Modern Vespa

I'm selling my beloved but neglected ET4 to my brother in law in Des Moines.

I am going to ride it from Chicago to Des Moines next Saturday as a farewell trip . . .

Google maps says it's 334 miles from door to door using the "avoid highways" function, pegging the trip at 7 hours, 21 minutes.

For those of you who do longer trips on your Vespa, what am I looking at, realistically, for a time estimate? 10 hours?

no more ET. I need one, you could ride it over to my house While i don't do a lot of 334 mile trips on my LX for obvious reasons i'd add a few extra hours on your perceived max time. Better to be there early than late. Have a safe trip.

Based on recent experience, 8 - 10 hours depending on the roads and how hard you push it.

11 or 12 hours - though it can be done in a lot less than 10 if you use freeways - and you might want to to save time - but I'd try to avoid them, make it a 'Good Trip'.

But off freeway type roads you'd be very lucky to get better than 40 mph average speed taking into account fuel/pee/eat/drink/ stops, which tend to take at least 10 minutes out of every hour - and they are necessary!

That said, a 12-hour trip of that distance is no huge deal - just carry all the kit you might need to wear depending on weather conditions, and plenty of spare water and other nourishment should you get peckish.

334 miles is easily achievable - but do give us a write-up of it.

I'd estimate at least 10 hours. I figure you'd need some additional rest time over the car estimate. It also depends on the speed limit. If you're running 55 and the limit is higher, you have to add some time for that. Seemed like it took me forever to go a little over 400 miles in one day, but I did a little goofing around on the way.

400+ mile day-trip on a Stella?

Meh, his trip is in the Midwest plains states where traffic moves at 65 mph on the secondary roads, most of which are nearly level and fairly straight. The real variable is the amount of suburban congestion his route will entail, but he should be able to travel WOT between the lights most of the time.

On my recent trip to Colorado and back on a souped-up LX (but slowed by a lot of luggage), I averaged 330 miles/day and nearly all my riding days were 8 - 10 hours.

The only real congestion I should see is my escape from suburbia and exurbia of Chicago. Most of the route looks pretty desolate, save Cedar Rapids. If I leave at 4am on Saturday, I should be able to avoid that completely.

Interestingly, the majority of the trip is on the Lincoln Highway, which is the first coast-to-coast road in the United States. Jim, I would assume you rode on portions of it whilst in San Francisco, whether you realized it or not.

Anyhow, I'll take pictures and do a writeup (perhaps I'll use EveryTrail), but it won't be nearly as interesting or picturesque as Bella Italia Part Deux: California Girlz. Really hoping to get a couple of shots of the ET by some of those L markers . . .

Actually, I haven't made up my mind whether or not I want to sell it, or let him borrow it for an extended period of time.

I've often wondered why the abandoned the "jetsons" lines of the ET and came out with the LX.

Maybe after he's done with it, I could crate it up and send it your way . . .

Depends on how much Red Bull or 5-Hour Energy shots you put away and whether you get lost. But most important is the quality of your butt-saddle relationship and how much Monkey Butt or Gold Bond Powder you sprinkle in your shorts.

I don't disagree with any of the above advice, but I'd want to get off every hour or so to walk around and give the ol' glutii maximi a stretch.

Also, if you can find a sheepskin to sit on, your posterior will thank you.

I actually have a homejobby sheepskin seat cover with a buttbuffer underneath it. Very comfy.

STINKY i know the ET lines are classic. You could put yourself in the crate and i can ply you with macadamia nuts I'd loan it because you know your ET will phone home eventually

Here is my formula for calculating trip time on my ET4.
Assuming I'm avoiding every highway I can when riding the scooter:

1) Get the Google estimated trip time for a car (don't select"avoid highways")

2) Double it.

I've done this for four years now and the results have been very consistent.

Now, back to your own scooter routing...
Do not trust the "avoid highways" setting on Google maps or your GPS unless you are fond of surprises.

I generally plan my trips this way...
1) Use Google and select "avoid highways."
2) Then go over each leg of the trip and compare it to paper maps to eliminate the highways it sends you on anyway*
3) Redraw the map to your new specs.

I find the printed Google directions a bit hard to follow when on the road, so I'll usually write my own set of simpler-to-follow directions. For example, Google will print out every single turn and direction change when all you need to know is follow the signs for route 65W until the next town.

*OK, you may get lucky and Google really will avoid all the highways. In my experience...it will just avoid most of them.

Damned good info.
Thanks much!

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Stinky - I'd plan on at least 11. Google maps is AWFUL at estimating real world time.

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Google once told me a trip on my P would take 7 hours. It did not factor in the gale force head winds, hail storm, 2 hours of first aid to a biker in a ditch, hour and a half trip with the ambulance, 4 hours of drinking with the injured bikers greatful buddies, hour and a half ride back to the scoot.
travel time 22 hours

Have fun!... plan to ride half way, spend the night in a town with some history, get up have a nice breakfast and visit the local sites and then ride the rest of the way.

