Modern Vespa

Excellent report and great pics.
A few observations... riding up high in the mountains is one place where the advantages of FI over carbs really is apparent. While you obviously still lose power due to less oxygen, FI at least is able to maintain the correct fueling ratio. Big difference on my carbed bikes when I ride at 5000ft.
But more importantly, you've shown the appeal of using a smaller bike. I've found that when I ride my big bikes, it became too easy. Which is why I traded in a Goldwing 1800 for my Duc St4s. But now when I ride my scoots, there is just so much more in the experience when the bike is so much smaller. Maybe it's because by their very nature they are more playful. Maybe it's because we are actually using them to their full abilities, which is really hard to do on a large motorcycle w/o getting arrested or worse!

Anyway, very enjoyable. Thanks.

Hi Jim hats off to you for a really informative write up of your tour. You are the Capo! It was also great to hear the Hornet, a GT 200 . Was up to the job. I'm planning a little Italian jaunt this August. i don't have as long as you did, so my journey is a little more compressed. I'll be riding from West London to the euro tunnel, then heading across Belgium to Den Bosch Holland, and pick up a motorail train that will take me to Allesandria , just south of Turin. I'll be heading then to Rapallo on the coast near Genoa. Stay at a mates for 2 nights, then make my way to Lake Garda, via Bologna. And stay for 3 nights, then back to Alleasndria and then all the way back to London. I'm not a mile eater like you, I'm more out for an Italian jaunt. my riding off motorway seems to take 2 hours to do 60ish miles with a 5 minute stretch after an hour. This includes having to go through towns. I've a few questions. What is the address of the Piaggio museum, and is it open in August. Maybe you have the web address. Did you have to pay peage tolls in France or Belgium. Did you pre book hotels as well as finding them. Could you figure out how to work the automated petrol pumps in Italy with a credit card? Did you burn much oil or shred your tyres? I'll post a full report when I'm back. I liked your map graphics and the mileage stuff too. And nice photos. Did you make an average mile clocked per hour. Thanks gass. silver machine GTS250.

Gass

The Piaggio Museum info is here:

http://www.museopiaggio.it/en/index_en.html

In Italy, Jim was part of a group www.scootitaly.com hotels were prebooked.

Some automated petrol pumps allow you to choose your language. Made figuring them out easier.

We did a month in Italy (mid Aug - mid Sep) in 2008 and did not prebook lodgings. No problems at all.
Al

Tolls payable in France - but no such roads en route to Belgium, and no tolls in Belgium at all.

No oil burned, tyres survived just fine.

No hotels pre-booked except for the Italian ones, which I didn't have to lift a finger for, thanks Al.