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I hope this is not a gross violation of some unwritten rule, but I posted this in the scooter thread before noticing it's quite dead, so crossposting it here to show off my 2009 Vespa 300 GTS   A little bit of background: I've bought a motorcycle in 2015, a Suzuki V-strom 650. Had some real good fun with it, a 2500km 10 days holiday in France, and plenty of rides around the local mountains with friends. Sadly with time passing I find I have less and less time for longer rides and week-long holidays, friends are getting married/having kids/finding jobs, my wife had a car accident and probably won't be riding as passenger for a good long while so I'm mostly riding alone now and while the V-strom is a fun and easy bike, it is still big and top heavy in city traffic so it didn't give me much joy to use in day to day situations. Here is a pic of it anyway:  Enter my father; he is a big fan of anything Vespa and owns several vintage ones besides creating and maintaining two of the biggest local-language Vespa websites/forums (we're italians), but during some trips he had so much mechanical trouble with those vintage deathtraps - I say that with all possible affection and respect for old Vespas but they are kind of a nightmare to maintain - that he eventually got a "new" used one, that red gts 300. These days he also doesn't travel much anymore so he wanted to get rid of it, I told him I'd take it off his hands if he wanted and here we are  It is immensely fun to drive. Acceleration is incredible for a 280cc engine from 10+ years ago, it pushes so hard when starting from a red light that even motorcyclists can get surprised and left behind. Ok it won't do more than 120-130km/h and that speed is kinda scary with the smallish wheels and the GTS 300 typical handlebar wobble, but if you don't need to go cross country it's perfectly fine. It's relatively light at 150kg, center of gravity is low and makes it unbelievably easy to handle, and finally it doesn't have much in the way of electronics which is refreshing, just you and this small(ish) steel thing that roars off the line when you twist the throttle  cargo capacity is obviously lacking, especially in the under-seat compartment where it's impossible to fit any helmet but the smallest, unsafest ones and that gets incredibly hot when the engine is running so not good for carrying food or other perishables, but with the original top box it can store enough stuff for a quick grocery run, or a day at the beach.Compared to a "real" bike it's waaaay better in town or for lazy joyrides, and I have never been a speed freak so it's very good for me; I can see that I won't go on long range trips with it, but that doesn't bother me at all right now and I joyfully ride to work or grocery shopping with it everyday making it much more useful and fun than a motorbike which sits in the garage and only gets used during the weekend and then only if I am doing a long enough trip. Besides I still have the V-strom if I really fancy going on a big trip, though I am trying to sell it because I am not made of money, and for the future when I will have the means I plan to have a scooter for everyday riding, and a travel oriented full-fairing motorbike like a bmw r1250rt or whatever. So that's my scooter story, sorry for the long-winded post! E: if anyone's curious, of course having belonged to a Vespa aficionado it has the following mods: 2x waterproof USB ports behind the shield, full rubber cover for the footboard, passenger footrest extensions, aftermarket CVT spring, belt and rollers from Malossi which supposedly give it a bit more top speed while sacrificing a bit of acceleration
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Jul 2, 2021 09:55
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Hell yeah, good post. That’s the sort of description that makes me interested in scooters. Hope your wife heals all the way fast. HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Jul 2, 2021 |
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Jul 2, 2021 14:22
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Now I want a Vespa dang that sounds awesome
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Jul 2, 2021 14:37
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Ulf posted:This is all great stuff and appreciated. Probably not staying in Portland at all, my friends are all in Seattle. Going to work a bunch of what you said into this. Also appreciate the tip about the Jackson route... Henry I saw your note too but is following the Snake going to be worth missing the Tetons? Maybe I just split the difference and go up the Green on my way to Jackson /shrug nice! both have excellent food. your trip looks great. alpine is pretty lovely, but either route will be great. enjoy it, take lots of pics 
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Jul 2, 2021 15:04
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Yeah that is a very nice lookin scoot and I'm glad you're getting good use out of it!
