So the rebuild is complete, the test runs are successful, and the story comes to an end......... well, not quite!
When my Vespa arrived in its sorry state several months ago, I decided to document its resurrection via this blog - A blog that was initially set up to record the creation of a Trike. I guess the flavour of this blog has always been about nuts and bolts, solving problems and creating stuff, blood, sweat & tears and good old fashioned hand skills. With this in mind, I'm hoping that maybe I will get back soon to continuing the Trike project and writing about it here.
But now that the Vespa is pretty well complete I'm not sure that its story should continue here. The story about the Vespa now is not so much about its revival, but more about its travels - and so a new blog is born. www.2vespas2italy.blogspot.com
With only a couple of hundred miles of Vespa riding experience, and fueled by mid-life angst I appear to have got myself into an enthusiastic commitment to ride, with a friend (another Vespa virgin) our scooters from England to the Italian riviera.
Heroic or foolish? Interesting or boring? Scotty and I are going to blog about our adventure - its only a 2 week trip, and we dont go for several weeks yet - however, the 'journey' starts now
www.2vespas2italy.blogspot.com
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My first Epic Journey
Im pretty confident now that my scooter works. And I very 'grateful' that I appear to have an engine/electrical/carburetor setup that is reliable and consistent - I always worry about those sort of intangible 'physics' aspects of an engine. I hate spluttering engines or erratic idling because they always seem to be difficult problems to trace; unlike a snapped clutch cable that is obvious and fixable.
And so after a few local runs to prove that she runs reliably, I needed a journey to test durability and endurance (of me AND the machine). I'd been planning for a while to go down to see mum and dad on Sunday (110 miles away), and as the day approached I started to wonder if I could go by Vespa. The weather in the proceeding week was pretty rubbish and i was paying close attention to the forecast for the weekend. Come Saturday night I still wasn't decided - the wind and rain was on and off all the time. It was literally a last minute decision as I got dressed on Sunday morning and looked out of the window.... sky was grey but dry, wind was blowy, but not harsh..... i decided to put on my thermal vest.
I was on the road by about 8.30am and i felt good. In my mind I had about 4 mental milestones that plotted my route. I'd checked google maps earlier for a walking route (id figured this would be most direct and would avoid motorways) - as it turns out the exact mileage this way would be 101 miles. The four stages were, Warwick, Milton Keynes, Dunstable and Welwyn - if i could tick these places off in turn, I would feel like I was making progress.
Unfortunately I didnt make a print of the google map route, and so once past Warwick and into farming country, villages and lanes I quickly became lost. I had to stop on numerous occasions to check on my phone which villages I should be aiming for. And when I couldnt get a GPS signal, I had to resort to the inbuilt compass on my phone and simply head south.
The journey went well. it stayed dry, I felt comfortable on the saddle, and the engine ran without hesitation. I often became aware that the pressure of my helmet on my cheeks was making my jaw open slightly and my tongue slip between my teeth; if i thought about this too much i could feel a sort of sense of panic come over me - to distract my mind I would sing to myself - which sounded quite nice inside the little cosy world of my helmet.
I stopped for fuel twice - Im not sure of just how much fuel i have when the gauge gets close to showing empty, so rather than find out the hard way, I made sure I kept full (and fuel stops are also a welcome stretch) Even with the gauge showing empty I appear to only be able to put 5 quid of fuel in the tank - which makes me feel like a rich man when I compare the experience to filling the car for £75.
At one garage the attendant asked about the scooter, and was rather surprised to hear of the distance I was intending to cover that day (his surprise worried me a little - 101 miles? surely thats not such a big deal is it?) He also went on to tell me of his friend who found a Lambretta in a shed AND of the last time he visited Luton - his stories were a perfect opportunity for me to linger a little longer in his warm shop.
Once out of the Warwickshire farming country and bound for Milton Keynes, I had to face an hour on the A5. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand cars and lorries are moving very fast here, but on the other hand when it was duel carriageway, they passed me with a wide birth. On the one hand whilst it is quite a direct route, it was on the other hand monotonous - at 40mph without the pleasure of Radio 4 to entertain, these long dull roads are VERY long and VERY dull. I was pleased to enter the metropolis that is Dunstable.
