Tag Archives: scooter

Scoot and boots

How do you describe yourself?

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For the last several years, I’ve described myself as a scooterist. Obviously, that’s not all I am, but it’s been 6 years of fun with the Vespa GT200 in Portofino green!  Recently decided to hang up my boots and sell it, as Grey Matter is taking up lots of time and energy.  Alas, the scoot doesn’t have the same appeal as before.

At least, it IS going to a good home.  My friend Jim, who is the one who found it for me, is the perfect new owner for it.  He has given me driving tips and done the maintenance on it.  Happy scooting Jim! Scoot and boots

So long, summer! Hello autumn.

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I also say goodbye to my mesh scooter jacket, acquired this year for those oh-so-hot summer days we had. Put away for the winter, I’ll bring it out for the hot days in 2016.  It’s rather feminine, unlike my warmer jacket, and got a little bit of attention, although the scooter gets most of the attention around here!
Mesh Scooter jacket for summer

The leaves are always great color practice, which I definitely can use.
autumn leaves

 

I also said goodbye to this sketchbook, started in March 2014, finally filled it with these two sketches tonight.
At least I can say hello to (several!) new sketchbooks! 😉

So I scooted to Ithaca…

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My first huge solo scooter trip was to Ithaca. Yep, less than 50 miles each way.  But still, a pretty big step for me.

Scoot wash

Well, you need a clean start, right?

I had some kind of mental block about what was needed and how it worked for the GPS mount.  So, I sketched it!  The best way to understand something!
I also have a charger wire connected to the battery for it.

GPS mount for scoot

What could have been a nice relaxing sketch trip, ended up with only one sketch!  Alas, somehow I felt the need to get there and back as quickly as possible.  What’s that about smelling the roses?  Not this time!

Enroute to Ithaca

Oh right, I promised another clue about my upcoming trip:
It’s on the other side of the Atlantic.

Let’s go!

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Way back in July, I had the honor of hosting Stephanie Yue, aka Quezzie.
She has an entertaining ride report on Adventure riders, as well as a blog: 250superhero.blogspot.com. She recently completed a more than 30,000 mile solo ride to travel the four corners of the continental US. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, she did it all on her 250cc Vespa! (Did you notice the “solo” part?)

Stephanie Yue

Hi Steph!

Her overnight visit began in Ithaca, NY, where my friend Jim and I scooted to the Scooter Shop to meet her.  We then stopped at some falls (of course, it’s Ithaca!) and then the Blind Tiger for a cold one (of course, no reason not to!) before ending at my house for dinner.
She is great company, and an amazing person, I’m so glad I have the chance to meet her!
She also inspired me to try more long-distance rides, but the only place I’ve gotten so far is a solo trip back to Ithaca. Oh well, I have put nearly 3,000 local miles on the scoot this year, and that is an accomplishment for me!
Here’s a few sketches (finally scanned, I’m still behind!) from that visit:

2006 Vespa

My prep (easy!)

Stephanie's prep - not easy!

Stephanie’s prep – not easy!

A colorful stop in Boiceville, NY

A colorful stop in Boiceville, NY

Downtown…

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I took my new scooter to work on Wednesday, and got a lot of comments.
“You just rose to the best vehicle in the parking lot.”
“After seeing you on that, I think of you in a whole new way.” (Not sure if that’s a good thing, hehe.)

So I stopped at Zona’s in downtown Binghamton after work, they had a “Yappy Hour” to benefit the Humane Society, and got a few more:
“I LOVE YOUR SCOOTER!!” (Shouted by a young lady walking down the street.)

Even later, when it was settled comfortably into its temporary foster home, a guy from up the
street came down to ask about it.
My conclusion- Binghamton must be ‘scooter-starved’!!

Picked it up today!

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It’s definitely for me!
First look at the new ride.
Bringing it home!

A new (to me) 2006 Vespa 200L Granturismo in Positano Green! It’s actually another Italian city green, but I just returned from a trip to Positano, so there! My awesome neighbor will change the oil and putz with it to make sure it runs good.

Foster home for now
(Until I clean out a spot in my garage!)
I look forward to sketching & scooting!
I will also be more involved with some online biking sites, ADV Riders being one of them:  ADV Riders 
And soon: ModernVespa.com