Modern Vespa

Nice shot in the low light!

Snow this morning on a cold ride: 9F. Sunshine fooled me. It was cold!

This past weekend on a ride with the Vespa through the valley south of State College, Pennsylvania. Have some mud and muck to clean off the scoot...

Nice shot, i like it!

Never would have guessed that was Penn.

It is an unusual location about 15 miles south of where I am in central Pennsylvania. In the ridge and valley region of the Appalachian mountains there are often these open valleys with long views.

It's a fine place to ride.

What a wonderful portfolio of work!
I love the ones in the snow and I'm full of admiration of your riding skills that get you to the photo shoot destinations and back in one piece! [/b]

Last night, after a week with the flu and another week of recovery I just had to go for a ride. Cold, raining and getting dark, it was great to be on the road. A lot of mud and muck in the fields. I need more aggressive tires if I spend much time there.



Posted a couple more in a story called SWIFTLY CRAVED RIDE.

Riding on a temporary hold for REQUIRED VESPA MAINTENANCE. Thought I would share a photo of a nice spring ride a week ago and a second during the last snow here. Things change fast this time of year!

You do get around and, like the mailman, regardless of foul weather. Very nice pics.

I'm mostly fair weather, but love off road so I'll play. Few sticks here though, but lots of stones.










I found some sticks!

Made this on a foggy morning a couple days ago -- love prowling the forests in the fog...

or....

or..... ..... or..... or sorta like this?

Not many sticks but sort out in the middle of nowhere.

During yesterdays detour from work

jaunt out to the local lakes on the Super.

A winter Vespa ride from a few years ago. We've not had this sort of rideable snowfall yet this year. End of December and almost 50F. Haven't even put the snow tires on yet...

Great pics!!!!

fried okra

Thanks fried okra. The snow keeps hanging on. More snow this past weekend. Looks pretty but I'm so tired of it...

A photo from this past weekend's ride. Still snow around but the roads were mostly clear except in the mountains. Posted more pix on my blog....

On a particularly rough ride that I should not have taken the Vespa on. Oh well. Nothing broke...

I love this! I think our scooters have the same age, haha!

I've been scrolling through your feed trying to decide which photo I'd finally comment on (each is a work of art). This one spoke to me especially, so here I am commenting! Now off I go to see some more...great job, Steve...

An old favorite back when we only rode Genuine Buddy scoots - miss this scoot!


Pamp Jack in Tyler

Thanks for the kind words Andy. I remember that frozen fog morning. Very pretty. And some slippery roads.

Winter is approaching and I'm slowly trying to acclimate physically and mentally to the drastic decline in temperature. Riding over a nearby mountain revealed a dusting of snow at the top. Soon it will be time to put on the Heidenau snow tires...

Last winter

Took a ride just across Round Valley, to the Pine Creek washout. Last spring, due to a record-setting snowfall, the runoff overflowed Pine Creek, causing significant flooding, and it washed out this road. You can see how severe the erosion was, and how the creek changed its course significantly due to the incredible flow. It washed out the concrete bridge completely, and still hasn't been repaired. But, it was a beautiful day, and Pine Creek has been back to its normal, low flow since late summer. Nice day to take out the GTV and enjoy the weather...


The canyon you see in the background is where Pine Creek flows out of the Sierra, and down through Round Valley. You can see how much the record-setting flow eroded the banks.

This is the GTV, parked next to the bridge that got washed away. This is looking north, toward Sherwin Grade (between Bishop and Mammoth Lakes).

This is looking south, toward the Tungsten hills, with the Sierra extending south toward Bishop.

Trying out the new portrait mode on the iPhone X. Came out pretty well. The weather was perfect - crisp, clear, and not too cold.

Peeking down from the washed out bridge, at Pine Creek, now just a trickle, but in the spring it was a raging torrent that ripped out this concrete bridge, and the asphalt road on top!

Beautiful landscape to ride in. Nothing like it here in Pennsylvania.

Winter is here and I've been riding again in the cold. Took a bit longer to acclimate this year. Old age...

Riding off-road and single trails with friends. Guy on left is on a Suzuki DR650 that he rode around the world. Other guy is on a Honda CRF250L. On this stretch of road they were standing on the pegs going 45mph and faster. I was being banged around at 30mph. The GTS suspension and Continental Zippy tires weren't the best for this. Only got worse as the trail ran through tall grass hiding big rocks and holes, later through mud and generally pretty rough riding.

They had a blast. I was sweating to keep the scooter upright and on course. And trying to go faster than I should. Alone I would have crept along looking at stuff. Riding with others I was struggling to keep up and not seeing anything...


My Vespa GTS isn't a dirt bike.

An unfortunate incident after parking the scooter on a too steep road. Nothing quite like the clang a GTS makes after coming off the centerstand and hitting a metal guard rail. No significant damage to the scooter and did not interrupt an otherwise lovely early October ride.

Here's a view of the incident:

As we say here in New Zealand, Bugger!!

I wouldn't have uprated the photo (which is splendid) but for this: Since there's no harm done, I can -- and did -- uprate it without hesitation!

More from my collection of stupid Vespa tricks. This one because the ground was starting to thaw and the centerstand sunk far enough to let the scooter topple...

You do know you're supposed to leave these tricks for the newbies and young guys....

Sometimes scooter need a nap.... just like me.


Paul

Yesterday morning

Love the look of the yellow Vespa. Have never seen one like that here in central Pennsylvania.

Didn't think you got a lot of snow in the Netherlands.

For the Netherlands thats a looooot of snow😀

On Friday a package of Grip Studs should arrive. I plan to install them in my winter tires. I was sort of kicking myself for buying them -- $99.00 for 100 studs -- but then came across this picture from last year. Would be nice to have those studs in case of an emergency...

Metal studs against payment on a two wheel vehicle sounds to me like an accident waiting to happen. Sure, traction may increase on ice but likely a major lose of traction on hard pavement surfaces where the spike will not penetrate. Due to reducted traction I can see the potential for a low side get off at every turn when counter steer is applied. U B careful and safe please.

Paul