It was in Dunstable that I had my first 'fright'. I was riding through some road works and was approaching a temporary repair to a channel dug across the road. I wasnt traveling fast, but I quickly became aware that this was quite a deep trough that I was about to go over. I reduced my speed (but i dont think I was actually braking as I went over the trough) and as I bounced over the road repair I had a significant wobble. All was well and I carried on but it was a few moments later when a cold shiver went down my spine as i thought about how that might have turned into a spill.
From here on I was in familiar country and the Vespa seemed to pick up some spirit and drive like it wanted to get to its destination - The song 'Space oddity' by David Bowie came into my head and I found myself singing inside my personal sound booth "... and I think my spaceship knows which way to go". I was 3 hours into my journey and I was becoming both; more and more comfortable in the saddle, and more and more mad by the solitude
I arrived finally at Mum and Dads in time for a late lunch. 4.5 hours after I had set off from my home 101 miles away. I was delighted to see mum and dad, delighted to have achieved this epic journey, but slightly disappointed in my slow performance.
I might not have had a spare clutch cable, but I had smartly packed a toothbrush and clean pair of underpants in my rucksack when I set out that morning - there was no way now that I was going to attempt a return journey on the same day. And so we enjoyed a lovely afternoon (dad even getting to have a ride on the Vespa up and down the drive) and evening together. I slept remarkably well that night :-)
I woke early the next day - I needed to get back home in good time for a teleconference meeting. As I lay in bed slowly waking up, it occurred to me that I was in a rather different situation to the morning before. Yesterday when I woke up I had a choice. I had a choice primarily based on the weather conditions as to whether I would travel down to see mum and dad by scooter or by car. This morning however, I had no choice whatsoever. Regardless of whatever the weather had in store for me, I had to ride home, and so it was with a little more intrepidation than excitement that I set off that morning.
I was on the road by 8.45. it was overcast and gloomy, but the little Vespa seemed happy to be buzzing along the country lanes again. I took the same route home as I did coming. It was uneventful. The weather was variable; I was grateful for my waterproof over trousers when it drizzled, and I was grateful for my black jacket when it captured a little of the warmth from the sun when he popped his nose out now and then. The biggest battle was the blustery wind I faced as i came into the Midlands. This invisible force seemed to want to test me by springing out on me at any moment causing me to lurch across my lane. It was at times quite stressful both mentally and physically, but easily cured by simply dropping speed down to 25 - 30 mph.
I arrived home just in the nick of time for my teleconference meeting after 5 hours in the saddle - this had indeed been an epic journey for me. And one I look forward to doing many more times :-)
I love my Vespa.
And so after a few local runs to prove that she runs reliably, I needed a journey to test durability and endurance (of me AND the machine). I'd been planning for a while to go down to see mum and dad on Sunday (110 miles away), and as the day approached I started to wonder if I could go by Vespa. The weather in the proceeding week was pretty rubbish and i was paying close attention to the forecast for the weekend. Come Saturday night I still wasn't decided - the wind and rain was on and off all the time. It was literally a last minute decision as I got dressed on Sunday morning and looked out of the window.... sky was grey but dry, wind was blowy, but not harsh..... i decided to put on my thermal vest.
I was on the road by about 8.30am and i felt good. In my mind I had about 4 mental milestones that plotted my route. I'd checked google maps earlier for a walking route (id figured this would be most direct and would avoid motorways) - as it turns out the exact mileage this way would be 101 miles. The four stages were, Warwick, Milton Keynes, Dunstable and Welwyn - if i could tick these places off in turn, I would feel like I was making progress.
Unfortunately I didnt make a print of the google map route, and so once past Warwick and into farming country, villages and lanes I quickly became lost. I had to stop on numerous occasions to check on my phone which villages I should be aiming for. And when I couldnt get a GPS signal, I had to resort to the inbuilt compass on my phone and simply head south.
The journey went well. it stayed dry, I felt comfortable on the saddle, and the engine ran without hesitation. I often became aware that the pressure of my helmet on my cheeks was making my jaw open slightly and my tongue slip between my teeth; if i thought about this too much i could feel a sort of sense of panic come over me - to distract my mind I would sing to myself - which sounded quite nice inside the little cosy world of my helmet.
