What to Wear, What to Wear?

It's not a fashion thing. Standing naked at the window this past Saturday morning as the world begins to appear from the darkness I touch the glass as if that will supply any useful information beyond it's cold outside. No new snow on the ground is a plus. But I don't know what I should wear for my ride to work. As I startup the computer I jump into the shower. I didn't feel like making a picture at the window so I used one taken the next morning by my friend Gordon Harkins that shows how things look when I am geared up for cold weather.

18 degrees Fahrenheit. I rely on Accuweather to point me towards the right gear selection. Still don't know where I'm going but at that temperature I pretty much need everything if I want to stay warm. And I like being warm. And it's a lot of stuff. Just think about what I put on for a cold morning ride -- from the skin out:

1. Underwear
2. Polypropylene long underwear
3. Cotton/wool blend shirt
4. Blue jeans
5. Wool sweater
6. Windproof jacket
7. Tourmaster Overpants with armor
8. First Gear Kilimanjaro IV jacket with fleece and armor
9. Lycra balaclava
10. Ear plugs
11. Electric gloves
12. Heavy wool blend socks
13. Boots
14. Fulmer full-face helmet

I'm finally ready to ride but it's a lot of stuff. It transforms you into a patient person or you put the scooter away in September and watch TV. It takes time to get ready and if you are going to commute daily and run errands in this kind of weather you better turn this gearing up into a ritual. One you can do with your eyes closed. Everything in its place. Or just get frustrated and go insane or freeze alongside the road because you forget some things.

I left the house with two plans; ride twelve miles at 60 MPH or so to see how I did in the cold, and then ride to Starbucks for something warm to drink. I rode down Route 45 towards Pennsylvania Furnace at a brisk pace and was pleased that I was pretty much airtight except for one small knife of air piercing the left side of my neck. I didn't want to stop though so put up with it until I got off the road and headed up towards Tussey Mountain. Didn't venture too far though once I realized that there were still quite a few deer hunters out in the woods. I did manage the above picture without taking off my gloves. Patience and being careful how my big gloved fingers were placed on the little camera meant I didn't have any cold hands to deal with.

On across the valley towards Starbucks, another 10 miles or so away. I stopped in the middle of the valley to stand in the wind and feel how hard it was pushing me around. In my riding gear I felt I was protected from anything like an astronaut on the moon.

In the cold it is always nice to stop somewhere warm and have a snack. This morning is was Starbuck's Signature Hot Chocolate and a warm roll with butter. Enjoyed driving both into me while reading the comics and making some notes for this post.

I made one more stop at the grocery store before heading home. I've gotten pretty good at estimating how much I can fit on the Vespa. A surprising amount fits under the seat or in the rear bag. Another big pile can be attached behind me with bungee cords and any delicate things hand on the purse hook. A real utilitarian vehicle.

Adaptation

Early in the winter riding season I find I must overcome mental and physical barriers before I fully adapt to the cold weather. Once it happens though riding is sublime. Around the beginning of December I notice the rapid appearance of Christmas decorations. I also notice the shortening daylight, more troublesome than the decline in temperatures. Riding to work in the dark, riding home in the dark, it can be discouraging. Almost claustrophobic. Inertia grows and I feel glued to chairs and couches. Riding gear is heavy and ponderous. It's so much easier to drive to work.

I recognize a slow transformation as I adapt to the season. As I push myself past the litany of excuses a change occurs and I become a winter rider. I learn over and over again that if I engage in a process of action good things come about. I cannot wait for inspiration. The change and adaptation occurs while I am riding, writing, or making photographs. Inspiration comes through the doing of something, not the thinking about it.

On the ride home from work on Tuesday I was feeling good and when I stopped to take some pictures of decorations I started thinking about that change. I remember when I became a winter rider this year. It was on the way to work that morning. The temperature was near the freezing mark and I was watching carefully for potential icy spots. The cold air was flowing through the inlets to my helmet and as I crested a hill and rolled off the throttle I felt a wave of elation wash over me. I sat up straight on the seat and was completely awake and aware. The world was simplified -- me, the Vespa, and the road unfolding before me. And this was not a revelation in some ethereal landscape, just on my commute to work.

