The Bumblebee and the Vespa 2014

I think it's time for me to redefine what this new blog is about. In the past I've posted individual blogs for motorcycle/motor scooter rides to places like Alaska, Nova Scotia, Key West, Mexico, Canada, New York, etc. That's all well and good but it seems nowadays I'm dividing my rides into shorter ones comprised of two or more weeks each on different bikes. The total time and mileage is about the same, it's just split into multiple rides with a break somewhere in the middle.

The summer of 2014 serves as a good example of that wherein I rode south to Tombstone, AZ on my '92 BMW R100GS Bumblebee/Ural sidecar rig, (phew!) then returned home for a few days and set out again on my '07 Vespa 250ie motor scooter to visit Canada. That summer has gone and the seasons have changed as will the reports, some will be about shorter rides, some will be about maintenance, and maybe on occasion I'll post a photo or two just for interest. I may even introduce other bikes, a few of which are lurking under cover in the barn...

Navigating this blog is easy, just scroll down the list of posts by date to whatever interests you, click on it and you're in. Photos can be viewed in larger format by clicking on them.

Finally, if you'd care to post comments please do so, I'd love to hear from you. CLICK ON "NO COMMENTS" TO ENTER YOUR REMARKS. That seems really silly but that's how it works. The entry window is located at the bottom of each screen. Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoy your stay.

LL

Friday, July 25, 2014

Jul 25 - Vespa 250 - Spooling down at home


Boy do I ever love this sunshine! So here it is the day after arriving home and time to assess the damages, if any, to gear and scooter. There are always a few things that pop up and this time is no different, couple of scratches, odd mechanical noises coming from the lower regions [the scoot's, not mine], and even a bit of dye transfer on the saddle.

Paint scratch No. 1 way up high. Must have caught something underneath the saddle. Dang it anyway! Vespa offers some of the highest priced touch-up paint there is....arrgh!


Scratch No. 2 may be hard to fix but I'll try. I know what caused this one. 
This came as a surprise to me, the sheepskin seat pad's dye bled through and now the tan saddle has a blueish look to it. Maybe I can find something to take it out without dissolving the cover itself. Ideas welcome.
Harmless looking enough...

But lurking underneath is the odd blue color. Yuk!
Awhile back I put up a really primitive clothesline on the back of the deck just for this reason. Drying gear after bike tours or crabbing or just airing out sleeping bags; it's the ticket for whatever you need. Not pretty though.,,
My Elk skin gloves are still soaking wet, will likely need at least two days to dry out.

The rest of the stuff is already dry after 15 minutes. Nice breeze back there with warm sunshine. 
The mechanical noises coming from the scooter's lower regions sounds like something nasty is about to happen. Think $$$. It occurs when motion is started up and goes away at speed. At least I think it does, I can't hear it if it's still there. No surprise there...huh? What? Eh?

Altogether not much harm done and considering how hot it was the first few days and the speeds I was running at - constant 65 - 70 mph - placed quite a demand on such a small engine. I'll dig into it and see if I can sort it out but first I'll also ask my more knowledgeable buddies for their advice. Maybe they'll tell me to trade up to the more powerful 300. Yeah, that's the ticket, go get another scooter!

You left me. I wanted to go but you left me.

But now you're home and I still love you! Can we go to the beach now?
That'll do it, if anyone has ideas about removing the blue dye I'd like to hear them. Plus the mysterious mechanical noises....eww....

One last item, or two actually, I think I've got the blog fixed so readers can post comments and if you received this post via email that part's working too. Fine kettle of fish now that I'm home but at least it will be operational for the next ride.

LL







2 comments:

  1. Ohhh...too bad about the dye on the saddle! Such a pretty little scooter. Try some of that "Sun Glow" cleaner, it's supposed to be good at taking that kind of stuff off.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No workee...thanks for the suggestion though. Maybe it's time to change over to black upholstery? Nah....

    ReplyDelete

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