Scooter in the Sticks

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

Do I Really Need a Garmin InReach Mini 2?

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Steve Williams with a Garmin InReach Mini 2 device attached to the sleeve of his riding jacket.
Satisfied with a decision for safety and peace of mind.

Puzzling over Risk, Safety, and Economics

After several years of thinking about the wisdom of having a reliable way to reach out in case of emergency I made a purchase. The question turned over in my head for a couple years is do I really need a Garmin InReach Mini 2? While I don’t normally ride alone in places without cell coverage it happens often enough that I kept thinking about the risk I was taking should something bad happen. A crash that left me unable to ride, another heart attack, running off the road and down an embankment where it might be a long time before anyone found me.

There are plenty of reasons why I should have one. Those reasons are piled against the cost of the unit and the ongoing monthly subscription expense. Not long ago I talked with my motorcycle riding cardiologist about the risks and he felt it was a good idea. Not so much for heart attacks but for an unfortunate incident that would take me off the trail and into a place no one would find me.

Still, the cost seemed excessive. And some lingering butch attitude made me seem weak if I bought one. After some honest reflection I determined two things. First, the cost isn’t something that I have to factor into my decision. All I had to think about is whether I wished I had one if I found myself somewhere without cell coverage, alone, injured, or with the bike broken down.

The answer was yes.

Immediately after making the purchase and subscribing to the $8 a month ENABLE plan it felt right.

Now on to the next safety item — a Helite Turtle 2 Airbag…

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!

Yellow and the Rider’s Life

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Vespa GTS scooter on a road with a double yellow lineDanger Will Robinson!

Yellow.  It’s the color of danger.  It’s the color of warning.  It’s the color I often reach for first.  And it’s one I pay attention to closely.  On this particular morning I was hyperfocused on the road surface.  The day before the snow began to melt and there was a lot of water running across the road.  During the night it frozen leaving some wide swaths of ice to negotiate. You can see them in the photograph.  At each I had to come to a complete stop and slowly paddle the scooter across with my feet.

The yellow kept me sharp.

Yellow lines on foggy road with Vespa GTS scooterYellow Lines — the siren song of the road

The yellow lines leading past the horizon.  The visual cue for unknown adventure.  I think I always stop when I see those scenes.  They’re easy to identify.  They’re blazing with yellow.

Verbascum thapsus plant with Vespa scooterYellow Torch

Yellow stands out, calls out, demands a close look.  In this case the stalk of yellow verbascum flowers signaled a turn off the paved road to explore another track.

Steve Williams and Vespa GTS scooterProtective Yellow

By the time I made this picture my First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket was growing weary of protecting me.  The once bright yellow was a weak presentation of its former self.  Yellow has become a central element of my protective riding gear choices.

BMW 650 GS motorcycle on gravel laneYellow Machines

I’ve always loved yellow motorcycles.  And cars.  This BMW 650GS that Kissell Motorsports lent me for a ride was exactly the color I love.  I’ve ridden several other fine yellow machinves.

Vespa at a construction siteDon’t Tell Me Which Way to Go

Signs, signs, everywhere they’re signs, telling me what to do.  More and more I refused the commands of signage…

Vespa GTS scooter parked along a field of sunflowersYellow Happy Faces

Sunflowers glowing in the sun.  Yellow faces blazing across the landscape.  Warm and inviting.  Looking at them all becomes right with the world.

Courtesy, in part, of the color yellow.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

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!