Modern Vespa

A Tommy Bahama ad I saw in one of the surf shops.


Po Boy for lunch!


The view at lunch.


My pirate kite for my niece.


Off to Xscape, fun


Last one, a tiny frog hung out with me for bit.


I rode home and stopped in Williamsburg for gas.


I broke 4,000 on the ride home.


By the numbers.


One last thing, I think I've told y'all I'm a numbers guy. Believe it or not, I've been tracking exactly how many miles I've ridden in my lifetime and on this trip home I broke 1,000,000 miles. No fanfare, no plaques or award, just a warm fuzzy and a sense of accomplishment.

Life is short, enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading,

Eric

I'm planning a trip to AmeriVespa which is being held in Richmond, VA this year, June 6 - 10th. I'm unsure if I'll just commute to the events or get a room at the Graduate Hotel which is rather pricey. I know there's a few scooter fans on this site but it's a very fun event and lots of riding going on tailored to many interests and riding styles. If/when I go there will be a bunch of pics per usual.



https://www.amerivespa.net/

Wednesday June 6
5pm: Meet & Greet
Scoot Richmond

217 W 7th St, Richmond, VA 23224

Thursday June 7
8:30am – 5pm: Rally registration
Graduate Hotel

Richmond VA 23220

9:30 am – 5pm: Rides
All rides leave from the parking lot of Graduate Hotel
​
Rides may change, we will keep the schedule updated!
Ride 1 History Long Ride

Civil War Battlefields (Spotsylvania)- no cost – return by 5:00

​Ride 2 Local Character Ride

Foodie Tour – return by 2:00

​Ride 3 History Local Ride

Seven Hills of Richmond – return by 2:00

​Ride 4 History Destination Ride

Hanover Courthouse / The Parson’s Cause reenactment – return by 2:00

​Ride 5 Cool off Destination Ride

Cobblestones Park – Admission $12 – return by 5:00

​6pm: Event
Maymont

1700 Hampton St, Richmond, VA 23220

​Friday June 8
8am – 5pm: Rally Registration
Graduate Hotel

Richmond VA 23220

​9:30 am – 5 pm: Rides
All rides leave from the parking lot of Graduate Hotel

​Rides may change, we will keep the schedule updated!

Ride 1 History Long Ride

Jamestown Settlement - no cost – return by 5:00

​Ride 2 History Local Ride

Richmond and the Revolutionary War – return by 2:00

​Ride 3 Local Character Ride

Craft Brewery Tour – return by 2:00

​Ride 4 Local Character Ride

Quirky Shops Tour – return by 2:00

Ride 5 Cool off Destination Ride

Hadad’s Lake – Admission $15 - return by 5:00

7pm-11pm: Dance Party
The Broadberry
2729 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220

Bands:TBA

Saturday June 9
9:30 am – 1 pm: Rides
Rides leave from the parking lot of Graduate Hotel

Rides end at the Richmond International Raceway

​Rides may change, we will keep the schedule updated!

Ride 1 Fast Ride

Indian Summer 11 – return by 1:00

​Ride 2 Fast Ride

Indian Summer 10 – return by 1:00

​Ride 3 History Local Ride

Richmond and the Civil War – return by 1:00

​Ride 4 Cool off Local Ride

Pony Pasture Park – no cost – return by 1:00

​Ride 5 Local Character Ride

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden – Admission $13 – return by 1:00

Ride 6 Local Character Ride

Antique shop tour – return by 1:00

​Ride 7 History Destination Ride

Berkeley Plantation – Admission $11 – return by 1:00

10am - 4pm: Vendor Exhibits

​
1:00 pm – 5 pm: Gymkhana
Richmond International Raceway

600 E Laburnum Ave Richmond, VA 23222

Gymkhana begins at 2 pm, Raffle at 3 pm
Gymkhana/Scooter Games/Scooter Judging/Vendor Exhibits

6pm: Pre Banquet Cocktail Hour

Graduate Hotel

Richmond VA 23220

​7pm: Banquet

TBD

Richmond VA 23220

Dinner & Banquet

​10:00 pm: After Party

XXXX Rooftop Bar

​Sunday June 10
Pankcake Breakfast with vendor exhibits & last raffle

9:30 am – 11:30 am: Pancake Breakfast & Raffle
Byrd Park

600 S Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220

Sponsored by AVAILABLE SPONSORSHIP

12 pm - Til: Unofficial Post Rally Gathering

Hadad's Lake

Last edited by Virginian on Wed Mar 14, 2018 5:13 am; edited 1 time in total

I really enjoy your story and your photos... keep posting, please!!

Thanks Berto! It means a lot.

Eric

If you read on I did track down the parts and make the conversion. Love the original look.

1,000,000 miles! That's awesome, Eric. Congratulations!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and photos & videos of your adventures.