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Jul 2, 2021 15:22
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Hell yeah, good post. That’s the sort of description that makes me interested in scooters. Thanks! She'll most likely be fine, it's a herniated disk and should heal fully without surgery if we're lucky, but she should avoid anything that strains her back for about a year. Riding a motorbike for any length of time isn't very appropriate for that I think, not with the potholes we have here at least  TheBacon posted:Now I want a Vespa dang that sounds awesome Phy posted:Yeah that is a very nice lookin scoot and I'm glad you're getting good use out of it! The keyword here is joy, I think I overused in the previous post but riding 'er seriously took me back to when I was 15 and just got a 50cc scooter, it was exhilarating. Turns out despite being 20 years older, it still is! There's definitely something to be said for simplicity, we don't really need all those electronic gizmos, ride-by-wire throttle and space age materials... a steel body, a good reliable engine underneath, and you're ready to go and have fun. If you're ok with going relatively slow for a bike and not scraping your knees on the tarmac at every turn, that is. Small 12" wheels might not give stability or the ability to just ride over small potholes, but being able to just flick the scooter around the pothole by basically wiggling your butt more than makes up for it Also, if you park near a bar and go for a coffee, you'll have a procession of children (and adults, too) in complete awe at how beautiful it is and asking if they can sit on the saddle you won't get that with a Kymco! I honestly think that it's one of the most iconic symbols of Italy, more than pizza even.
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Jul 2, 2021 16:13
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My local italian moto dealer say they sell more Vespas and Piaggio scoots than anything. I love the idea of one, but unfortunately an ebike is way more convenient where I live (same price point).
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Jul 2, 2021 19:18
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Russian Bear posted:My local italian moto dealer say they sell more Vespas and Piaggio scoots than anything. I love the idea of one, but unfortunately an ebike is way more convenient where I live (same price point). There is an electric Vespa! (but lmao it's like $7.5k I think and like 50-60 miles of range?) Honestly though a lil electric vespa seems like the loving perfect application for them, but they need that combo of the ones that let you schelp the whole battery upstairs to your apartment to charge (also more range always which is counter intuitive to the first point)
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Jul 2, 2021 21:19
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On the same note, I made the mistake of going to my local Italian dru....erhh bike dealer and they now also got a big stack of Vespa and Aprilia scooters. I was there to *just look* at the Aprilia RS660 and it seems to fit me well. They were eager to send me on a test ride but A) It was too hot and too busy on the roads and B) I would probably end up buying it. Depending on what happens workwise, I'll probably get it over the winter, when they go on sale. What would be the best Japanese alternative? CBR650R? Any other bikes in that range (6-700CC, ~100hp) worth trying?
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Jul 2, 2021 22:46
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The closest Japanese bike is gonna be the MT-09 SP.
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Jul 2, 2021 22:54
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Eh, that's a naked bike. They do have the YZF-R7 coming out next year, though.
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Jul 2, 2021 23:04
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Eh, that's a naked bike. They do have the YZF-R7 coming out next year, though. The R7 technically came out in June. Just, you know, good luck finding one.
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Jul 2, 2021 23:24
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I'm still angry that they got rid of the inline 4 engines  Not that i'd buy one anyway, but the I4 scream is what i want in a supersport.
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Jul 3, 2021 13:08
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The thing that always was the most fun part about riding my 250 Elite was that it positively ripped off the line. That CVT makes 100% use of the meager torque that’s there and it’s sort of shocking how much of an affect it has when it’s all converted to wheel spin. Scooters rule.
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Jul 3, 2021 15:22
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Never seen a Super with that "Super" sticker on it, I like it. Good choice with the lower acceleration CVT mods. I remember throwing some dr. pulley rollers in a 300 once and being blown away how butter smooth and gentle the acceleration was from a stop. That's the big selling point of the GT Vespas for me, how comfortable and smooth they are. And also that they're not maxi. They're big and fast but still a real scooter. Maxi scooters are an aesthetic crime.
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Jul 3, 2021 17:30
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Maxi scooters rule actually. Nothing like getting the drop on a sportbike at the lights on a burgman or one of those insanely fast kawasaki 300's. Also I'm increasingly convinced a left-hand operated rear brake is the correct way, foot brakes are for chumps.
