Scooter in the Sticks

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

Scooters, Dogs and Motorcycles

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Vespa ET4 scooter along a wet rural road.
Riding in the lush wetness of summer.

Riding in the Rain

There has been ample opportunity to ride my scooters and motorcycles in the rain this summer. In past years everything would be dry and brown in August from hot weather and too little rain. But rain this summer has kept everything lush and green.

I have to confess that my normal summer doldrums in regard to riding has eased because of the rain. Lower temperatures, less sunshine, and some mild rain has gotten me outside.

Both my Vespa scooters are well suited for jaunts in gentle rain. And the lightly traveled roads add to the gentle and relaxed riding I’ve come to expect from my Vespa scooters.

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The Differences Between a Scooter and Motorcycle

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A scooter and motorcycle parked in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
My friend Paul and I stopped during a motorcycle/scooter camping trip in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Scooter or Motorcycle

A recent comment about why I’m riding my Vespa ET4 when I have a Vespa GTS got me thinking about that choice. And not just the choice between the two scooters, but the differences between a scooter and motorcycle in general. Those questions have been floating around my head and I think I’ve come to a few simple conclusions.

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Riding vs. Photography

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Scooter in the Sticks show announcement cardPromotion

The clock is ticking.  Only 35 days until I hang my photography show at the Art Alliance Gallery Downtown.  Time is slipping away and there’s still much to do.  Finished a batch of show announcements today and started to place them around town.  The stack in the photo was at the Pump Station Cafe.  Plan to distribute more tomorrow.

By mid-afternoon I should have the first batch of enlargements in hand.  Fingers crossed that the printing is acceptable.  Everything is coming together in my head.  The physical reality of putting together a photography show is not far behind.Continue Reading

28,000 Miles on a Vespa GTS Scooter

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Odometer of Vespa GTS scooter showing 28,000 milesDuring a ride this morning I noticed the odometer on my 2006 Vespa GTS 250ie scooter rolled over to 28000 miles.  Considering I seldom take long rides I was pleased with the miles I’ve gathered on the scooter.  It also reminded me of the relative durability of the machine and I’ve seen reports on the ModernVespa.com forum of riders far ahead of me with 50K, 75K miles and higher.

Considering the abuse I’ve dished out through years of salty winter riding and many miles of dirt and gravel the Vespa has performed like a champ.  I’ve gone through a lot of tires and oil changes, a fuel pump, a couple batteries, drive belts, brake pads, and that’s about it.  Mostly wear items.

Since I bought the scooter I’ve ridden a lot of different machines from BMWs to Ducatis to URALs to Truimphs.  And after all these miles on a lot of different machines and I still love the Vespa.  For me, it’s the perfect ride.

Here’s hoping there’s another 28ooo miles in the scooter and in my old body!

SCTRCST.com – Scooter Internet Radio

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Steve Williams with his Vespa GTS scooter in winterVespa Rider in Winter

Since I am going to talk about me… I figured this would be the time to post one of the portraits my friend Paul Ruby has made of me during our rides. He says I never use them and he’s right. I explain why in the recent Podcast I was part of. One of the things I have thoroughly enjoyed as a moto-blogger (someday I hope to be able to bear the title of journalist but I have a long way to go on that count) is that I have crossed paths with so many other passionate riders, writers, photographers, and enthusiasts. Dave M of SCTRCST.com  is just one of those passionate people. I had the recent privilege of being interviewed for one of his podcasts. You can listen here to Episode 6, Part One. Just click the PicklePlayer or iTunes icon in the right-hand navigation.

Dave is a great interviewer and made the entire experience a pleasure. Check out his site at SCTRCST.com. He has a cool tool to leave voicemail on his site that he may incorporate into a Podcast. If you get the chance to do an interview with Dave you should grab it!

Thanks again Dave for letting me talk to you and your listeners.

Steve Williams riding his Vespa GTS 250

Photo by Paul Ruby

Vespa GTS on the Road

Paul Ruby made this picture of me not long after buying the GTS. Just getting the feel of things. The beginning a new journey.