In November, I reached the two year riding mark. I’ve now ridden about 10,000 miles on four different scooters. In short, it’s been a blast. This is easily one of the best things I’ve ever gotten into. But as fun as the riding has been, I’ve enjoyed the people even more. From the fine folks at Scooterville and Blue Cat Motors to the local crazies like Dave Harrington, Kent Aldrich, and Pooter. Scooter people are the best. This season really has been great — full of fun rides, another great Rattle My Bones rally, and lots of seat time on my Vespa. The biggest difference for me from last year was just how much more regular riding I did this season. Summer was wonderfully temperate, even if Autumn was a bit wet. Still, I commuted on my scooter much more often than I did last year and about twice as far each way. And though I never got sick of it, I did sometimes struggle to reclaim that joy of riding for riding’s sake. I’m sure a winter of ride itch will cure me of that very soundly.

2009 was also the start of the ride log here on my website. I’d been blogging about scooter stuff from time to time, but 2009 was my opportunity to really chronicle the whole season. So in case you missed them, I’ve listed my ride logs for the 2009 riding season. Keeping them has been so much fun and I sincerely hope they’ve been entertaining. Here’s to year three! Here’s to 2010! Keep it shiny side up, everybody.

October
Make up your damn mind!
Epic autumn meandering
Ingenious contraption

September
The start of autumn / new tires

August
Then the dipstick fell off
Tiny planes
Rattle My Bones 2009
RMB Check Ride #3
Home Safe
RMB Check Ride #2

July
Bearded Lady 2009

June
RMB Check Ride #1
Los Vesparados

May
Sunset Parkway
Commute!
Pilot Knob
One wheel in front of the other

April
New Helmet
Urban Touring
Medicine Lake Meandering
Country Road
The Wobble Strikes Back
Wobble, Wobble, Wobble
Bob’s Cycle Supply
Como Zoo
More Tire Trouble
No Outlet
Stupid Mistake
Errant Errands

March
Ice Road Scooter
Why I rode my scooter today
Scooter Season 2009 is officially on!

October 31, 2009 — With The Mrs out of town visiting friends, the nearly 60º weather today meant I simply had to get on my Vespa while I still could. Weather lately has been gloomy at best. With the wettest October in the history of civilization, I had pretty much given up hope on doing any more riding in 2009. Weather forecasts now look like rideable weather all week long. I’m not really complaining, it’s just that I thought we were done. I’ve already started winterizing the scooters! And by winterize, I mean run stabilized fuel through both scooters until they run out of gas, then park them for the winter. Thankfully, neither bike is fully empty yet, so I was able to make it to a nearby station and fill up for a much needed ride.

My route was nothing remarkable, other than the simple fun of being out on a scooter. I wound my way up Hwy 13 through the Mendota area and into St. Paul. I crossed over the Smith Ave. bridge, which is one of the most spectacular views of the St. Paul skyline you’re going to find anywhere in the city. Taking 5th St. back up to Snelling via Montreal, I eventually wound up on Ford Parkway headed back toward Minneapolis. Presented with the Mississippi, I did something I don’t normally do. I headed upstream on the river parkway on the St. Paul side of the river. Usually I go downstream to catch Minnehaha Parkway via the Minneapolis side. I’m so glad I deviated. I wound my way through the U of M campus and eventually crossed over on Franklin on the 10th Avenue bridge just parallel to the infamous 35W bridge. Heading back toward Eagan, it was great fun to be racing nothing but the sunset. I had nowhere I needed to be, and nobody who needed my attention. Just me and my Vespa. La vita dolce!

The Mrs and I headed out for a lovely late afternoon ride through Mendota Heights, St. Paul, across the river, around Lake Harriet and back. I’ve spent so much of this riding season commuting the 34 mile round trip back and forth to work that I’ve almost forgotten how to ride for the sheer joy of it. Autumn is renewing that for me. Some new rubber is helping also.

