Modern Vespa

When I moved to Dallas in 1989, I dutifully registered my 1987 Isuzu P'up with my new address.

When I moved to a new apartment in Dallas 8 months later, I updated the registration.

A year later I moved to yet another apartment in Dallas, where I again updated the registration.

After living in that third apartment for 9 months, I received a notice from the City of Dallas that I owed them for three years (1990, 1991, 1992) of what they called a "Vehicle Value Tax", and that I also owed penalties and interest for 1990 and 1991, which hadn't been paid yet.

I wasn't aware that the city would tax me on the value of my vehicle. I didn't have a problem with it, I figure they have to raise money somehow, it was just a weird way to do it. And the amount of the tax wasn't much (I think it was between $20 & $25 per year for my truck*). So I sent them a check for the three years worth of taxes, but did NOT include the penalties and interest. I included a note stating that I wasn't paying the penalties and interest, because I didn't think it was fair to charge me for something that I wasn't aware of.

They sent another letter requesting the penalties and interest, so I called them and explained my position. The agent and I went back and forth about it a few times. I stated that I had no problem paying the tax, just not the penalties and interest. I told him that I wasn't aware of the tax, had never received a notice, so I felt that it wasn't on me. He did acknowledge that the notices they sent me were all returned to them (because I had moved before they sent the notices). I told him that it was unreasonable to expect people to move to the area and think, "hmmm, I wonder what random items I might be taxed on by the city?"

At one point, he said, "If I owed someone money, I'd make sure I knew how much it was and would pay it."

I replied, "If someone owed me money, I'd make sure they knew how much it was and that they'd pay it."

He ended up waiving the penalties and interest, and I moved to Mesquite that Fall, so I didn't owe for 1993. They did away with the tax before I moved back to Dallas in 2001.

* The tax was based on Blue Book value of the vehicle as of January 1 of the year in question, for any vehicle 7 years old or newer. If a resident of Dallas owned a vehicle on Jan 1, they owed tax on it. So a base model 1987 Isuzu P'up wasn't worth a whole lot during those three years.

I have been wanting to order a replacement First Gear Kilimanjaro 37.5 jacket. Finally decided to pull the trigger and they changed the design to the Kilimanjaro 2.0 just in the past few days which isn't near as nice a jacket and couldn't find any place with stock of the old style in my size.
Found a place in Alaska that thinks they have a shipment coming in with at least one in the shipment. So I may be getting the last one available new in my size

I find out tomorrow if they get one; if the shipment gets delivered as scheduled.

Received an order which is the first garment for our first grandchild, yet to arrive.
The model will have a leaky pipe (a boy).

Start him young, buy him a Vespa maintenance manual for his first picture book

Got my new Malossi Screen from SIP yesterday and a Sena 10R Bluetooth headset from Amazon today.

Hopefully the weekend will bring mild and dry weather so I can try them out.

So, this started off as a "pissing me off" post, but changed directions.....

I went down to my mom's farm to see her and check on my fleet of scooters overwintering there. Took them out for rides, and they seemed quite happy to be out, but when I headed off down the hill on one of the BVs I noticed the windscreen wobbling excessively...on closer inspection noted that one of the bolts was missing, along with it's outer disc. I'd previously most one somehow and fabricated a replacement, but it wasn't easy. Didn't want to go that route again, or try to procure a replacement. Managed to do my short ride without losing anything else, but wondered where/when it had fallen off. Getting back to the barn, I saw both pieces lying on the floor right where it was parked! Woot! Nice when problems solve themselves.....

It's a cool, wet and rainy day today (UK-like weather.)
We were visited by an African Grey Hornbill that sheltered under the eaves on the patio.
(I couldn't get a good shot without scaring it away.)

Innovation always interests me.

There is an Afrikaans expression: "Boer maak 'n plan"
which translates to "Farmer makes a plan" recognising the ability of people who live away from technology to come up with a solution to a problem using whatever thay have on hand. I came across a YT series of most interesting vlogs about third world practitioners of innovative repairs to all kind of mechanical and electrical components.

If you can bear the total absence of Health and Safety measures, they are fascinating...
I think they are filmed in Pakistan, which is known for being able to produce copies of all manner of machinery (and even automatic weapons) from the simplest of settings, often using just hand tools.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2g9FZIQDzV_TgaHRsl64Rg

After waiting for six (6) days and 3.5 hours, someone from IT came down today and entered their username and password, to finish the printer install on my computer. It took her all of 5 minutes, and most of that was her chatting with her lunch date who showed up as she was finishing typing her password.

So I can print to my large format printer (finally).

I'm perusing maps for a trip tomorrow and noticed something on Google Maps about a "road" that I first discovered on a Buddy 125 as an alternative to I-40 for getting off Old Fort Mountain east of Asheville, NC.
They finally updated the road name from "Fire Road" to its actual name of Mill Creek Rd!

