Vespa marketing suggests an urban, hipster lifestyle.  But the Italian scooter is ready for a lot more — like a trip across America and back.

Meet Mike Hermens.  He’s riding his 2012 Vespa GTS300ie across America.  Like many who get a Vespa ideas seep in about adventure and glory.  Unlike most though, Mike is making it a reality.  I learned of his trip on the Modern Vespa forum and caught up to his blog, Single Cylinder Psyche, when he was making his way through Idaho and Montana after starting at the Golden Gate Bridge in California.

All the photos are Mike’s and he’s been kind enough to let me use them in this post about his trip.

If you take some time to explore his blog you’ll find an eclectic collection of pictures and stories of his winding path across the United States with a dip into Canada.  There’s a lot of fodder for fantasy and some real world obstacles he’s dealt with that anyone considering such a ride should be aware of.

The Vespa sits along the road in Idaho (I think) and just whispers a siren song to ride.

Anyone riding across the country who’s decided to stay off the interstate highway system will be faced with some long, lonely miles.  And it calls for special preparation and planning to make sure you can take care on the road like this stretch across the Oregon desert.

Like extra fuel for the scooter.

Reading through Single Cylinder Psyche I can get swept up in the trip until I imagine I’m riding it myself, like a ghost rider, a shadow across the landscape.

Mike camps at times but seems most often he’s at some little motel in small town America — somewhere that lets him park his Vespa near the door or in front of the office.  The red glow of the place in this picture just sings out America.  We live in a unique country.

A recurring concern of riders I’ve spoken with, motorcycle or scooter, regarding long distance rides is the handling of breakdowns and how to survive on the road.  Mike had a tire blowout and a couple other small mechanical issues during the ride so far and has had some interesting luck due to the kindness of strangers.

The United States is a big country.  Riding across and through on secondary roads makes it even bigger.  But you really get a taste of the place in ways that just aren’t possible any other way.  Looking at this photo of the Vespa at the Montana line just reminded me of the sort of endless experiences that await anyone taking the time to ride around America.

I can’t remember the last time I even heard of a liver sandwich let alone someone touting one in their advertising.  But that’s part of the joy of riding through small towns and villages.  This place, somewhere in Virginia or West Virginia, is not your typical franchise eating establishment.  As you move through Mike’s trip you find a wide array of unusual places.

Finding this sort of roadside art is something I expect to see on Fuzzygalore.com and not on a Vespa blog.  But Mike has an eye for scenes and sights that you just don’t see on postcards or travel blogs.

I want to see more of America myself.

It’s hard to imagine getting more off the beaten path than with this scene in West Virgina.  Single Cylinder Psyche has a lot of views of nameless, out of the way places and people who make up a rich tapestry of experience.  As I read along with his trip I keep thinking of his first post on the road where he anticipates the miles ahead:
From Single Cylinder Psyche
Sept 8: On My Way
Published September 8, 2015

I slept almost not at all last night, up late and early with prep, and a busy mind kept me awake most of the time I was in bed. But now I’m in Fallon, Nevada. It’s late, I’m sleepy, so this will be short.

The Cliff’s Notes version is that I first rode to the Golden Gate Bridge (so it would really be coast-to-coast), then through the oven known as the Sacramento Valley (96 F today, rising to 108 on Thursday), into and out of the Tahoe Basin, and onto the desolation that is Nevada (not a judgement). In Fallon I met my friend of 45 years, Bob Clem, who is on a motorcycle trip of his own, counterclockwise around the western states. I’m typing this in the Best Western lobby so he can sleep in peace in our room.

Today’s ride was a bit surreal. After so much time spent in anticipation, I had a heightened sense of, “This is it.”

It takes time to cover land on a scooter. Time to think, reflect, observe, adjust and be at peace. I think this will be a good trip.

What a great perspective…

Mike is on his way west toward home in California.  He’s been to Maine and much to my regret passed within a mile of my office though we did not have a chance to meet in person.  He responded to a recent email where I asked about snow in the west that he’s moving a bit south in hopes of avoiding the white stuff.  So far the weather looks good in the pictures he’s posting.

So, if you’ve ever dreamed of a scooter ride across the country, or on a motorcycle and you have a couple months to spare to take the slow road, check out Single Cylinder Psyche.  You’ll have a different perspective on the backroads of America.

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Can I ride a scooter on the freeway? The answer to that question depends on your scooter, your level of riding expertise, and the freeways to plan to ride on.

Scooter on Interstate 99

There’s little traffic on Interstate 99 at 7am on Saturday morning.  Riding on a rural freeway with little traffic is markedly different than trying to ride on a main transportation artery jammed with cars and trucks around the clock.

