Educating Drivers and Riders

Reading the local news this morning I learned not all scooter riding is an exercise in quiet, gentle travel through the world.  Scooter horn angers driver in State College did give me a chuckle at first but it shortly turned into a sad commentary on the growing trend of anger on the pavement.

Most of my riding is designed to keep me away from heavy traffic where tempers may simmer.  And like a lot of riders I am decidedly passive, docile, and unassuming.  Yell at me, flip me off, cut me off, blow your horn, toss a Coke, and I'll appear to be unaware of the world.  Riding  past a car with a texting driver, eating a cheeseburger and adjusting their hair and I'll do nothing more than move away from them.  I don't engage in pointless rants about danger and I certainly don't endeavor to "educate" them on their failure to live up to the requirements of the road.  That kind of direct contact is fraught with more danger than the behavior in question.  One never knows who you are going to encounter in another vehicle, their state of mind, or what weapons might be on hand.

Anger is natural and you can't really control those emotions but one certainly controls what actions they take in response.  The guy in the story didn't make a good choice.

This evening I had to ride back to work to pick up a few things I needed to work on.  Without a Vespa in the garage I would have been grumbling the whole way back and home again.  But as an opportunity to take a little ride, well, you know the story of how therapeutic a ride down a lightly trodden path can be.

And I suppose it's that grumbling frustration that causes the angry responses we get to read about or see on YouTube.  I always figured if I got out of my car to read someone the riot act they would have a Trunk Monkey.



Ah, the Trunk Monkey...

Errands and Chores by Vespa

Not every ride's focused on fun.  Sometime there's work to be done, things to accomplish.  All of it goes better when I can use the Vespa.  On the road this evening I realized for the first time how long the days had become.  In less than a month the days will start getting shorter as we head towards winter.  Odd thinking about that in May -- the sort of thing that pops into my head when I stop to make a selfie.

Looking at clouds continues to thrill me after nearly sixty years of gazing upwards.  I see Junior sleeping on my lap.  Wonder what I would see if I were riding a Harley instead of a Vespa?


A stop at the store was the main reason I was on the road.  Taking the long way home was just a fortunate coincidence.


Some routes are still closed and probably always will be but check them I do.  Never know when a bureaucrat will have a change of heart.  Could have easily ridden around the end of the gate and raced on through but that would be wrong wouldn't it?


Still loving the Vespa.  Put a gun to my head and insist I confess to my deepest, darkest moto desire --- a Vespa GTS.  Someday it might change but for now I remain smitten...

Roads like these remind me of younger days and dirt bikes.  Every kid wanted a mini-bike or go-kart and couldn't wait to get a driver's license.  Don't see much of that anymore.  Now they're craving Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  Having spent more than a few hours with Unreal Tournament I can kind of see the attraction.

I guess.  Still, I'll take the Vespa and a dirt road.

All good errands must come to an end.  Heading towards Mount Nittany and on towards home always has a melancholy feel at the end of the day.  Maybe that's part of the lure of riding, all those emotions and memories stirred up and making you feel alive for a moment.

Or maybe it's something else...

The Night Visitor

Memorial Day is drawing to a close and I have no riding or Vespa pictures worth sharing.  Aside from my own creative failure I point to a lack of sleep due to a night visitor who kept Kim and I up far longer than anticipated.  After watching a movie until almost 3am we were later awaken by a clatter in the front of the house.  As I threw up the sash instead of finding jolly old Saint Nick I was face to face with a black bear dining on one of our bird feeders.  By the time the local constabulary pushed him down the hill towards the woods I could see the faint glow of dawn.  A few more hours sleep and Junior wanted his turn.

So I'm tired and not particularly thrilled at the prospect of returning to work tomorrow.  Holidays make me think about retirement.

If you do need some riding fix, check out Poppawheelie's ride up the Grossglockner Pass road.
Riding in the Alps....

Ride Around the World

Meet Robert Echard, a regular at the Piston and Pints festivities, serious rider, PoppaWheelie on AdventureRider.com, and now on his way around the world on a motorcycle.  He departed from London a few days ago and about 200 days from now will be riding back into town.  At age 67 it's a trip of a lifetime.

After three days of riding Robert arrived in Budapest, Hungary today and has a few days to hang out before heading east.  You can follow his trip on AdventureRider on the thread Round the World the Easy Way.