For those who don't know, if you're in the woods & your GPS tells you to turn onto "Fire Road," especially near a national forest, that ain't the name...it's the description. This is also known locally as "the logging road" and "the backup railway maintenance road." It's just wide enough for 2 pickup trucks to pass if they're CAREFUL. It's NOT paved. At ALL. Half of it is washboard AT BEST, it's curvy enough to meet yourself going on some of the switchbacks... and most of the way off the mountain, you're either hugging the top or bottom of a cliff drop with zero guard rails.
When I discovered it on 10" wheels, I had to get creative to avoid chipping a tooth from the ruts and severe washboard.
Ahh, memories.

It makes me smile to see that they noticed the error and updated the map. I kinda wonder how the lens in the Google Car camera fared with the vibration....


The interesting part is the brown squiggly section with the red-location Mill Creek Inn

Now with a proper name and everything!

The sun is shining again...!
Vespa riding can resume in all earnest!

...and Easter holidays start tomorrow

Our kitchen sink faucet was leaking some time ago, so headed off to see my Helpful Hardware Man (TM) for a repair kit. Rebuilt the valve (it's a Delta if you really care), buttoned it up and, well, it leaked unless the handle was Just. So. Fiddled with it a bit, made it better, and as I'd just been inside of it, decided that would do. Well, way too much time passed and it was one of those regular daily PITAs, not quite bad enough to deal with, but still annoying.

Today I went after it. Decided if a reassembly wasn't going to help, we were replacing it. So, disassembled, inspected, everything looked fine, so buttoned it up, and voila! it's perfect. If I'd have known that was all it needed, it would have been done last year some time.

Now on to other successes...

Two years ago when our gas line was replaced, the plumbers that did the work cut a water line to the faucet in the back yard. I assumed that they capped the line when they cut it instead of reconnecting it.

Over the last two years, our water bill has slowly been increasing, so much so that the last bill was about 3x what it should have been. So I called a different plumber to come out and fix it.

$950 later, and he repaired the TWO lines they cut. He also told me that when he turned the water back on he saw that the meter was still running slowly, so he said we probably had a toilet flapper leak or something. I already knew that the toilet in my wife's bathroom liked to run, and had purchased a new flush & fill kit for it, I just hadn't gotten around to fixing it.

I finally fixed it on Sunday.

Our water pressure is back up to what it should be. Showers are nice again.

Hopefully this means our water bill will go back to the <$60/month that it should be.

So many times it has been my experience that just taking something apart and then reassembling it resolves the problem.

Maybe it just likes the attention.

Some years ago I'd notice my sump pump at my office running despite dry weather. Got the idea it could be a water line leak near the building and I should be a good citizen and report it. They first dug up my front lawn to put in a shutoff valve, then tested and told me there indeed was a leak..under my building. Some thousands later. the sump pump stopped running...

Michael, that's exactly what I was banking on!

When I got the "new" large format color printer set up at work, I had some questions, so I called a friend who is the manager of one of the locations of my former employer. He was very helpful, and he also mentioned that he had "a few rolls" of inkjet bond paper that he has no use for, and he'd be willing to give them to me.

Yesterday I took him up on his offer.

He gave me two rolls of 24" x 300', three rolls of 42" x 300', one roll each of 36" x 300' and 30" x 300', and a partial roll of 30".

Then today, I stopped by my old workplace and spoke with the manager there. I have no way of easily cutting anything wider than 24". I knew they had an old Dahle 556 rotary trimmer that they probably haven't used since before I left there over two years ago, so I figured I'd make an offer on it. I offered $100, and she took it. And she even adjusted it so that the final after tax price was $100. It will enable me to cut items up to 37" wide.

Some highly awarded MV member floating a new face Avatar with perfect skin claiming to be of Italian heritage

Finally got a bit of nice weather on the weekend and gave my younger son his first lesson on the new Navi we bought. He was nervous, like everyone is when they're starting out. He said his left arm/hand was going rogue and trying to kill him. 20 minutes later and he was doing figure eights in the parking lot without putting his foot down. We had fun.

The annual acknowledgement of my existence is rapidly approaching, and by that I mean all of my vehicles need new tags. All four.

The FIAT was easy because we took care of it in January, and I was able to take care of the Stella online. I couldn't renew the Volvo online because I have storage insurance on it, and the Aprilia - believe it or not - is due for its three year sticker, which I also can't do online. You have to go in to the SOS for that. The one vehicle that would automatically presume that you have limited options for transportation and they require you to do it in person. Go figure.

I called the insurance company and had coverage restored for the Volvo and proof emailed to me. My wife and I went to the SOS simply to make an appointment, because that's how it works now. There were so few people there that they took us as walk ins so the whole ordeal was done in one fell swoop.

Yay!

seamus26,

I expect States have different policies. In Minnesota, I renew all annual sticker tabs
on line for cars and scooters. You put your insurance company name and dates of
coverage. Bang, they come in the mail.