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Jul 3, 2021 19:57
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I wanna do more track days
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Jul 3, 2021 20:09
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MetaJew posted:I wanna do more track days
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Jul 7, 2021 22:08
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:Never seen a Super with that "Super" sticker on it, I like it. Good choice with the lower acceleration CVT mods. I remember throwing some dr. pulley rollers in a 300 once and being blown away how butter smooth and gentle the acceleration was from a stop. That's the big selling point of the GT Vespas for me, how comfortable and smooth they are. And also that they're not maxi. They're big and fast but still a real scooter. Maxi scooters are an aesthetic crime. It's actualy not a Super it was the first 300 model, they introduced the Super model a little later and the original owner got the stickers and so on applied About comfort I'm not so sure honestly, the seat is decent but I can see it numbing my butt after a while (might be because it's 12 years old at this point so the padding is well past its prime), and there's basically no aerodynamic protection with the short windshield beyond 60-70km/h. I might be spoiled by the V-strom in this regard though, and of course I'm thinking highway roads / longer trips, for short rides on normal roads it feels great thanks to its agility and acceleration - and of course nothing bad to be said about looks, it's just beautiful.
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Jul 9, 2021 08:42
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MetaJew posted:I wanna do more track days  I just bought a ticket for a day at Sonoma Raceway on August 17. Yamaha is putting it on and will have the R7 there for demo. Hopefully I can get a chance! They'll also have R3, R1, MT07, MT09, and MT10, so I'm going to ride as many of their bikes as they'll let me. 
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Jul 10, 2021 19:57
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drat, I want to try all the Yamahas
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Jul 10, 2021 22:35
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I took my Firebolt out for the first long ride in a few years. Switching from my DRZ, it feels so heavy at low speed (it's ~100 lbs difference dry, haha), but after riding it for a while I was having fun again. The highlight was Hurricane Mountain Road in New Hampshire, a road that climbs and descends about 1000 feet in the course of 4 miles and barely wide enough for 2 cars to pass. Lots of warnings that trucks and RVs are forbidden too.  The bike is nearly 20 years old and Buell parts have already been hard to get, so I want to get rid of it soon. Plus something like a Ténéré 700 is just a better bike. But I will miss it (and the noise  )
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Jul 12, 2021 14:03
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That Firebolt has a nice rear end, but I'm not sure about the face.
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Jul 12, 2021 14:33
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Yeah, I always preferred the look of the Lightnings over the Firebolt. It's grown on me now, but that might just be Stockholm Syndrome.
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Jul 12, 2021 16:04
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Got the FE out for a light jaunt through double track, first service and then it’ll be time to thrash it in the dirt 
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Jul 12, 2021 16:36
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Hey everyone, I just got back from a trip to Portland / Seattle. layerdan said post pics, so enjoy. The route (click):  First, I cross the Continental Divide close to home, at Berthoud Pass.  Next I cross into Utah, where my troubles begin. This bike is so shiny, compared to how it will look 3,000 miles later:  In the 30k miles I've had this bike this is the only time it's stranded me. Coming north out of Vernal UT, climbing an 8% grade the engine quickly loses power and dies. It won't start easily, though with full choke I can get it going for a few seconds, and it's running evenly enough that I can cross out a lot of potential problems. I freewheeled down the mountain a few miles and got a flatbed the rest of the way to town, and Randy Beers H-D fixed it up for me the next day. The problem turned out to be a split in the vacuum line to the petcock, oops.  Back on the road, crossing into Wyoming at Flaming Gorge  In the middle of nowhere on a nowhere highway I find this mysterious sign. It wasn't until a week later when I saw a lot more in the Cody area that I figure it out; these are memorials that families can have put up for highway deaths. Let me know if you can figure out the symbolism.  A nice canyon ride into Jackson:  Then over Teton Pass into Idaho:  This sure is Idaho:  Here's the town of Arco ID, the first town illuminated by nuclear power (presumably from the nearby Nationa Labratory's experimental reactors). Behind the bike is Number Hill, and for the past 100 years the town's graduating classes have been painting their year numbers on it  I crossed Idaho and Eastern Oregon in what was the worst part of the trip. 500 miles of 95degF farms. Some relief in the form of some nice evergreen forests:  And a nice look at Mt Hood, as I head into Portland:  I spent a little time in Portland and then Astoria (no luck w/ Bowpicker, first they weren't open until 11am then when I came back the line was around the block). I crossed here into Washington:  Ah, what a relief after days of heat:  Had a great time with friends in Seattle, so here's an upskirt shot of the Space Needle:  The Cascades were amazing, even to a Coloradan like me:  Then through east Washington, lots of this:  Here's where I ran into trouble again. It's Friday night and I try and get a room. They almost laugh in my face. I start calling around, no rooms in town. No problem, next towns are either Helena or Butte depending on route. Call everything in both cities, nothing available under $400. I spent the night in a random farmer's field in a bivvy bag while deer nosed at me. Next day wake up at 4am too cold to sleep, so it's time to get moving. I cross the Continental Divide again here, at Homestake Pass. This is Homestake Lake steaming in the morning dew:  The sun's up but I'm feeling pretty noddy (I didn't really get any sleep last night) so here's my patented nap method: 
An hour later and I was good for the rest of the day. Crossing into Wyoming / Yellowstone, here's Beartooth Pass from the bottom:  And nearer to the top:  Traffic in the park wasn't bad, though I groaned every time people stopped for bison. I mean, I can see those outside my office window sometimes.  Rock that made me think of RDR2  oh dang, just outside Laramie I rolled over 50k miles. Halfway to a new engine!  And home again.  3,500 miles by odometer, probably 3,200 miles actual.