A week ago, Scooterville installed a pair of Heidenau K61 sport tires on my Vespa GT. The OEM Vespa tires are simply awful. Their cross-tread pattern is noisy, wears quickly and unevenly, and puts a hum through the whole bike because there are so many little patches of rubber and tread to push through. My rear had also worn almost completely bald down the center in less than 4000 miles. Even worse, the tire had cupped very badly. This shook and shimmied the bike at various speeds and now I understand just how much tires had to do with the wobble I dealt with earlier this season. That’s all over now. These new Heidenau K61s are amazing! My Vespa is now silky smooth and amazingly grippy in the corners. What’s more, the smoother tread pattern means noticeably less rolling friction. So my Vespa is actually now quicker with these new tires, or so it seems. More than anything, the change in handling is outstanding — at least once I got the tire pressure figured out.

The GT series Vespas are actually very sensitive to tire pressure front to back. The rear tire is supposed to be at about 34 psi and the front at 26 psi. This differential is actually critical to how the bike handles. When I first got the bike back from Scooterville, both tires were at about 36 psi and the bike was alive. The front end was especially twitchy. But once I adjusted the tire pressure up front, the handling was just butter. In fact, where the Vespa was a bit tentative in corners on the old rubber, now it turns in eagerly and holds a deep lean with no trouble at all. This increase in grip has made a profound difference and I’m falling in love with the Vespa all over again. Just in time for autumn.

High points
When The Mrs and I swapped scoots at an empty parking lot. She rode the GT around for a while and I zipped after her on her pink Buddy. Very fun to appreciate the differences in character and performance between two scooters that at first glance might seem very similar. She’s now interested in the NCY suspension upgrades available for the Buddy. Can’t blame her — that Vespa is very comfortable.

Low points
None really. We rode into the setting sun for a while and had to divert around some road construction, but that’s all part of urban adventure riding!

Los Vesparados: The Art of the Scooter
Ride Log: Los Vesparados

I gear up and hop on the Vespa for what was going to be a leisurely ride over the Mendota bridge then up Minnehaha Parkway over to Lake Calhoun. Everything was going just swimmingly. I’m passing cars and zipping up Hiawatha Avenue ready to turn on E. 54th Street to connect with Minnehaha Parkway. As I squeezed the brakes for the intersection, I noticed right away that something wasn’t right. My stopping power was greatly diminished. Stopped at the light, I squeezed the brakes independently and sure enough, it was like I had no rear brake at all. That’s no good. I pull completely off the road behind a row of cars parked for access to the fantastic Minnehaha dog park. No sooner had I set the center stand when I saw my problem: my engine oil dipstick was gone. Poof! Vanished! There was hot oil absolutely everywhere, including my boot. That explained the rear brake weakness. It must have wiggled its way loose over time and finally dropped off somewhere along the way.

I shut the engine off straight away and thanked the Maker that I hadn’t seized the motor from lack of oil. If the Vespa weren’t liquid cooled, I very well probably would have. I looked to where I’d come from and saw a distinct and messy trail of oil in a long line and several puddles that ultimately culminated in a hot, stinky pool of brown underneath my engine. I couldn’t believe how much oil I’d left on the ground. There isn’t much crankcase oil in a scooter to begin with — about a quart — there just couldn’t have been much left. So much for Wheels of Italy. Now I’m stuck sitting in the noon day sun waiting for a tow. On Twitter:

I called The Mrs, TM’d Bree, then gave a call to Vespa Roadside Assistance. Because it’s Sunday, Scooterville (and every other bike shop for that matter) was closed and wouldn’t be open again until Tuesday. There was Leo’s South in Lakeville, but that’s a bit of a trek on a tow truck. I called Leo’s and they didn’t have a dipstick plug anyway, so that was no good. My preference would have been to drop the bike off at Scooterville, but with nobody there I didn’t want to just leave it in the parking lot where somebody would vandalize or steal it. It didn’t hit me until an hour later, as the tow truck arrived, that all that was really wrong was a missing screw-in part. I can fix that. Let’s just go home.

