Tag Archives: Vespa

May 1, 2009 — My new job (yay!) starts on Monday, so today was my last weekday to just ride for the hell of it. Unfortunately, my desire to do so was somewhat dampened by the ongoing wobble issues I’ve been having with the Vespa. The tire wobble, as unsettling as it can be at time, is only part of the equation. In a lean, the bike just feels off. It’s hard to describe, but it’s almost like the bike “scissors” …

April 30, 2009 — Today was a short check ride comparing my old Fulmer Modus flip-up helmet to my new Scorpion EXO-700 solid full-face helmet. My main motivations for replacing the Modus were weight, ventilation, the added safety of a solid chin bar, and especially noise reduction. For any helmet, fit is of course the most important factor after safety rating. My big head doesn’t fit well in most helmets, and unfortunately each manufacturer somehow has a different idea of what …

4/24/2009 — Today was a genuine vacation ride. Since the season opened about a month ago, I’ve ridden out of road hunger, out of compulsion, out of boredom, but now my days of lazy scooting are numbered with the new job starting up. Today the weather was my siren song and I was not alone. Forecast called for clear skies, temperatures in the upper 60s at 9:00 am, but with storms set to move in late afternoon. I took care of …

4/22/2009 — I’m happy to say that I’ve transitioned from being a statistic of the economic downturn to a statistic of the economic recovery — i/e it looks like I’ve got a job now. As such, a big part of my day’s focus is actually now gone. I no longer need to job hunt, which is awesome, but I won’t start until May. With most of our house packed up for an upcoming move and no useful packing left to do, …

4/17/2009 — Today I succeeded where I mostly failed yesterday: I got pleasantly and completely lost. A few TWAAM episodes ago, one of their intrepid panelists recommended County Road 40 in the southwest metro. After some rather boring and un-fun highway miles on what turned out to be the wrong road, I finally intersected CR-40 and was not disappointed. It’s a fantastic 2-lane, winding, lazy road with a 55 mph limit and simply immaculate road …

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 the upside, I felt a lot better on the bike in terms of leaning and cornering. I think I finally got my feel back. I …

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, actually, but the pay is awful. Now that spring seems to have actually arrived (knock wood) in Minnesota, I’ve been lucky enough to spend most …

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 it’s heavy, LOUD, and starting to get frayed around the edges. I also want to make the switch from a modular (flip-up) …