Scooter in the Sticks

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

Four Things About Winter Riding

by 28 Comments

Infographic about winter ridingThings to Keep in Mind About Riding a Scooter or Motorcycle in Winter Weather

I’m whining and complaining.  Some unexpectedly warm February weather melted my winter riding resolve and now that the temperatures are plunging (I understand that -20F is a balmy day in Alaska) into the 20s I’m sort of miffed.  Pissed off. Angry. Generally discouraged that life is so unfair.  And even though I rode to work today and plan to again tomorrow it’s like the beginning of winter all over again and I have to reset my brain, renew habits and generally do a lot of tedious stuff just to ride to work.

It’s no wonder the smart people I know park their machines until the weather is such that they could ride naked if they wanted to.  And here I am futzing with the lining of my Gerbing Electric glove so it doesn’t burn my hand.

In my whining frustration this evening I made the infographic to remind anyone watching that winter riding is work.  And to question myself why I continue to wade through the tedium to ride to work. Why put up with the misery?

Good question.

The answer?  Truthfully — I do not know.  And there I am, riding again on another freezing day.

Vespa GTS scooter along road on a cold dayCold and Dark

On the way home at the end of the day.  Cold, dark and windy.  All terms associated with pleasant riding.  At least it wasn’t raining or snowing.

Put a gun to my head and ask why am I doing this?  Well, I suppose it’s pretty simple.

No matter how tedious, chaotic or frustrating it is to get ready to ride, no matter how harsh the weather is or how challenging conditions on the road appear, once I’m riding I am transported to another state of being and my mind and body follow.  Age evaporates along with worldly concern.  The noise of living is stripped away and I am left flying through life without care or concern.  For those few moments anything I have to go through is worth the price to be riding.

Whining and complaining about winter riding — the price of admission to another state of being.

Vespa Below Freezing

by 20 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter parked along streetEmbracing Cold Weather

There’s been some cold, gray days lately.  Add wind and it get miserable.  The transition from warm weather to cold has grown more difficult the past few years.  In part because of physical changes, but mostly mental hurdles of my own creation.  Riding a Vespa below freezing has changed.

I converted this photograph to black and white because it more accurately reflects the way I have been feeling lately on the road with the scooter.  No wonder or joy.

Saint's Cafe in State College, PennsylvaniaFog and Steam

Made this photograph right after I arrived at Saint’s Cafe.  The frozen lens on my little Canon G15 camera immediately fogs up when it comes in contact with the steamy air of the coffee shop and gives the picture a little misty look.

If there’s one thing about winter riding that is still exhilarating it’s coming in from the cold.  The wonderful feeling that comes from heat remains something I look forward to.

Steve Williams, Vespa rider, reflected in windowReflecting on Cold Weather

I used to like cold weather.  Something’s happened though.  A litany of nagging physical issues has turned cold weather into a nuisance.  At times worse — a danger — to my body.  Some might wonder why I even consider riding when it’s cold.  I can only confess an attraction to the challenge.

Looking at myself reflected in a window in a local bank I wonder who I am.  Or am becoming.  If I park the Vespa for the winter — that’s not a good omen.

For me.

Vespa GTS scooter on rural roadRelearning How to Ride in Cold Weather

It’s easy to ride in the winter on clear roads with no traffic.  But that’s not alway the environment I ride through.

On the way into town I was reminded of how suddenly things can change on the road.  Not far from the house is a big intersection with a traffic light.  I’ll normally move through at 45mph.  Fortunately, the light turned red and I had to stop.  As I slowed I could see a sheet of ice stretching across both lanes and extending about 15 feet into the intersection.  Had I hit that at 45mph, well, I like to tell myself I would have just let the scooter roll straight through but I’m not sure that would have worked.  It was difficult to navigate across at a crawl when the light turned green.

Winter riding lesson — even when the roads appear clear and dry you need to be scanning and looking constantly.  I wasn’t.  Haven’t fully dusted off my winter riding skills yet.

And I probably won’t for awhile.  The Vespa is off the road for a bit — perhaps into next year.  But that’s a story for another post.

Should I Ride in the Snow?

by 34 Comments

131214_vespa_snow003Vespa in the Snow

This photograph was made three years ago on a morning jaunt through the snow.  It’s an activity I find challenging though I caution most to not follow.  A lot of things can quickly go wrong.  What strikes me when I look at this picture is how much I’ve changed.  Where I was once jumping out of bed to get on the road early when it would snow, now I’m repeatedly hitting the snooze button on the iPhone alarm.  And while the Heidenau K66 LT Snow-Tex tires were already mounted three years ago, today those tires are still in the attic.

I’ve not lost interest in riding.  Rather, I find it more difficult to meet the physical and mental requirements essential to safely navigate a snowy world. My prognosis — a temporary state remedied by time and healing.

Until then, I’ll practice my assessments of the winter riding world.

