Modern Vespa

I was riding this morning despite warnings of a snow squall. I made a couple images just to prove to myself the scooter looks good in the winter time. The yellow riding jacket is my nod towards visibility....

This is my Vespa in front of Mount Nittany, icon for Penn State, Happy Valley, and Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions.


And this was farther along near one of the local dairy farms. Classic rural scooting, just what the Vespa was designed for!

Brrrrrrrrrrr..........

What he or she said. Yikes.

Everyone says I am crazy to ride in the cold. Others fear mightily for the integrity of the scooter. I began to soften to these arguments until one of my colleagues commented that he skis as fast as I ride and in much colder temperatures so what was I worried about?

I have to say that as much as I like riding on a warm day, I love riding on the cold days! It is really something.

steve

Yeah, but can you do the snow-plow on your scooter? Would you want to?

Hmmm.... I wonder if someone makes a plow for the Vespa. Guess I would need chains on the tires for maximum grip.

I have no plans to actively seek out riding in the snow. I suspect I will get caught in a flurry or snow shower from time to time but I won't be heading out with snow on the road.

I've dispensed with the salt issue---I just don't care. I have washed my truck three or four time since I bought it 3 years ago. My Leica M6 camera is brassing from the hundreds and hundreds of rolls of film that have gone through it. I like using machines but have never been very good at caring for them. I always just get a new one when it doesn't function right.

I have tried washing the scooter a couple of times---what a bore. I guess I will never be a collector. I think I have been banned from the Harley Store as someone unsuitable for Harley adoptions.

After riding in salt, just hosing it (with the garden hose) is enough. I want my precious vespa to stay with me 4ever...

Check out our New Year's Day ride last year. As you can see fom some of the shivering riders, it was kinda cool that day! IIRC it was about 50 degrees but at the top of the mountain it was more like 35. Brrrrr indeed!

Also of interest in the photos is the presence of the pre-Zombie version of Nukie's old ET4, the one with the custom green paint and pink flames. It sure looked nice before those punks stole it!

http://www.sqream.net/sqream/Ride1-01-05.html

Here ya go: At 6500 feet above Lake Isabella in the Green Hill mountains in California. Not a modern, but dang it was cold up there. It was snowing on us as we rode up and we couldn't feel our fingers even through our thick winter gloves with liners in them!!!

Nice shot. I like riding in the winter. What's wrong with me?
That's how it looks around here at the Jersey shore this week. We've got 3" of snow now, but it's been plowed and the streets are mostly dry (except for some ice patches). They're forecasting for another 12-hour duration snow storm to start overnight.

Just have to say: this is a really beautiful shot. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for the compliment on the picture. As it gets colder I find it more difficult (or I'm less willing) to stop and shoot pictures. I stopped the other day to make a photograph of the Vespa in the Wal-Mart parking lot surrounded by SUVs and wild Christmas shoppers. I pulled out the camera and because it was so cold the battery had given up so I could shoot anything.

I am planning to do a photo project around the Vespa or riding or something.....

steve

Nice shot, Steve.

Coincidentally, I just came back here to MV after reading your blog. Haven't been there since about Thanksgiving. Got there from your comment on Gary's blog. I was tempted to take mine out yesterday. The saddle's off, but I could ride for a while with a chunk of plywood across the bucket. Got busy replacing a lamp in the front yard and never made it out.

Riding around with a piece of plywood as a seat doesn't sound like fun and we all know riding scooters is about fun.

Gary's post today on "The Baron in Winter" titled "Danger Cold" is pushed past where I am willing to go. At least for now. I started the Vespa up at the end of the day today after it sat outside for 9 hours and it didn't want to idle at first. And the temperture was around 15 degrees at that point. Can't imagine riding in -5 degree cold. That is curl up with my wife weather.

steve

Ah ha, another adventure rider!!! I love that picture.

Mt Nittany, eh? Wondered where Penn State came up with that name. I remember thinking as I rode my bicycle across PA a couple of summers ago (and likely over this mountain...) how neat it would be to do a scooter trip there! I think that on one memorable day, we had more turns in the ride than miles

I've been riding every day, and I've only missed a handful of days when the roads weren't cleared of fresh snow. I've always rode year-round with my motorcycles, but the scooter is so much warmer. Equipped with a full-size windscreen, heated vest and gloves, I ride in sub-freezing temperatures in comfort. I still average between 30 to 50 miles per day.

Click on the image, if you want a bigger picture.

Down here many park their bikes when the temps dip below 60. No kidding! I'm like you though, I ride year round thanks to Gerbings!

Here's to many non-snow days for you!

I am still riding also. A balmy 23 yesterday, and this morning was 21. By this afternoon they are calling for 58, hope so, scoot on, Beale.

It's 68 degrees in Dallas today. My husband installed the GT windscreen and it looks great but the scooter is still in the shed. I don't ride just for the sake of riding; I like to have a destination. Right now have some work to do on the computer. Here is a photo of how the Isotta windscreen looks on the GT.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/escaloni@sbcglobal.net/detail?.dir=/a1f4&.dnm=274dre2.jpg&.src=ph

I know, it's a shame not to get out and ride today. My husband is out doing some last-minute shopping but he wanted to do it in the car. If he agreed to go on the scooters, I would have chucked my work and gone with him!

Lisa

Husband just came home and instead of getting exercise walking to the bank (a destination!) we will go scootering instead because we came up with a few more errands. Getting both scooters out and riding around and I can't wait to try out my new windshield even though it's not that cold out. I don't like wind on my chest, warm or cold!

You've always wondered the difference between you vespa and a snowmobile; well not much, at least to this Italian Scooter club.

http://www.doninside.com/newsclero/index.php?title=snow_vespa

ARC
Rain, Shine, Summer, Winter on the road everyday in Manhattan

That's crazy. I love the spiked tires, though.

Snow scooters.....

That's just wrong....