Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

My Spring Riding Safety Reminders

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As the weather warms I find myself riding more often. Especially around town for errands. And short jaunts through the countryside in the morning as part of a fine ritual of awakening. So I like to remind myself that however exciting and satisfying these rides can be I must remain vigilant in staying safe on the road.

It’s kind of a tradition for me to share the “Morning Fall” video by Edward McGinty.

A visceral reminder of riding risk. But what seems like impossible events to manage can be affected by our riding choices.

And for a pale, weak video in comparison to McGinty’s masterpiece, I made a quick safety video for new and beginning riders. Just a few ideas to help someone get on a good path in regard to riding safety and risk management whether riding a Vespa scooter, motorcycle, or any other powered two-wheeled machine.

Be well and ride safe!

Risk Assessment When Moving From a Scooter to a Motorcycle

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BMW K75C motorcycle parked beneath a freeway overpass.
I’ve always known the motorcycle was heavy, but I didn’t consider what that meant in terms of protective gear.

A Heavy Pile of Steel

Reminders that trigger thoughts of risk assessment regarding my scooter or motorcycle are never far away.  A neighbor stopped by today and shared a few stories of riding friends and relatives that had unfortunate encounters with deer and ATVs.  It’s not uncommon to hear such things when someone discovers that I ride.

Risk assessment, training, practice, and appropriate riding gear have always been important to me since I started riding 16 years ago.  Any illusion that I knew “how to ride” based on the time I spent on motorcycles as a teenager was quickly dispelled at my first Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course class. While I could get on a motorcycle and make it go, I was woefully oblivious to how to be a rider in traffic with other human beings.  And decades of successful piloting of cars and trucks did little to inform me of the unique demands faced by being on two wheels.

Moving from a scooter to a motorcycle requires adjustment. A lot of people think the challenge is shifting and a clutch, but I’ve found the biggest challenge to be the difference in weight. My Vespa GTS 250 is around 335 pounds full of fuel, fluids, and gear. My BMW K75C with side cases and windscreen comes in at around 550 pounds. That’s considerably heavier not to mention the weight is higher up giving the motorcycle a distinct feel of being top-heavy. Switching back and forth between machines requires adjustment in my riding behavior and technique.

For several years I test rode motorcycles for Kissell Motorsports and was constantly moving from one machine to another. At each change, I did some basic practice with the new motorcycle to acclimate to its unique characteristics — clutch and throttle, emergency braking, slow speed maneuvers, etc. Those things gave me a good feel for the bike and what I could expect from myself and the machine.

So you would think that I had covered all the bases when it came to the scooter and motorcycle I own. But some recent reading about motorcycle injuries had me realizing I had left something out of my protective gear as it related to the motorcycle. I was set up for the Vespa and it’s comparatively light weight.

The weak link in my gear?

Boots.

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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.

Riding Risk: Something Every Rider Should Consider

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Morning Fall from Boss Boyd on Vimeo.
Morning Fall
by Edward McGinty

Reminders on Riding Risk

Every so often, I post this video as a reminder, not just that riding brings with it risk, but more importantly, that risk is something every rider should, from time to time, think about.

A clear understanding of the risk involved when you head out on the road can help inform the skills developed and applied to a ride that will improve the odds that you’ll return safely. And if your family or significant other has concerns about your scooter or motorcycle you’ll be better equipped to discuss those concerns beyond, “I’m safe.”Continue Reading

Riding Risk for a Scooter or Motorcycle

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Harley and helmet-less rider on Interstate 80Riding Risk

A few years ago on my way to New York City a Harley rider raced past me.  I was going about 75 mph.  He was wearing a T-shirt, no gloves, and no helmet.  Caused me to ponder risk a bit.

Riding to work today, the first really warm day this year and my marking of the start of spring, I was seeing a lot of gravel on the road at intersections.  Would have thought it would be gone by now.  The desire to carve through turns, even at intersections, is a siren calling to a rider.  A dangerous call at best.  A racetrack can provide a predictable road surface.  Not many other places can.

“I could have dumped the scooter there.” I though to myself on one ubiquitous turn.  And hot on the heals of that thought has a recognition of risk.  It’s something the raises its hand from time to time.

Reflect on Risk

Every couple years I repost the Morning Fall video by Edward McGinty.

Morning Fall from Boss Boyd on Vimeo.
by Edward McGinty (a video exploring the meaning of riding risk)

I watched it again today and it holds up well with many reminders of the risks on the road to machine and man (and woman). As the riding season starts again for many riders I think it’s always good to spend a few moments in silent meditation on the amount of risk you’re willing to assume, how your riding skills (or lack thereof) influence the risk you face, and what, if anything, you’re willing to do to mitigate risk.

What Can You Do About Your Own Riding Risk?

There’s no way around it — riding a scooter or motorcycle is dangerous. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, your chances of dying on a motorcycle are 35 times higher than in a car, calculated on a per-mile basis.  Reading that statistic reminds me that I should look for ways to mitigate some of the risk — at least the things in my control.

Things like:

  • Don’t drink and ride — alcohol is involved in a big percentage of fatal motorcycle crashes.
  • Don’t ride beyond your skills — a lot of riding accidents don’t involve another vehicle but instead are caused by a rider getting into a situation they can’t handle.  Most cases that means going too fast.
  • Ride defensively — a motorcycle or scooter isn’t a car.  Don’t pretend it is.  Assume you’re invisible, you never have the right of way, and are not entitled to road rage when on two wheels.
  • Wear a helmet.  (Unless your helmet-less head is an important expression of your individuality and trumps health or survival concerns)

I won’t go on about training or maintenance of the machine.  That stuff is obvious.

So have a look at the film.  If you’ve seen it already it’s worth watching again.  If only for the reminder of the unexpected.

How do you think about your own risk on the road?