Modern Vespa

Thanks for sharing your trip adventures. I starting following your thread when you were on Day 3 and I was hooked. I'm glad you made it to your destination safely.

Although I don't have the time or means to take a trip like yours now, it did inspire me to pull out my map and look for local areas to explore that I hadn't considered before.

Congratulations on a fabulous journey!

An incredible journey Wangta.

I am glad you have reached your destination safely and I am grateful to you for sharing.

Marc

Glad to hear the PX held out and you guys made it there!

Best topic ever, great pictures, great ride....you're awesome man.

Your right Desi, it is a beautiful ride I was just worried about lack of cell phone coverage on the ride. I also found Death Valley to be an easy place to get lost becuase there were so few signs even at some main junctions. I might try that ride again when it cools down a bit.

wangta & friend , thanks so much for sharing your trip reports & fantastic pictures. i picked up on your trip first post & read & enjoyed all of it. thanks so much nelson

the deal with the desert out here is it can play tricks on your car/bike and your mind.

the elevation between the high and low desert is enough to pay attention to not to mention the lack of water and gas stops and the hypnotic appeal of the vast areas.

a true twilight zone that can kill at the wrong time of year.

you can freeze and burn to death in the same spot with in a few months.

Lovely ride report, Wangta-- Thanks for the vicarious pleasure!

--Deborah

Thank you so much for being an inspiration to us all. We all enjoyed the vicarious pleasure of sharing your journey, and we are so glad that you arrived safely. What a grand adventure!

What a great trip! The photography was steller, scoots with mother nature is hard to beat. I would love to see a trip summary ie miles traveled each day, delays experienced, and what kind of maintainence and repairs you had to do, etc. I did catch the tires and the warranty repair. What is up with GTS tires, BTW?

Thanks again!

here is wangta(david) in venice at my place

So Cool! Congrats Wangta/David and GF. Cheers to you both for an awesome trip and sharing it with us.

oh.. all of you all make jealous... here fellow MV in Indonesia we've never gathered like that

Looks like fun and I am sure Greasy has already got your bikes running perfectly again.

Wow! Unbelievable! And Vegas to L.A, now that's an E ticket!

Inspiring post ... thanks for sharing

I always imagined that we would have such a section someday. Today is the day.

https://modernvespa.com/forum/forum20

Jess gets a thumb up!

Very nice addition for following those long treks.

A wonderful new section, Jess, to help bullet point epic adventures such as this.

Damn Jess, very cool!

Great new forum, and an awesome thread. Enjoyed the read and comments both, looking forward to seeing more!

Goose-bumpy awesome thread!

Beautiful pictures & wonderful narrative.

Great epic or mini novel.

All the makings for a movie (or book) ...

Congrats to you and your partner.

Loved every post & comment. Thanks for sharing.

Question for you, what are your thoughts on the tall Vespa windshield? I know you rode through some killer heat. Did you want to rip it off when it got hot? How about when it rained?

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, it was inspiring.

Only just saw this thread - inspiring stuff, and great photos! Thanks for taking the time to share.

Hooray awesome journey 8)

Thank you for sharing your journey with us Wangta. The pictures were amazing.

What an incredible feat. I applaud you both! I learned a lot from your journal if we ever decide to do something like that. And what a great way to see America!

wangta, so how was the first day on the job.. any reflections of this journey and was it worth it!?

ps love the pics with jimmy good smiles

Wangta, Congrats on the completion of this epic journey. Wonderful documentary and pictures!

I love hearing about long trips, now I need my husband to go with me!

Tall/Mid windshield was critical to the trip. First off, it blocks a ton of wind which helps minimize fatigue, which is a huge factor on 8+ hour riding days. Second, on the east coast we experienced a ton of rain - the windshields really helped keep us dry. I cannot imagine how wet I would of been had it not been for the windshield (you do get a little wet - the arms especially, but torso and upper body were relatively dry @ 40 mph even in torrential downpour). Third, in EXTREME heat, the windshield also helps out - while riding to Vegas in 122 degree heat I initially put up my visor and rolled up my pant legs up to my knee. When it is that hot, the wind literally feels like its coming from a hair dryer - it felt like it was searing my skin on my legs, and given the high temperature and dryness of the air, it quickly dried out my contacts to the point that I could barely open my eyes. In such temps, having anything to block the wind (windshield, visor, etc) is helpful.

I found the windshield pretty useful in all situations, but you do have to keep in mind a couple things to most effectively use it. First, consider cutting the windshield down. My windshield came up to eye-level, which allowed me to see over it, which was helpful when it was pouring rain (rain on the wind shield is sometimes difficulty to see through - especially at night). This is a good height IMHO, because it still deflects alot of wind while still allowing you to see unimcumbered. Second, get the right jacket/pants. Windshield does protect you from the wind, which is helpful when its cold, but when its hot, it cuts out some wind which might make you hotter than usual. My jacket was CRITICAL to being comfortable in hot conditoins - with minimal wind and up to 120+ degree temps, I stayed relatively cool. The jacket/pants and windshield combo is really important, especially if you are traveling through areas with different climates/weather.

Great ride report. I just read it from start to finish. I am very jealous.

fantastic! Welcome to LA!

Hey guys - wanted to get your advice. Given my issues with the rear tire stemming from my rear tire replacment at Idaho Falls, I am trying to work out getting a partial refund from Vespa Idaho Falls (Spinners).

My rationale:

1. The exhaust gasket was put on wrong (it came completely loose 100 miles down the road) and the graphite seal was installed correctly.
2. They should of known the danger in removing the exhaust at that joint
3. They should of realized I didn't have the recall kit/recall gasket installed while doing the service - they could of looked it up on Piaggio's warranty computer system (that is what Vespa Orem did after confirming the problem with their own eyes).

The cost for the rear tire replacement and 3rd maintenance service cost a total of around $220. I have no problems paying for the actual tire (~$50-$60), and the labor and parts (oil filter, oil, etc) for the maintenance service, but I think I should get refunded the cost of labor for the rear tire since it was performed incorrectly, which could of led to a really dangerous situation (no rear brake on the highway - could of caught on fire, etc.) and DID cause us to have to delay our progress by 2 days and buy a hotel room in Vespa Provo for the same number of nights.

2 extra nights at a hotel cost us over $140 total, and opportunity cost of having to stop in Orem (we did not plan on having to stop so soon)...well, that is tough to put a price on.

What do you think? I called the mechanic at Vespa Idaho Falls to discuss this and made sure to not be accusatory, irrate, etc - calmly explained what happened and politely requested a refund for the labor for the rear tire replacement (estimated to be about 50% of the total cost of the bill - around $100 which would not even cover the hotel). I really did feel like an asshole saying it - i don't think the guy did it on purpose and do believe it was an honest mistake. But I paid the guy to do a service and know his stuff! Not sure I should have to pay for subpar service...

Thoughts?

Hey Wangta, I have no guidance on your question, sorry to interrupt. But I noticed that you did not mark Nebraska on your scootered map, but you crossed in to NE on day 7. No biggie, just noticed.

Peace.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. That was very cool!

Wangta,

I noticed you were using a motorcycle headset... What was the brand/model number and how did it perform? I think I am getting a Fever for a road trip...Thanks for the inspiration....

Where does someone make a map like this one?

http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/