If your vehicle has only storage coverage, it is still insured. You should not have to
activate the vehicle (adding liability) to renew your tabs. Just renew it online and
use the insurance companies name and dates of coverage.

I'm sure it can be different in different States. If you renew in person, those
administrative folks, that work for the State License Dept, want to see documents
because they are swamped with uninsured drivers.

Bob Copeland
44 years Licensed Insurance "kind of guy".

In Michigan you can't (apparently) renew online with storage insurance on a vehicle. Also, motorcycles yes, scooters no. It's weird that way. I was able to do one car and on bike online, but not the other two.

About 11am I climbed on my Sprint on a warm sunny day. Road about 30 minutes north to Flippers, which is a sweet casual restaurant overlooking the water. The traffic was very light because tourist season has ended here and the snowbirds have flown home. Had lunch with a good friend who came by ebike. After lunch I buzzed home again. I love riding my scooter. What a joy. It made me smile!

Due to Covid issues, over a year ago the plant shut down the product that I own a job producing, so all of us, 7 total got shuffled around, and moved around, fill in here, fill in there, I've not had it too bad until this week and I have a supervisor mad at me, personal issues, his and not mine, so I'm now on an electric circular knife all shift, and refuse to let that job, or that man annoy me. He's the 1 chasing 'tail' at work, against Company policy and I'm the 1 who rides home on a 2021 Primavera, he's can put me on jobs that cause me a lot of physical pain and problems but he's can't take that grin away, I walk out to a scooter right near the front doors, and ya, I do have several of them, make them take turns being my ride to work!

@seamus26 & @Bob Copeland:

Here in Texas, I have to get the vehicle inspected first, then I can either go to the County Tax Assessor's office, one of 80 grocery stores in the county, or online to complete the renewal. I have to show proof of insurance at the inspection and if I do it in person at the Tax Office or a grocery store, but not if online - our insurance coverage is listed in a database that the state references when renewing online. Then we receive our window sticker in 5-7 business days.

We put our registration stickers on the windshield. For motorcycles and some specific plates, there's a sticker for the plate. I just replaced the registration sticker on my wife's car this morning, in fact.

monogodo,

Minnesota eliminated vehicle inspections 15 years ago. 99% passed the inspection.
It became a money making scam that outlived its purpose.

Although, in Texas cars last longer in your more temperate climate. Perhaps there
are some old rat clappers still on the road that are unsafe.

From a long view perspective, I get a kick out of how rules, regulations and
procedures never get eliminated just layered on with more new ones. I really
thought you strong individualistic folks from the Lone Star State would kick
off such over reach. Perhaps to many Californians moving in.

Bob Copeland
Granted - From a State that loves government over reach. aka The Nanny State.


Yes master, I will drive down to Texas and get the Hearse inspected.

I've discovered the cure for my sunken cheeks and wrinkley neck.



From tomorrow I am growing a beard!

It'll also help keep your face warm whilst riding in the winter months

Neighbours passing fresh brownies over my fence straight after I finish dinner ♥️

Awesome! Regular, or "seasoned?"

Regular

No worries about overindulging!

Riding to meet a Vespa friend for lunch.

PS: I got mine first but his is a GTS 300!


Out riding!

New battery in the Primavera today makes me happy.

Also this

Counted out my cash to bring to the dealer tomorrow!

Finally got my hagerty classic insurance for all the vintage projects that I can now register as historic vehicles tomorrow.

So, last time I was with my newish BV in storage, I was removing the tall screen it came with to install the original screen from my older one. The
screen uses expansion bolts, and one of them stuck...long story short, in trying to get it out, I wound up totally unscrewing the bolt, and, well, yeah, bolt, washer and expansion nut disappeared into the headset.

I didn't have the tools I wanted at the time, particularly a bendable magnet (never seemed particularly handy before) that I could reach around the bend. Managed to fish out the bolt, which I could see in the crack at the bottom of the headset plastic, but a bit more poking around got me the nut too....which I assumed would be a PITA to replace. Missing a washer, but I have no doubt the hardware store will provide one cheaply.

So, for all of the things that have gone wrong in the past that suck up time by the hour, this took 5 minutes!

And my beauty came home with me for the summer!

The expansion nut assembly for my Givi screen is wedged firmly in the mounting tube. Every Spring, I simply unscrew the bolt and leave the assembly in the tube. It is always there in the Fall when I go to reinstall the Givi screen.

Closed on the sale of our old house today.
Everything went swimmingly, no surprises, problems, hitches or issues.
Spent the rest of the day vacuuming my car and putting some semi-finishing touches on my new home bike-and-other-stuff shop.

So now the dust can settle, amIright?

Sully,

Congrats. Good to have that stuff wrapped up.

Bob Copeland

Aye, and perfect timing for scooter weather.
New home projects can wait....