Scooter in the Sticks

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

Riding in Circles

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Paul Ruby on his red Honda Trail 125 motorcycle.
A wild man in paradise.

Text Messages

“I’m honda trailing to grange if u want to tag along for the ride”

Verbatim from Paul. Capitalization and punctuation aren’t required to understand the offer. While I have no desire to go to the Grange Fair it would be nice to get out of the house and go for a ride. That’s reason enough and the text message provided the nudge to get up off my ass.

We took the back way to Centre Hall, slow roads with little traffic. When we stopped to say goodbye I can’t help to shudder a bit thinking what it would feel like for me to ride with no gloves and short pants. Paul is unconcerned.

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A 150cc Vespa Scooter: Grateful for the Little Things

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A 2005 Vespa ET4 scooter on a rural road.
A perfect morning for a perfect little ride.

Mistaken Thinking

In my brief and seldom views into the social and marketing realms of the Moto-world I’m always shocked at how overwhelming the size, weight, power, and tech can be. It feels a lot like going into a hotel and turning on the TV and feeling it’s all commercials and pitches with very little content.

A 150cc Vespa scooter seems a lost and forgotten machine amidst the din of macho claims and excitement of real motorcycles. Scooters are dismissed for a variety of reasons. “Real” riders dismiss them for lack of everything. Some find them embarrassing, common I think in a world of giant SUVs and trucks where size reinforces myriad weaknesses in self image. And probably the most egregious view of scooters is their inability to deliver on the road. Simply put, they’re toys for the beach and not much more.

Taking my ET4 for a ride always reminds me of how capable it is, and how grateful I am to ride one. For a week our hot water heater was dead and awaiting replacement. That first hot shower, something easily taken for granted, was suddenly an amazing experience. How grateful I am to have a hot shower. It’s the same with my 150cc Vespa scooter.

Out on a backroad on my way to breakfast and taking in the beautiful central Pennsylvania landscape in which I get to ride. I’m a lucky man.

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How is a Scooter Different from a Motorcycle?

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Putting on motorcycle boots.
Every ride begins with boots.

Boots for Every Ride

Whether on a scooter or motorcycle my rides begin the same way by putting on boots and other riding gear. Then checking out the machine to make sure everything is working as it should. I’ve met more than a few scooter riders who believe a scooter is inherently safer than a motorcycle. All I can say is if you come off the scooter at 35 MPH the pavement doesn’t care whether you were on a Harley or a 50CC scooter. It’s perfectly happy to grind away your flesh and break your bones. Personally, I treat the preparation for a ride the same on my Vespa GTS 250 as I do for any of my motorcycles. In that regard a scooter is no different than a motorcycle.

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A Tiny Taste of Freedom

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Vespa GTS 250 scooter on a farm lane.
Free in the world on a Vespa scooter.

Do You Taste Freedom When You Ride?

This portrait is different from other portraits made of the Vespa scooter. I made it with a tiny taste of freedom in my mouth.

The word freedom is tossed at everything from promises made by salesman about new cars to politicians proclaiming it with shaking fists. Abstract descriptions of something that has so many different meanings to so many different people that it’s difficult to feel it. How do I know when I’m free?

On this morning, at the moment I made this picture, I could feel the thrill of freedom in my chest. Like a kid released for the summer on that last day of school. For me, it began the moment I stepped out of the DMV with my renewed drivers license indicating I no longer needed to wear glasses when I ride. The surgery for removal of cataracts and subsequent implantation of new lenses correcting my vision to 20/20 gave a tiny taste of freedom then, and on this morning when I pulled on my helmet and didn’t have to legally fiddle with glasses it burst into life.

It was shocking how exciting it felt. So much that I had to temper the emotions so I could pay attention to the road. As I rode a smile acknowledged gone was pressure of glasses to my temples and nose, no ongoing need to raise the visor to reposition the glasses, and no more fogging of glasses on those frigid rides.

A little thing in a complicated world. But I’ll take every bite of this tiny taste of freedom. What about you? When was the last time you had a taste?

Do I Ride to Escape Reality?

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A Vespa GTS 250 scooter parked along a road in a forest.
A few quiet moments for reflection.

Glad I’m Not Young

In a culture obsessed with looking, acting, and being young I’m definitely off course and on a different road. It’s taken some time but I’m comfortable in my skin and with the circumstances of each moment as it comes along. I’m not saying I don’t care about how I look or take care of myself but I’m not on the social rollercoaster to deflect the onslaught of time on my body or try to convince anyone else that I’m not a 71-year-old man. My days aren’t driven by a desire to fill every moment with meaning or to chase an adrenalin or dopamine fix to be satisfied that I am living. I’m not trying to escape reality.

Meandering on a Vespa the the hills and dales of home provide me time to think, reflect, and enjoy the breaths I take without any weight of performance or requirement. Just me walking on the earth feeling in balance with life. And in the particular moment standing in the woods I was glad I’m not young.

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