If you make it a 10 hour marathon ride, you will hate yourself by the time you get there. I have ridden 12 hours in one day, with stops, it's not so fun. In the last section, you are so focused on "getting there" you miss half the stuff to see. There is always something to see.

just an idea.

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I just recently did a 300+ mile trip just to do it...
7.5 hours.
I did great until I hit about 250 and started making excuses for gas stops.
Monkey butt powder is only good for 200 miles and less than 80 deg weather.
Start early as possible to avoid as much heat and traffic as possible.
As for map reading....
Memorize only as far as you can go between fill-ups.
At each stop read the next set of instructions for 60 miles or so, don't over load the gray matter with too much information.
Time travel... I think you can estimate 1.5 times what MapQuest or other mapping software will tell you.
You will miss your little ET...

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Stinky-

How often does google anticipate fuel stops and for how long? What's the range on your scooter as compared to that, and then figure how often you would have to stop or want to stop.

We found that 1 to 1.5 hours riding earned a reasonable length stop. No mileage, just time. Fill up, pee, drink, relieve monkey butt and, when appropriate, a bite to eat. But then, we weren't attempting endurance.

Kalo taxidi!

Al

post a map of your intended route please. I use to live in Northern Ill and might have some suggestions for you to see or save you some time.

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Really? My experience is that the times given by google maps are spot on. It does not take stops into account but if you keep the stops short you can still come in at or around the google times.

Thanks for all of the additional info . . .

Anyhow, here's my intended route:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg=ptm&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=103441593297829534059.00048e6c06e09db1e54f6&ll=41.845013,-90.285645&spn=4.148989,11.282959&z=7

I have two gts 250's and my beloved ET4. Instead of trying to ride it such a long way, be kind, go to Hertz and rent a small van to carry that baby to its new home. I love my ET4 but anything over 200 miles in traffic calls for the 250.

Looking back into my log book from my Colorado trip for a similar segment, I see that on day 3 coming back I did 301 miles from Marysville, KS to Hannibal, MO on US Rt. 36 in 7 hours, 5 minutes, including 3 gas stops and a stop for lunch.

????!! It's a motor vehicle, for God's sake, and perfectly suited for a few hundred miles on US 30. Easy peasey!

Rental box van?
Sounds like a perfectly good way to ruin a fun trip.

Poop.
My personal best on my ET4 is 561 miles in one day.
It took me 16 hours including very short rest stops for gas and food, which means I only averaged 35 MPH.
I wouldn't want to do it as a regular thing, but I have many riding days well over 200 miles.

Don't sell that little machine short!

By the way, I'm not against a trailer if time is short, but otherwise...ride!. 8)

here is an option for you

out of geneva drop down and take kanville rd to kessinger rd / co hwy 41 to
co hwy 12 south to
co hwy 7 west, which turns into co hwy 2

This will get you out of Dekalb and Rochelle which both can be a pain sometimes.

Then you pick up 38 again in Franklin Grove

Or

take Franklin rd south to US 30 and also bypass Dixon and most of rockfalls as well.

I think it may be partly due to where I travel - around the greater Boston area traffic can slam to stop and go for miles outside the city. Really throws a wrench into the works

Good luck !!! that is nearly the length of Ireland

I think your estimate of 10 hrs is about right. I base this on the many local day rides our club has done - usually around 100 mile trips. The average, per my Nuvi 765, is always right around 33 mph. This includes all the rest stops (roughly every 40 miles).
The last part of my ride back from New Orleans ( Jack's New Orleans to Palm Beach Adventure ) was 314 miles, in about 10 hrs. I was stopping to rest every 40 to 50 miles, usually 15 to 20 minute stops. I spent the better part of an hour (maybe 45 minutes) at Bruce Rossmeyer Harley-Davidson in Ormond Beach.
Now the butt matter is another story. Before this seat, the best I could do was maybe 50 to 60 miles, before I was seriously sore. With the new seat and a sheepskin, I was only sore for maybe the last 50 miles of this trip.
At any rate, take your time, don't push yourself, you'll enjoy the ride I'm sure.
Have fun, Jack

PS I ride speed limit or less

Okay, so I just don't have the heart to sell the little guy.

I'm still riding it out, but looks like I will be lending it to him for an extended period in exchange for buying insurance and plates.

All the ET wants is to be ridden . . .

Rent a van ? Are you mad ? Wasn't the clue ride ?

All that way in a cage ? Boring !!!

Bill X

Oops, I'm sorry. I thought this thread was about Relativistic Time Travel. I now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Interesting Coincidence... I am toying with the idea of riding from Greendale, IN (Cincinnati, Ohio vacinity) to Naperville, IL (Chicago suburb) Labor Day weekend. Rode on my husbands Harley a few years back out west to Colorado, then into Deadwood, and through Des Moines on the return. No problem for nice comfy Mustang seat...

I am worried about the time on the scoot. I have made this trip by car in just under 4 hours consistently for the last 18 years... now taking the backroads will definietly add some time. Just don't know how well I will hold up... the time it takes doesn't really matter... I would like to do it for the adventure of the trip.