I'm ready to ride and continue riding through the winter. Any misgivings or concerns have been swept away in the adaptation. Make no mistake I am aware there are challenges and risks to manage. I do not venture forth in a foolhardy manner. But I do travel with a smile on my face now despite the cold. I ride and am rewarded in spirit. And sometimes in material ways. It is still nice to curl up at the end of a cold day with Kim and have a cup of tea and a few chocolates.

Winter Vespa Riding

Winter riding holds different meanings for different riders. For some it is the epitome of idiocy and others the cold reality of daily transportation. I’ve ridden my Vespa through several winters and have refined my own limits and sensibilities in a range of cold-weather conditions.

I’ve compiled stories and pictures posted over the past couple years for anyone interested in venturing out in the cold on two wheels. It may not be for everyone but with a few modifications to gear and riding habits you may find that you can extend your riding season. You may even find an unexpected enjoyment.

Feel free to post questions if you have them. If I can’t answer them directly someone else may or I can point you in the right direction for an answer.

Below are links to some of the more interesting posts about winter riding:


Error in Judgment
Making a questionable choice in riding home from work.

Decision Time: Snow is Falling
Struggling to decide if it is safe to ride home from work.

11 Degree Fahrenheit Commute
The routine of riding to work in really cold weather.

Just Another Ride to Work
When the weather changes unexpectedly and you need to ride home.

Watch for Ice
Adjusting mentally for cold weather challenges.

Bringing Home the Christmas Tree
A holiday tradition of bringing home the Christmas tree on the back of a Vespa GTS.

Hauling a Christmas Tree by Vespa
The first Christmas tree brought home on my Vespa LX150.

Only Idiots Ride in the Snow
Deciding what your winter riding limits should be.

A Thankful Rider

I don’t need to ride to know I have much for which to be thankful. Riding this morning it seems as if the world has gone away, the roads and intersections empty.

 Standing alone on the pavement I am thankful for family and friends. Holding the cold camera in my bare hands makes me grateful for a warm bed and home.  

A sip of hot tea at Starbucks reminds me I have never been hungry or without money in my pocket. Today there are no complaints (even though my Vespa fell over in a muddy field a short time ago). I give thanks for the spiritual and material wealth I have received. 

To each of you I wish a safe and happy Thanksgiving Day.

Temporary Halt in Riding

The view down the street. It’s like this every morning. Or so it seems. Frigid, icy, non-riding friendly. The road thumbing its nose at me, daring me to give it a go. I haven’t taken the bait. My Vespa sits patiently in the garage. I exaggerate when I say every morning is like this. I have managed to ride to work a few times. The cold does play tricks though and it’s already getting to me. The past few winters have been mild and much of the time the roads have been clear. Now in mid-November there’s this.

As I said it hasn’t been bad all the time these last couple weeks. One day last week it was sunny and clear and I rode to work even though the thermometer read 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold but perfectly reasonable riding conditions with the road dry. I stopped on the way to work to make a panorama picture near Beaver Stadium. The perspective in the picture makes it hard to accept it is the second largest stadium in the country seating just over 107 thousand people.

Since making that picture the weather has gotten more oppressive and the roads have been less than perfect. I choose my rides after a walk down the street and a quick look at the weather. For now though I'll just have to wait for dry pavement.

The Seduction of Riding Through Curves

If the reaper was standing at every curve perhaps fewer riders would find their way off the road or into the path of an oncoming vehicle. At least that's what I was thinking when I saw this reaper around Halloween. On smooth, dry, pavement the tires feel stuck to the road and any maneuver seems possible, reasonable. More experience on two wheels seems to be followed by more throttle and all wrapped up in feelings of perfect skill and perfect lines. I wonder if it is during these moments of perfect thinking that riders find their way towards oblivion? Or maybe it's something much simpler and direct, a patch of gravel or a distracting thought. Whatever it is curves sing a siren song to riders and there isn't a mast to tie yourself to on a scooter or motorcycle.

Skill development works best when you practice. It is important though to have some basic understanding of the nature of the machine and how best to apply some fundamental techniques. I don't know about you but I'm no expert and require ongoing thought and practice to keep my skills at the level necessary to manage risk on the road. And even the things I think I have learned I seem to forget or ignore at times so ongoing reminders are in order. With the Web it is pretty easy to find information and I have found a few pieces that I revisit from time to time. You may know of others.

