According to the Internets, it was Jerry Della Femina who famously said that the business of advertising was the most fun you could have with your clothes on. Having only peripherally worked around Mad-Men folks a handful of years past the peak Mad Men era, I might question just how much "fun" those folks were having, but I'll say right here that my three years rejoining the motorized set, and as a Vespisti specifically, have been stupid-amazing fun. What started out as a quest to seek independent mobility in the Land That Mass-Transportation (mostly) Forgot, planning originally on a motorcycle but deciding (with a bit of arm-twisting from Sig. Other, now Le Wife) on a scooter, has led to an adventure I couldn't have possibly predicted, and all for the better. There have been deep revelations, and small-but-significant ones. In the first case, I would list:
- Le Wife, who was largely responsible for my current out-of-city existence that prompted my re-kindled desire for two-wheels-and-an-engine, however modified in format.
- Y'all here at MV: Warm, cantankerous, funny, insightful. I've learned a ton from people here, gotten to meet a few, and, to quote Peter Moore from Vroom with a View, wouldn't have experienced all this without having hopped on that damned Vespa.
In the second category, here's what comes to mind at the moment;
- My resilience, as well as insistence, in riding year-round in a part of the US that isn't particularly amenable to the concept of year-round riding. I do avoid the snowy-icy stuff now, socially after my gentle-but-nonetheless-startling low-side last January.
- The Importance of Proper Tire Pressure: Yeah, I knew this from my cycling days in Gotham, particularly as I got older, but last week I noticed how Melody was getting a tad squirrely when cornering somewhat hard, and I was all set to chalk it up to tire wear when I deicded to do a quick pressure-check, only to discover I was down four pounds each, front and rear. after topping off, all was back to normal. Normally I pay closer attention, but Stuff Happens.
- The Blessing of Red Lights: Yep, sounds crazy, but if you took my normal route to get to the train station two days a week, you'd grok me: the urgency with which you need to catch a particular train is matched by the number of slow-moving cars on the main stretch of road you'll find yourself on. My major save is when said cars hit a red light, which is when I gently slip over to the shoulder and sidle up against the lead car at the light; the moment it turns green, I nail the throttle and take the lead, meaning I end up catching my train with minutes to spare. (Before you ask: yes, I try and give myself a ten-minute cushion "just in case"...but let's just say there've been quite a few unscheduled "surprises" eating up those minutes, with aplomb.)
- You Meet the Nicest People, Etc.: Before I was "rolling my own", parking-lot experiences were absolutely meh. Since having Melody to get around on, it's almost always a cool little adventure: kids waving and asking questions, their parents and other adults coming up and asking questions, sometimes reminiscing about when they had a Vespa way, way back (this has happened more often than I might've imagined), other riders coming up to chat...the social experience has been amazing.
- A Sense of Belonging: It's sort of nice when the bike you own inspires you to think seriously about staring a club; what's even nicer is when someone nearby has the same idea, beat you to it in terms of starting a club, then invites you in.
- Kinship of the Road: From a back-of-the-envelope esitmate, I'd say roughly 80% of riders I encounter acknowledge me with the Wave or a nod; I'll cheerfully assume that among the remaining 20%, at least 15% either couldn't safely or conveniently do it, and the other 5%...well, I just won't think too hard about them.
- Station Break: My local Costco, which has its own gas station, just had new pumps put in. The nozzles now have child around the bare pipes instead of spring-loaded "boots." The old nozzles were perfect for filling my bike, whereas the new ones always have a slight overflow (about an ounce or so) before shutoff. The attendants say the new pumps "still have a few glitches", but next time I fill up, I'll have them watch me so they'll know what to report.
- Thankful for Rain: No seriously. Day before yesterday was nothing but rain (with the occasional bit of hail) and seriously high winds. The crazy thing is that, here in Asbury, we got off easy; everyplace else got clobbered with snow, North Jersey and Gotham included - train and bus service in and out of NYC was essentially shut down, and the airports fared only slightly better. I rode yesterday afternoon without fear of ice. Couldn't say that if we were 20 miles north of here.
There's more, but I'll cap it here for now. But there's a song that's been in my head, which I think mostly fits for remembering the MVers I got to know here but who've shuffled off this mortal coil way too soon:
And there's gas in my tank and I've still got a ways to go...
⚠️ Last edited by amateriat on UTC; edited 1 time