He's also using a SpotTracker to follow him around the globe.

The local online newspaper has a good story about the trip -- Adventure of a Lifetime.

This past Thursday evening the Piston and Pints gang go together and Ken Hull suggested a group photo toasting Robert on his journey.  From all of us, a safe, exceptional adventure!

Crappy Weather; No Piston & Pints

After a day of non-stop meetings I was looking forward to meeting with the Piston & Pints group only to have the dream dashed by crappy weather.  Instead of 30 or 40 motorcycles I was greeted by a closed door.  Crappy weather; no such thing for Vespa riders...

The event moved to tomorrow evening, 5pm, as long as the weather isn't crappy.  So if you're within riding distance think about a ride to Boalsburg, Pennsylvania to join the rider festivities.

Ken Hull developed another great poster for the group.  I have one at home.  I want it in the garage with the scooter.  Kim says it's too nice for that stinking place.

Just look for the little barn along the alley with all the motorcycles.  This is what it looks like when the weather is crappy.

Traveling on Through Life

Standing along a winding road, the fragrance of honeysuckle and Lily of the Valley drifting through the trees, I'm uncertain whether I'd be happier walking, just leave the Vespa and make off through the woods.  Memories of a million footsteps through fields and forests flood into view, a gift of consciousness that I too often take for granted.  Alone, relaxed and for a few moments at peace with myself and the world, life passes slowly and for a moment time almost stands still.  I don't want to miss a moment and think about something Benjamin Franklin said, "Lost time is never found again."

Riding has a marvelous capacity to create experience through the way it hurls a rider naked through the world.  Every sense can be ignited and a push on the handlebar or a turn of the throttle can sweep you into a different place.  Departing the beaten path, a decision fueled by a passing association with the agricultural landowner led the Vespa through grassy tracks and attention to scooter wheel eating groundhog holes.

In the scooter's dream, the road goes on forever...

The statement is homage to poet Susan Mitchell's work, "The Road" in which she writes "In the car's dream the road goes on forever."  The first time I heard that line, lovingly whispered to me by my wife, I felt a shiver of excitement run through me.  Little did I know I would live it over and over again on the scooter as I travel on through life.

In the heart of central Pennsylvania the roads do seem to go on forever, a dream for anyone just needing to ride quiet.

Someone asked me recently when I was going to move up to a motorcycle.  It puzzles me what moving up means though I've long ago realized it's not a conversation for polite company and instead respond with, "Oh, I don't know...."

The Vespa GTS250ie still exceeds my expectations for performance and I long ago fell in love with the way it looks.

Rain threatened a few times during the ride, something I prefer not do deal with when I'm traversing grass ways and dirt paths.  This picture suggests an innate ability to ignore present danger and dawdle with a camera as the weather sweeps across the sky.  Luckily only a few big drops slapped across myself and the scooter.

Somewhere near the southern end of Centre County, Pennsylvania I found myself walking further and further from the scooter, savoring each footstep and breath.  My wife turned me on to Verbascum thapsus, the long stemmed plants in the picture.  Weeds to many I've now come to enjoy them and am happy to see a half dozen or so have volunteered to grow in our own woodland landscape.  This picture is for you Kim.  Thank you.

The scooter is small and I'm not in the picture.  That has to mean something right?

Just one more ride and I'll find the answer...

The Big Picture

Embracing the big picture, visually and mentally.  Looking out over the Nittany Valley, home for the past 40 plus years, it's easy to let the mind wander, imagine, and plan.  I always think I know what the picture is.  Experience proves otherwise.



On the way to work, wet morning, early enough to stop and look.  I never plan to stop, it just happens on the way to somewhere.  The new tires are worn in and fine on the damp pavement.  For a few moments, taking in the view, it's as if there are no cares or concerns, just breathing and living.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, "“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” It's taken years to understand what that means and even longer to become, if not a good traveler, at least a half-assed one.  I have a love-hate relationship with plans; I love making them and hate abandoning them.  Riding has helped illuminate the value of unexpected paths and detours, roads and routes outside the plan.  Still, I make plans both large and small.