I stopped for fuel twice - Im not sure of just how much fuel i have when the gauge gets close to showing empty, so rather than find out the hard way, I made sure I kept full (and fuel stops are also a welcome stretch) Even with the gauge showing empty I appear to only be able to put 5 quid of fuel in the tank - which makes me feel like a rich man when I compare the experience to filling the car for £75.
At one garage the attendant asked about the scooter, and was rather surprised to hear of the distance I was intending to cover that day (his surprise worried me a little - 101 miles? surely thats not such a big deal is it?) He also went on to tell me of his friend who found a Lambretta in a shed AND of the last time he visited Luton - his stories were a perfect opportunity for me to linger a little longer in his warm shop.
Once out of the Warwickshire farming country and bound for Milton Keynes, I had to face an hour on the A5. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand cars and lorries are moving very fast here, but on the other hand when it was duel carriageway, they passed me with a wide birth. On the one hand whilst it is quite a direct route, it was on the other hand monotonous - at 40mph without the pleasure of Radio 4 to entertain, these long dull roads are VERY long and VERY dull. I was pleased to enter the metropolis that is Dunstable.
It was in Dunstable that I had my first 'fright'. I was riding through some road works and was approaching a temporary repair to a channel dug across the road. I wasnt traveling fast, but I quickly became aware that this was quite a deep trough that I was about to go over. I reduced my speed (but i dont think I was actually braking as I went over the trough) and as I bounced over the road repair I had a significant wobble. All was well and I carried on but it was a few moments later when a cold shiver went down my spine as i thought about how that might have turned into a spill.
 |
| Dad (aka TVOR) gives the Vespa a once over |
I arrived finally at Mum and Dads in time for a late lunch. 4.5 hours after I had set off from my home 101 miles away. I was delighted to see mum and dad, delighted to have achieved this epic journey, but slightly disappointed in my slow performance.
I might not have had a spare clutch cable, but I had smartly packed a toothbrush and clean pair of underpants in my rucksack when I set out that morning - there was no way now that I was going to attempt a return journey on the same day. And so we enjoyed a lovely afternoon (dad even getting to have a ride on the Vespa up and down the drive) and evening together. I slept remarkably well that night :-)
I woke early the next day - I needed to get back home in good time for a teleconference meeting. As I lay in bed slowly waking up, it occurred to me that I was in a rather different situation to the morning before. Yesterday when I woke up I had a choice. I had a choice primarily based on the weather conditions as to whether I would travel down to see mum and dad by scooter or by car. This morning however, I had no choice whatsoever. Regardless of whatever the weather had in store for me, I had to ride home, and so it was with a little more intrepidation than excitement that I set off that morning.
 |
| preparing for the journey home |
I arrived home just in the nick of time for my teleconference meeting after 5 hours in the saddle - this had indeed been an epic journey for me. And one I look forward to doing many more times :-)
I love my Vespa.
The first 100 miles
True to form, the chaps from Redditch Shot Blasting were slow with the delivery of my painted wheels BUT they had done a great job when i did eventually get them back (£10/wheel). They look great once all assembled and refitted to the bike (It was Hugh who taught me about the magic that a nice set of wheels can add to a vehicle)
With the wheels back on the bike the weather was particularly encouraging for a man with a shiney new scooter, and so I had the perfect excuse to take a run out to buy some gloves (that might provide a bit more protection than the snowboard gloves that I'd been wearing up to this point) I had some Christmas money from mum so was delighted to spend £30 on a pair not too flash, not too stiff, and not too thick.
While I was out and about I thought I would take the opportunity to pop in to GranSport Scooters to show Dan (who had been particularly encouraging for me as a noobie) how the scooter had turned out. I was slightly embarrassed to go in and say 'do you want to see it' but once again Dan was very gracious with his enthusiasm and kind words. I felt rather proud of my achievement :-)
So now with a completed bike and an appropriate set of garments, I needed a proper run. And where else could be a more perfect destination than Hughies! And so it was decided for the following morning. The weather was dry and crisp (I really dont want to ride in the wet if I can avoid it) So off I set. It wasnt long before I realised that actually the weather was dry, crisp AND frosty! If id have foreseen some of the ice patches along the country roads that morning I wouldnt have set off. However I was now on the roads and heading to Stratford Upon Avon so I simply had to ride with extreme care.
It was a lovely ride and the scooter hopped along beautifully. It has a lovely buzzing sound, vibrates comfortingly and smells great! The white smoke pretty well vanishes once warmed up and she doesnt hesitate for a moment either in long open runs or in idling at traffic lights.