For me, there is no better source of serious writing on skill development and application than through some of the thoughtful posts on Musings of an Intrepid Commuter by Dan Bateman. Dan is a motorcycle safety instructor with Team Oregon, a national leader in motorcycle safety training, and a fine writer and teacher via his blog. And if you follow for very long you'll realize he is not your average rider.

As I looked at this picture for the past couple weeks I started thinking about riding in curves, training, practice, and all those things it is easy to overlook or check off as "done". And then I thought about Dan's posts that I reread and reread and thought I would share them here for anyone interested in keeping the learning curve moving upwards. If the weather is slowing your time on two wheels it may be the right time to pay Dan a visit!

Riding in Curves
Part One
Part Two

Keeping Your Head Up and Eyes Looking Out While Riding

How Good is Good Enough?
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Fall Panorama Fever

I have nothing to share other than a mild obsession with panorama images made with the PhotoMerge tool in Photoshop. I’m like a little kid who stumbles across a curious toy and plays with it over and over and over again until it looses its attraction. Combine the obsession with the panorama friendly turns and curves in the central Pennsylvania mountains and you end up with me posting panorama after panorama. I promise that I will move on soon.

The picture above was made on Rock Road which runs along Spring Creek, a trout stream of some note. I’ve twice seen bicyclists wipe out on this curve because they underestimate the curve, the reverse banking, and the frequency of gravel in the road.

This picture was made on the way up Purdue Mountain and is typical of the long sweeping turns as roads make their way up towards the ridge tops.

This photo along Unionville Pike is nearly a 180-degree turn. Lots of cool roads like this to make pictures of. And ride on.

I always wonder what kind of roads others get to ride on.

Ride to Vote

The 2008 Presidential Election is almost here. John McCain and Barack Obama have been campaigning for nearly two years in hopes of becoming the 44th President of the United States. Our economy is struggling and turmoil grows around the planet. Our next president will have their hands full from the moment they step into the Oval Office. McCain and Obama have been doing their part. Now it is time for us to do ours and vote.

Voting is a part of our collective responsibility as citizens and I urge you embrace it on November 4th. Regardless of your political viewpoint or interests it is important for all our elected officials to know that they have us, the voters, to deal with.

And Election Day offers riders an opportunity to speak out as well by riding to your polling places and voting, gear and all, as citizen riders. The Ride to Work organization is asking riders across the country to show their neighbors the existence, value, and utility of riding as a form of transportation. Check out the Ride to Vote site for more information.

Safe riding!

Sunny Morning on the Way to Work

A bright sun under a clear blue sky warms even a 33 degree ride to work. A lot different than Wednesday. I stopped in Oak Hall to make another panorama shot and with a helpful suggestion from bobskoot was able to actually put the Vespa in another part of the frame. This old farm raises Belgian draft horses now as well as some goats scattered around from time to time. Off in the distance you can see Mount Nittany, iconic landscape feature of Happy Valley and known to Penn State alumni the world over.

With the temperature so near freezing I had to watch along this road for water and ice. About a mile ahead the road runs along a working limestone quarry and they spray a lot of water on the road to keep the ice down. I suspect they add salt in the winter to keep it from being a sheet of ice but at this time of year I wasn't sure.

Made it to work without incident and appreciated the clear fall morning. Another ride to work that I put in the outstanding column.

Riding in the First Snow Flurries

Winter has arrived at my doorstep I suppose. I can remember when the first snowflakes would give me a rush. Now, well, it's different. And not just because I am riding. Biology is speaking louder and complaining about the cold. Riding down the street I could see a squall of in the distance and wondered if I would get to my office before it arrived. I stopped to make another panorama picture. If you look close you can see a few snowflakes in the air. Nothing on the ground yet but not far east had 13 inches of snow yesterday. And no salt on the road yet either.

The temperature indicator on the Vespa GTS read 35 degrees all the way to work. I went the direct route with no side trips. Four lanes of drivers that I imagine all groan at the weather. But maybe it's just me. But once the scooter is parked in it's space and I am walking towards my office I get a little rush thinking about riding in the cold. Nothing happy or exciting, but a flicker of accomplishment and perserverance.

