So I suppose I will have to ride farther to make my dog an upstanding member of the community.

No Riding, No Writing

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My dog enjoys the snow. She’ll happily lie outside until she’s covered in snow. I’m coming up empty though. Neither motivation nor content for any new posts. Other than this picture I made last Sunday during a snow squall I have not been riding.


My Ford Ranger faithfully transports me to work. The Vespa sits in the garage because snow on the ground, snow in the air, the threat of snow, and temperatures in the teens and single digits conspire in my head. A quick check of the weather report this morning shows 16° F and snow for the next five days doesn’t have me pulling on riding gear. While I might have ridden the old scooter on one of these days I don’t trust myself yet with the GTS. And come to think about it I don’t want to ride in snow or when there is the threat of snow. So where does that leave me?


I’ve never been good or overly interested in scouring the Web for interesting material to post here. If I stumble across something I will share it but I would rather ride and write about riding. My riding. It’s unique to me and to you if you’re interested.

The ride on Sunday followed a short nearly snowless ride on Saturday. Sunday found snow in the air and for a while snow everywhere on the road. It didn’t take long for things to melt leaving just a beautiful landscape to ride through.


I tested the GTS as best I could in the snowy areas and it seemed to perform OK. I am comfortable that if I were caught in the snow I could slowly and carefully negotiate my way to safety. But I would not want to routinely venture out knowing there would be snow.


So that’s where I am, waiting like many of you for the weather to improve. Right now if the roads are dry and the temperature is above 15° F I will ride to work. If the temperature rises above 20° F I will consider a trip. For the past few weeks I’ve been looking for clear pavement. No end in sight for snow free forecasts and even though on many days we don’t get the snow I don’t want to chance it. I’m beginning to think the bigger scooter has robbed me of something…

Shiny Scooters and Snow Don’t Mix

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The weather broke, or perhaps my resolve to keep the new Vespa GTS clean, safe and off the road until it was completely dry. Either way I was on the road again yesterday. The temperature was 31° F when I left and had risen 10 degrees by the time I returned home. The roads were clear and damp without ice or slush. I had hoped to see what the GTS was like in snow so I turned off into a shaded parking lot that was still snow covered. It was a gravel lot so traction is much better to begin with but there were a few areas packed smoothly that would simulate snow on the road.

The Vespa GTS feels more stable in the slippery stuff than the LX150 did. The advantage of the smaller scooter is that it’s lighter weight makes it easier to physically wrestle if the wheels should slip out from under you. A foot down on the ground and holding the handlebar can keep the scooter from falling to the ground. I didn’t push the experiment with the new GTS though—I’m not ready to see it fall down yet. Maybe after it gets dirtier. For this experiment I was content riding in circles, stopping, trying to slide, and generally increasing my comfort level with the new handling characteristics.

Still being in the break in period of operation I didn’t push the scooter too hard on the highway and kept my top speed below 65MPH. Acceleration is smooth and positive and the increased weight makes for a more stable ride. Handling on turns and curves is smooth and the GTS feels almost as nimble as the LX150.


More snow is called for today so I’m not sure yet if I will ride or not. Part of my concern is doubt in my familiarity with the new scooter but a big part does not want to get it dirty and covered with salt spray. As I ride more the scooter will become less precious and allow me to use it as I want.