A few evenings ago while wandering through the grocery store I was building plans for a quiet evening dashed by a broken waterline in the basement.  Not so many years ago this unexpected change of plans would leave a sour, bitter, angry taste in my mouth.  Remarkably I've found some satisfaction in embracing the unexpected.  So an evening of work with flux and solder, mop and broom, delivered an experience I would neither anticipate or choose.

In the flood in the basement reached a collection of journals, written evidence of my existence all neatly stacked, stored and soaked.  The road this evening called for methodical, careful work to retrieve these books, drying what I could, turning pages, inspecting the faded, bleeding ink.  And here and there reading of life from five, ten and twenty years earlier.  Standing in the basement I had a glimpse of the big picture that I call my life, all thanks to an abandoned plan.


A tiger was drenched in the flood, a Moon Tiger, icon of the Moon Senior High school's Flame yearbook from 1972.  Paging through history it was hard to fathom how quickly the years have passed, and wondering what's become of all those people.

Earlier in the evening I was surveying the valley, gazing at the big picture of Boalsburg, State College, and the Nittany Valley.  I've always been attracted to high places, overlooks, promontories, places to take in the world, wander, and think.


Junior and I share the experience though for decidedly different reasons.  The plan often changes during our walks, or at least my plan.  Can't really speak to his though I have my suspicions.  I want to walk, throw the ball, and just spend some time with my thoughts.  And keep Junior out of the ponds so neither Kim or I have to endure the fragrance of wet dog.  And more times than not my plan changes when Junior decides to head off for a swim.

He's just missing the big picture.

Taking in Spring on a Vespa

A warm morning provided a perfect backdrop to begin roughing the pristine surface of the Vespa's new Kenda K413 tires.  Never an aggressive rider myself I feel it prudent to go easy on cornering and braking for the first 50 to 100 miles to make sure I don't have any unfortunate relationships with the ground.  The tire pictured above has less than one mile of wear.  Not a problem normally considering how I ride (three speeds; slow, slower, stop) but there are times when I circumstance dictates a friskier approach and broken in tires really become important.

So off I went.

Many riders would probably find my pace and routes boring.  Passing through the agricultural landscapes I couldn't help but think how different riding styles are.  Not long ago I saw the moto-documentary "Why We Ride" and how bored I was getting with the racing sequences.  Racing, speed, and power are important and exciting to lots of riders.  And a good bit of attention was focused on the social aspects of riding (or not riding) characterized by clubs, group rides, and events both small and large.  Looking at the scenes from Daytona Beach and Sturgis I could see the attraction as a kind of carnival but the riding part was a bit more difficult to comprehend.  The film focused only briefly on another kind of riding, one I find myself more attracted to, that focused on being in the world on two wheels, alone, no schedule or destination, just moving through space and time. It doesn't make for good cinema since most of the thrill occurs between your ears.

I'm wandering now.

So I'm riding alone, thinking about tires, taking in the spring air (an pollen) and enjoying having nowhere to go or be, stopping when I please to root through roadside debris for treasure or just appreciate the Podophyllum peltatum (May Apples for URAL riders), little biological umbrellas gracing the landscape that are sure signs of spring.

Dandelions are in full bloom and add a swath of color to the world that would make me grin save for the guilt I feel from childhood as my father conscripted me into manual destruction of thousands of these little creatures, wandering the lawn every Saturday morning with weed tool and bucket, a youthful endeavor displaced by the advent of ChemLawn and video games.

I learned something about my childhood yesterday related to my parents letting me roam the neighborhood on weekends and summer vacation.  Today their parenting style would be referred to as "free range parenting".  I must be the mature incarnation of a free range child...

The Vespa runs flawlessly.  Hate typing that for fear it will cause some untimely failure, but it really is running great.  Smooth, quiet, powerful, just like it was when I bought it.  Parked along Spring Creek with the sun in my eyes I could almost pretend it was physically pristine as well.  Alas, it does show some wear and tear on the body.  Just like a well used camera or hand tool.

The road never ends but rides always do.  This one after only 50 miles of tire scrubbing but with the promise of food, family and the chance to rub a dog's belly.  Maybe later I'll work on those tires some more...

Slippery Scooter Tires

Vespa is back on the road.  Muffler resurrected, winter tires in storage, battery rejuvenated, and a brand new pair of Kenda tires mounted for warm weather.  As all riders should know there is nothing quite as useless in terms of traction as a new pair of tires.  Combine that with wet roads and it's just a slippery mess.

