It’s near midnight and I can hear the steady patter of sleet on the livingroom window. A fitting end to a gray day. And an even grayer week. The ice on the driveway hinted at better options than to go for a ride. I always need more concrete proof and was looking for something to drain the noise and chaotic energy of a busy and mostly rideless week. Beyond the driveway was a bare road, some salt residue, and only an occasional patch of ice. Perfectly manageable riding conditions.

The thermometer indicated 29° F when I pushed the Vespa out of the garage and carefully rolled it across the ice to a bare spot and started it up. After a short struggle to get over the heap of snow and ice left a couple days ago. More evidence that the tires on the scooter are not intended for much more than dry roads or wet pavement. But I really needed to be in motion, hoping a ride would strip away the disinterest and laziness I felt all week. I could tell from the difficulty I was having finding anything to pint the camera at that I was in the firm and solid grip of the winter blues.

The first stop I made was more to test the firmness and traction on the side of the road than any desire to make a picture. Standing on the ice I realized I just wanted to go home, curl up on the couch and go to sleep. Anything but be on the road. I want to believe I’m not alone in these feelings. That riding loses its luster from time to time.

Not motivated to keep going and not ready to throw in the towel either I continued to ride. After a few errands I rode to the ski slopes at Tussey Mountain. To the casual driver the roads were clear and dry but to someone on a scooter or motorcycle they were dry with sudden small patches of ice in random and unpredictable places. The only prudent response was to slow down and scan the road surface close to the Vespa carefully.

Watching the skiers and snowboarders taking advantage of the modest snow on one of the runs I got to see the results of loss of grip and traction in the snow. The Vespa has no edge to dig into the slippery stuff.

It was cold even though I have ridden in much colder weather. The foggy picture of my late breakfast at the Pump Station results from the sudden exposure of a cold lens to warm air offers some indication of the temperature.

It’s late and time for bed. Tomorrow is another day and perhaps the winter blues will move on as the snow and sleet are predicted to do. I guess the Vespa can’t do everything.

When I went to bed last night the weather forecast for my morning commute was questionable. Snow squalls through the night with warming temperatures around the freezing mark around 7 AM. And winds gusting to 50 MPH. Laying in bed I wondered when one of the big spruce trees would crash through the bedroom ceiling. As I fell to sleep I figured I would be driving the truck to work. Probably the smart choice.

At 6AM rain and blowing wind painted a gloomy picture outside the window. Even the dog hesitated at the door before braving the elements. Standing out in front of the house it didn’t seem that awfully cold – 32° F with 50 MPH gusts – hell, I could ride in that. And so I began my morning expedition.

Not even a mile from home I rode into heavy sleet. That coupled with a badly fogged visor and fast traffic forced me off the road to regroup. And take a picture of the Vespa idling as I decided the best course of attack.

With visor clear and a long break in traffic I rode towards town in heavy wind but thankfully only wet roads. I took extra caution at intersections, curves and any other places I could see myself of others breaking free on a sudden slippery spot. At traffic lights I took the opportunity to warm my aching fingers on the headlight. Parking at the office I kept the GTS as close to the building as I could in hopes that it would not blow over in the wind. What a great ride!

I wasn’t feeling well and left for home around 1PM. The forecast called for snow and it was a good thing I left when I did. Sitting in the living room I watched the snow begin to fall and cover the ground and road with a slippery coating of ice and snow. It would not have been fun to ride in that with the wind blowing so hard. Right now it’s dark, cold, and windy. Everything is shaking. At least the Christmas lights haven’t blown away.

I know I will be driving tomorrow. Looking outside it just feels to cold to imagine anything else. I’ll have to chip the snow off the truck and burn up some gas…

Snow was falling when I got up this morning with enough sticking to the road surface to create a thin layer of slushy ice – perfect for testing my Pirelli GTS 23 and 24 tires for traction in the slippery stuff. These are considered sport-touring tires and replaced the stock Sava’s that the Vespa came with. The Pirelli’s have a central front groove designed for improved wet performance. They are also noticeably quieter than the Sava’s running down the road.

Even though the snow came down pretty hard at times the road surface shifted back and forth between wet and slush so I had to look for places to test braking, sliding, and traction in general. It was slow going as I got my winter riding legs limbered up a bit. All the moisture in the air coupled with near freezing temperatures made for excellent visor fogging.

The tires were surprisingly good in the slush. I had to work hard to get the wheels to lock up. The tread pattern seemed to push the slush out of the way and gave pretty good contact with the road surface. I was doing all this testing in the 20 to 35 MPH range. Nothing fast, just a slow speed comparable to what I would do on a commute to work in this kind of weather. I’ll have to wait to see how they do when there is deeper snow on the road. Something tells me they won’t do very well chewing through that.

Swinging through town you can see two things. The Christmas decorations are already up and there is no traffic. Granted it was Sunday morning and everyone was probably in church, but I have a marked advantage from a lot of people in terms of traffic.

I’m sure there are better tires for winter riding. The Continental ContiNavigators have a mud and snow rating and come in sizes for the Vespa GTS 250ie. Not sure you can get them in the United States though. I suspect there isn’t much of a market.