After an hour of waiting and walking back up the road looking for my missing plug, the tow truck arrived. Bob, my new tow guy, and I, got the Vespa strapped down and headed the 10 miles back to my garage. Good thing too. Had we taken it all the way to Lakeville I would have been beyond the 12 mile radius where Vespa is fitting the full bill. So in this case, just going home saved me about $50. Now I just need to procure a new plug, change the oil twice for good measure, and remember to always give that little bastard a tightening turn before I go anywhere from now on.

I only attended two of the rally’s four days, which is what I’ve done every year. The rally technically starts on Thursday night with a cities-wide scavenger hunt. I’m not from this area, so my ability to find obscure landmarks is not going to be even remotely competitive. So my rally always starts on Friday with the history ride. This year John took us to two great locations: the Sibley and Farbough homes and historical Fort Snelling where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers meet. We went to these locations last year as well, but this year we got guided tours at both locations. Very cool. I know that historical sites aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. But our group of 25-30 scooters had a great time reliving the early days of Minnesota.

Like last year, I helped block this ride as a warm up for the big Saturday ride. It was good practice — took me a few intersections to get my rhythm back. Soon enough though, it all came back to me. Decked out in orange, flag waving off my mirror, zipping by the caravan of scooters — it’s a rush. After our tours, hundreds of scooters gathered at Scooterville for the four separate Friday night rides: vintage, modern shifter, twist-and-go, and virgin groups. I arrived at Scooterville a while before the action. I wanted to see everybody trickle in. I wasn’t disappointed. Soon the place was overrun with scooters of every stripe. Fabulous. My favorite was Kent arriving on his 1957 Triumph Tessy — and he didn’t just have a great vintage scooter, he had an outfit to go with it. Each group left with a handful of blockers and made their way to the 331 Club. My favorite part of that ride was crossing paths the other groups here and there as we made our way to 331. Blocking was a challenge, with just a couple of us per group, but thankfully everybody made it without incident. There was food, there were shenanigans, everybody seemed to have a great time. The Mrs and I took off relatively early to tend to our pups, but I figure the party went on well into the night.

August 15, 2009 — As far as I’m concerned, Saturday is the rally. It’s breakfast at Square Peg. It’s the big ride. It’s the Gymkhana. This year did not disappoint. Seeing a parking lot full of scooters is always highly entertaining. Joe, our fearless ride leader, asked me to give the rider briefing. We reviewed hand signals and basic formation, but I think the smartest thing we did was ask everybody to lay off using their horns so that we blockers could use ours to alert the pack to our movements. That made a big difference in our ability to move through the group and keep everybody together. I was greatly relieved to see that our crew of blockers had grown considerably from our check rides. We had a nice little squadron of blockers and with flags flapping and orange vests donned it felt like we were the RAF ready to defend London. The ride went off without a hitch and with very few breakdowns — most notably our illustrious event coordinator, Kent, who was supposed to be our caboose. Thankfully, he was up and running within a few minutes and finished the second half of the ride bringing up the rear.

Just like last year, Blue Cat Motors hosted lunch, the Gymkhana, and the rest of the day’s shenanigans. Lunch was greek pittas and the gymkhana got running right away. I have to give huge credit to Pooter for organizing a great course. Last year, the gymkhana didn’t get rolling very quickly and the obstacles were pretty intimidating. Only a few people participated and one of the obstacles was actually broken before the event got going at all. This year, Pooter took it upon himself to not only get the event going right away, but he built a course that was challenging and that anybody could ride. Folks lined up in droves and several people rode the course more than once. Scooterville’s Steve Anderson gave side car rides to kids during the action. Great fun. The obstacle course was followed by the tractor pull, and then the slow race. Great stuff. I got lots of photos and lots of video. I’m really impressed with the ease and quality of video I could take with the iPhone. Sadly, the paintball jousting got cut off this year when the skies opened up with rain. Folks scattered, myself included, but it’d been a great day regardless.

High points
Oddly enough, the history tour was my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the whole event and all the scooter parts, but seeing what was essentially the birthplace of Minnesota and the great collection of artifacts and objects that went with that was just great. I also especially enjoyed meeting new area scooterists and even some readers!

