Aimless Wandering On Two or Three Wheels...: April 2015

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...

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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Apr 08 - Bumblebee - The hack finally gets a turn signal

Slick dog turn signal found on EBay

Awhile back I picked up a turn signal on EBay that more or less matches the ones on the beemer. Today I got around to installing it and it doesn't look too bad. I pulled the feed wire off the bike's RH signal so it doesn't work, taped it up so if and when the hack's removed all that's needed to make it work again is plug it in. Simple deal. I like the idea of having more separation between the two signals.

Now I suppose I should rewire the hack's tail light so it includes a brake light. But wait, that would mean two brake lights so maybe the LED unit currently on the bike will suffice?

I think I'm good with this setup the way it is for now, it's definitely better than what I had before and that's good enough for me.

While I was shopping for a suitable light I ran across this one too. It's pretty classy and I really thought it would look good on the hack's fender but mounting it was not going to be easy and it was a far cry from the Bumblebee's light design. Now it's resting in my junk box...anyone interested?

Anyway there ya go, another exciting day spent fiddling around with the Bumblebee. Hey, what else is there?

Ride safe...