Modern Vespa

Ok Fresno, California to Portland, Oregon.

150cc, Is it possible? I know it won't be easy.

What's the best route to take and does anyone have any more advice?

I'll be staying for about 4 days and skating with old friends.

PLZ HALP

Wear your gear, take breaks every 1 1/2 hr or so, get alot of sleep the week before.

To add to Irish Tim's insights:
* hydrate often. Water + Gatorade to replentish.
* Cliffbar for energy.
* Pre-map your route on paper and be familiar with it. So that it's "automatic" and you can relax and not be thinking about what the route should be. Leaving you able to enjoy the ride and "stay in the zone".
* Safe travels and enjoy the adventure.
* take it all in and enjoy....

Alot of sleep? I would have not even thought about it, thank you!

I was gonna use my jacket too.

Great stuff! (Avoid caffeine-which make you pee-pee alot/dehaydrates you faster. That's why enough sleep is so impt).

Cliff bars, Zone bars, etc are great but I still like the almond Snickers bar!

Good riding advice but does anyone have any routes that would be ok on a 150? Its either this or greyhound guys

I would prefer to have my own ride when I get there though.

If it was me (and I wouldn't do it) I'd take the Hwy 1 - 101 corridor up the coastline. From Fresno (I'll be driving from Santa Rosa to Fresno Tomorrow - in a Prius) find your way to Marin County, then up Hwy 1 to Legget. Then up 101 nearly all the way to Porland.

Good Luck

I would rather stay off the super highways and use less congested routes if this is possible! Perhaps your local club might be of help, perhaps someone from your local club might accompany you.

Have the oil changed or change it yourself. Have the transmission inspected, specially the belt.

Tire pressure and a jug of tire repair liquid are a must!

Bring your cell phone and have a tow service phone handy. (Not that your brand new bike might quit on you).

Try not to go overboard and reach your destination in a hurry. Remember to pace yourself and to enjoy every yard of the way.

That's my humble opinion!

I'd second the Highway 1-101 route. Maybe take 152 to Santa Cruz and pick up Highway 1 there, get through SF, and follow 1 all the way up the coast. 101 will take you up to Tillamook or other cities farther south. Cut over to Portland from there. Give yourself 3 days to get there. Don't overdo it. You'll be fine on a 150. Remember, it's COLD along the coast so dress in layers. Prepare for rain also. Stop often and take Ibuprofen.

Get a map get on the scooter and just go. Be adventurous, do it your way.


Dave

Do a mapquest to your destination, then modify it to "avoid highways"-you'll have a low speed journey this way.

How many miles is it?

843 miles 18 hours avoiding freeways. The google maps freewayless route takes me in central Oregon though. Kinda scary but fun nonetheless.

Just got it back from first service so all that stuffs taken care of.

Hmmmmmm

Storage may be a problem though, clothes and skates, skates take up a full regular backpack so I guess that leaves underseat for clothes ect. I'd use my Corazzo and all the other regular gear.

Have a patch/plug kit for tire repair on the bike....and a pump of some kind too...

Bring a spare drive belt and perhaps the tools to change it.

If you are good with crossing the Sierra, 395 runs into 97 in Oregon....then cross the cascades south of Portland.....not alot of taffic on those roads...

Your gonna want extra gas on the bike too.

Good luck, hae fun!!!

R

8)

You are planning on taking two days at least to do it.

Your not gunna jump on a 150cc and push it to the max for 18 hours?

I used to do stuff like that but I always had a bigger cycle.

I dont think that riding 18 hours from start to finish without one hotel stop is very safe.

So be carefull. And get a room.
Lucky~

Might be more fun to bring a tent and turn it into a camping/skating trip. Either way, you're sure to have a great time on your first long adventure. Be sure to take pictures to share with us when you return. Godspeed.

Why not Fed Ex your skates?

Or wear them. That'd give those MP3s something to think about

Heh!

Whenever I use Google maps "avoiding highways" for my 150, I usually add almost .5 to their estimated time. If it says 2 hours, I estimate 3. Back roads are unpredictable when it comes to timing. Also, back roads are a pretty way to go. You don't want to be looking for every little bump in the road at 60 mph. Going through Main St. USA is cool too, but it will slow you down compared to their time estimate.