Night Landscapes

I want to shoot more at night. And ride at night, especially in open rural landscapes under a full moon. I've thought about it for months and now it's cold and windy. Making photographs that take a long time to expose when it's cold just doesn't sound inviting at the moment. Maybe because the wind is howling.

I made the above image to see how Photoshop would stitch together multiple exposures to build a panorama. Click the image to see it better. Depending on the size of your monitor you might have to scroll across it.

The cold weather is definitely here. A small section of Interstate 80 east of here was closed temporarily because of snow. Oh well, maybe I'll make pictures in the daylight.

5 Reasons to Ride on Fall Mornings

The pools may be closed and the kids back in school but that doesn't mean you can't keep riding. In case you're not convinced riding after Labor Day is a good idea I'll share a few reasons why I keep riding through the fall and beyond.

1. The sharp air.

Walk outside early on a fall morning in Central Pennsylvania and the cool air goes right to your heart and brain. Metaphorically speaking anyway. The leaves were fringed with frost as I prepared to leave this past weekend. The temperature indicator on the Vespa displayed 31º Fahrenheit. Lungs fill with the chilled air. All senses turn on. I'm awake, aware, alert, sharp and ready to go.

2. The light is magical.

For a brief time just before sunrise until an hour or so afterwards the world is painted in a unique way. The angle of illumination renders the landscape more dramatically. The color of light creates alternative versions of even the most mundane roads. Riding down the road I saw leaves falling into a pool of light and just had to stop to watch the Fall in action. Sleep in to wait for the warmer part of the day and you may miss all that.

3. Imagination runs free.

Perhaps it's just me but venturing out in the early morning always fills me with a sense of adventure, of anticipation and the feeling that anything is possible. I want to know where every little road and path leads. What secrets may be revealed around the next turn in the road. My brain runs free with that fuel and anything seems possible.

4. A feeling of satisfaction.

Related to number four but more a sense of mental or spiritual satisfaction. For me it's the knowledge that I have done something good for myself by having fun, detaching from any cares for a time, and allowing myself to live. Seeing things is important to me. It's a feeling that comes when I know I pushed past a bit of discomfort or resistance by riding on a cool fall morning.

5. The joy of warming up.

You can't ride forever and sooner or later you have to come home. Or stop at a destination. After riding near freezing, no matter how much fun I had on the ride, it's just great to transition from the outdoor cold to indoor coziness. A physical satisfaction. Feeling my body warm is just nice not to mention the addition of caffeine, sugar, and chocolate.

Rhapsody in Glue

My wife Kim and two other artists have a show opening this Friday evening at the gallery of the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania in Lemont, Pennsylvania.  The show has nothing to do with riding save should you use the event as a destination for a fine fall ride. I'm not sure how many readers are close enough but if you are stop by.  Central Pennsylvania is a fine place to ride.

Here is the important information:

Art Alliance Gallery
818 Pike Street
Lemont, Pennsylvania

RECEPTION: Friday, October 24 from 7-9pm
SHOW: Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25 from Noon to 5pm

If you want to know more about the show you can read the release below.

“RHAPSODY IN GLUE” EXHIBIT AT ART ALLIANCE GALLERY

Lemont, Pa. -- Artists Ruth Kempner, Kim Dionis and Karen Deutsch will present collage and mixed media in their show "Rhapsody in Glue" on October 25 and October 26 from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Art Alliance Gallery, 818 Pike Street in Lemont. The Opening Reception on Friday, October 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. is free and open to the public.

The three artists approach their work differently and have very distinctive styles. They use a range of media, materials and techniques, combining oils, acrylics and watercolor with found materials, such as magazines, newsprint and ephemera. Materials may be transformed--scratched, burned, bleached or otherwise--or exposed to forces of nature, ultimately creating a new kind of work.

Kempner received a fine arts degree from Cooper Union and worked as a textile designer in New York City before settling in Pennsylvania. She has exhibited in major shows in the tri-state area and teaches experimental technique at the Art Alliance. She exhibits work locally at the Gallery Shop in Lemont and Artisan Connection.

Dionis received a master of fine arts from Cornell University and published stories and news articles before shifting focus to the visual arts. She's received awards for her work, including a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship. Her collages have appeared in juried shows.

