I've been riding when possible through the winter thanks to my <a href="http://www.tucanourbano.it/">Tucano Urbano Termoscud </a>Lap Apron.    Might be heading out for a ride into the city this afternoon.   It looks like tomorrows normal brunch ride will be hit with snow.

A group of us will be heading out to Cinncinati at the end of March for the WKRP rally.   It should be a fun long distance ride of 575 miles one way.  I'm looking forward to the challenge of a long ride.  I'd like to do a cross country ride in the future so this will be a little test for me.

3200 miles on the GTS now and I need a new rear tire. I'm planning on changing from the OEM Pirelli tires to Michelin Pilot City tires. So that's what my scooter is getting for Christmas along with an oil change and the 3k tune up.

The weather has been unusually warm but I've only been taking slower in town rides since I am over due on the tires. I've just been to busy to make the arrangements to have them put on. I'm hoping next week sometime while I am off from work.

So wishing everyone a Happy Holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Tom

P.S. Here is my GTS with at the Bristol Boro Riverfront Tree

Head to Philadelphia for some fun next weekend! Should be chilly and fun.

http://www.rabblerousersc.com/rally

I shot my first video from my Vespa yesterday. I used my RAM Mount that normally holds my GPS and I added a camera mount instead. I popped my Nikon S6 on and went for a ride. First I did some interval shots.






Then I switched to video mode. The results were pretty good until I transferred it to YouTube. It really compresses it and the quality gets really bad.



These are just my first shot at doing this and I plan on trying to improve things a bit. I think this will be great to document some group rides in the future.

Nothing much to post about other than the I broke down and got a GIVI topcase to use instead of my cool leather Piaggio Rollbag. It's just so usefull I live with the looks. It definatly takes away and "retro-ness" this modern scoot ever had.

I am at 2250 miles now. My dealer from hell (read prior posts) went belly up. Not a surprise seeing how he ran his business. Now we have a new dealer just minutes from my job. I plan on taking my scoot there for it's 3k service. I stopped in last week to check things out. It's called Fast by Ferracci and they specialize in Italian bikes. I have high hopes for service and couldn't be happier with thier location.

I have a GTS, but enjoy this short promo for the GT.

It's been a while since I posted last, so on with a little update. We had a heat wave for like 2 weeks with most days near 100. I didn't do much riding other than little rides in town for local errands. I did discover a new BBQ joint! Being of southern roots, I love my BBQ. Specifically Pulled Pork BBQ. Mmm it makes me want some now just writing about it. I found Sweet Lucy's on a scooter ride down State Road into Philadelphia. I saw their bbq trailer and noted the name. Came home and looked it up and low and behold, they had a restaurant right there that I did not see. It's a pretty commercial area and they are located in the corner of an old factory.

I took my parents and one of my sisters for a try a few days after I had my first taste. They agree, it's the best BBQ we have ever had. Thanks to my Vespa, my BBQ cravings can now be filled.

I then also had sinus surgery. Can you say OUCH! It's been 2 weeks and I still feel like my nose is broken! Sinus pressure was so bad there was no way I was driving the scoot till that was gone. I hope this pain will stop me from getting so many sinus infections in the future.

I have about 1400 miles on the GTS now. I have tried out small portions of highway with it with no problems so I took the plunge and took the highway all the way to work today. The same route I would normally take in the car. This has been my goal all along and I finally did it! Taking this route makes using the scoot daily more of a reality. Taking back roads doubles my commute and makes me leave my house at 6:30AM. A bit to early since I have to get ready myself and take care of the dogs before leaving.

So here is my ride information:

Left the house 7:00AM - Total Time 26:29 mins.
Moving Time - 24:25
Stopped - 2:04

Moving Average MPH - 48.6
Max Speed MPH - 77.1
Total Miles - 19.79

Traffic was normal, but did get a bit a cross winds and buffeting from tractor trailers. Nothing bad enough to scare me, you just have to keep a light grip on the handlebars and not fight it. You WILL keep going forward :)

That's it for now. I think I am heading to Asbury Park NJ this Saturday for the Solerunners SC weekend rally/music festival. Hmmm, should I take the highway or the back roads? I think I am ready for either!