Scooter in the Sticks

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

Wrenching on Scooters and Motorcycles

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“If you’re going to repair a motorcycle, an adequate supply of gumption is the first and most important tool. If you haven’t got that you might as well gather up all the other tools and put them away, because they won’t do you any good.”

Zen an the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I have no gumption. No interest. No desire to any longer turn a wrench on my scooter or motorcycle. I haven’t had gumption for a long, long time. And that deficiency has haunted me because somewhere the idea what planted in my brain that a real rider can perform any and all repairs and maintenance roadside in a storm. With nothing more than a pocketknife, baling wire, and some pocket lint.

I’m here to report that I have begun the unburdening from the enslavement of tools, devices, mechanical expectations, and the guilt associated with the failure to live up to those expectations.

I will seldom turn a wrench again save for a dire emergency that my new toolkit composed of cash and a cellphone can’t fix.

It’s been a long and painful road to get to this place. 

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What is the Vespa Scooter Lifespan?

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Vespa GTS scooter in service bay at Kissell MotorsportsService Time for Vespa at Kissell Motorsports

The Vespa at Kissell Motorsports for its annual Pennsylvania Safety Inspection.

As the odometer ticks toward 35 thousand miles on the 11 year-old scooter I’ve been thinking about what to expect for the future.  The new thumps heard and felt when encountering a rough spot on the road suggest new shock absorbers aren’t far off if not overdue.  Another belt change is just around the corners and some aging hoses on the engine call out for replacement.

All of this have me wondering — How long with a Vespa scooter last? What is the Vespa scooter lifespan?Continue Reading

Rusty Vespa Scooter

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Vespa GTS along rural road in snowWinter riding means salt and rust

After many winters of snow, salt and slush the underside of the Vespa was beginning to show signs of distress — namely rust.  And the body seam behind the front wheel  was showing rust coming through the paint.  From a distance you can really see much wrong, but up close, there’s ample evidence of hard use.

Since my back has continued to limit my riding and my tolerance for cold has changed, I thought it might be a good time to drop the scooter off with a local body shop for some restoration work.

The ride from home to the shop wasn’t long — just six miles — but the 24F air just reinforced the decision to take a break from riding.  With the Christmas holiday bearing down there’s a lot of things to distract me from the painful reality that I’m not riding.

Vespa GTS scooter at Roan's Body ShopRoan’s Body Shop — State College, Pennsylvania

Not sure how long the Vespa will be out of commission.  The early estimate was a couple weeks but the first icy roads of the season brought a windfall of bodywork to the shop so I’m not sure when I’ll be riding again.

The repair request was pretty simple — get rid of the rust and repaint in some color that sort of matches.  I’m not worried about a perfect match or if they use paint from Piaggio.  Just slow down the rust so I have a few more years of riding.

An unexpected bonus — they’ll have to pull the entire front wheel and steering column assembly to do the job.  When they reassemble they’ll be able to straighten out the bars which got twisted out of alignment when I made an unfortunate (stupid) move during a ride that led to me dumping the scooter in some steep, loose shale.  Pulling the scooter up off the ground twisted the handlebars out of alignment and I’ve been riding it that way since last summer.

Not riding and posting new material will give me a chance to work on some of the ideas that have been rattling around my head.

The rattling noise is getting pretty loud…

Absent-Minded Vespa Mechanic

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Vespa scooter and tools in a drivewayNighttime Wrenching

On Monday morning I was suited up and ready to ride to work only to find the Vespa near death when I pressed the starter button.  Hard to describe the level of disappointment this old man feels when a scooter ride is snatched away.  There’s some consolation in being able to report no curses or expletives emerged from my disappointed brain — just a calm push of the scooter back into the garage.

A long day at work along with evening errands kept me from investigating the problem with the Vespa.  And Tuesday evening had me finishing our taxes before Uncle Sam hauled myself and the scooter away.  Finally this evening I found time to have a look.  Like so many things though, my estimate of available “time” was inaccurate.  Or perhaps more precisely, I didn’t realize how fast I was rushing through time to get the Vespa moving again.

The differential diagnosis which was confirmed by fellow riders on the ModernVespa.com forum was either a dead battery or bad ground wire.  Simple things to investigate and fix.  Found the ground wire — it looked dirty and corroded so I removed it and being in a rush and not paying attention promptly dropped the bolt and washers into an abyss in the engine compartment. Predictable move for an absent-minded Vespa mechanic.

After a trip to the hardware store for replacement parts I pushed the start button and the scooter started right up.  Shut the engine off and tried again and the engine barely turned. Pushed the starter button again and the engine turned over slowly and started.  Barely.  As I rode out of the driveway I’m thinking “bad battery”.

Vespa GTS scooter at nightInto the Night with a Dead Battery

Zipped up the street and the Vespa ran fine.  Didn’t want to breakdown far from home so I stayed in the neighborhood.  Just up the hill from our garage I shut the engine off and let the headlight drain some energy from the battery.  Hit the starter button after a few minutes and I’m back to a hard start.  Once home I hooked the engine up to my AntiGravity battery and the Vespa came to life.

Get your own peace of mind regarding dead batteries — Antigravity XP-5 MINI Micro Start – Personal Battery Jump Starter & Charger – Back Up Power Supply.

So — dead battery. Hopefully.

Vespa GTS batteryI See a Battery in my Future

Despite being less than two years old the battery seems to be dead.  Perhaps running year round in cold weather takes a toll.  Others have suggested constant use of a Battery Tender shortens the life of the battery.  Don’t know, don’t care.  Just want to go for a ride.  So tomorrow I’ll stop by Kissell Motorsports and hopefully find a new battery.  And once installed I expect the engine to start.

Am I asking too much?