Also, double check some of the highways. Mapping programs aren't 100% when avoiding major roads. Some roads are shared with major highways for short distances. You don't want to be riding your 150 at 9:30 am on a major highway with trucks bearing down on you at 80 mph. As fun as that seems, the 150 is still a small bike.

I wouldn't ride much more than 7-8 hours in a day, even though your body and the excitement will tell you you probably can, even on the ride days.

Have fun. I live for stuff like this. Post pics. I'm all jealous.

Bring something to clean your face shield.

Sometimes you just gotta do it en route.

Why bring bottles of wather, protein bars and wet wipes, when you have a TONGUE and your face shield doubles as a "protein collector"?

Ive done that ride in reverse and back in a car, on a moto, and scoot. with friends and solo.

getting to the 101 south of san fran isn't much fun. the route is really designed for trucks and autos. that will most likely be the highest speeds. the area north of san Fran on the 101 is still the hwy with 55-65 mph traveling speeds,until you get north of Ukiah. the traffic thru Santa Rosa isn't much fun


the best way would be to stay in the Sierra Foothills and travel up east of Sacramento, take hwy 49 all the way to Auburn then the 65 into Yuba City, cut over to Williams on hwy 20 thru Clear Lake then hit the 101 into Ukiah then Arcata then southern Oregon from there. the road is much more scooter friendly. the rest of the way up the 101 is great. Turn east in Tillimook on hwy 6 toward Forest Grove than the 8 into Portland propper.
Its is a longer drive than it looks with the speed limit reductions into towns and the twisty roads, waysides and gas stops.

for your first big ride take it easy plan on 3 days, to get there, camp or stay in hotels. it depends upon how much gear you can carry or how much you have to spend.

Arcata, Klamath (redwood national park) Eureka, garberville, all have great Hostels. look in to hosteling international.

give me a call or email me if you need any help planning.

chad
503.236.6530

My advice would be to allow plenty of time. Don't plan on riding more than 250-300 miles in a day. That way you have some cushion when the unexpected occurs.

Have good maps on hand - you never know when you'll have to detour, or decide a road looks interesting.

Hwy 1 from Marin to Mendocino can be chilly, even in the summer. Dress in layers.

This would be the route I would take although it is probably longer (about 1K miles) than you're planning on, and using my guideline would take you 4 days each way.

I remember reading on this site a while back (I think) about riding gloves that had some quality which made them good for wiping down the face shield while riding. Am I delirious again or is this so?

Anyway, good luck and be safe.

Just answered my own question.

http://www.clearvisiongloves.com/

I think that was a reference to chamois bits on winter gloves for wiping raindrops off.

It's actually a really good idea to clean your faceshield every time you stop for petrol on a long trip. Service stations have water and paper towel at the pumps. It's all good.

Held motorcycle gloves have a rubber squeegee sewn into the left forefinger, which is handy in the rain, but gooey bugs really require some kind of liquid to remove. Aerostich sells single use wet wipes, or there is a product called "Wee Willie" that has a spritz bottle, squeegee and small towel all in a little zip container. For long trips in buggy areas (lakes, rivers) it is great.

Don't forget that with Google Maps, you can drag the route it gives you around to try out different ways. it's really cool.

In any case, have fun! I did some trips like this back in the day on my BMW R65LS, and it was a gas, and produced lifetime memories.

I just did 5000 miles across the states on an ST1300, but have done it on a Vespa 90.
1) You can pack the area where a 2nd person would ride. I WOULD NOT wear a back pack. That's where your camelback goes. A back pack will wreck you on a long journey.

2) Even on a 110 HP touring motorcycle I found all the interstates horrible. I would avoid them at any price. I found that once I was stuck on hwy 5 coming down from Ashland Or., I was really stuck on it. I did a bit of hwy 99 up there and it was ok.

3) Camping/hiking is fantastic, but takes quite a bit of gear. My complete camping outfit ( cooking included ) weighed about 30 pounds.

