Modern Vespa

Hey All—second post for me, so hello again. Since my last post I have happily become the new owner of a 2023 Vespa Sprint 150—so fun, so great for getting around the city. Learning about how people both treat you better and worse than a cyclist... but this was to be expected.

My question though is if there is a good repository of day trip routes out of the city into NJ or the Hudson Valley? Would be so nice to take a day out. I am an occasional driver in the city, have biked the city for the last fifteen years, and have taken the Vespa over the Manhattan Bridge a few times now into the city, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to take it on the highway, nor am I totally convinced this is a great idea anyway.

Would love anyones thoughts! And if there is no repository for NYC day trip routes, may one begin here!

Hey!

Hope you are well. Nice to meet you and congrats on your scoot. I live in Pearl River (Rockland County) and am constantly scooting in and out of NYC. I ride a GTS 300. I bought it in April 2022. Prior to this scoot I had an ET4 for many years and lived in Manhattan before moving up here to Rockland. My bike needs some work done (probably a new fuel pump) so I will be off it for a week or two, but once I am back up and running we should meet up. A great ride is taking Riverside Drive up to the George Washington Bridge. Once you get over the bridge you hop on 9W heading North and this will take you up through Rockland County by way of Bergen County NJ. 9W runs parallel to the palisades parkway and is a great ride. Takes you through Piermon/Nyack and other great towns along the Hudson River.

Once I am back up and running in a week or two lets do it!

JP

Hi there!

The area of Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park has nice roads for riding and is close by.

You will have to either go out of your way, or go onto I-95 for a couple of exits to cross the George Washington Bridge. It's not too bad, since traffic rarely moves fast on that span. Most of the time I prefer that route over leaving Gotham via one of the tunnels. Once you are over the bridge, you can follow route 9W for a while.

Riding on Long Island is an option too, though I am not that familiar with that area. Once you get past the more densely populated stretches of Eastern New Jersey there are lots of amazing places to ride in that state.

Are you familiar with Butler Maps? They are motorcycle specific and they are a good starting point to plan a trip. I love using them. This one covers the vicinity of New York City:
https://butlermaps.com/motorcycle-road-maps/northern-mid-atlantic-g1-map/

If you can make it to Dutchess and Ulster County the roads here are amazing. I only have to go 1/4 mile before the fun starts.

I have a bunch of ride maps that I've done over the years. I'll track them down when I'm on my laptop. Also, check out NYC Vespa Club. They do a bunch of rides out of NYC.

Hey! There are some beautiful roads in NJ. Now that fall is coming up, taking a ride 202, 80, rt 10, you can see some beautiful trees out west toward PA. Or, there's Hawk's Nest in Port Jervis. I always love 9W for a beautiful ride on a nice day, up through Bear Mtn, or heading into Nyack, Piermont, etc. Beacon is also a beautiful ride and fun once you're there.