Deutch earned a fine arts degree from Brooklyn College and spent years painting while running an Internet book business. She recently switched to collage because of the freedom of expression it offers.

For more information on events offered by the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, call (814) 234-2740 or visit http://www.artalliancepa.org/.

Riding Through Sherwood Forest

I took the day off work. Too bad I couldn't ride all day but I had to be home to meet a contractor to talk about replacement windows. Could be worse I suppose. I did have an hour to ride before that meeting so I just ventured off down one of the roads I ride regularly. And wouldn't you know it I find a little track moving off into a wooded area between two farms. Like magic the little kid in me lights up, I look to see if anyone sees me, and off I go into the unknown.

This is the kind of place that as a kid we would have had forts and battles, hikes and camps. No evidence of kid activity here today -- not sure parents let their kids out for stuff like that anymore. But damn, I felt like a kid exploring the wilderness. Here I am, 54 years old, riding a Vespa and having more fun that a person is entitled to.

The woods were dense and secretive, just as I imagined Sherwood Forest as a kid. The track ran for less than half a mile but that's plenty for an imagination to soar. These little rides recharge my spirit by reconnecting me with that wonderment I had as a child. Seeing a grove of bamboo growing along the road, stopping to climb to the top of a big dirt pile, things like that.

Definitely not the kind of riding experience most riders are after but I won't pass it up.

Riding in Cold Weather: Dress for Success

These two Vespa scooters flanking my GTS belong to first time riders -- a young man and woman, maybe in college, perhaps high school. They are excited about riding and I've seen them around town. They ride with helmets on top of short pants and t-shirts, no gloves and no boots. A riding costume I see not just with scooters but on sport bikes and cruisers as well. This post isn't about safety concerns though. It's about how these kinds of dress habits may short circuit the discovery of the thrill of riding in cold weather. I've spoken to many, many riders who dismiss riding in the cold. To a rider when asked what kind of cold weather gear they used they admitted they didn't have any. Under dress when the temperature dips below 70 and things can feel chilly. Below 60 and you figure you should just park the machine.

I love riding in the fall, especially at sunrise. There's a warm glow in the autumn light, a fragrance of decaying leaves, and a crispness to the air that is unmatched any other time of the year. I left early in the morning for a short ride before work, a sort of extended commute. Coming down the mountain I say my temperature gauge reading 45 degrees, cold by most rider's standards. I hate being cold and shiver at 68 degrees. I look forward to riding in cold weather but only with the right gear.

To be able to enjoy the road when the temperature goes down means you absolutely have to have the right gear. Otherwise things will be miserable. It means a commitment of money and time --- money to buy the stuff and time to put it on. And for some it may mean a divorce from any preconceived style ideas especially where helmets are concerned.

If you are used to just jumping on a motorcycle or scooter with whatever you happen to be wearing you may have a hard time in cold weather rationalizing the amount of gear you have to don. It may be best to bundle the machine up in the garage and do something else. Just remember, you'll be missing some great riding.

My hands were already getting cold after numerous stops to make pictures where I had to take off my gloves. The camera feels like an ice cube in cold weather. As the first beam of sunlight cut through the forest it was 45 degrees it was 40 degrees warmer than my lowest riding temperature limit of 5 degrees. At the lowest temperature here is what I wear from the skin out:

Poly long underwear
Long sleeved shirt
Windproof jacket
Blue jeans
Heavy socks
Tourmaster Overpants
Leather boots
First Gear Kilimanjaro IV Armored jacket
Ski mask
Full helmet
Gerbing electric gloves

For someone used to riding with no gear that's a lot of stuff to put on.

With the sun sweeping across the open fields it was time to ride to work. On this particular morning I had on everything on the above list EXCEPT the ski mask, long underwear, and electric gloves. Still takes time to put it on.

So before you decide that cold weather is not for you beg or borrow some gear and try riding when you are not cold. You may find the effort brings you many more weeks or months of riding.

Good Rider, Bad Driver?

Fog draped the world when I rode into town on Sunday to meet a friend. Better planning would have found me wandering with a camera. Fog is a high alert situation and requires (me) steady concentration and skills at the ready. I’m familiar and experienced in these conditions. I’ve considered possibilities in general and specific options on the road. I feel I am a good rider and continuing two-wheeled learner.