Low points
My only regret in blocking the big ride was that I didn’t get to really do the ride with the group. I was so focused on staying safe and blocking intersections that I didn’t really get to experience the spectacle of so many bikes snaking their way across the countryside. It’s a small price to pay, but maybe next year I’ll only block half the ride.

Five people showed up.

Last year we had at least a dozen or so people on some of the check rides. This is kind of disconcerting. I’m sure people will jump in day of and help out, but it makes a big difference to know where the heck you’re going. I suppose that’ll be part of the adventure this time ’round.

We ran the route once again and I do like it more and more each time we do it. This is a much easier route than last year’s winding, 75 mile trek through the Grand Rounds and around Lake Minnetonka. Although I must say, for all its complexity and what seemed like 1,000 intersections to block, you just can’t top those two staples of Twin Cities riding. When I’m looking for a great route to ride, those or the first two routes on my list. But for the rally, it’s not really about the route at all. The big ride, as organizer Kent Aldrich will readily admit, is about spectacle. It’s a parade. It’s a mile-and-a-half long snake of buzzing scooters completely taking over the road for a few minutes. The average speed of the ride is going to be about 25 mph, which is what we ran the route at today. It takes a while, but that’s kind of the point. It’s going to be so much fun. Part of me wishes I could just take it easy and be part of the pack, but the thrill of zipping past the group 40 mph faster is just too good to pass up.

High points
The highlight for me was Diego and Santiago both showing up on their Genuine Blur 150s. I rode a Blur last season, and save for the awful saddle on it, it’s one of the most brilliant scooters available anywhere. I have no regrets about my switch to my Vespa GT, but seeing not one but two Blurs in our group was oddly emotional. I like to think that machines have some sort of spirit. Not a soul, per say, but some sort of fabulous energy that comes from so many components coming together by someone’s design to do a specific thing. The Blur is definitely that way — any scooter, really. Hearing that familiar exhaust note each time we left a stop — then especially a couple times when Santiago went flying past me in fast turns — it was almost like seeing an old, estranged friend or even an ex-girlfriend. It didn’t make me want to trade back, but it did make me wish I could have both — especially when later I found out that Genuine is bringing over a 220cc EFI version of the Blur.

Low points
The poor turnout. Sure, it was still a fun ride, but I’m just hoping that we have enough actual blockers come Saturday. If we have the 230+ riders we had last year, we’re going to need them.

This is only my second truly close call with another vehicle, but this one was much, much closer than the previous incident. Usually close calls and oblivious, cell phone absorbed drivers just piss me off. This time I didn’t have that same gut reaction — that visceral rage. Mostly I just felt relief. I’d done what I was supposed to do in that situation. I grabbed as much brake as I safely could and held my line. I didn’t try to brake and swerve at the same time — a common newbie rider mistake that will dump your bike every time.

My only irritation is that I let my attention wonder for just a brief second before it happened. I’d passed several emergency vehicles in the previous few minutes and just before this situation unfolded a fire truck had emerged sirens and lights ablaze from a side street on my left, headed in the opposite direction. I changed lanes from the left lane to the right lane just to be sure I was out of the way. I looked back over my shoulder, then forward just in time to see the Jeep turning in front of me. Had I been paying proper attention, I would have anticipated his turn and probably would have been completely stopped by the time he swung out in front of me. A valuable lesson to learn. Eyes front, soldier. I said a short prayer of thanks, slowed down a bit, and made my way home without further incident. This certainly hasn’t turned me off to riding, simply emphasized how important it is to take riding seriously. It’s all part of artfully dangerous living.

High points
An otherwise very enjoyable ride home in fabulous weather. I’ve also finally found a smooth and expedient route home. Also seeing that my instincts have been well trained. I did the right thing for the situation. There’s comfort in that. I stayed calm. I didn’t panic. I kept it shiny side up and lived to ride another day.

