Scooter in the Sticks

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

Scooter Porn and Other Tales

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Vespa scooter porn picture at sunrise
Scooter porn or documentary evidence of a cold morning ride. Perhaps both.

Scooter Porn at Sunrise

A strong beam of sunlight sweeps across the landscape. The Vespa is paused along the road, engine running, heated grips growing warmer in the sub-freezing chill. Frost crunches underfoot as I walk across a pasture searching for the right composition for another portrait of my Vespa GTS scooter. Pulling off leather gloves to use the camera puts bare flesh to the cold metal body of my Canon G15 camera. Hands chill quickly until the composition and exposure are right and I make a photograph that feels like that morning on the road.

Scooter porn. I’ve become what my mother pleaded with me not to do when I told her when I dropped out of college that I was going to be a photographer — someone who shoots porn. And now it seems I’ve become a producer and purveyor of scooter porn.

I’d decided the previous evening that I was going for a ride in the morning because the weather forecast promised a high of 40 degrees. A fine day for a winter ride. But just a few miles from home I was already wondering when the bright sunshine would drive away the sub-freezing air.

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Dirty Motorcycle Riding in Pennsylvania

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Rural roads in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has endless backroads to explore. In winter they come with the added bonus of grit, grime and salt.

Winter Riding is About Choices

Motorcycle riding in Pennsylvania is great. Lots of roads. Lots of places to eat. And doesn’t take long to find the traffic has fallen off yielding a relatively relaxed environment in which to lose yourself. Unless you live near Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Then it make take more time to find those lonely paths.

When I rolled the BMW K75 out of the garage I felt it appropriate to take advantage of the dry roads and reasonably warm air. With temperatures in the mid-30s I didn’t have a care in the world. Once I was on the road it didn’t take long to realize my choice to ride, especially the BMW, may have been a bit shy in assessment.

The roads splitting off in the above picture are in the heart of Amish country at the far end of Penns Valley between Aaronsburg and Woodward. I knew they would be dry. I knew they wound through pretty countryside. But I forgot they would still be chock full of gravel, sand, grit and salt. Why since we’ve had next to no snow? I have no idea. And any guesses I might voice would be stupid, petty or both.

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Warm Hands and the BMW K75 Motorcycle

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Dash of the BMW K75C motorcycle
The simple dashboard of the BMW K75 has a power outlet.

Cold Weather Assessments for the BMW K75

I’ve always tried to maintain a fiscal sensibility regarding my Vespa and now the motorcycle. It’s so easy to get lost in the quicksand of add-ons and extras that promise comfort, efficiency or safety but on close examination offer more to my ego than anything else.

So I’ve approached the BMW K75 with the issues I faced with the Vespa when riding in the cold — traction, hand warmth, feet, and, well, that’s it.

Traction issues is an easy call. I won’t ride the BMW K75 if there’s snow on the road, in the forecast, or there’s a good chance I’ll find lingering ice.

That leaves the hands, my Achilles Heel of riding, and feet. For this post, I’ll focus on the hands.

Since I already have a pair of Gerbing Electric Gloves and the motorcycle has a handy outlet on the dash, I felt testing that combination was a good place to start.

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Cold Weather Riding is a State of Mind

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Vespa GTS scooter parked between two cars on a snowy driveway
Warming up the Vespa scooter, warming up my mind.

The Ten Thousand Pound Vespa


Just last week…

Snow, a slap in the face and reminder that summer, autumn, and warm weather are finished. Nature proclaims its power and I’m faced with the sad reality that I’ve forgotten how to enjoy winter. Age and infirmity have stimulated a host of excuses and rationalizations for turning off one of the most joyful parts of my life and retiring to the sheltered warmth of home and hearth. My mastery of rationalization, denial, and delusion is exceptional, especially when faced with uncomfortable actions and decisions.

So it’s no surprise that it takes great mental effort to push the Vespa outside on a cold morning.

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Cold Weather Riding Limits of the BMW K75

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Autumn leaves
Most of the leaves are on the ground now. What’s left is the coming of winter.

Cold Weather is Coming

The lyrical autumn scenery has faded into the stark reality that winter is coming. The leaves have fallen and soon they’ll be raked, burned or forgotten as snow falls along with the temperature.

I have this motorcycle now and am wondering what I’ll do with it this winter. Will I keep it in service or put it to sleep until spring. Those questions have been on my mind. All depends on the cold weather riding limits of the BMW K75.

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