Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.
Vespa SnowMore snow during the night — not what a rider wants to see in the morning. A quick walk to the end of the driveway showed the street to be mostly wet. Coupled with the promise of the temperature rising above the freezing mark another winter ride on the Vespa seemed in order.
Looking at the snow covering the car, trees and house had me thinking the snow-covered hills and trails outside of town would be a winter wonderland.Continue Reading
Fooled by SunshineAfter carefully checking the road in front of the house this morning I decided it was safe to ride — even without the snow tires on the Vespa scooter. That approach is a decidedly small sampling of the roads in central Pennsylvania so I have to engage a bit of imagination for evaluation of roads not seen along with a look at the weather forecast on my iPhone. It is, at best, a guess.
The temperature was hovering at 9F with a light wind. Sunshine has a way of making everything seem ok. Must be why the eye of a hurricane is so deceptively dangerous. With sun in my eyes and joy in my heart off I went for a Saturday morning Vespa ride.
Cold HandsMy hands have always been the weak link in my winter riding dreams. They chill quickly despite neoprene guards on the heated grips. If I was just riding and not always stopping to make photographs the problem would be reduced significantly. But I’m driven by the camera, or my eyes, or both and hands be damned. It only takes a few minutes of handling a cold camera for my fingers to start to scream, “Hey Bozo, remember, we all had frostbite!”.
And my cardiologist warned I would not tolerate cold as well. He’s right. Seems my old limit somewhere below zero has moved up to around 20F. Just five miles from home I could sense the cold creeping through my body. More layers may have helped — I wasn’t at my full gear level — but I think the really cold riding might be in danger.
Vespa Winter PerformanceEven without the winter tires the scooter performed well on the constantly changing road surface from bare to snow covered to something in between. Speed is reduced to allow extra time and space to negotiate the unexpected but this morning the extreme cold provided more traction than there would have been twenty degrees warmer.
The engine has always purred like a kitten in the cold and despite my irrational fear that it won’t start when I’m miles from home it jumped to life each time I pressed the starter.
After less than an hour on the road I pushed the scooter back into the garage and moved on to plan B. The dogs were happy to see me home so soon. They’re far more cold tolerant than I am. You won’t find me lying on the deck licking my bare feet or rolling around in the snow just because it’s there.
I’m a reserved Vespa scooter rider.
Ritual Beginning of the DayI lead a monastery life — each day beginning with a ritualistic practice enforced by dogs. In the predawn light first Junior, then Lily begin to stir, first quietly then more insistently reminding of the day’s responsibilities; outside for personal hygiene needs, a few laps around the yard, a dozen or so tennis ball retrievals and then breakfast served al fresco. There is no deviation from this spiritual practice, no vacation, no reprieve from the commitment made to canines. Winter Vespa riding, my own breakfast, nothing comes before them.
Only a dog owner could read this and feel good.
Winter Vespa RidingClearing skies, little wind, scattered sunshine, temperatures rising to the freezing point and bone dry roads made for fine winter Vespa riding. Even without the winter tires on the scooter the frozen ground and gritty snow allowed for a bit of off road experimentation. Mostly though, I was a tourist in a snow covered world.
Like dog ownership, only riders who’ve experienced winter riding will probably appreciate it. To everyone else it’s just a cold, miserable experience. I advise against riding in winter unless you’ve fully considered and embraced risk, management of the risk, expertise, skill, gear and temperament. Just to name a few.
Watch for IceEven the gravel secondary roads were free of snow and ice opening a wide array of possible routes and travel. The most critical challenge on days like this, for me, is to not become complacent. When properly attired and feeling warm and toasty, sun in your eyes, and the roads bare, you can quickly find yourself riding as if it’s summer. It’s not. At any moment, around any turn you can encounter ice. Even a small patch can start you dancing. If you can’t manage your excitement and the throttle best to stay home.
It was a great day for a little winter Vespa riding.
Vespa Scooter in SnowWinter riding, especially in the snow, generates the most interest and traffic on Scooter in the Sticks. I’m uncertain if that’s true because it’s like watching an accident, or people are searching for reasons to try it themselves, or something more or less profound. Regardless, this activity that I find so satisfying resonates. With that resonation in mind I thought I would share the mental checklist I go through before venturing out into the snow. I made all these pictures this morning and started gathering my checklist thoughts on the road.
There was snow on the ground when I got up this morning with more on the way until changing to sleet and freezing rain. That transition was many hours away. When I made the above photo I had already made the decision to ride. Shoveling snow and cleaning the cars could wait until later. A rider has to have their priorities straight.Continue Reading
Well, I dropped the scooter this morning.
It was snowing when I went to bed last night and I had no plans to ride today because I had to wear a coat and tie to work—not good riding clothes. I got up this morning and looked out at the road and saw it completely covered with snow and ice. The temperature was 19 degrees F. No riding today, I get my fancy clothes all sloshed up. If I had one of those Aerostich suits I could ride but certainly not in my dress clothes.
I remembered my foul weather sailing gear. Big bib overhauls, big coat, waterproof, I could wear that. Sure, there’s a plan. I can ride to work in the worst conditions so far. Great.
So I suit up, have my armored coat under the foul weather gear, take the scooter out of the garage and start it up, walk down to the road to test the surface, all the important steps. The road in mostly snow covered with a mix of packed snow and ice underneath—doesn’t look too bad.
I move onto the road slowly and test the rear brake, stops pretty well without much sliding so I’m all set. I come over a rise about 20 miles per hour and let off the throttle because I know there is a stop sign at the bottom of the hill. I see the sign but also wavy tire tracks from the cars that could not stop and one set going off the road. I put my feet down and gently apply the rear brake. All good—for a few seconds. I see it coming, the ice sheet with powdered snow ahead. I check the rear view mirror—nothing. When I hit the ice the rear wheel begins to slide left and the front wheel right. My foot is down on the ice as the scooter leans and I’m now a tripod sliding towards the stop sign. I hold everything in place until foot finally slips away and down I go. I turn or the scooter engine and get up and do what every good rider does first—look around to see if anyone has seen what a fool I am. Gratefully no one did and no other vehicles came along.
I pick up the scooter and give it a check and find no damage. Start it up and finish going down the hill, this time on the side of the road which is full of gravel and has traction. The rest of the trip is uneventful. The foul weather gear kept me dry and warm and the little fall to the pavement was well cushion with the armor in my shoulder area working just fine. The only injury occurring to my pride. I stopped another mile along to make a photograph of me in my new duds and to clear my visor. Seems the drop got my breathing quicker and was fogging things pretty fast.
So now I know what a 20mph drop feels like. Could I have avoided it? Probably. I could have been going slower, I could have run the stop sign to the bottom of the hill, or I can learn to hold the scooter better in those one-leg-down slides.