Recently a postcard came across my desk advertising an advanced driver-training course offered by my employer. As I read through the description – evasive maneuvers, skidding, panic braking, and other things that I’ve only experienced in movies I began to wonder what kind of driver I am?

Riders tend to make sport of cagers and engage in tales of driver antics and idiocy. I suspect more than one character highlighted has been a rider who happened to be driving on that occasion. I have a lot of years behind the wheel, a lot of experience driving, but I’ve not thought much about it and aside from drivers ed class in 1970 haven’t practiced a thing.

Riding experience doesn’t necessarily translate to a car.

I was excited to take the driving course until I figured out it would cost almost 500 dollars. Sure, I would like to get on a track and learn some high-speed maneuvers and skid along like James Bond, but 500 bucks…

I’m thinking about my driving and what gaps exist in skill or temperament. I don’t often get angry anymore while driving. That’s a plus. And I’ve always had two-wheel drive pickup trucks and function fine in the Pennsylvania winters. I’ve even pulled a couple four-wheel drive vehicles out of snowy ditches. That has to mean something right?

The Daydreaming Rider

While eating my lunch the other day I watched a segment of The Tonight Show on the Web. In response to a question by Jay Leno actor Hugh Laurie (from the TV show House) said he would like to ride his Triumph motorcycle across America. The stuff of many daydreaming riders. He talked about putting a sidecar on the motorcycle and packing up his gear and just riding forth to see some of what makes up this country. See what makes up this country --- those were the words that resonated with me. Seeing and experiencing places is at the foundation of many of my own daydreams. I don't know whether Mr. Laurie will ever makes his ride but his description of why he wanted to ride echoed my own. He sounded like the kind of guy I would be comfortable sharing the road with.

Riding daydreams are a pleasant aspect of my restless and wandering mind. No task is too monotonous or trying to not respond well to a good riding daydream. Just give me a map or atlas and I am on the road with the Vespa visiting parts unknown. Endless roads, National Parks and city streets, mountain passes and open plains, nameless small towns and rugged coastlines. Wandering through the world taking it all in like a man with new eyes.

My conscious mind may remind me that some daydreams don't really fit my mental or physical resources. But daydreams offer a vicarious path of experience, rides I will probably never undertake. Like the Cannonball Run underway now with scooterists racing across the country. Or IronButt rides running a thousand miles in less than 24 hours. I'm not competitive with the clock or other riders but there is a thrill imagining what it might be like to do my own Long Way Round or on a dirt bike flying through Baja in From Dust to Glory. Mental wanderings of a daydreaming rider.

I wonder sometimes what I would do with time and money. If I would actually transform a lot of daydreams into reality. Until then I'll continue to ride as I can, daydream when convenient, and relish experience as it comes.

Riding a Triumph, Riding a Vespa

A minor aside: This is my 300th post. Who would have known I would be writing about a Triumph.

After two weeks on the road with the Triumph America I had to give it back. During that time I was able to stretch my motorcycle legs and strengthen my scooter resolve. If something is going to pry me away from the Vespa GTS 250ie it isn’t the America.

I won’t say there is anything wrong with it. There is no doubt that the Triumph attracts some attention from other riders who are either curious about or appreciate the British bike mystique. Or at least the ghost of those earlier machines still evident in the styling lines of these modern offspring. To the general public it’s just another motorcycle. No curious inquiries like I get with the Vespa.

Commuting and running errands on the Triumph was easy but I was missing some kind of locking storage, someplace to guard my potato chips, library book, or digital camera. I suspect some kind of luggage is available but I wonder what it would do to those classic lines.
The big tires do a real nice job of smoothing out the road but it is almost cancelled out by the shake and rumble of the engine.

The most noticeable cost of those big tires though is the sacrifice in nimbleness on the road. The Vespa just feels much more responsive. Nimble. Quick. And much easier to stop. But each machine has their own strengths and weaknesses and what may be important to me would be a negative to someone else. Each rider needs to draw their own conclusions when it comes to selecting what they want to ride.

It was hot and windy when I headed for Altoona and I was surprised how badly the America was pushed around in a heavy crosswind. I assumed the size and weight would keep it in a straight line. At 55 mph I was afraid the road wasn’t wide enough to not suddenly be riding in a cornfield so I veered off onto a more dawdling route and enjoyed the trip a lot more.