Like a bit of an idiot I was under the impression that I had found a comfortable speed of about 60mph (and for a number of days following this run was reporting this to friends who appeared to be impressed with the power of this little machine) However I have since realised (and only after counting seconds as I rode between road mile markers) that Ive been glancing down at the speedo and reading the KPH scale instead of the MPH scale which on this foreign designed bike is the less obvious scale. So instead of a comfy cruising speed of what I thought was 60mph - Ive actually been doing 40mph. I was interested to reflect on just how much I'd fooled myself - I had a completely misguided sense of what these speeds felt like - exposed to the elements, that 40mph FELT like 60mph to me. Dan tells me that I should be able to get 60mph out of a 200cc engine - but the idea of going 50% faster still positively scares me! Especially now that I have a new-found awareness of pot-holes - I never saw them when driving the car, but on a scooter with piddly wheel diameters, they look (and feel) like chasms waiting to tip you off at any opportunity
The other interesting fact that arises from being exposed to the elements on a clear and frosty day is that you get extremely cold. Even with my new proper gloves, i lost all sensation in a few fingers on a number of occasions, and only bought it back by vigorous rubbing during welcome traffic light stops. What I couldn't do though (without being arrested) was the same for my balls - OMG I froze my balls - now I know what brass monkeys feel like. That really was quite painful
Hughs house is approximately 35 miles from mine, but it took nearly 2 hours get there. I'm not entirely sure why I made such a long job of it. Im certainly being cautious (new rider, reconditioned bike, frosty roads) but I thought it would be quicker than that. Coffee at Hughs has never been more welcomed. I was pretty well chilled to the bone by the time i got there but it was a good exercise in understanding what is the appropriate number of layers you need to wear while riding a scooter. Before leaving Hughs I borrowed (and he can have it back if he wants) an A4 jiffy envelope to fashion a cod-piece from - stuffed down my trousers, it really did make a big difference to the pleasure of the return journey.
All in all - It was a great first proper run. I love the scooter (and so do others judging by the turning heads), and I love the riding it. It appears to all be working well, and my rebuild is a success.
The following day, with growing confidence and excitement for my scooter, I leapt at the opportunity to get the Vespa out again - Ukulele practice at a friends house. It was to be only a short journey, But Horrors! two miles from my house, the clutch cable snapped!
Can you imagine how much of a freekin pain it is when you are out and about and your clutch cable snaps! I can see what that tool box is for now - to fill with spares!..... if only I had :-(
I managed to limp home by crashing the gears without a clutch - but i winced every time at the thought of my brand new gear selector mashing its edges off - grrr
It turns out that the nipple had just sheared off the cable at the handle bar end - It was a brand new cable and hadnt even done 100 miles yet! I was pretty pissed off (and worried that this was to be a fact of life - since this moment I have heard from a number of sources that with a Vespa I'd be wise to always carry a spare clutch cable!)
I think the cause of this snap was me overly tightening the clutch cable adjuster - in an attempt to minimise the 'clunk' that happens each time I changed gear. However on reflection now, I have concluded that the clutch adjustment will never stop the gear-change 'clunk' - this 'clunk' is the natural noise of a gearbox without synchromesh. I felt a bit of an idiot, but for a £3.50 cable replacement off ebay, I think it was a cheap and relatively painless lesson to learn
I have since wondered about what i would do if the same thing were to happen it in the middle of the Tuscan hills and I couldnt simply crash the gears home. I think i could have temporarily bodged a solution to get me to the nearest piaggio dealer (which of course in Italy is never more than 400 yards away)
With the wheels back on the bike the weather was particularly encouraging for a man with a shiney new scooter, and so I had the perfect excuse to take a run out to buy some gloves (that might provide a bit more protection than the snowboard gloves that I'd been wearing up to this point) I had some Christmas money from mum so was delighted to spend £30 on a pair not too flash, not too stiff, and not too thick.