Out of curiosity, which motorcycle/scooter have your rode the majority of those miles on? Or if you don't mind, tell us about all of your bikes you have ridden!

3 harley Road King Classics for 150k, 2 BMWs for about 150k, 2 Moto Guzzis for 200k, 5 Yamaha's for about 300k, throw in a some Kaws, Suzukis, Hondas and scooters to make up the rest.

It all started with my first bike ever and coincidentally my favorite was the Yamaha RD400.


Fear the mullet!



Last edited by Virginian on Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

Awesome!

Hope I can make it to Amerivespa this year. Definitely would enjoy meeting you.

Congrats on all those miles!

There's an RD 400 just like that up for sale at our local shop (or was as of last fall) -- always brings back the same longing I had for one back in high school.

And maybe see you at Amerivespa...still debating whether I'll hang out after the Cannonball.

Today was my first exposure to this thread, and I've spent at least an hour living vicariously through Virginian. I say "at least" because I lost track of time.

It's very inspiring, really makes me want to hop on my Vespa and go somewhere!

Thanks for stopping by and reading! I hope to see you at Amerivespa in Richmond.

Eric

Well I'm sure glad you enjoyed it. If you ever find yourself passing through VA, please hit me up.

Eric

Lots of great pictures. Nice to know you are continuing to post. I envy you the countryside you live in.

Good to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Eric

WOW!!! Can't believe that anyone would take the time to document their first love to this degree. Fantastic tale with great photos - simply beyond anything I have come across in over 65 years of riding. Please keep 'em comin'

Thank you for taking the time to post all your pics! Very enjoyable viewing with a cup of coffee on a 28 deg F morning!

Very kind reply and I thank you.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!I'm just sharing life on a scooter, nothing very exciting here.

80*F/26.6*C today and I'm out running errands.


A quick stop at Floozie's cupcake Shop. The best cupcake evar! http://www.flooziespieshop.com/ Places like this are becoming extinct in the sense of mom & pop diners. To me they are the pinnacle of where to stop when traveling on two wheels.






They also do incredible cakes, here's a few for the holiday season.





Last edited by Virginian on Sat Mar 31, 2018 4:32 am; edited 1 time in total

Louisa Courthouse



Like most of rural Virginia there's veteran's memorials at the courthouse.
Louisa County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Louisa, Louisa County, Virginia. It was designed by architect D. Wiley Anderson from Richmond and built in 1905. It is a two-story, five-bay, porticoed Classical Revival brick structure. It measures 59 feet wide and 63 feet deep and features a pedimented portico supported by four Ionic order columns. It has a modified hipped roof topped by an octagonal drum, dome and lantern. Associated with the courthouse is the contributing old jail built in 1818, and rebuilt in 1868 after a fire; the Crank Building (1830); R. Earl Ogg Memorial Building (1917); and a Civil War monument.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.


The jailhouse built in 1818.


1905 gate to enter.


John Mercer Langston's birth place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mercer_Langston he was a member of the Virginia's U.S. House of Representatives in 1890.

John Mercer Langston (December 14, 1829 – November 15, 1897) was an abolitionist, attorney, educator, activist, diplomat, and politician in the United States. An African American, he became the first dean of the law school at Howard University and helped create the department. He was the first president of what is now Virginia State University, a historically black college.

Born a free black in Virginia to a freedwoman of mixed race and a white planter father, in 1888 Langston was elected to the U.S. Congress as the first representative of color from Virginia. Joseph Hayne Rainey, the black Republican congressman from South Carolina, had been elected in 1870 during the Reconstruction era.

In the Jim Crow era of the later nineteenth century, Langston was one of only five African Americans elected to Congress from the South before the former Confederate states passed constitutions and electoral rules from 1890 to 1908 that essentially disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, excluding the blacks from politics. After that, no African Americans would be elected from the South until 1973, after the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to enforce their constitutional rights. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the gerrymandered district lines that southern white Democratic State legislatures had drawn to dilute their power and prevent blacks from having enough of a presence in any district to be able to elect a representative of their choice. At the time, most blacks supported Republican Party candidates, both white and black.

Langston's early career was based in Ohio where, with his older brother Charles Henry Langston, he began his lifelong work for African-American freedom, education, equal rights and suffrage. In 1855 he was one of the first African Americans in the United States elected to public office when elected as a town clerk in Ohio. John was a great-uncle of the renowned poet Langston Hughes.




Until the next episode, tune in same channel and same time for Vespa 946 Meanderings.

Eric

Two last stragglers I forgot...


The bag hook to the rescue!

I bumped into this kind of interesting short video of Vespa 946s being hand made. I thought some might enjoy. Happy Easter folks!