To start, many people, motorcycle riders and scooter riders both,  think a scooter is only suitable for riding around town.  A lot of motorcycle marketing suggests that the choice for riding big miles on big roads involves 500 pound plus machines with engines capable of propelling you at speeds north of 100mph.  Over the years manufacturers have successfully pushed the notion of a “real” cruising motorcycle to something with an engine that has 1000cc or more.  Bigger is better in the mantra and it applies not only to motorcycles and scooters but to automobiles, pick-up trucks, houses and practically everything other than waist size.

If you can disconnect your head from the marketing absolutes and industry propaganda you can see a glimmer of what’s actually possible with smaller machines — scooters or motorcycles.

The Highway Scooter

The reality is you can ride a scooter practically anywhere save for some hardcore off-road tracks involving deep mud and water. My Vespa GTS 250 can run all day at 65mph without a problem and faster if I need to.  On this recent 55 mile run down I99 I was passing cars, what few there were.

There are just a few things you need to consider in regarding to a scooter on the freeway.  First, is it legal?  Some freeways have engine size or horsepower minimums.  Make sure you meet those.  In most states, if not all, you can’t ride a 49cc scooter on an Interstate highway. I’ve ridden 150cc and larger scooters on freeways without a problem.

For me, one of the bigger issues about being on a smaller scooter is stability.  There is no doubt that a 500 pound plus motorcycle with big wheels will feel more stable, respond less to the air blasts of passing trucks, and deliver a more sedate ride.  But that does not mean a smaller machine is not stable.  It sticks to the road and follows a line just fine.  But be prepared for some beating by the air, especially if you’re riding along at 70mph and there’s a crosswind.

LEVEL OF RIDING EXPERTISE

Mentally, the most frightening riding thought for a lot of scooter riders is the freeway even though it may be a safer place to be that on a lot of crazy action on surface streets.  Recently, a local rider told me she now commutes on the expressway because of the higher danger of being clipped on local streets at rush hour.  Still, riding on an expressway has its own unique demands of a rider — traveling at higher speeds and being comfortable maneuvering and stopping in an emergency being two important skills that should be in your toolbox.

Riding at expressway speeds, 55 to 75mph means things happen pretty fast and you really need to have sufficient skill to make quick decisions and translate them into action on your scooter.  It could be a need to evade a piece of truck tire, or dodge a pothole.  While the low speed skills theoretically apply to higher speed riding you really need to do some practice.  I would suggest anyone considering riding on an expressway try and do some gradual practice to get comfortable with the speed and how the scooter responds at higher speeds.  That could mean some early morning weekends on the pavement to experiment.

Riding defensively is important too.  You’ll need to be aware of lane placement to keep yourself visible and learn to anticipate when you’re more vulnerable to someone nudging you into oblivion.

THE FREEWAY

Not all freeways are the same and they’re differentiated by speed, amount of traffic, and the quality of the road surface.  Heavy traffic moving at 70mph on a badly crumbled surface is a nightmare compared to an relatively empty highway with a new surface where you can ride at any speed and it won’t matter.  Make sure you know what you’re getting into.

Make sure you have sufficient power to travel along at a reasonable speed considering other traffic If you’re considering commuting at rush hour where traffic crawls along it won’t matter much.  But if you’re considering a ride on a main artery where there is a lot of traffic and it’s moving fast you want to make sure you can move with it, or at least near that speed.  I’ve parked myself behind a slower moving RV, truck or car more than once to move along a high speed expressway so I would be more “visible” as a slower moving vehicle.

The idea of “sufficient” speed is where scooters get dismissed.  If you can’t rocket away from trouble or travel faster than everyone else then you can’t ride on the freeway.  Similar thinking applies to automobiles.  But being able to pull yourself out of trouble is probably the wrong way to think about riding.  It may be better to consider how not to get in trouble in the first place.

Do I Belong on the Freeway With a Scooter or Small Motorcycle?

Deciding to ride a scooter on the freeway is a personal choice dependent on a variety of issues.  There is no right or wrong answer.  There are plenty of scooter riders who travel freeways and Interstate highways every day.  A lot of riders avoid big highways simply because they aren’t much fun.  After all, they’re designed to get you from point A to point B fast and little more.  It’s hard to enjoy the scenery when you’re flying fast and paying attention to a crowd of vehicles.

I ride on the expressway sometimes when I commute to work, or need to get somewhere quickly and the Vespa is fully capable of undertaking that task.  Is it as comfortable as some of the big BMWs I’ve ridden?  No.  But it has advantages over those motorcycles in other situations that I ride in more often.

So, can you ride a scooter on the freeway?  The answer is a qualified yes.

Perhaps readers can share their thoughts and experiences regarding a scooter on the freeway…