Nathaniel Salzman

Chicago area designer, writer, maker and journalist.

Scooters & Motorcycles

April 16, 2009

Ride log: The Wobble Strikes Back

4/16/2009 — The weather today was simply gorgeous, so I geared up, put in my ear plugs, and decided to get lost in the west metro. Unfortunately, not far up the road my infamous wobble returned and remained for the duration of the ride. It came and went here and there, but was pretty consistent. On – Read More –

April 16, 2009

Ride log: Ghosts In The Machine

4/15/2009 — With my Vespa at the vet overnight, I figured I’d extend my light rail travel from the day before and see the city. I caught a ride with The Mrs to her office and hopped on the train from there. She’d just passed her riding test with flying colors, so good scooter mojo was – Read More –

April 14, 2009

Ride log: Wobble, Wobble, Wobble

4/14/2009 — For the most part, I’ve been able to treat my lack of employment as a much needed vacation. Most days I scour the net for opportunities, email out resumes and portfolio links, do some odds and ends around the house, and then my day is my own. It’s not a bad way to live, – Read More –

April 13, 2009

Ride log: Bob’s Cycle Supply

4/13/2009 — When my role as a statistic of the recession is over, I have a number of purchases I want to make. The MINI needs tires, the Vespa needs cowl guards, and I badly need a new helmet. My current lid is a $100 Fulmer Modus — good enough to keep my melon intact, but – Read More –

April 11, 2009

Ride log: Como Zoo

4/11/2009 — This morning I got a fantastic invitation from two scooter buddies for a trip to Como Zoo in St. Paul and some grilln’ goodness. We set off from their place in the Linden Hills area down Minnehaha Parkway, then across the Mississippi River on the Ford Parkway bridge. The weather was positively gorgeous. Blue, – Read More –

April 11, 2009

Ride log: More Tire Trouble

4/10/2009 — Sometimes a ride doesn’t go the way you plan. Sometimes a ride doesn’t go at all. The day before, I’d replaced the tire valve cores on both my front and rear tire. It seemed prudent advice from the community at Modern Vespa. My main concern was the rear tire, as that had been my – Read More –

April 10, 2009

Ride log: No Outlet

4/9/2009 — Thursday’s ride began with disappointment. Even with my buzzer switch installed, my starting issue persists. No time to fix it though, I had places to go and people to meet. I rode familiar roads to western Bloomington to meet with a professional staffing agency about some job possibilities. Having mapped the route beforehand, I found – Read More –

April 8, 2009

Ride log: Stupid Mistake

4/7/2009 — Today’s ride began with a revelation. This whole season I’ve been fussing with a starting issue. My theory was that there weren’t enough cranking amps to properly engage the starter solenoid — so upon hitting the starter button, the starter motor would just spin freely and not engage the flywheel. Since my battery was properly – Read More –

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