I have lots of scooting plans this spring and summer and I'll try to keep this thread updated with my pointless pictures and posts. Here are a few highlights that I have on my agenda this year. Some of you may know that I love history so I tend to pick a historic site to visit and turn a ride into a learning experience. I'm a huge Civil War and WWII fan, throw in some plane and train museums and I'm happy as a clam at high tide! Here's a peek of things to come, hopefully...


- AmeriVespa, Vespa's granddaddy of them all events in Richmond (tons of pic from that event coming) https://www.amerivespa.net/
- The Hunley, first submarine to sink a warship that forever changed naval history https://www.hunley.org/
- Gettysburg, needs no introduction, that forever cemented America's outcome of the Civil War https://www.nps.gov/gett/index.htm
- Anteitam National Battlefield - The Bloodiest Day in American History--Hope for Freedom https://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm
- Harper's Ferry - A must see if you haven't visited before. https://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm]https://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
- American Armoured Foundation, Inc. Tank Museum - A must see if you're a WWII buff https://www.aaftankmuseum.com/
- The Virginia Museum of Transportation - They are supposed to have a decent train museum and I want to see and possibly ride the famous Virginia 611 http://www.vmt.org/collections/rail/steam-locomotives/steam-locomotive-norfolk-and-western-class-j-611/

- I'll be headed back to OBX come early September so look for the usual beach stuff there
- Late September I'm off to Hawaii (never been) and hope to rent a scooter and see some of the island that I'll be staying on

This thread is about life, nothing more, nothing less. I welcome any and all folks to chime in. I'm just a VA redneck trying to enjoy what's left of my life and wish to share my adventures with the m/c and scooter community. So post your thoughts, pictures, jokes and climb aboard.

Eric

PS: I picked up another scoot to help with my meanderings. Xmax 300

I was out scooting today and took a few too many pics... If you don't like history, stop reading here! lol

As I'm breaking in the motor of the Xmax, I decided to take lonely country roads around my area and weave my way back to Fredericksburg.

Here's a few random shots.




Take a look at this very old tree, the trunk was darn near the width of the bike. If this tree could tell stories i bet it would have a few over the last 100 years...


Today is a friend of mines birthday and she's an avid rider as well. Anywho, she loves old barns so I posted this for her on FB.

Next stop Fredericksburg Battlefield


https://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm

America's Battleground
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania--this is America's battleground, where the Civil War roared to its bloody climax. No place more vividly reflects the War's tragic cost in all its forms. A town bombarded and looted. Farms large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; There are a total of 15,243 Civil War interments, of those, only 2,473 were identified. Really sad...

The military park encompasses four major Civil War battlefields: Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of the Wilderness, and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. It also preserves four historic buildings associated with them: Chatham Manor, Salem Church, Ellwood Manor, and the house where Stonewall Jackson died. The ruins of the Chancellor family mansion are included. There are two visitor centers staffed by Park Service rangers, one in Fredericksburg near the foot of Marye's Heights, and another at the Chancellorsville site. Exhibit shelters are staffed on a seasonal basis at Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House. Chatham Manor in Stafford County is open daily. All sites are free.

The park was established as Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park on February 14, 1927, and transferred from the War Department August 10, 1933. The lengthy name remains its official designation—75 letters, the longest name of any unit in the national park system. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The park includes 8374 acres (33.89 km2), of which 7369 acres (30 km2) are owned by the Federal government. Over 500,000 people visit the battlefield each year.

This is a time period home that the Nat'l Park Service has converted into the welcome center.


All of nature is just starting to blossom and bloom and makes for a great day to get out.


Some random shots that maybe are noteworthy.


This picture gives you an overview of each engagement.

I'll let the quotes and pictures speak for themselves.











Different ordnance used. Only about 8% kill ratio using cannons during the civil war but the damage it did to the to morale and troops was immeasurable.


This was interesting because technology in firearms and cannons didn't have rifled barrels yet in the field. This cannon shot put the rifling on the actual shell., thus termed long range.


In this tube that went from floor to ceiling housed musket balls and rounds that were collected on the Fredericksburg battlefield.




The chaplain's uniform, a very rare artifact.




The telegraph that was used during this engagement. Fascinating!



I'll get back to scoot'n here in a few... please bare with me.

The push of the Union army.


This statement may not be telling the whole truth. Looters were shot or hanged on sight by any acting commander on both sides, simply put it wasn't tolerated. President Abraham Lincoln was shot (by a southerner John Wilkes Booth) on April 15th, 1865 and killed just 5 days after General Lee surrendered and the civil war was over. Looting and burning of all the south happened in retaliation. So I'm really unclear as to why this happened to Fredericksburg as it was months before?





Here's a fascinating story about a flag.



This wall shows pictures of Fredericksburg's finest.


Each picture was on hinges and when you swung it open it told the tale of that individual.



On to the cemetery.

This is the very stone wall that confederates fought behind and died by the thousands...


