Modern Vespa

Planning on starting to work up to be ready for next year's Cannonball.

What are the must have items for all day rides. (Riding my 300GTS)

Thx

Earplugs, a little distilled water (not for drinking), a hydration bladder, spare fuel, some oil, first aid kit, emergency blanket, rain poncho, extra straps/bungees...Those are all things I have either been glad I brought or wish I had on longer journeys.

EDIT: TIRE PUMP. I nearly forgot that - and have been stuck before.

Also it's good to know that a helmet that is comfortable for a half hour is not necessarily comfortable for 8 hours.

Yeah - haven't spent more than an hour in my new-ish Shoei. Definitely going to be paying attention to how it settles in. Thx for the tips

A year is quite a long time for a lot of things to go wrong when they aren't as big a deal as halfway across the country.
My mantra is generally to not get got the same way twice.

Ride On. I have never had a flat tire (that I know of). Well, except the valve that broke off....

Spark plug. I witnessed one that had pretty much just broken in half.
Speaking of which, spare cap and lead for the spark plug. I hear they are prone to issues.

Belt, rollers, variator assembly. I saw a whole kit kerplode once. If I recall correctly it was the variator's fault.

Credit card (or wad of cash). 'Cuz you'll forget something.

I make sure to have some Clif bars or other high protein snacks for quick consuming while filling up with gas. Learned that trick while doing an Iron Butt ride. I also pack a headlamp for potential breakdowns in the dark.

I also have multiple layers of clothing. When you're riding that far in one direction, you can go through multiple temperature swings—not to mention rain/snow at higher elevations.

Did we mention every kind of plugs except for tire plugs?

Also I bring my own lithium booster pack.

I'm assuming you have some fashion of charging for your phone/GPS/comms device/camera/whatever you use? Even if it's just a cigarette lighter outlet or single USB....

Also: My GTS "I'm leaving town" toolkit included a spare exhaust gasket in a protective case.

rear tire changes ?

Or when it randomly gives up the ghost and you like not having to listen to it for the next however long. Either/or.

A comfy saddle.

Set of Robertson-head screwdrivers, foil-wrapped buillion cubes, Casio keyboard, salt shaker filled with baby powder.

That might be the funniest post that I've ever seen.

Just a small tip - If you have a heart condition don't take Five Hour Energy with you.

good boots for walking when the scoot is dead


somethings I have: fuses, obd2 reader, duct tape, zip ties, pocket knife, a couple of shifters and spanners, bottle of water, second set of gloves, half roll of toilet paper, tea towel, spare plastic bags, tie downs and bungee cords.

still need to add a pump and puncture kit.

I keep my earplugs in a case on my keychain, which is super handy. Mine came with a set of generic earplugs, but you can find something similar if you search "keychain pill case."

One of my touring pro-tips is to keep a hotel-sized bottle of hand soap and a lens cloth with you, which turns any sink into a visor cleaning station. You never know when you're going to hit a cloud of bugs or ride through some construction dust. Sunset riding is much nicer when you can see.

I find Method soap has a mild scent that doesn't transfer to the visor. If you literally use a hotel's "body wash," you might find the scent is quite strong when you close your visor.

Suitable for just about all things you might forget, next to your credit card: a Swiss army knife. You'll be amazed just what you're going to use it for, on the road.

Because you'll never know when you'll find a horse with something in it's hoof.

Even for that, my friend, you'll be happy you took your Swiss army knife! So you can cut the carrot to comfort the horse, while waiting for the horsy girls to fix the hoof.

Balaclava under/inside your helmet.

A towel.

I know that the spark plug reference was mine in Nebraska. We replaced it and that plug did the same thing on day 1 of the 2018 SCR. That is the only time that has happened to me, but it certainly was a pain, causing many stops and lost time.

The variator problem reference could have been mine, going bad on day 9 of 2014. I could have fixed it easily today, but then my mechanical skills needed work. Bringing an extra variator is a good idea for the SCR.

As far as my recommendations for things needed for long rides, it goes like this.

1. A reliable scooter with a windshield big enough to keep the big wind off of your body.
2. GPS
3. For a Vespa, bring an exhaust gasket and the tools to change it.
4. Gear enough to resist the weather. Cold, heat and rain.
5. A comfortable helmet.
6. Spare parts and tools. These can go in the support truck if you have one. The parts I needed for the Vespas while on long rides have included the exhaust gasket, belt, drive pulley, variator, spark plug, coil, spark plug cap, rear tire. While riding my Yamaha Xmax, I have only needed an oil change in the parking lot of an AutoZone using the store's tools. But that scooter is younger than the Vespas.

