Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.
The weather has turned markedly colder and the shortened daylight triggers some biological reaction that doesn’t feel great. Looked back to brighter, warmer, days and rides enters my thoughts more frequently now. Rather than gird and prepare myself for riding in colder weather I’m spending more time remembering summer rides. Like this one with my friend Dave that was merely a ride to breakfast. Just not the closest place or the most direct route.
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Unlike most scooter and motorcycle riders, summer has always been the season I ride the least. I’ve blamed the heat. Or the laziness I feel whenever the temperature rises into the upper 70s. Whatever it is I seem to come back to life when I can step outside in the morning with the temperature at 50.
This summer was no different. But a few things were stirred into the mix that has kept me from posting anything for months. A faux heart attack scare, endless pondering about whether to move to a different blogging platform, and most recently a laser to the eyes to remove cataracts and install new lenses in my eyes.
Maybe not so weird.
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It was only a couple years ago that I felt the BMW K75C was getting too heavy to handle. Plus I wanted something to ride in the mountains. Not on rough trails or single track. Just the many dirt and gravel forest roads. And the Royal Enfield Himalayan was a good choice for me. And I have to add, I love that motorcycle.
But…. There’s always a but. Especially when I get older. I don’t feel the same kind of “heavy” I did with the BMW but I definitely have become more aware of the weight of the Himalayan. On a good day I’m not sure if I could pick it up after a drop. And definitely not on a bad back day. And if it fell on my my aging bones might be more prone to fracture. Just what I need as I ride on the path towards age 70 this year.
So I’ve been doing some thinking and scheming and prowling of the internet.
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I read a comment on one of my YouTube videos asking, “How do you cope with 24 horsepower?”
A good question, especially since the Himalayan has a reputation for being underpowered and slow. And that question also points out a possible initial bias when it comes to power and speed, and what is required to be adequate. It seems that too often an arbitrary value is introduced that doesn’t take into account the rider, the riding goals, or the motorcycle. Add pride and ego to the mix and you can come face-to-face with some pretty strange ideas of what’s necessary to go for a ride. And a parade of ever bigger and bigger machines that may have more to do with profit margins that anything remotely necessary for riding.
As I’ve always believed, it’s up to the individual to decide what they need in terms of a scooter or motorcycle. I only hope men and women take the time to look in the mirror and make an honest assessment before making a choice.
Anyway, I made a video in response to the question. Perhaps you’ll have some additional insight or experience that will help others make their own decision about what to ride — scooter or motorcycle.
I have my own ideas on power and speed…
A faint wisp of steam rises from a mug next to my easy chair in the living room as I watch large snowflakes descend from the heavens. The aroma of cinnamon toast fills my head as I wonder why winter has been such a burden. Despite efforts to blame it on pandemic uncertainty, rising prices at the pump and grocery store, or a raging war in Ukraine, I can’t quite help but think I’m merely suffering the effects of age on my body, mind, and spirit.
While I don’t feel it’s universal, it is common, and I can easily enumerate a list of changes that have no other explanation. I’m powerless to change some of them, but others are absolutely within my arena of action.
Two days ago it felt like a warm spring day as I went for an afternoon ride with my friend Paul. The sky was clear, the sun bright in my face, and a breeze seeming to clear away any gloomy energy hanging in the valley. It was a good ride. I was a good day.
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