Scooter in the Sticks

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

Riding a Vespa Scooter Off-Road

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Dirt road in a forest Perceptions of Scooters

When I dream of riding, it’s always off-road. The Vespa GTS scooter in the garage seems diametrically opposed to common cultural beliefs of what is necessary to ride away from the pavement and civilization. The Vespa scooter off-road seldom (if ever) graces the pages of motorcycle magazines that depict far flung adventures through desert and jungle, over mountains and across rivers, and always on motorcycles bristling with gear carried on frighteningly aggressive tires with weather worn riders grinning astride.

But no Vespa scooter off-road in those stories. There are exceptions. Markus Andre Mayer is on his way around the world on a vintage Vespa scooter. Alone. And there have been others. A French team participated in the grueling Dakar Rally in the 1980s and were among 81 riders to cross the finish line, having ridden their Vespa PX 200s from Paris to Dakar, across 7 countries and 10 thousand kilometers of brutal terrain.

You can ride a Vespa scooter off-road. And recently, I had the chance to test my scooter again away from the smooth comfort of pavement.Continue Reading

Vespa Off Pavement

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Vespa GTS scooter along gravel road in Rothrock State ForestRider, Tires or Vespa?

Last year I could easily ride the scooter along a stretch of gravel road like this at 35 to 45 mph without much trouble.  Now at 25mph I’m backing off the throttle. Have I changed?  After some more focused investigation this past weekend I’ve come to the conclusion the tires I now have on the Vespa aren’t much good when you leave the pavement.  And they may explain why I unexpectedly dropped the scooter recently on some steep, loose shale.

So I headed out into the Rothrock State Forest just a few miles from my front door; nearly a quarter million acres of forests spread across the mountains of three counties — perfect for testing a theory:  Heidenau K61 Racer scooter tires don’t perform well with the Vespa off pavement.

Vespa GTS scooter at overlook on Thickhead MountainOverlooking the World

By the time I arrived at the overlook on Thickhead Mountain I was hot, sweaty and ready for a monkey grip — that’s a banana for those of you not from Altoona. After only a dozen miles on dirt and gravel at a variety of speeds I’ve concluded the tires are exceedingly not well suited off the pavement.  They wander in the loose stuff which is to be expected, but they do the same on well packed gravel and dirt.  So much so that I had to reduce my speed by at least 20 percent to feel safe.

Steve Williams in Rothrock State ForestOld Man on the Mountain

Like a smart dog I seek shade and water on hot days.  But I do so with the knowledge that my tires deman an extra amount of attention when riding off the pavement.  Maybe next time around I’ll finally spring for the Kenda K761 dual sport tires I’ve been talking about for ten years.  Back in 2006 I was talking about them back in 2006 on Gary Charpentier’s Rush Hour Rambling blog — the source of my winter riding disease.

Now that I’m older and wiser I hide from the sun.  This winter we’ll see if I hide from the snow.

Seasons of the Soul

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Vespa GTS scooter on a forest road

Struggling to focus my thoughts about a cold morning ride in the central Pennsylvania forest I heard my wife talking out loud about a book she was downloading — The Seasons of the Soul: The Poetic Guidance and Spiritual Wisdom of Hermann Hesse — and everything became clear.

It was 38F when I woke with a steady wind and forbidding sky made riding the Vespa scooter seem foolish and when it began to snow only the simpleminded would venture forth from the coziness of a warm home.  It’s the kind of thinking that the cold season provokes in me — a sacrifice of mental wellbeing for physical comfort.    The mental process is indicative of one of the seasons of the soul.

Vespa GTS scooter parked outside the Ski Patrol office

The light over the Ski Patrol office at Tussey Mountain Ski Resort is a sure sign winter is near. Lately it’s been dark when I get ready for work and dark again when leaving the office for home which makes the sun more distant than the season already does.

With my cold weather gear in place and my brain coaxed into place the pilot light of desire bloomed into a hot flame as I moved through the winding forest roads of Rothrock State Forest.  And I thought about something I read about how a person might think about how their life is going.

Of the ten messages shared the first stayed with me — you’re alive!

Regardless of what has happened or will happen, being alive is better than the alternative.  And it’s a precious gift far too easy to take for granted.  Being on the road gives me the space to think about all the moments that should be seen with gratitude rather than those that haven’t happened.

Or weather that’s not warm and cozy.

Vespa GTS on a narrow gravel forest road

I’m alive.  I’ve survived a serious heart attack and the accumulation of age on my body.  I can’t do the things I once was able and some dreams are in the rear view mirror.  But still there is mystery and adventure ahead because I don’t know what’s around the bend.

Riding on these narrow little forest roads is fun because I never know what I’ll see — a flock of wild turkeys or a bear, or a glistening sliver of water tracing through a cathedral of hemlock trees. There’s no place I would rather be.

An infant reaching toward the camera

The road took me to my granddaughter Emma and I like to think her reaching toward the camera is really her way of saying, “Grandpa, give me the keys to the Vespa.”

By the time Emma is old enough to ride I’ll be 76 years old.  It’s possible I’ll still be around but there’s no predicting what will happen.  I’ve still not wrapped my head around the natural cycle of life with my daughter and granddaughter.  I understand it but at some level it remains impossible that the world has spun round so many times.

Vespa GTS scooter near Meyer farm.

A scene on the way home, one of the many winding rural roads that the scooter can soar along like a bird.

I’ve always felt it important to feel passion for something.  It doesn’t really matter what, just something that keeps the mind and body in motion and not surrender to the television or easy chair collecting regrets like so many extra old socks.

The Vespa, my Vespa scooter, is like bacon to my dogs.  I want it.  I almost drool thinking about it.  At 1:16am it seems entirely reasonable to go for a ride into the night just to be on the road. I have no right to have such desire.  I have no idea if other riders feel this way.  But I know it’s a good thing and keeps the fire of being alive bright regardless of the seasons of the soul I may find myself amidst.

My god, what a great day it’s been…