4) I don't know of any gloves that will keep your hands warm if the air is cold. Consider skier's hand-warmers despite the price. Or hand guards. The conduction of heat away from your hands is unavoidable if you blast air over them at highway speeds.

5) GPS rocks! But it would be pretty awkward on a 150.

6) I'd second shipping your skates.



Russ in Mountain View.

I wish I had a picture of my zumo mounted on my LX150. Not awkward at all. Ram mount and wired to the ignition.

In the last couple of days I did Portland to Napa via I-5 on a GTV. You don't want to do this on an LX. Listen to Chad and others who say either stay on the coast or stay way inland on 97 in Oregon. It gets COLD, especially on the coast, and today it was the windiest I have ever felt as I crossed the Golden Gate bridge; Inland is less likely to be windy. The inland route will generally be warmer.

It's all about the jouney.
calculate your time, then add 6 hours.
At the time it may be about the destination, but in a few years, it'll be the journey that was important.
Stop off along the way add detours to interesting sites along the way. It'll break up the route and keep you more aware of what's around you.
And don't forget to honk and wave at kids trapped in the back of their parents cars.

when i go on a roadtrip i pack all my gear in travel spacebags (i got 5 for $20 at bed, bath, and beyond) in my duffle bag. you double the amount you can take plus it's waterproof too. i bungee the dufflebag to the back of my et4's seat with a bungee net. when i went camping this past summer i had the dufflebag on my seat, a camping chair, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and a tarp on my rear rack (with room for more); my tent on the front rack; and a messenger bag wrapped around the front legshield. you can fit a ton of stuff on a 150 with creative packing.

gerbing heated gloves are the bomb, got down to 18 degrees with mine. i have them for my et4. they have a new model witha portable battery pack too. i can't say enough good things about mine, they're the best thing i ever bought for my scooter.

www.gerbing.com

If you do the google maps and avoid highways zoom in to best detail and make sure it is not sending you over gravel roads, I have done that and an hour of it is not fun and not fast.

-Have a Camera? Take it with you and stop for great shots, gives you a reason to take breaks
-Bring a Cell Phone for any trip
-Let cars pass. Take your time and don't worry about who is behind you, when it is safe let them pass
-Wear a full face helmet and/or windshield. To reduce the wind wearing you down

Definitely what other people said about hydrating, stopping, packing the passenger seat and not a knapsack.

An inexpensive way to keep your hands WARM and DRY is to buy a pair of rubber gloves and wear them over your riding gloves. Most hardwear stores sell rubber gloves in different sizes. Take you MC gloves with you and try them on. We found CLEAR gloves at Home Depot. They ARE NOT disposable gloves, but a thick rubber, and extend about half way up the arm.

Bungie nets are good, but bags under them can shift. Consider a bungie net AND a strap down belt to hold things securely in place. A well placed back pack, on the seat, becomes a BACK REST on a long trip.

Hydration, frequent rest stops and good nutrition during the ride are VERY important. 250-350 miles per day non-highway driving should be tops for an enjoyable trip. Try to leave VERY early in the mornings. Frog Toggs for rain gear work well and pack small.

The 150cc scooter should do fine as long as you don't ride full throttle for long periods of time. Wear your gear. Take it easy and enjoy your adventure.

Janine

one word " Redbull"

Except for in the SE US where the towel holder is always empty and there is no water in the bucket!!!

Are you still rockin' that silver Scorpion 1/2? If so, Item #1 on my "to purchase" list would be a FF. I did a 30 mile ride yesterday in mid-60's to low-70's temps (depending on sun or shade), with gusts, and there were times when I was downright FREEZING. Oh, and that was at 35-45mph! I can't imagine 60ish (sustained) in cooler, shadier Northern Cal and Oregon is going to be pleasant for 3 straight days - protect that skin, boy!

Don't let the gas tank run empty! There's probably lots of fill-up chances whatever route you decide on, but don't think a 1/4 tank is enough to make the next stretch of road.

Since highway riding gets the engine hot, a thicker oil is probably best to run on.