Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Sticker Shock and Other Puzzlements

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Steve Williams with his Pentax MX camera at Penn Roosevelt State Park.
A stop with an old Pentax MX camera to ponder the analog world. Photo by Paul Ruby.

Puzzling Economic Thoughts

Having a head full of 1980s prices leads to endless shocks when paying for things. Doesn’t matter if it’s a ribeye steak at the grocery store or a new pair of jeans from L.L. Bean. Thankfully I seem to be insulated and unconcerned about the price of gas at the pump. No doubt buoyed by fuel stingy two-wheeled machines and an insignificant number of annual miles on our four-wheeled vehicles.

Wandering around the past few months shooting film costs money compared to the mindless triggering of digital images. Even processing Tri-X 35mm film myself costs $0.55 each time I press the shutter button. For some reason I don’t flinch. But there are a few things lately that have strained the economic area of my brain.

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Riding into Serenity

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2001 Kawasaki W650 parked along a street.
Parked, relaxed, on my way to breakfast on my sublime 2001 Kawasaki W650.

A Therapeutic Contraption

Early this morning, sitting in the garden, I found myself increasingly agitated. Angry. Anxious. Resentful. A neighborhood dog barking incessantly. A concrete saw screaming as it created expansion joints. A gas powered leaf blower filling in any audible gaps that might reveal just a glimmer of serenity.

It was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies. My view included a 25 foot top from a spruce tree that came down in a recent storm. Leaning on the roof of the shed. Later my friend Paul would arrive with a chainsaw and we would embark on yet another noisy adventure. Thankfully, by that time I was serene. Calm. All made possible through wind therapy and the motorcycle’s uncanny ability to ride into serenity with me on it.

I sent a text to my wife that began, “It’s noisy as fuck…”

Twenty miles later I was home again feeling fine. And wondering (again) why I allow myself to become agitated over things I have absolutely no control over. Amazing how clear things become for me when I am drifting down the road.

I’m grateful to own scooters and motorcycles.

Thinking and Riding

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Vespa GTS scooter parked at a quarry.
Overhaul the scooter or just ride it?

Pondering Maintenance

The GTS is running great. But I’m doing a lot of thinking and riding. Thinking I should do some serious service on the scooter yet riding it gives no clue that it needs much of anything. And with 45 thousand miles on the clock and on the road since January of 2007 I wonder if it’s worth doing much of anything to it.

What have I been pondering? Well, a valve check for one. It’s never had one. Ever. It starts fine. Runs fine. Why bother even though it is suggested to check them every 6000 miles or so.

New front shock maybe. New steering bearings. New rear brake caliper. The list goes on and on as my logical mind runs down an engineering checklist.

My free spirit brain says ride it until it explodes and then buy another.

Thinking and riding is what I do. I would like to do less thinking about service and maintenance.

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