Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.
Vespa Verve from Peter Carroll on Vimeo.
Vespa Verve
shot entirely on a GoPro Hero 3+ at 1080 30P Protune
I saw this Vespa video referenced on the Modern Vespa forum and it did a great job capturing some of the fun of riding a Vespa. Watching the two men put this piece together is fun and makes me want to pull the GoPro Hero out myself.
As if I didn’t already have more than enough to do…
Riding home from work at the weather’s edge — on one side light and mist and approaching from behind darkness and rain. Gut calculation indicated a fair chance of staying ahead of the water and without the need to face the fact that I have the wrong rain gear. The First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket I’ve been wearing in the cold and wet for the last eight years has reached the end of it’s life. The seams are coming apart, the fabric is thread bare, the zippers are broken, and it just doesn’t keep the weather out anymore. That’s not a major issue for short, chilly rides but becomes a big problem when it gets colder.
So it’s time for a new jacket.
By the time I stopped beneath the underpass to let the water run off me and take a picture I was thoroughly soaked. The mist had given way to a steady downpour and I was glad to be within a mile of home. Once warm, I would narrow my choices of jackets.
A replacement First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket was my first stop and probably the last if they had it in yellow instead of the greenish hi-viz yellow. That led me on to more jacket investigations until I stopped on an Aerostich Falstaff green jacket. Functional, looks good with the Vespa, it may be the one. All the reviews saw it’s bombproof when it comes to shedding water. And Steve McQueen would have probably approved.
When I wake tomorrow I see if the Falstaff still feels right and I don’t have to ride with the wrong rain gear.
A few weeks ago I received an inquiry from an editor at Motorcycle.com indicating interest in publishing the text and photographs of one of my blog posts. While not quite like Ed McMahon showing up at the door with a giant check, it was one of the highlights of my blogging career — a glimpse into the world of motojournalism.
When I think of Motorcycle.com the image of the Suzuki on the right comes to mind long before my Vespa. I was thrilled that a reflection of a riding experience fueled by a scooter would find an opportunity in such a venue. Depending on interest, traffic and comments I suppose there might be an opportunity to contribute again and share my views and experiences on the road with a scooter.
Riding is not a singular experience and just as there is room for a wide range of machines on the road, so it goes with a mainstream website like Motorcycle.com. If you have a moment check out the post and let them know what you think. It’s always good to mix a Vespa in with the Harleys, Ducatis, Hondas and Yamahas!
Reading the local news this morning I learned not all scooter riding is an exercise in quiet, gentle travel through the world. Scooter horn angers driver in State College did give me a chuckle at first but it shortly turned into a sad commentary on the growing trend of anger on the pavement.
Most of my riding is designed to keep me away from heavy traffic where tempers may simmer. And like a lot of riders I am decidedly passive, docile, and unassuming. Yell at me, flip me off, cut me off, blow your horn, toss a Coke, and I’ll appear to be unaware of the world. Riding past a car with a texting driver, eating a cheeseburger and adjusting their hair and I’ll do nothing more than move away from them. I don’t engage in pointless rants about danger and I certainly don’t endeavor to “educate” them on their failure to live up to the requirements of the road. That kind of direct contact is fraught with more danger than the behavior in question. One never knows who you are going to encounter in another vehicle, their state of mind, or what weapons might be on hand.
Anger is natural and you can’t really control those emotions but one certainly controls what actions they take in response. The guy in the story didn’t make a good choice.
This evening I had to ride back to work to pick up a few things I needed to work on. Without a Vespa in the garage I would have been grumbling the whole way back and home again. But as an opportunity to take a little ride, well, you know the story of how therapeutic a ride down a lightly trodden path can be.
And I suppose it’s that grumbling frustration that causes the angry responses we get to read about or see on YouTube. I always figured if I got out of my car to read someone the riot act they would have a Trunk Monkey.
Ah, the Trunk Monkey…
Not every ride’s focused on fun. Sometime there’s work to be done, things to accomplish. All of it goes better when I can use the Vespa. On the road this evening I realized for the first time how long the days had become. In less than a month the days will start getting shorter as we head towards winter. Odd thinking about that in May — the sort of thing that pops into my head when I stop to make a selfie.
Looking at clouds continues to thrill me after nearly sixty years of gazing upwards. I see Junior sleeping on my lap. Wonder what I would see if I were riding a Harley instead of a Vespa?
A stop at the store was the main reason I was on the road. Taking the long way home was just a fortunate coincidence.
Some routes are still closed and probably always will be but check them I do. Never know when a bureaucrat will have a change of heart. Could have easily ridden around the end of the gate and raced on through but that would be wrong wouldn’t it?
Still loving the Vespa. Put a gun to my head and insist I confess to my deepest, darkest moto desire — a Vespa GTS. Someday it might change but for now I remain smitten…
Roads like these remind me of younger days and dirt bikes. Every kid wanted a mini-bike or go-kart and couldn’t wait to get a driver’s license. Don’t see much of that anymore. Now they’re craving Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Having spent more than a few hours with Unreal Tournament I can kind of see the attraction.
I guess. Still, I’ll take the Vespa and a dirt road.
All good errands must come to an end. Heading towards Mount Nittany and on towards home always has a melancholy feel at the end of the day. Maybe that’s part of the lure of riding, all those emotions and memories stirred up and making you feel alive for a moment.
Or maybe it’s something else…