Snow covered streetReading the Road

I still walk out into the street before going on a ride in the snow.  Testing the traction with a boot provides some insight into what I might find in the wider world.  While not scientific or accurate, it helps ground my thoughts of the road ahead.  On this morning, I left the Vespa scooter in the garage.  Not so much because of the snow, but because my back was still bothering me enough that I didn’t want to chance needing to suddenly manage the weight of the scooter amidst a slip or slide.

Definitely not bad back activity.

State College, Pennsylvania in the snowState College, Pennsylvania in the Snow

No one was parked in the motorcycle spaces that I routinely use.  The drive in proved the roads to be more treacherous that my boot test indicated.  At one point approaching a traffic light at the bottom of a hill I began to slow and stop long before the intersection.  The road had other ideas as the ABS and traction control on the Honda Fit came to life delivering a controlled slide to the edge of the intersection.  The Vespa would have not fared as well.

State College, Pennsylvania in winterLet It Snow

A slow, careful walk along a slippery sidewalk was required to stay upright.  I wished I had my walking stick along for more sure-footed travel.  I  find myself using the same scanning techniques and speed assessments while walking that I use while riding.

Weird.

Saint's CafeSaint’s Cafe

Like all good trips in the snow, this one ends somewhere to warm the body and spirit.  I paused a moment to photograph the Christmas wreath before finding a place to sit and sip hot tea.

It was good I didn’t ride.  The roads were far more slippery than I imagined.  I’m careful to not overestimate my skill.

A quick update moving forward — I rode the scooter into town this morning.  Temperature hovered at 24F.  Some big patches of ice involved.  Remained upright with the rubber side down.  But that was likely the last ride of 2016.  More on that in upcoming posts…

Vespa Riding Cancelled Because of Snow

by 11 Comments

Christmas tree at night in snowChristmas Tree Looks Good in Snow — Where’s the Vespa Scooter?

You can’t tell from the quick picture I made a few minutes ago — it was snowing pretty hard.  Our two black dogs came in looking like powered sugar treats.  I almost pushed the Vespa out along the road to give the picture some scale but I had enough foolery for one day.  Planned to ride into town yesterday morning.  Glad I didn’t.  Without the winter rider’s helper — salt and grit — the roads were far too slippery for two-wheeled travel.  Even for me.  Approaching a traffic light with the Honda Fit put the anti-lock brakes and traction control to the test as I wondering how far into the intersection I would travel before stopping.

The night promises a little snow and ice with some freezing rain mixed in.

If there was just a little salt…

First Snow Vespa

by 19 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter on a cold, gray dayCold Morning Ride

Gray skies, high winds and the temperature hovering near the freezing point provides the first real opportunity to beginning the winter riding tempering process — the slow introduction of body and outlook to the cold.  Do it wrong or too fast and you risk joining the riding masses who put their machines away when the temperature descends below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

There’s nothing wrong with that decision either.

Riding into town via a slight detour allowed a little more time to face the cold weather music.  Flecks of snow and ice drifted in the air.  It’s time to begin scanning the road differently — identifying potential for ice and other winter hazards.

Saint's Cafe in State College, PennsylvaniaSaint’s Cafe in State College, Pennsylvania.

Eventually, the Vespa scooter and I make our way to Saint’s Cafe.  Electric gloves, layers and winter riding gear, balaclava, and chemical heating pads in my boots.  Hands were still cold — I held the pot of hot tea longer than normal to restore the blood flow to my fingers.

I’ll have to put the grip muffs on the scooter to keep the wind off my hands.  They’re magic in that regard.

View of Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Photo by Paul Ruby

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Paul and I get together on Sunday mornings to share photographs and talk about photography.  The intent that the conversation will keep us working.  He just returned from a trip to Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico where he made a photograph at the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  The print he made was stunning and echoed the paintings by Mark Rothko.

Unfortunately, the clear blue sky in the photo was not available today.

snow on a Vespa GTS scooterSnow Begins

The weather forecast promised snow.  Not long after departing from the cozy warmth of Saint’s Cafe the wind started to blow harder and snow arrived — the sticky stuff that requires constant removal from the faceshield on the helmet.

Vespa GTS scooter on a rural road during a snow flurrySnow on the Road

Despite being cold, windy, and having to clear snow off the helmet, the roads stayed only wet without any slippery accumulation of snow.  As I made my way home the snow began to fall harder.  The Vespa GTS 250 has an ambient temperature indicator on the instrument cluster that’s helpful in monitoring when I need to be concerned with water turning into something more dangerous — especially when there’s no salt on the road.

Snow VespaSnow Vespa

I’m not sure if I’m ready for winter.  As pretty as the world looks in the snow there’s a lot of baggage that comes along with it.  I remember how grateful I am to feel warm days in March and dream of putting winter behind me.  But it’s only starting now.

This is the first snow.  I have no idea what the next few months will bring.  I’ll have to go up into the attic over the garage and retrieve my Heidenau snow tires and hope the squirrels haven’t decided to snack on them.

For now, I’ve taken the first step in preparing for winter riding — braving the cold.  For me, it’s a mental challenge.  A snow flurry and temperatures around the freezing mark will give way to temperatures ten degrees lower and so forth.

Will I make it into the sub-zero realm again?