Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650
A Vespa ChristmasChristmas Day has come and is nearly gone. Family has gathered, presents opened, friends encountered and the house is once again quiet. A fine time for reflections on Christmas.
Before wandering off I want to extend to each of you hopes for a Merry Christmas and some wonderful times leading up to the new year.
As darkness came I made this photograph of the Vespa amidst the colored lights. A fine way to end its day.
Extra Rims to Mount Heidenau Snow Tires on the Vespa GTS ScooterFinally, after years of mucking around mounting and un-mounting tires, I bought a pair of used rims on eBay so I could permanently mount snow tires and make winter Vespa riding a little safer. Now I just have to swap wheels which is easier and faster. I’ve looked for sometime for some inexpensive rims. These arrived from Michigan (left) and California. I was surprised how beat the California rim looked with it’s completely worn out tire.
So I’m creeping slowing toward full readiness for winter.
Planning for the Coming Winter Riding SeasonWeird, I always seem to find myself writing blog posts in the middle of the night. It’s just past 2am, the wind is blowing outside and its been cold enough that I just bought two pairs of merino wool base layers, two pairs of heavyweight Merino wool socks, and a new pair of winter gloves from LL Bean. All part of the process of acclimating to the cold and preparing for winter scooter riding.
I have to play a few mental games to gird myself against the cold weather at this time of year. Early in the season 30F feels awful. By March it’s T-shirt weather. It’s been like this as long as I’ve been riding. And since my heart attack a few years ago and daily regimen of blood thinners my cold tolerance has shifted 20 degrees. Long underwear didn’t enter the picture until 20F before. Now it’s required at 35F.
But that’s all unique to me and my odd mental wiring and physical configuration. Something that may be more universally useful for any scooter or motorcycle riders considering extending their range of riding — how to approach the appearance of ice when the temperature drops below the freezing mark.
Tucano Urbano ApronI got the jump on winter this year by installing the Tucano Urbano apron on the scooter early. The fog and mist this morning was enough to spark the desire to ride. My disinterest in putting on my armored overpants led me out to the garage to install the apron. It took less than 10 minutes to put it on and I was ready to ride in 36F air in just my jeans. The apron is near magic in its ability to keep the cold out.
Most of the recent snow is gone now but the roads are wet and full of gravel. Plenty to give a rider pause when negotiating curves and turns. As is the case with all cold weather riding, speed management is critical to staying upright — snow or no snow.
Recognizing the GiftAwoke on Thanksgiving Day to the gentle prodding of dogs, their noses intent on bringing me in to a new day. At 16 degrees my footsteps on frozen ground and over patches of snow and ice felt almost warm due to the dazzling sunlight cresting the horizon at sunrise. As the dogs raced through the garden I said to myself, “Thank you for giving me another day.”