The Fifth Corps Army of the Potomac






The thousands of unmarked gravestones had two numbers on them, the first number was the lot that his/their bodies were found, the second number represents how many unknown soldiers were buried here.


Medal of Honer recipient.


The view from the cemetery overlooking Fredericksburg. You can just see my scoot...




In this private cemetery lies Presidents General George Washington's nephew.



The original gate to enter the private plot.


Several of the gravestones were destroyed by Union cannons.


Random shots...







The Willis building.


It seemed no matter where I was my shadow was in every picture. Apologies...


The iconic VA fences that could be taken up and moved so livestock wouldn't feed too much on the same location.


The park service offers free tours and the volunteers will walk groups around and go into great detail about events here. Our park service in the U.S. rocks and the unsung heroes of the volunteers should be recognized.

I walked away from this battlefield with a heavy heart of all the loss of life here. So I motored down into the old town for a cup of coffee to gather my thoughts.




Caramel latte thank you very much.



Thanks for reading,

Eric

Congrats on the new bike! I am curious for your main motivation in getting it? I would think comfort and / or speed, but you've already proven the 946 over a long haul, so presumably you are satisfied there?

Thanks, more a case of having a scoot that's a little more capable for camping and hauling the gear. The 946 will outlive all other bikes in the garage as that one is my favorite. So to answer your question, I'm more than satisfied with the Vespa.

The Xmax is a little more comfortable as it's a bigger scoot and I'm a big person. But I would say that is negligible.

It’s a good thing you are doing. I like Virginia a great deal for the roads and countryside and history. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Washington’s place and Monticello and Appomattox and stumbling acrosss places of not without even meaning to.
Winters suck though. But I dislike the cold. I’d have surrendered at Valley Forge for a decent fireplace.

Well if you want to venture north you have a place to stay here in Spotsylvaina! Thanks for reading and commenting.

Eric

I was out running errands today and made quite a few stops. First stop was Fredericksburg Motor Sports for some oil, filter and what not for the first service on the Xmax which is coming up quickly.
While I was at the parts counter they had this pic sitting on the counter. Yes, that's a patron of the place! Bwahahaha!


Stopped at a historic marker, nothing epic.



1 mile from the yammerhammer shop is George Washington's "childhood" home. Hmmm.. I've never stopped to look but the sun was shining and I was in no rush, why not.

So I scoot on in and I'm greeted by the welcome center. Ferry Farm George Washington Center. http://www.kenmore.org/ff_home.html

So I went inside and was milling about to see if there was anything interesting. They had very little to showcase in the welcome center as far as artifacts. That said, here's what they did have...







Soooo... I promply signed the register and rolled out to see the grounds and GW's "home"!

A beautiful manicured estate.


I walked along the pathe to get to the main attraction, GW's boyhood home! Signage to get you pumped about being there. There's some nuggets of info here that might be noteworthy.







As I approach the "home" I'm greeted by this curator.
- Him: "May I see your badge?"
- Me: Um, I waited a half hour for the lady at the desk but she seemed over G'd so I just walked back here.
- Him: So I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises and take no more pictures until you get a pass.
- Me: Ummm...okay, can I ask one question? Is that GW's boyhood home pointing behind him.
- Him: There is no record what his house looked like and this home is a typical representation of what a home looked like back from that era.
- Me: So all the banners and what not are conjecture as well?
- Him: Yes
- Me: Have a good day sir.

So I snapped one pic of the alleged home and bounced. Honestly, I felt like going back to the welcome center and changing what I wrote in the visitor log...


My advice is take a pass on seeing this sight.

So I stopped by the Indian of Fredericksburg on the way home. They are offering demo day on April 24th & 25th. Stop by and have a go on one of their finest.





Some nice look'n used bikes as well.



So that's it for this update.

Life is short, enjoy the ride.

Eric

Soo... I'm scoot'n today and happen upon this baby box turtle. Shuffled him off into the woods.

I scooted up to see my family today and as luck would have it my nephew-in-law and my BIL so we went for a nice country road ride along the Shenandoah River. TAle about 3 amigos, we have Harley dude, Ducati dude and scooter boi. lol



Stopped off to see my great niece Ava play her first soccer game.



Settled in for a nice lunch. Life was most excellent today.

I hosted a gathering for some friends I've been riding with from another forum and we had a great turnout. Not much scooter content here but a little. This was my first attempt at hosting an event and thankfully it went well.

All your roads belong to us!

Mine on the left, Jimmy's in the middle and VFRMike on the right. We took a short ride, maybe 200+ miles and cut back across 211 through the Shenandoah Nat'l Forest. The The roads were just perfect!



OHScot and Bill sporting his brand new Trumpet he bought last week. He was sneaking in the first service in this photo at Casa De Redneck.



OHScot's beautiful K12GT!





Holy crap and I was worried folks would show!


Jager bombs!