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)