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.
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