January 31, 2008

This has been a particularly bad month for riding the Piaggio due to such heavy and consistent rain; storms, day and night. As a friend of mine from Chicago once said, "it's been raining buses". My scooter sat for 13 straight days in the cold garage without being started. I couldn't take it any longer so I rolled her out into the driveway this morning. I was pleased that it readily fired up on the first and only try! Vvrrroooommm. I rode to work in the early morning and it felt refreshing. When I got out of work it was raining hard, again. I was wearing a raincoat, insulated gloves, and a full face helmet. Despite the hammering, drenching rain and wind I could smell that sweet, purple incense burning as I zipped past the antique houses and colorful store fronts up Haight street. Taking the usual scenic route I rolled up Twin Peaks drive and hugged the curves at a slower speed than usual...out of necessity. The opaque, cement colored sky was thick and grey. The percussive blast of raindrops on my helmet and visor were like so many BB's. My raincoat and Levi's were stuck to me and they were COLD. Cornering a little too fast in a quiet, sleepy, neighborhood my rear tire broke loose, instantly, as though greased. She got sideways but I somehow managed to avoid going down (Boys and girls, I came back from the fractal edge of an "Endo"!!)! Conditioning from my dirt bike days? Guardian angels? I don't know but I rode away, unscathed, with the realization that the blacktop has no love! I end January with only 494 miles on my new mount and zero problems to report. I haven't had to add air to either tire in over two weeks. They are still at 32 p.s.i., cold. By the way, I'm planning a 500 mile scooter trek in May or June.

December, 2007

After many months of researching modern scooters it was down to either a Vespa LX 150 or a Piaggio Fly 150. Both share the same motor but the Fly has taller wheels which translates into better stability at higher speeds and it's more rust resistant due to its plastic body panels. On December the 8th. I walked into Vespa San Francisco to look at a new 2006 Fly. After a pleasant and informative discussion with the sales lady I filled out the paperwork, laid down the money, and rode away on my new mount. The sales lady warned me that many customers also have Ducatis, Harleys, Kawasakis and other full size motorcycles and have all but placed them in the dustbin since purchasing a new Vespa/Piaggio scooter. I love my Sportster. Surely, that wont happen. The Sportster was ridden daily. Now it's ridden on weekends.

The Fly felt light, like a toy. No shifting made it seem almost magical. The quiet humm of the one cylinder four stroke was soothing. It reminded me of the Yamaha Riva 180 I had in 1993...but better. Two days later, on a foggy morning, it would crank over but wouldn't start. I suspected the all too common vapor cannister issue and rode my Hawg to work. Later, I looked it over and discovered nearly one cup of gasoline in the air cleaner box. I cleaned, re-oiled, and reassembled the air cleaner. Further assessment didn't reveal anything unusual. For the next week and a half I wondered about the carburetor as I rode, daily, and had no other problems. Two days after the next fillup it happened, again! Okay. I removed the carburetor, which was pleasantly easy, and checked the needle valve and seat. They appeared flawless. The float level was way off, according to Piaggio specs. I adjusted the float, reassembled and haven't had any more problems.

Now I have 361 miles on the Fly. The build quality appears as good as anything I've seen from Japan or the U.S. I still have 239 more miles before the first oil and filter change and service, which I'll perform at home. I haven't had Mary over 45 miles per hour since I'm following Piaggio's recommended, "don't travel faster than 80% of the scooter's top speed for the first 600 miles". She runs glassy smooth and I am looking forward to some longer trips than my 20 mile daily commute.