Low points
Being reminded of the ever-present dangers involved in riding scooters on city streets. It’s sobering, but it’s lessons well learned.

I was excited to meet up with Joe, Pooter and the gang for another run of the Rattle My Bones route. I couldn’t make the previous check ride and apparently the route had changed significantly since that first time we all ran it. I was also hoping to arrive at the Square Peg Diner in time to have breakfast — the food is fantastic and I highly recommend their establishment. Thankfully I arrived with just enough time to devour a delicious combination of two english muffins, two fried eggs, and a foothill of hashbrowns. Great fuel for our 80 mile urban ride.

The seven of us mounted up on what was almost an all-Vespa group (we had one Genuine Buddy Blackjack with us). Since it’s a common starting point, the first 15 minutes or so of the ride route are just like last year — winding our way through the marginally abandoned semi-industrial section of eastern Hennepin Avenue. Last year we meandered our way all the way across the Twin Cities, ’round Lake Minnetonka, and back across town to St. Paul. This year’s route loops us around White Bear Lake and where last year we rode almost all of the Grand Rounds, this year the surface streets seem much more rural. That’ll be a lot easier to block in terms of traffic, but some of the intersections are going to be a bit complex.

The half way point is a grand little cafe called Ingredients. Although our stopping point has options ranging from semi-fast food Chinese to biker bar burger fair, I’ll definitely be having lunch at Ingredients come ride day. The food is fantastic. Even my simple lunch of rice, beans, and avocado was spectacularly gourmet.

Much like last ride, we had a tire incident that paused our progress. Thankfully a spare was on-hand and we were rolling along again in a few moments. Once we wrapped the ride up at Blue Cat Motors, I felt like I had a much better handle on what the ride will be like. Our final check ride is scheduled for next weekend with the rally only two weeks away! I think this year is going to be yet another great weekend of scooter madness. If you’re a scooter person and can make it to the Twin Cities, I highly recommend attending. And heck, even if you’re not a scooter rider, you’d still have a great time. I attended my first RMB two years ago sans-scooter and had a lot of fun.

High points
Riding with such a good group of riders. There really is nothing better for honing your riding skills than running a nice tight formation with other experienced two-wheelers. Seeing how that bike in front of you is entering a turn, or how much speed they’re carrying into a corner, or when they are and aren’t braking is a great way to get better at riding your own scooter.

Low points
My only complaint could be that there just weren’t very many of us. We’re going to need way more blockers than what showed up for these two check rides and it would be best if they were familiar with the route before we all have to streak up the wrong side of the street at 60 mph.

Motorcycles and scooters, on the other hand, can be collected without breaking the bank — depending on what you’re interested in. A cherry classic Vespa, for example, won’t set you back more than $4500 or so. You can get spendy, of course. If you’re a Harley guy you could easily drop $25k for the bike of your dreams. Further up the grade, if you want a custom chopper you could shell out $45k-$70k. There are a plethora of classic and vintage bikes that’ll cost you a pretty penny as well. A custom-branded Orange County Chopper bike on TLC’s American Chopper will set you back at least $1M if you want it on the show. None of these interest me though. I don’t want anything flashy or priceless. I want bikes I can ride. So this is my collection wish list:

1. Vespa — Check!

These little italian bikes are what finally charmed me into scooter ownership. My first motorized two-wheeler was a Vespa. That P-200E, and now my Grantourismo 200L, have me convinced that no matter what there must always be a Vespa in my garage. I adore my GT. I fit on it really well and it’s just so much quicker than it ought to be. I love the looks of confusion I see when I pass cars on the highway. Mine is silver, my favorite color. I imagine that I’ll run my GT enough that I will eventually wear it out and need to replace it. That’s fine, just so long as my garage always has a wasp in it.

2. Honda Cub or clone

There are no fewer than two high quality Cub clones coming to the USA this year. The SYM Symba and the Fly Scout. However, Honda has announced that they’re reintroducing the Cub with an EFI 4T 100cc engine. No word yet on when it will come to the states. My preference is for the Honda — either one of the new ones or a classic. Shouldn’t be too hard to come by. With something like 60 million Honda Cub’s produced, I ought to be able to procure one. I want the iconic white and blue model.

