Monday 20 July 2015

Where, or where, has the Big Guy been?



Well, it's been a while.

My apologies for basically abandoning the blog over the last two years.

So.... I guess I have not had any wildly out of the ordinary experiences lately. I did post in 2013 about the great ride I had to Mount St. Helen's but nary a whisper since then.

Yes, I have been riding my Vespa 250 and enjoying it immensely. Yes, I've been riding it regularly - and loving it - over the past two years. But, no, I haven't gone on a single big road trip in that time.

Last summer, I had great plans. However, my Vespa was due for it's 20, 000 km servicing. Between getting parts, waiting for appointments and a new tire, it took all summer for the servicing to actually get completed. It was close to $1000 when all was finished -sort of broke the summer fund, especially since we were on strike for about five weeks. Then, finally,  it was back to school and that was it!

Early this year I also had to replace the battery - for the second time.

Then, one day, when I started out for school in the spring, I didn't get far - the tire (brand new rear tire) had become completely flat! That was a real adventure. I tried everything - bike pump, air compressor - but nothing would get the tire to bead up onto the rim. Finally, a friend came with his truck to my apartment building and parked on the ramp leading down to the parkade. Then I rolled the Vespa up the hill (grunting a fair bit) and then rolled it precariously onto the truck bed. We took it too a tire shop and they managed to fill up the tire after removing the valve. Then it was off to another  steep hill as we somehow managed to back the Vespa off the truck! It was a real nail biter! Of course, the tire has been fine since then...

I've had the Vespa 250 GTS for 4 years now. As I look towards a summer ride, I find myself wondering - is this the right scooter for me still? Over the last few months, I have found myself looking at the Vespa 300, the Piaggio 350, the Burgman, even the Honda and BMW scooters. What seemed as almost sacrilegious a few months ago is beginning to seem like a natural progression. I would love to be able to go to the Okanagan or on Highway 1 in Vancouver sometimes, but do not feel that I can do this on my 250 - or on any Vespa, for that matter.

At least, those were my thoughts over the last couple of weeks.

Then, something happened.

More, next blog!






2 comments:

David Reese said...

I've got a Vespa 250 GTV. I've had it seven years, and it has given me no mechanical problems whatsoever. I've got 17,000 miles on it. It serves most of my commuting needs for about 6 months a year (I live in Boston). I've ridden it several times on the interstates, but it really is too light for high speed travel. But it can easily cruise 60-65 mph all day long on non-interstate highways.

I enjoy the Vespa so much I can never see giving it up. However, I plan when funds allow to get a touring cycle, so I could extend my range and not have to stay off the interstates. However, I don't believe I'd be happy with a touring cycle for local commuting. I fear it would be too cumbersome for the local semi-rural roads. I can't imagine anything being more fun to ride for short trips near home than my Vespa.

I've always enjoyed your blog. Glad you're back!

Dave Dixon said...

So, David, when I bought my Vespa, it was definitely not new - but now, I think enough of it has been replaced that it will run fairly well, especially for commuter trips. It i s a joy to ride, but, as you say, it is too light - and I find myself looking to go farther my trips.

Unfortunately, I can't really afford to have both a commuter scoot and a touring cycle. I need to have one or the other. And therein lies the rub - what do I do?