Scooter in the Sticks

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

2023 Honda CT125 Trail: All Things Change

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2023 Honda CT125 Trail strapped down in the bed of a pickup truck.
Preparing to haul my new Honda CT125 Trail home.

I Done Done It

The deed is done. I bought a brand new 2023 Honda CT125 Trail. It’s home in the garage sipping power through a Battery Tender waiting for a little warmer weather. It was sunny and 17F this morning but the clarion call of cold weather riding no longer shouts louder than my desire to curl up in the house with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.

But this week the thermometer will point toward the 40F mark so the Honda CT125 Trail should see its first experience of the beautiful Central Pennsylvania landscapes.

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Thinking and Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter parked at a quarry.
Overhaul the scooter or just ride it?

Pondering Maintenance

The GTS is running great. But I’m doing a lot of thinking and riding. Thinking I should do some serious service on the scooter yet riding it gives no clue that it needs much of anything. And with 45 thousand miles on the clock and on the road since January of 2007 I wonder if it’s worth doing much of anything to it.

What have I been pondering? Well, a valve check for one. It’s never had one. Ever. It starts fine. Runs fine. Why bother even though it is suggested to check them every 6000 miles or so.

New front shock maybe. New steering bearings. New rear brake caliper. The list goes on and on as my logical mind runs down an engineering checklist.

My free spirit brain says ride it until it explodes and then buy another.

Thinking and riding is what I do. I would like to do less thinking about service and maintenance.

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