Scooter in the Sticks

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

Smooth and Silent Riding Partner

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Vespa GTS scooter on early morning wet roadMorning Glow

It’s difficult to identify the exact moment when my mistrust of a machine is born. It’s certain though to prey on the mind and from there the brain wanders toward thoughts of failure and catastrophe. And from that nervous vantage point I can see the purchase of something new. I missed my smooth and silent riding partner.

This has happened numerous times with cars and trucks. And a few times with computers and cameras. But it was something new regarding my Vespa scooter, the vehicle that transcended transportation to serve as a smooth and silent tool to see the world more clearly.

On a misty morning ride I could feel the machine interrupting, the road rumbling through the hand grips, the transmission rattling, the normally smooth and silent ride displaced by thoughts that something isn’t right. As the odometer approaches 38 thousand miles and the departure of the local Piaggio dealer I found myself thinking of machinery rather than the morning glow to which I was witness.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…

Required Vespa Maintenance

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Kissell Motorsports signKissell Motorsports

Arriving at your local motorcycle and scooter dealership, in my case Kissell Motorsports, I can be in one of two distinctly different frames of mind – the bliss of fantasy or the anxiety of the technician’s verdict. The yin and yan of the two-wheeled life for those of us who are not committed wrench turners.

So begins the story…

Reflection of Steve Williams and his Vespa GTS scooter

Confessions of Vespa Abuse

Reflecting on my poor scooter – nameless, subjected to indecent conditions, ridden hard and put away wet – is it any wonder it doesn’t feel well? I don’t care for machines very well. My friend Paul commented over the weekend that my van is the dirtiest vehicle he’s ever been in. (He must lead a sheltered life – my van seems spotless compared to many vehicles I ridden in.)

Regardless, I confess to abusing the Vespa through neglect and indifference using it only for my own selfish, personal pleasure. In return I offer the minimum of care – fuel, lubricants, and the occasional bath. The Vespa has held up remarkably well considering nearly ten years of hard use.

Still, I approached the service department with a sense of dread.

Sales tag on a brand new Vespa GTS300The Verdict

With the help of the kind community of Vesparados on ModernVespa.com I had tracked down why my engine warning light was coming on under power. A quick voltage test at the battery revealed a failed voltage regulator. Echoing deep in my subconscious was a nasty voice telling me, “there’s more son, you need to spend your money on something…”.

As I thought about the cost of repairing my aging scooter I began to wonder if it would be better to buy a new one.

Madness. I know.

Triumph Street Twin motorcycle
“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”

As the Cheshire Cat said in Alice in Wonderland, I found imagining life with the Triumph Street Twin helped await the verdict on my scooter.  The funny thing about imagination — it’s fickle.  Before long I was riding a Triumph Scrambler, then a Ducati Scrambler.  I even imagined a few miles on a URAL.  It was about then I heard the call from the service desk.

One thing is for certain.  When I think something needs fixed I’m usually right.  And it’s usually far more than I anticipated.

My 2006 Vespa GTS 250ie is sitting quietly at Kissell Motorsports awaiting required Vespa maintenance. I was right about the voltage regulator.

And then some.  But that’s a story for another day.

Annual Vespa Wash

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Vespa GTS scooter is self wash bay

The weather warmed over the weekend providing an opportunity to wash the scooter.  Usually this can wait until spring but for some reason the Vespa was already caked with dirt, mud, salt and other roadway ugliness, so much that I just couldn’t stand it.  So off to the local Redline Speed Shine facility to make a lot of that go away.

Vespa GTS scooter along rainy rural road

Once clean I couldn’t resist a little ride despite the rain.  By the time I got home another sheen of grime was starting to build.  Can’t say I wasn’t a little excited — felt like one of those intrepid BMW Adventurers with a dirty bike.

Seriously though I have to confess a profound disrespect for machines.  Or so it seems as indicated by my pathological disinterest in maintenance of the cosmetic or investment protecting sort.  I squirm a bit when I think of all the cars and devices that went to early graves because I didn’t attend to them the way I know others do.

Next time I’m at WalMart I’ll look at the cloth diapers and see if it motivates me to rub and shine the Vespa in the manner I know a few others do…