Modern Vespa

Anyone else getting those winter scootless sads? My commute is still a mess of cinder and salt and I'm getting an itchy throttle hand. Honestly I'm willing to be cold and wet, myself, but I don't want to damage the paint and introduce corrosion.

Like many of us I think I am more concerned about its comfort than my own. Spring can't come quickly enough.

I get this every late winter, I only ride for pleasure so it's a ballache waiting for the temperature to reach 10C/50F

Its usually late March or early April before my Vespa wakes up from it's winter hibernation.

Yep.

Where I live, the hibernation period is ~7 months.

Sigh.

This time of year I can almost hear the bikes going, "Well!! We're waiting" every time I walk through the garage.

I got mine for Christmas and have yet to ride it! I just can't handle it unless its warm. Feel like she's probably angry with me at this point lol, so I really need some Spring weather badly here!

In the southwest I can ride every month. I just don't go far during the winter months as it is colder than I like, but it is mostly dry.

If you decide to join the year-round crowd, just remember: rinse the salt off when you're done and use COLD water.

Cold water washes it off...hot water just makes the salt corrode better.
(Caps to emphasize not-hot...not extra cold. )

Thankfully it is summer here down under. Winter can be harsh at Coolum Beach, need to wear gloves and sometimes a jumper ! !

No, I just ride all year round. That's what the winter beater Vespa is for. Today I did about 30 km so far.

Went to get my international driver's license for my upcoming ride across Italy, very exciting!

The crating company I was recommended for shipping my bike quoted me $1,800 to crate my motorcycle. So my next stop was my local dealership, Studio Cycle. They are going to charge me $0 instead, so I guess I'll buy an Arai for the trip if they can get my color in stock before I go.

After that I just got a haircut, and picked up some lunch on my way home. Put it under the seat to help keep it warm obviously.

I wish it were only the salt! I do put up with a bit of that and rinse and wax regularly. It's the cinder that I can't abide. My car already looks like it's been sandblasted around the wheelwells after years of driving through it.

One variant of it is PMS: Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.

One of the reasons I live in a warmer area of the country. I've ridden in to work twice this week.

Ah, where in California do you live? Up here in Oregon, I get out for a winter ride every so often as the mood strikes me. Great riding weather right NOW as a matter of fact.

Siskiyou, so just on the other side of the border. People drive like idiots over the mountains here so they get absolutely caked in cinder so fewer people earn Darwin awards. I just checked the ten day forecast and on Valentine's the HIGH is supposed to be 34F.

My last ride was in October 2022. Winters seem to get longer the older I get. Hoping for an early Spring yet probably won't be back on the road until April.

Winters are clearly milder in Ontario than Alberta! Although we are experiencing what we call 'fool's spring' right now, there is still ice, snow and plenty of salt and slush on a number of roads.

This sums it up nicely…

Dunsmuir was my favorite little town on my Crater Lake tour.

Dude, I got out for minute today because it was sunny. Got home with a big grin on my face! I was a year around moto-commuter before the pandemic. Its the only thing I miss about working from an office. Getting to ride daily.