Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Why We Ride — The Movie

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In a few weeks a documentary film described by the Los Angeles Times as “…an unabashed love letter to all things motorcycle…” will be coming to the State Theater in State College, Pennsylvania.


WHY WE RIDE – The Official Theatrical Trailer from WHY WE RIDE FILM on Vimeo.

Why We Ride will be screened on March 30, 2014 at 3pm.  The showing has been confirmed and tickets are available online for $8.00 each.  For riders in central Pennsylvania and those who wonder about riding this is something you’ll want to see.

My scooter riding daughter and I have our tickets!  Wonder how many will be riding to the show?

Robbed of the Riding Life

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Cold weather, snow, ice — winter, it’s robbing me of the will to ride, sucking away the riding life and condemning me to a life behind the wheel.  At least that’s how if feels.  I don’t know how riders who put their machines away in September and don’t get on them again until May do it.  I can only assume their souls are already gone, casualties of like in the north.  We’re ice people.

Thank god I was able to ride today if only for awhile, it recharged dead part of me, so what does it matter if the scooter took a tumble in the snow…

The past few weeks have been dark.

A friend asked how my life has devolved to a minivan.  With a straight face and in earnest I told him it’s a perfect vehicle; comfortable, spacious, useful.  Looking in the mirror that evening I wasn’t sure if I said those words or if some hollow man living inside was responsible.

Sunday morning trips to Saint’s have seen no signs of the Vespa in a month.

I could ride, have ridden in all but the worst of recent conditions of snow, ice and temperature.  But the desire is gone, not even a flicker of the old pull of the road.  Instead some insidious, pain in the ass voice keeps whispering of risk and danger.

It’s hell to get old.

Snow in town, a signal to leave the Vespa at home.  The old defiance is gone, the revolutionary voice quiet.  What kind of life is this?

Hot Earl Grey tea seems ordinary when I arrive warm and relaxed after a ride in the van.

I feel strangely disconnected from things when I’m not riding, reduced to the voyeur in life, watching but not participating.  Paul and Gordon are working, on this morning a review of prints made from Paul’s recent trip to Sicily.

With my point and shoot camera I’m the unenthusiastic tourist, content to watch the little screen display a life.  Winter, what a marvelous excuse to do nothing.

So many mornings the road is covered with something that tells me to leave the Vespa in the garage.  A lot of mornings.  In past years this would not have stopped me but I sense a fragility of body and spirit right now that makes it easy to melt into a bucket seat with heat at my fingertips.

This morning temperatures soared into the 40s and reaching towards 50.  Junior and I made our rounds and as I watched him I realized he doesn’t let the weather get to him, especially when I get out the big ball that won’t get lost in the snow.

The Vespa has been lost in the snow.

By afternoon the sun had warmed the world and I just had to go for a ride.  A short one.  A ride to re-establish a connection to the scooter.  So here I am, on the road and happy.

Everything is melting and water is everywhere.  When the temperature drops below freezing tonight there will be a mess of ice and obstacle.  Who knows if the Vespa will move again at dawn.

For now I just have to be careful and not let the exuberance overtake good sense.  Like the opportunity to learn that the Vespa will run while laying on its side, the result of plowing through the snow and stopping to take a picture without thinking about the centerstand sinking into the mud.

Oh well, the snow was soft.

The weather forecast shows more snow and cold not far off.  I’m so tired of it all.

Something has to change. (Cue Dom)

Take the Chance to Ride

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With the temperature rising towards 40F the threat of some rain was no reason not to ride this morning.  With so much salt around, and on the Vespa, a little rain would be a good thing.

A quick ride to town, a little survey of the countryside, and a meandering ride home charged my mental batteries enough to give the Vespa a quick wash, lubricate the centerstand, and inspect the hinge on the seat and make a decision to pull it off, clean out the rust and repaint.

Hope many of you were able to take a ride on your scooter or motorcycle today.  Really must make hay when the sun shines — the groundhog says we have more winter to come…

Road Rage and Karma

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Every time I see a video depicting a less than civil interaction between a rider and automobile I wonder what is going on in people’s heads.  There’s a lot of anger and frustration in the world and it presents itself frequently on the road.

This one, shared by fellow rider Don Barletta, shows a bit of cosmic karma that is pretty satisfying.  We can’t really know what led up to this interaction, and the rider may well not be innocent, but regardless I can’t see how the driver of the car could justify their need to engage or educate the rider.  And from that perspective it’s a thrill to see the lights start to flash….

Into the Night and Cold

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Almost dissolved in the recliner this evening but ended up in the dark and cold on the Vespa. A cloud of salt dust blowing along the road as the traffic passed, what little there was, the rest of the world seeming to choose some other place to live than the road.  Anyone searching for solitude can find it here at night in the cold.
Left the house without my little digital camera and had to rely on the iPhone, not especially good in low light but I lean heavily on images in my posts — feel mute without them.  Don’t often play with the apps to warp images into little fetishes.

Part of the credit for the success of the evening belongs to Heet.  The last couple cold weather rides were a bit frustrating because of fuel line freezing.  Poured a little of this magic elixir into the fuel tank and no more no start events.  At least not this evening at 21F.  I have enough now to get me through the rest of the winter.

My first stop of the evening was for fuel, to mix the Heet with gas and venture off with crossed fingers.  The world is salt covered right now.  The scene actually looked like this.  Yesterday I had lunch at the Happy Valley Brewery in State College, Pennsylvania and the parking lot, a freshly constructed blacktop area, was almost pure white and not from snow.  Just the dregs of road salt.

My poor Vespa…

I had three goals for the evening — test the fuel fix, go to the grocery store, and stop by the Piston and Pints get together that was taking place at Legends Pub in the Penn State Conference Hotel.

Riding into Innovation Park I was wondering if anyone would show up.

It was a full house at the hotel and a lot of familiar faces at Piston and Pints though no motorcycles.
Didn’t attempt any pictures inside, was in a bit of a rush because here was more riding ahead, and I wasn’t sure if the fuel line was going to freeze.  In the lobby I talked with a few guys and they had a fine suggestion that I might try — use a few of the chemical heating bags on the fuel line to thaw it out.  Worth a try and certainly cheaper than a tow.

Dom Chang, author of Redleg’s Rides, suggested a couple cans of Sterno under the engine.  That may work for a Ural but I have my doubts about it for the Vespa.  I’ll have to think a bit on that.

The trip to the store was for the essentials limited only by what I can fit on the scooter.  Then off into the night and cold.  It’s hard to describe how much I enjoy these rides.  I described the experience to Kim as similar to Junior’s excitement when the tennis balls are brought out — an burst of joy packed energy.

Oh to ride…

Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

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