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Jul 12, 2021 23:33
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Ulf posted:3,500 miles by odometer, probably 3,200 miles actual. That was incredible. Thanks for sharing. How many hours a day were you riding? Have you done anything like this before? I’d love to take a multi-day bike-only journey, even if it means sleeping in a field, but I imagine I’d need some more stamina first. I think the longest I’ve ridden in a single day is like 4 or 6 hours but with many breaks.
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Jul 13, 2021 00:11
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Strife posted:That was incredible. Thanks for sharing.
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Jul 13, 2021 00:15
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Strife posted:How many hours a day were you riding? quote:Have you done anything like this before? I’d love to take a multi-day bike-only journey, even if it means sleeping in a field, but I imagine I’d need some more stamina first. I think the longest I’ve ridden in a single day is like 4 or 6 hours but with many breaks. EDIT: Oh, duh, I also ride out to see my son in the Los Angeles area sometimes. That's 1k miles each way, or closer to 1,400 miles if I swing to the south / Route 66 route for weather. If you're going to do a long trip like this do yourself a favor and give 1+ extra days on each end or you'll make yourself miserable trying to hit particular deadlines. Ulf fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jul 13, 2021 |
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Jul 13, 2021 00:18
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Strife posted:That was incredible. Thanks for sharing. Whaaaa, I thought you rode to Sturgis? Also yeah amazing trip Ulf. I need to do even a mini trip down to LA and back or something.
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Jul 13, 2021 00:24
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Strife posted:That was incredible. Thanks for sharing.
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Jul 13, 2021 00:47
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Toe Rag posted:Whaaaa, I thought you rode to Sturgis? Nah, shipped it. I’d at most considered riding back, but it’s a 5-day ride and I’d have to leave 4 days in, which would have had me missing most of the best riding days while I was there. There was also a giant windstorm trying to blow Chicago over when I’d have been riding through so it’s really good I didn’t. I had a couple people talk poo poo while I was there about shipping my bike but I don’t know how I could have taken 11-15 days off work.
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Jul 13, 2021 01:22
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Ulf posted:Hey everyone, I just got back from a trip to Portland / Seattle. layerdan said post pics, so enjoy. lol proud of you dude that's a long rear end haul. glad you got to see astoria. probably my favorite part of oregon. sleeping in the cold in a sack sucks balls, glad you survived!!
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Jul 13, 2021 02:41
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Ulf posted:If you're going to do a long trip like this do yourself a favor and give 1+ extra days on each end or you'll make yourself miserable trying to hit particular deadlines. This is the best advice for my money. And I guess just in general give yourself lots of slack if you’re just trying out long multi day trips. Don’t try to do a to a ton of miles each day, get to your campsite or hotel with plenty of daylight left.
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Jul 13, 2021 02:49
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I'd also recommend stocking up on audiobooks/podcasts if you're riding solo. This was the only thing that kept me sane during the endless flat stretches of Kansas and Missouri during my last long trip.
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Jul 13, 2021 13:05
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Love that road trip write-up, quality stuff!
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Jul 14, 2021 02:43
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Riding solo lets you set your own pace, lean into that and ride for as long as it's fun each day. If that's too slow to make it the whole trip, just cut out part of the trip.
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Jul 14, 2021 10:56
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My plate is too good not to share. I can't help it. Its amazing.
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Jul 15, 2021 04:18
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what's "2D ank"?
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Jul 15, 2021 04:59
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FBS posted:what's "2D ank"? 2 dimensional Ankh? ☥
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Jul 15, 2021 06:19
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