Breaking the tires in will wait for dry pavement.  Instead just a quick trip down the street to the Pump Station to pick up a brownie.

That's scooter riding adventure.

Dirty, Dusty, Crappy Work

The Vespa is perched in the garage sans front tire.  Hope the motorcycle jack doesn't fail.  Cleaned, balanced and mounted the rear wheel and tomorrow will retrieve the front from the service station.

Spent an hour troubleshooting the non-locking seat latch.  The latch appears to function properly but a tiny little spring that pulls the latch closed when the seat is down may have lost its ability to do its job.  Or the cable it has to pull has started to hang up somewhere.  Either way the repair is tedious. It may have to wait for a new part.

Tomorrow I'll clean up the muffler and start applying high temperature enamel.  It will look good from the road.

Have a few days vacation ahead so I can approach these mechanical activities with the proper sense of nefarious laziness.  At some point tomorrow morning I'll be at Kissell Motorsports buying a new battery.

The garage is a mess, almost something that location scouts from Hoarders might be interested in.  When I think of organizational strategies fire and theft always seem to be at the top of the list.  Fortunately the warm weather motivates and bit of action and I anticipate more organization and function in the workspace.

I just wish this stuff was finished and tomorrow was a prelude to a ride.

14:25

Time is at a premium always and lately even more so.  Facing a long list of non-riding Vespa chores every minute counts.  With the iPhone stopwatch at hand and a few open minutes while Kim was on the phone I decided what I might accomplish.  When the counter stopped 14:25 had elapsed.

The rear tire came off last but I'm showing it first because it's a better picture.  Not a whisper in me wants to employ the Harbor Freight Tire Changer to swap these tires.  I'll drop them off at the neighborhood service station to be mounted and balanced.  My rims are so beat up that I have no fear of what might happen on those big hydraulic changing machines.

The new tire is a Kenda K413.  Inexpensive, wears well, and performs well for me.  I'll pull the front tire on another evening.

The exhaust comes off first.  One bolt to loosen on the header pipe and three bolts holding the muffler to the scooter.  In slightly less than five minutes I've wiggled the muffler free and determined the filthy beast has a few appointments with a wire brush.

Wish I had a sandblaster.  Am grateful for a little progress...

Vespa Service

With the arrival of warm weather comes the spring Vespa service event made more noxious by the corrosive effects of winter riding coupled with a reckless disregard for all things mechanical.  The garage is a disaster, toolbox a jumble, and the Vespa resembles some of the heaps I used to covet as a teenager with dreams of the Baja 1000 spinning in my head.

Those dreams have faded into distant memory along with the youthful thrills of wrench turning and trips to the parts store.  The Vespa service list is a torture of task and lack of riding.

1.  Remove snow tires, mount new set of warm weather tires.
2.  Remove exhaust system, remove rust from muffler, repaint with high temperature black paint.
3.  Repair seat latch system.
4.  Remove seat, clean rusty hinge, repaint.
5.  Repair rust on front body panel joint.
6.  Replace battery.
7.  Wash, clean and wax scooter.
9.  Replace air filter.
10.  Replace front left reflector.

Looking at my work schedule it will be snowing again before I get this done...

Rode into town this morning to talk about photography with Paul Ruby.  The single cup of tea tastes different when it comes after a ride.  Took time to savor that hot brew...

As the days warm the world begins to grow green as does my desire to ride.  Better planning would have finished spring service sooner but my distaste for working in an unheated garage slowed things down.

Hoped to actually get some work finished today but instead kept wandering and postponing the mechanical activity for another day.  Part of me wishes I had the love of tinkering I see in other scooter and motorcycle riders.  Most of me doesn't.  So strong is my distaste for fixing things that I almost pulled the trigger on a new scooter.  A sort of Vespa equivalent of trading a car in because the ashtray is full.

A quick stop after exiting the expressway and I was reminded of how versatile the Vespa GTS 250ie really is.  It goes fast, goes far, and functions fine in town and on the road.  Every time I think about buying a bigger motorcycle or scooter I end up asking the same question, "Why?".

Can't seem to come up with a good answer EXCEPT it would be nice to have something to ride while the scooter is under repair.  But then upon further evaluation I would probably choose another Vespa.  And it would probably be silver -- for photographic reasons.

