It seems like every year around this time we get a break from the wet and gloomy Seattle weather. As March rolls in you suddenly realize the sun is coming up before 7:30 am and the winter darkness is waning.  Whenever there are few days of dry, sunny weather, motorcycles and scooters emerge like locusts. Monday was one of those, so I was determined to choose a bike and ride to work. The decision about which one was easy. The Stella. Having been too lazy on Sunday to do the usual Spring maintenance on the vintage rides, this was the obvious choice for a Monday commute. The older bikes need a bit of coaxing to come out of hibernation. Carburetors need to be cleaned. The stale fuel drained, gearbox oil checked, tires filled, and so on.

The Stella fired right up and I was ready - except for one problem. My helmet and riding shades were right where I left them but the riding gloves weren’t. A quick search didn’t reveal them. In a moment of weakness, I decided to go on without them. Let me just say that I enjoyed that first ride of Spring, but it took about an hour and a half to regain the feeling in my hands and face after arriving at the office. Exposing your skin to thirty or forty miles per hour at 40 degrees F isn’t a great idea. That night, I made the effort to find my gloves and was able to ride every day except Friday. I rode the ‘59 Zundapp on Wednesday. What a great machine.

The pain in my hands, and memory of the horrible road rash, broken ribs, and months of pain from the spill I took in Key West last March has motivated me to upgrade my safety gear before a new season begins. My gloves and helmet are getting a bit tired, and I never had a proper riding jacket. It really is a good idea to have an armored jacket and gloves. And a full face helmet. Good gear is expensive, but hospital bills cost a lot more.

My minimal, brain bucket helmet and cheap gloves have to go. I’ll order the best lid I can find this weekend. Why put your brain in a cheap helmet? A new jacket and gloves will most likely be Corazzo, a local company based in Portland, OR. The nice thing about Corazzo gear is that it’s fashionable and doesn’t look like the armored uniforms typically worn by the crotch rocket crowd. When it all arrives, I’ll post some photos and comment. In the meantime, I’ll be cleaning the cobwebs off some old scooters and dreaming about warmer, dryer days.

It has been a while since my last post and I’ve been feeling guilty about that. The truth is I haven't devoted much time at all to my scooters in the past couple of months. Like many others in these difficult times, I have been devoting a huge amount of time to my day job. And I spent the holiday season visiting relatives and friends. It’s clear that everyone is feeling some pressure as a result of the economy. When ordering parts, fewer items are in stock and backorders seem to take longer to fulfill.

My work schedule is very crazy right now and as a result I have begun to consider the option of removing myself from the High Rollers Rally and its associated Put Up or Shut Up National Scooter Competition. There are several dimensions to this situation. First, given the demands of my day job I’m not sure that I can finish in time. Second, the cost of shipping the scooter there and back is very pricey – and as I have mentioned before there’s no way I’m driving 2400 miles there and back. I have a reliable truck that’s suitable for hauling scooters, but that drive is way too time consuming. Third… I’m questioning the sanity of spending money on a trip to Las Vegas. I love nothing more than sitting in a swanky bar sipping a vodka martini. There are plenty of places to do that in Vegas. The wide range of restaurants are outstanding, but the thing is I’m not into the shows or gambling. I would end up dropping a couple thousand dollars for the trip no matter what I do there. Frankly, at this point in time there are a lot of other places I’d rather spend that money – or not spend it. My final go/no-go decision will be made the first week of March.

Over the holiday season, I decided that I need to thin out the herd and sell a few scooters I don't have time for. I listed one on the scoot.net classified pages. It received some some interest, but not a lot. I’m always a bit torn on the subject of selling. Each classic scooter is chosen carefully. I get attached to them. And the tire kickers, time wasters, and scammers that a classified ad attracts are terribly annoying.

The scooter I chose to sell was my all–original 1955 Vespa “faro basso”.  I have several of the early and late 50’s handlebar Vespa’s and don't feel too bad letting one go.  It is all original and runs great as you can see in the video. It’s rare to find an unmolested low lamp these days. So far, there have been no serious offers but I’m not in hurry - nor will I entertain silly lowball offers.   

It’s hard to not let dreary weather, a busy work schedule, and the flagging economy get me down. I’m going to make some time to work on my bikes in February and go to the gym. Both are very therapeutic and some healthy distraction from everyday responsibilities is probably a good thing. With a little luck, maybe I’ll find a way to make it to Vegas.