While I was out and about I thought I would take the opportunity to pop in to GranSport Scooters to show Dan (who had been particularly encouraging for me as a noobie) how the scooter had turned out. I was slightly embarrassed to go in and say 'do you want to see it' but once again Dan was very gracious with his enthusiasm and kind words. I felt rather proud of my achievement :-)
So now with a completed bike and an appropriate set of garments, I needed a proper run. And where else could be a more perfect destination than Hughies! And so it was decided for the following morning. The weather was dry and crisp (I really dont want to ride in the wet if I can avoid it) So off I set. It wasnt long before I realised that actually the weather was dry, crisp AND frosty! If id have foreseen some of the ice patches along the country roads that morning I wouldnt have set off. However I was now on the roads and heading to Stratford Upon Avon so I simply had to ride with extreme care.
It was a lovely ride and the scooter hopped along beautifully. It has a lovely buzzing sound, vibrates comfortingly and smells great! The white smoke pretty well vanishes once warmed up and she doesnt hesitate for a moment either in long open runs or in idling at traffic lights.
Like a bit of an idiot I was under the impression that I had found a comfortable speed of about 60mph (and for a number of days following this run was reporting this to friends who appeared to be impressed with the power of this little machine) However I have since realised (and only after counting seconds as I rode between road mile markers) that Ive been glancing down at the speedo and reading the KPH scale instead of the MPH scale which on this foreign designed bike is the less obvious scale. So instead of a comfy cruising speed of what I thought was 60mph - Ive actually been doing 40mph. I was interested to reflect on just how much I'd fooled myself - I had a completely misguided sense of what these speeds felt like - exposed to the elements, that 40mph FELT like 60mph to me. Dan tells me that I should be able to get 60mph out of a 200cc engine - but the idea of going 50% faster still positively scares me! Especially now that I have a new-found awareness of pot-holes - I never saw them when driving the car, but on a scooter with piddly wheel diameters, they look (and feel) like chasms waiting to tip you off at any opportunity
The other interesting fact that arises from being exposed to the elements on a clear and frosty day is that you get extremely cold. Even with my new proper gloves, i lost all sensation in a few fingers on a number of occasions, and only bought it back by vigorous rubbing during welcome traffic light stops. What I couldn't do though (without being arrested) was the same for my balls - OMG I froze my balls - now I know what brass monkeys feel like. That really was quite painful
Hughs house is approximately 35 miles from mine, but it took nearly 2 hours get there. I'm not entirely sure why I made such a long job of it. Im certainly being cautious (new rider, reconditioned bike, frosty roads) but I thought it would be quicker than that. Coffee at Hughs has never been more welcomed. I was pretty well chilled to the bone by the time i got there but it was a good exercise in understanding what is the appropriate number of layers you need to wear while riding a scooter. Before leaving Hughs I borrowed (and he can have it back if he wants) an A4 jiffy envelope to fashion a cod-piece from - stuffed down my trousers, it really did make a big difference to the pleasure of the return journey.All in all - It was a great first proper run. I love the scooter (and so do others judging by the turning heads), and I love the riding it. It appears to all be working well, and my rebuild is a success.
The following day, with growing confidence and excitement for my scooter, I leapt at the opportunity to get the Vespa out again - Ukulele practice at a friends house. It was to be only a short journey, But Horrors! two miles from my house, the clutch cable snapped!
Can you imagine how much of a freekin pain it is when you are out and about and your clutch cable snaps! I can see what that tool box is for now - to fill with spares!..... if only I had :-(
I managed to limp home by crashing the gears without a clutch - but i winced every time at the thought of my brand new gear selector mashing its edges off - grrr
It turns out that the nipple had just sheared off the cable at the handle bar end - It was a brand new cable and hadnt even done 100 miles yet! I was pretty pissed off (and worried that this was to be a fact of life - since this moment I have heard from a number of sources that with a Vespa I'd be wise to always carry a spare clutch cable!)
I think the cause of this snap was me overly tightening the clutch cable adjuster - in an attempt to minimise the 'clunk' that happens each time I changed gear. However on reflection now, I have concluded that the clutch adjustment will never stop the gear-change 'clunk' - this 'clunk' is the natural noise of a gearbox without synchromesh. I felt a bit of an idiot, but for a £3.50 cable replacement off ebay, I think it was a cheap and relatively painless lesson to learn
I have since wondered about what i would do if the same thing were to happen it in the middle of the Tuscan hills and I couldnt simply crash the gears home. I think i could have temporarily bodged a solution to get me to the nearest piaggio dealer (which of course in Italy is never more than 400 yards away)
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