winter riding Archives - Page 5 of 21

Cold Weather Riding is a State of Mind

December 5, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

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.

Cold Weather Riding Limits of the BMW K75

November 12, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

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.

A Ride to the IngleBean Coffee House

March 11, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 30 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter in winter — Vespa GTS scooter along a rural, central Pennsylvania road in winter.

Riding in Winter

It’s no secret I’ve not been riding much this winter. The snow tires are still sitting in the garage, the GripStuds I purchased are still on my desk, and the cold weather gear is hanging in a frigid garage which makes the prospect of pulling on frozen riding clothes even more unlikely.

Still, I find myself on the road propelled by the weakest rationale to do so; the sun is out, it’s above freezing, or I need something to eat. Amazing how often a ride is predicated on eating.

So off I went through the still snow covered landscapes of central Pennsylvania to lunch at the IngleBean Coffee House in Millheim, Pennsylvania.

Too Cold to Ride

March 8, 2019 by Scooter in the Sticks 27 Comments

Boalsburg street during a snow flurry — Blue sky one minute, snow the next. It’s been that kind of winter.

Winter Has Become a Bore

While there hasn’t really been much heavy snow this year I’ve probably ridden fewer miles this winter than any since I started riding a Vespa scooter. There’s no reason I couldn’t ride in the sort of weather we had a couple weeks ago reflected in the picture above, but I’m just not interested.

Just Another Snowy Vespa Ride

April 4, 2018 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

Dogs Love Snow

My dogs love snow. They don’t seem to tire of it or complain about the weather. They have lessons to teach. Me, I’m complaining. Just when I thought the snow was done for the season I woke to six inches of the white stuff. If it wasn’t so beautiful I would have been despondent.

Lily raced through the garden, everything heavy with wet snow, with typical reckless abandon. As I trudged along I knew I was going for a ride. The temperature was right — a hair above freezing which would me the roads at worse would be slush or slightly snow covered. Perhaps even just wet. So one last winter riding adventure.

This must be the last real snow of the season. So of course it was time for a snowy Vespa ride.Continue Reading