3. Mid ’80s Honda Elite 80

This is not a bike that is likely to make it onto most petrol heads’ dream bike list. It’s on mine for one very important reason. You see, the seed of riding — the very root of my scooter enthusiasm came from seeing a Honda Elite 80 when I was a kid. I thought it was a spaceship that could take me anywhere. I’ve wanted one ever since. They’re pretty easy to come by and cheap to have (good ones can be had for as little as $1000), so there simply must be a red one in my garage.

4. KLD E-165 Electric Scooter (tentative)

This scooter looks really, really interesting. An electric bike with a 65 mph top speed and up to 100 miles of extended range for as little as $3900. Not only is it an amazing progressive design, but it just seems like it’d be the perfect for errands and running around town. Bottom line, I want to own and run something alternative energy. If the KLD turns out to be a quality machine, I want the velvet green one.

5. Triumph Bonneville

Triumph makes a line of motorcycles unlike anything else in the market today. From their highly acclaimed line of three cylinder “triple” power plants to their unique line of “modern classics” like the Bonneville. I love the Bonneville for a lot of the same reasons I love my MINI. It’s a throwback to the classic ’60s bike that put Triumph on the map in this country. It had performance, looks, and most importantly character. The modern reincarnation adds disk brakes, fuel injection, and the fantastic Thruxton variant, all without losing much of its classic character. The Bonny I want would be a standard Bonneville or a Bonneville black with some choice Thruxton parts installed to give it cafe racer looks, but the comfortable upright riding position of the standard Bonny. This is all the cruiser I’d ever want. I have no real interest in anything made by Harley, but I’d love to have a Bonny to go ride with my father-in-law on his Sportsters. I want one in red or white with custom Union Jack paintwork.

6. Triumph Tiger

I want to travel on a motorcycle. I want to go places — go long distances. I want to hop on a bike and ride up over the Rockies and back. Granted, I know people who have ridden scooters and even bicycles cross country. You don’t need a touring bike to tour, but I want a Triumph Tiger. I love the looks of it. I love its sporting capabilities. Most of all, I love the fit of it. I don’t fit well on many motorcycles and am too tall for most scooters. I fit perfectly on the Tiger. It’s actually designed for taller riders. The first time I sat on a Tiger in the showroom, the thought that went through my body was “I could sit on this bike for a straight month.” I love the idea of a distance bike with big powerful brakes and a tuned suspension. I want the white Tiger.

7. At least one bike of my own making

My interest in scooters and bikes actually started by watching American Chopper on TLC. I am not actually much of a fan of Orange County Choppers or their style of bikes. I watch the show because I love watching the building and fabrication process. What I quickly realized was that all OCC really does for most of their bikes is take off-the-shelf parts, pre-fabricated frames, crate motors, and other components and combine them with a small amount of custom metal work and custom paintwork. They’ve found a lot of success with this model, and more power to them. Thing is, I could do that. I’m confident that I could build my own motorcycle or scooter. I don’t have the metalworking skills just yet, but I did learn how to weld a few weeks ago. It’ll obviously take a lot of practice before I’ll be doing anything meaningful, but I am on my way. What I ultimately want to do is build at least one bike of my own design. I don’t want a chopper. I don’t want a streetfighter. I’m really not interested in any of these common custom types. I want to build a bike like it’s straight out of the ’30s — something from the era of streamliner locomotives. I’m absolutely in love with the 1934 BMW R7 pictured above. That bike will be a big influence on whatever I build.

So that’s the list. I want to someday have a diverse stable of two-wheelers, each with their own purpose. What’s exciting is that this whole fleet of bikes would cost less than even one truly interesting collectible car. Not counting the custom and what I already own, it’d only cost about $25k to collect everything I’d like to have. It’ll take years, of course, but I love that accessibility.

Post photo by Flickr user Superbitxo. Original here.