Maybe tomorrow I'll pull the exhaust and the tires...

Just a Ride Through the World

Fog, spring, and warming air.  The perfect invitation on a Saturday morning to take the Vespa out for a ride.  A full weekend schedule would attempt to strangle the opportunity but I found myself moving lazily through the mist, soaking in the spring and letting the noise in my head slip away into the dream called riding.

By the time I stop and consider possible pictures my breathing is slow, steady, and time has, for a moment, stopped.  Everything I read about contemplation and meditation sounds like riding to me.  At least the sort of slow, deliberate motion I engage.  Road racers and aficionados of speed can't possibly harvest the same experience can they?

All the mountain streams are running, clear but not swollen with spring melt.  The fragrance of decay and change are in the moist air.  Sunshine will warm the dead leaves until they give up the toasted aroma the says "spring in the forest".

As the road unrolls ahead I can let go of expectation, concern, and responsibility until I almost become one with the scooter.  It's a feeling, a moment that I convinced will feed my soul until I can't ride any longer.  There was a time I wanted to understand it all, capture it, but now I'm content to accept it without question.

Perhaps the biggest challenge, and gift, I've gained through riding is an ability to let go and move on without complaint.  As the clock beat out it's warnings this morning the Vespa and I arrived at the moment when the ride was to be abandoned.  And that's ok.  Whether minutes, hours, or days, I'll take what's offered a savor the experience.  No regrets or battles with what could or should be, just a ride through the world.

Embracing the Spring on a Scooter or Motorcycle

Nothing like parking the Vespa on an open field with the world before you.  Add to that a dash of springtime warmth and everything feels like a miracle.  That's exactly how it all felt on the way home today.

An absolute joy to be able to ride under a blue sky and not be freezing.  But with the warm weather and the prospect of more riding comes a long list of things to do, fix or at least consider to be truly ready for the normal riding season.

A good washing of the Vespa is in order.  There is so much baked on salt and road grime that I suspect it will never come off.  I picture myself sitting on the driveway, toothbrush in hand, radio blaring, scrubbing away to transform this nasty scene into something more civilized.

And what can I say about the exhaust....   It has to come off, be attacked with the wirebrush at least and probably better a sandblaster.  And then many coats of high temperature paint to hide the fact that it's ready to turn into dust.  This is what winter looks like for a year round rider.

And remove the Heidenau winter scooter tires.

 It's not summer yet.  This morning there was frost on the car window as I rolled out of the driveway. With the sun out I was able to ignore the cold.  Bright sun sent the temperature up quickly.

The light in the morning is more dramatic now.  Or maybe I just imagine it so since the sun hasn't been available much for the past four months.  Surprisingly, State College, Pennsylvania remains quiet in the morning.  Good for me -- no competition for the coveted motorcycle parking spaces.

Clear skies and long beams of hot sunlight make even a simple breakfast of bagel and juice seem spectacular at Saint's Cafe.  Not quite food porn mostly because my culinary inclinations are so simplistic.  Even so things look nice in this light.

The snow is pretty much gone though if you look in the shadows of places where snow was piled after cleared from streets you can still find some ice piles.  The thaw is creating some monster mud puddles in some places.  When you ride a Vespa you absolutely do not ride through water that you can't seen to the bottom.  Sucking water into the engine intake can quickly downgrade you to a bus or cab.

The Far Corners Asian Market in State College has just reopened in this location.  Last time I was in this building it was home to Kissell Motorsports.  I also purchased my first Vespa inside this building.  Springtime -- for rides down memory lane...

Ride, ride, ride.  It's what I want to do right now.  Kim says the birds are twitterpated right now.  I must be scooterpated. Unfortunately the need to continue to pay the light bill and put food in the freezer is getting in the way of my grand plans.  Some have said I should retire.  Others advise getting rid of the scooter.

I just keep my head down and ride when I can.

On my way home from work today, big sky for central Pennsylvania, dry roads for me though the gates where chained shut just down the road so I had to double back onto the pavement to make my way home.

Lot's to get ready for spring riding.  The machine for reasons already outlined, myself in terms of shedding a few pounds of winter weight so my riding clothes are comfortable, and my mind so I remain fully aware of the thundering danger never too far away.

More riding tomorrow...