Scooter in the Sticks

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

Dangerous and Beautiful Road

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In the scooter’s dream, this is the road it rides…

How much does danger factor into the thrill of riding?  When my spirit soars is it because I feel I’m flying or perhaps because subconsciously I believe I’ve left danger in the dust?

While I don’t intentionally ride in a dangerous manner I do accept that being on two-wheels inherently has more risk, more danger.  It doesn’t mean bad things will happen, but they could, and chances are whatever does happen will probably be more intense that if I were strapped in the cage and surrounded by airbags.

Danger, or perhaps more specifically, risk is seductive and at the heart of a living game of chance.  At least that’s what passed through my head as I watched the video of the Atlantic Road in Norway — Atlanterhavsveien in Norwegian.  In the dark gloom with a pounding ocean I could sense the risk, the danger, and imagined traversing the windswept expanse and the quickened heart rate.  It’s the same feeling I have when snow is falling on the road, or the temperature drops below zero — me against the elements.

Seems a screwy draw to riding a scooter or motorcycle.  But it could be worse.  I could be scrambling up the north face of the Eiger, or diving off a precipice in a wing suit.

I suppose each is just another dangerous and beautiful road…

Riding in the Rain

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Are you comfortable riding in the rain?

Vespa GTS scooter in the rainI don’t worry (much) about getting caught in a sudden shower when the air is warm and home isn’t too far off.  I knew there would be a slight chance that a storm front would pass through when I left home but I was willing to take the chance I would get wet.  Riding in the rain and staying dry can be a critical issue when it’s not warm outside.  For me, anything under 80F can turn chilly when you’re soaked and moving along over 40mph.  I have a Rev’It rainsuit in my topcase that I’ve still never used but it’s there for those times when being wet and cold can become a problem.

The bigger issue for me today was the road surface.  It was slippery as the rain just seemed to spread the oil and road film around making handling dicey in places.  It never really rained hard enough or long enough to clean off the road.  This is where an ABS braking system would be a nice tool to have.

The ride home was uneventful in terms of safety and handling.  Aesthetically, it was fantastic to be out in the rain — really makes you feel alive sometimes.

Vespa GTS and Honda Nighthawk on streetIn town an hour before the rain started everything was quiet — unusually so for a Sunday afternoon in State College, Pennsylvania.  Made this picture as I left the scooter in one of the five motorcycle parking areas available in town.  Normally I park a few blocks away but the Last Cruise, an annual car show and through town cruising ritual closed off the roads in that part of town.

I was reminded once again of how the years are passing by.  I remember when the Last Cruise started.  Seems like a couple years ago.  Turns out this year was the 30th anniversary.

What the hell happened?

Pretending You’ll Never Crash

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MSF info graphic on riding gearWhile I don’t believe it’s inevitable that every motorcycle or scooter rider will have a crash, I also don’t believe any rider can say they’ll never go down either.  I’m not sure what others believe in this regard.  What I do know for sure though is there is a range of belief and action in regard to utilizing protective riding gear.

Do you find yourself pretending you’ll never crash?

I saw this infographic yesterday via FirstGear’s Facebook feed and it reminded me again of the risk involved in riding on two wheels and the things that can be done to mitigate some of that risk.

You can download a high resolution PDF file of the MSF poster if you want to make a big print.

In the spirit of open disclosure I have to admit that I don’t always adhere to the goals outlined in the poster.  I’ll ride with jeans sometimes in warm weather and neglect pulling on the abrasion resistant armored pants hanging next to my riding jacket.  I lie to myself that they offer protection but the truth is they don’t offer squat — I’m just lazy.  A slide down the road will shred them in a hurry to get to my tender flesh.

And that would be a sad event.  It makes me think of Brittany Morrow — founder of the Rock the Gear website and all the gear all the time (ATGATT) evangelist.

Have a look at her video and then ask yourself what you’re doing:

How to Avoid Skinning Yourself Alive – Brittany Morrow from Brittany Morrow on Vimeo.

Rock the Gear Inc. is a national, not-for-profit organization that focuses on safety apparel education and provides a community of support for those who want to learn more and/or become involved. Brittany Morrow is the President and Founder of Rock the Gear. This is her story.

Visit www.RocktheGear.org to learn more.

This video is intended for informational purposes only. Visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s website to get trained and licensed and learn more about what it means to be a good, responsible rider. www.MSF-USA.org

Music: “Who Says” by Selena Gomez & The Scene. Music copyrights belong solely to the original artists and producers.

Works Cited:

Haynsworth, Leslie. “My Volvo, My Self. The (Largely Unintentional) Existential Implications of Bumper Stickers.” Fourth Genre, 2008.

Hurt Report. Traffic Safety Center, University of Southern California, 1981.

Motorcycle Safety Tips

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Do you see yourself in this video? There are some important motorcycle safety tips in it that are fun to watch and important to remember.

While watching vintage training films can be fun, there are some important approaches discussed that have value for the thoughtful rider.  Motorcycle safety is not about getting out of trouble, it’s learning how to not get into trouble in the first place.  That’s an entire different state of mind.

This film was made for the United States Air Force in response to a growing number of servicemen and civilian contractors getting hurt or killed on motorcycles.  While it’s over-acted at times and the dialogue a little too perfect in places, it’s enjoyable to watch and provides some excellent instruction on how to be a defensive rider.

At one point in the film a doctor who is struggling with how so many highly trained professionals are getting killed learns a key fact — no matter how successful you are in one career with extensive training, it doesn’t mean squat in terms of your skill as a motorcycle rider.

It’s not just like riding a bike.

And if nothing else, you’ll learn the important art of kick starting a motorcycle.

I wonder how many riders today know how to do that?  I kick started a scooter just a few weeks ago but it’s nothing like kick starting a Harley!

Hospital or Graveyard?

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From the opening crow caws to the closing funk music driven motorcycle montage, listening to Peter Fonda describe possible outcomes of not adequately learning how to ride a motorcycle as ending up in the hospital or graveyard was just part of a fun and interesting film filled with motorcycle safety tips.

I came across this vintage 70s instructional film on Gail Hatch’s She Rides a Beemer blog.  The film is narrated by Fonda, famous for his motorcycle escapades in the film Easy Rider, and includes commentary by famous motorcycle aerialist and daredevil, Evel Knievel.  I feel you can never know or learn too much about riding and safety, so pull up your computer, grab a snack, and enjoy a trip into thoughts on safety from the past.