Scooter in the Sticks

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

Two Motorcycles in the Cold

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Steve Williams standing with two motorcycles on a winter ride.
That moment when you say, “Holy shit, it’s cold.” (Photo by Paul Ruby)

Cold Comfort

There are moments on the road when you realize your estimations of the day are wrong. What’s true in the driveway has become false in another place. As I stood in the middle of the road atop the Allegheny Plateau, it was apparent that the balmy mid-40s temperatures promised at home in the valley were not to come true here. Paul had expressed doubts about riding far when we left, he doesn’t have the winter gear I do and I can only guess he rides in the cold through grit and determination where I lean more towards the comfort of a riding spacesuit.

But even in the spacesuit, I could tell it was cold. Maybe it was the wind blowing in my face when I raised the visor to talk. The two motorcycles in the cold were stopped there because I wanted to record a piece for my next installment on my YouTube channel.

By the time we finished, we decided to turn back toward the valley and the warmth of someplace to get a snack. That’s what happens when you ride motorcycles in the cold.

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1st Ride on My 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan

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Snow on the Himalayan tires.
What possessed me to ride when there was still snow around?

Common Sense (less)

Since buying the 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan a few weeks ago it has been sitting in the garage. Cold temperatures, snow , slush, salt, and grit have made it a terrible time to ride. I’ve been visiting the motorcycle in the garage, admiring it, acting like a kid at Christmas who got a new bicycle but can’t ride because of snow.

So despite my better judgment and some patches of snow, I went for a short ride around the neighborhood. Just a few miles. After just a mile or so I knew I would be washing off the salt when I got home.

Still, I was dying to ride.

The tires on the Himalayan look nice and aggressive. But are they good for snow?

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Winter Vespa Riding Video

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I just uploaded a new video to my YouTube channel filmed during the recent ride shared in the last post. I’m uncertain as to how, or if, to share the videos here. They seem so different that the essays I write about rides and riding. Perhaps I’ve not given enough time or thought to the making of videos. At this point in time, they are frustrating projects as I struggle with hardware, editing software, and finding a voice. Oh, and on top of that some sort of content that’s worth watching.

Still, it’s an interesting creative puzzle and I plan to continue for a while.

If you like the video or are interested in having me make more, please subscribe on YouTube.

That will give me some indication if anyone is interested in me further developing videos about riding scooters and motorcycles and all that entails.

So without any further conjecture, here’s the video on winter Vespa riding…

Winter Vespa Riding — my reflections of the madness.

Winter Vespa Ride

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Vespa GTS scooter on a rural road in winter.
Seeking a passable day for a winter Vespa ride.

Waiting to Ride

After days of watching the weather forecast and the road surface in the front of the house, I deemed it time to go for a winter Vespa ride. Over the years, winter riding has become almost normal. Before retirement, daily commuting on the scooter often meant navigating cold weather and the things that come with it. As I’ve gotten older the physical challenges of cold temperatures have increased and my riding window has contracted. No longer will I venture out for a winter Vespa ride when snow is falling. Or if the roads are covered already with snow. There’s no need to get to work and the adventure of navigating those conditions has largely evaporated. Still, I love to ride and can’t fathom a riding doldrum stretching from October to May. When the roads are dry it’s easy to manage the cold. I may not ride in sub-zero temperatures anymore, but there are plenty of 20 degree days in which I can easily ride in the winter.

After monitoring road conditions for days I decided it was time for a winter Vespa ride.

It was 28F when I left the house. No wind and bright sunshine. My head-to-toe winter gear had me wearing my winter hiking boots, thermal underwear, jeans, armored overpants, T-shirt, wool sweater, First Gear Kilimanjaro riding jacket, neck gaiter, and a full-face helmet. More than adequate protection against the cold. And with muffs on the handgrips along with heated grips, my regular insulated leather gloves kept my hands toasty.

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Winter Motorcycle Riding

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BMW K75 motorcycle on rural road on a winter day.
Winter motorcycle riding brings many challenges.

Cold Weather Concerns

With the thermometer hovering at 40F and the roads mostly dry, I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to ride the motorcycle to drive the moisture from the oil, exercise the battery, and make room for some fresh gasoline. And like so often is the case when I decide to “take a quick ride” to keep the motorcycle in good riding condition, I neglect to weigh all the conditions related to winter motorcycle riding.

For me, what I usually neglect to consider is my physical readiness to ride a motorcycle in cold weather. And for most riders, 40F qualifies as cold.

The first ride of the season is always problematic for me. I get cold easily and regardless of how well I gear up, it’s a shock to my system. And on this day, I made a few estimations of necessary gear that were just wrong. Maybe 5 years ago they would have been right. But not now. Time is taking its toll.

Part of the attraction of winter motorcycle riding for me is the competition that’s created between me and the elements. That competition has pushed me to ride in extremely cold weather, snow, ice, and places I probably should have made other plans.

So that’s often how it starts; a quick ride to accomplish some imagined task, a look at the weather with a self-confident “I’ve got this,” and a hurried donning of gear with little serious evaluation of what’s to come.

Regardless, it was a fine winter day to be out in the world on a motorcycle.

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