I stopped a few times along the road to take some pictures and you really have to watch the Triumph in the gravel. A dirt bike it is not. The mass of the machine makes any use of the front brake a touchy enterprise. I can see why a lot of riders don’t like taking these things down the forest roads around here.

I retrieved the Vespa and headed straight home. It felt tiny and I recalled driving our 1970 VW Campmobile where you sat out over the front wheels with nothing in front of you. Same thing with the Vespa. Nothing out in front of you but air. You don’t see the front wheel.

Welcome back to the shiftless world. The quiet world, the darting, quick, and nimble world. One stop in an alfalfa field reminded me that I was home again with an agile little scooter.

As much as I wanted to get home I kept seeing places to stop to look around and take some pictures. Places I would ride past on the Triumph. So for me the Vespa remains the right ride. But if I have the chance to ride some other things I’ll take them. I’m open to the idea that there are other quick and nimble rides that will make it easy to do what I do.

Transition: Vespa to Triumph

5:30 AM. Dark and raining. My destination 58 miles away. An appropriate start for the transition from my Vespa GTS 250ie to a 2008 Triumph America. I agreed to shuttle the Triumph back to town for a friend of my father-in-law for maintenance at our local Triumph dealer. I’ll have the Triumph for a week and the chance for an extended demo ride was too much to pass up.  A temporary assignment to a Triumph.

Riding in the Dark

For me, the combination of darkness and rain is a weather challenge only exceeded by snow. Empty rural roads and slow speeds would dominate the trip until dawn. And I was hoping the rain kept the deer on the ground until the weather cleared a bit. Riding through the countryside and watching the road ahead lit solely by my headlight I was reminded of how small the area of illumination is and slow I have to ride to be able to stop within the area I can see. Even if I wanted to go faster there really was no way to manage it safely.

I sat a while at an on ramp of Interstate 99 gauging traffic for one leg of my trip. An endless series of tractor-trailers roaring along in a cloud of spray made the decision not to venture onto the freeway simple.

The sky showed the first signs of light in Tyrone and the rain was nothing more than mist. I stopped to dry my visor and make sure my digital camera wasn’t getting too wet in my pocket.

Nearing Altoona I stopped to watch the fog move along the mountainside. Apart from a heavy surf breaking on a rocky shore I can think of few things whose appearance brings me such quiet pleasure.

The Triumph America

My first thought on seeing the motorcycle in my father-in-law’s garage was that all that chrome was going to get dirty. And indeed it did. The switch from the Vespa to something the size of the America demands some changes in thought and approach. The additional weight is managed differently. The feet forward cruiser pegs and added tasks of shifting and foot braking are not on the regular riding menu. For the first few miles I reprogrammed myself with a bit of conscious practice and the old muscle memories returned from a long vacation.

More empty roads gave me the chance to practice some hard braking, swerving and other actions specific to the weight of the Triumph. The bike performed nicely and it became quite comfortable to handle.

By the time I got home I felt relaxed on the America. It’s two-cylinder engine thumped along like a champ and I could see how someone might enjoy one. It’s not for me though.

The Triumph is too big, too powerful, and too clumsy for the eclectic riding I do. There would be no quick u-turns or pushing through deep gravel and grass for a picture. It’s size and weight just takes too long to manage. Even the few times I stopped for pictures I watched that kickstand carefully to see if it would support the weight on the surfaces I was on. And I passed up many picture locations I just didn’t think I could get the bike to safely or easily like I could with the Vespa. Still, it is a nice motorcycle.

If I had any complaints at all it was with the loud exhaust. Aftermarket pipes made the America nothing short of obnoxious to my ears. When I left Altoona I had my earplugs in when I started it up and while had quite a rumble it wasn’t until I got home and started it for Kim without the plugs that I realized how really loud it was. On a long trip I can’t imagine having to listen to it thundering in my brain. I suspect returning the factory pipes would fix that problem. Still, it is a nice motorcycle.

I’ll probably get the motorcycle back from the Triumph dealer on Tuesday and be able to ride it the rest of the week before going back to Altoona to retrieve my Vespa. We’ll see how things go until then…