As for the rider, I am different than most.

I don't carry any drinks other than water occasionally.

And on a Cannonball day, I don't eat anything until the day's finish. Stopping doesn't work on a Cannonball day if one wants to compete.

Changing one's eating or drinking habits by adding high energy drinks and food seems to me to be a good way for problems. I don't recommend it.

I have never had a flat on a big ride but I know others have. I brought a mounted rear tire on my runs, but it went in the support truck. It was available if needed. Sticky string and a pump are recommended, even though I have never carried them.

Bill

Here's something a bit more holistic.

If you're going to attempt a ride longer than 400 miles plus - and it's not part of a rally you need to recognise the point when it's dangerous for you to continue riding.

Be it by your own fatigue, weather conditions or hunger, you need to confront the reality that it's possibly just too dangerous for you to carry on.

It's too easy to continue while convincing yourself that you're fine so regular stops to asses your condition are recommended.

We've all had that sensation when we've got off the bike and the realised just how cold we are, but we weren't shivering on the bike and fatigue is the same. It creeps up on you.

So if the ride is a long one, each time you fuel up, pace around and asses your condition and don't be afraid to call it a day if you're not sharp enough to keep riding.

Not only are you monitoring your condition when you stop, you're also appraising how you're going to feel in the next few hours.

Read this thread from Quezzie and what she brought on her epic ride.

Oops! Minimalist Tool Kit for GTS Touring

Maybe take up a religion

Professional quality riding clothes like Aerostich, waterproof boots, many pairs of gloves, warm feather shirt in case it gets cold, bike is 1st class condition when you start.

I'm preppin' for 23' run as well.

1) join CB forum
2) watch youtube videos on past events (GoPam is king!) 3) build your tool kit & parts: awesome tools list
http://250superhero.blogspot.com/2018/09/gear-talk-gts-touring-tool-roll.html#more
4) safety safety safety! I just picked up a new helmet and riding jacket ($650 so far on gear lol)
5) work on your scoot this season, seat time as much as you can and ride-ride-ride!
6) budget and start saving...not sure where you are from but from CB forum and my own match event is around $4-6K
7) join local VCOA group and pick brains, participate, support and strategize...

and the last most important - enjoy prep time ... long story short scootin' is my way out of the day-to-day grind...find your "pony" and ride it

Cornmeal and gun powder and hamhocks and guitar strings.

I've brought a spare motor with me ready to swap.

I always carry one of these , long or short rides . Will give a temporary seal and re-inflates the tyre to get you to a place of repair , in most cases .

Have you used it to test it's performance John?

If I'm taking an all-day ride that will return me to home at the end of the day, I really only take my gear (helmet, jacket, gloves, etc) and my cell phone. Tools, tire repair options, etc. stays home unless I'm out for a multi-day ride.

-Craig

something i learned last year, did a few long distance rides.. if you have long hair... a bandana...i cant count the number of times a single hair started floating around the front of my helmet on my face doing 110KM/hr on the highway... sooo annoying and itchy to have this little thing going in your eyes while seeing the ground fly by you haha.. cover your head/hair....priceless

Hi Coddy , I have only needed it once when I noticed the steering had become very heavy . I checked the front tyre and saw what appeared to be a large headed nail sticking out , so I used the tyre repair to re-inflate and seal the puncture . It got me home , around 5 miles , and still had air in the tyre . When I took a pair of pliers to remove the offending nail I found that it was in fact a broken piece of a brake lever about 2" long buried in the tyre with just the end showing , looking like a nail head . That sold it to me and have carried a can ever since .

I rode twenty miles to lunch earlier this week.

When heading home, Rocket, my 2006 Vespa GT, felt odd.

I quickly stopped and found a soft back tire.

I could have called AMA for a free ride home but opted to try to make the repair but my tire repair kit was snug in the garage at home.

I was able to ride slowly on the stiff sidewalks of the Michelin Power Pure tire and stopped at a Dollar General for a repair kit.

All they had was a "Fix-A-Flat" in the same can you show here.

I followed the instructions exactly and……it still leaked air rapidly out of the hole.

Finally found a guy with a sticky string kit and got it fixed and rode it home.

I won't be leaving that kit at home on long rides anymore.

Bill

I've never heard of sticky string . What is it ?

It's a type of tire repair kit. "Sticky string" that you push into a hole using a tool in the kit.

For me, it's spare prescription eyeglasses. Seems like the probability of breaking or losing glasses is proportional to the distance from home.

Looks like a good quick fix . What is its trade name ?

I've used sticky string on a fleet of golf carts for punctures, and carry it on my scoot with CO2 cylinders. Slime sells a good kit.