Scooting in Tuscany

When in Rome ... I mean Siena.

I'm a little bit out of sequence with this posting as we were in Italy we decided we had to hire a scooter and where better that Siena in Tuscany. I hired a newish red Vespa 125LX (I think!). Being Italy, the hire company was pretty casual about the whole thing -

"Do you have a licence?"

"Yes, I've got a..."

"That's fine."

This was the first time I'd ever ridden a modern scooter and I must admit I always felt I was forgetting to do something (err, that would be change gears). I did appreciate the additional power of the engine and all the modern conveniences, but it wasn't quite the 'Roman Holiday' experience I was expecting.

Firstly - Italian traffic. Scary! Although I must admit they don't pull out in front of you like Australian drivers do.

Secondly - Italian roads. Scary. Tuscany is renown for its weaving hilly roads; it's part of the regions charm, but the backroads were often a little dicey with large cracks in the tarmack that seemed designed to throw a scooter off its teeny tiny wheels. There were a couple of incidents where I felt the road conditions were really dangerous.

Thirdly - the Vespa became quite uncomfortable to ride after a couple of hours. I wasn't the only one to think this. Shelly was riding pillion and was very very uncomfortable. We were quite relieved when we parked the Vespa for the last time and got to stretch our legs.

That all said it was good fun and we got to scoot around some lovely countryside and up and down little medieval alleys and had a generally good time. Shelly even got to take the scooter for a spin around a carpark and quite enjoyed it. But if comes to long distance riding - I'll never ride a Vespa across the Nullabor!

Post-script:

So, is it dangerous to ride a scooter or bike in Italy I hear you ask? The Duomo in Siena has a special shrine for people who have recovered from accidents or bad luck. They often leave a symbol of their misfortune at the shrine. What do you think?

News from the stable

I was a little concerned when I got back from my Europe trip that the Troll would still be off the road. Much to my relief that wasn't the case. Somehow or other the cylinder had worked itself loose and the engine had lost compression. Never having seen anything like this before Ivo and Roberto were stumped as to the cause. I suspect it might just have been a symptom of many years neglect, overheating and a bit of vibration.

My first ride in four or five months was a bit stressful. The engine was running dreadfully and a howling wind made her very difficult to control. Shelly, who was following me home in the car, commented that I was wobbling all over the road. It wasn't a good start.

The next weekend I took her out for another run after cleaning the tank and adding fresh fuel. Thankfully this time she ran really well and I had a very pleasant ride. I've taken her out several times since and have been generally pleased with the performance. As I've said before, the Troll is a beautiful scooter to ride. It may not look pretty but its layout is 'just right' - the handlebars are perfectly position so you don't have to bend or stretch, the seat is perfectly comfortable, even over long distances, and the foot gears can be switched up and down with the minimum of effort. It's an excellent touring scooter. That said however there are still some problems to resolve. The battery went flat while we were away but although Roberto recharged it it has gone flat again so it isn't charging. Lack of consistent charge makes the engine stall at idle. The horn has also failed and needs to be replaced (if it isn't one thing, it's another!).

The Ariel

A couple of days before I left the Ariel Leader arrived in Perth. My brother was kind enough to pick it up and store it for me. It's still at his place and I need to arrange for it to be shipped over. In the meantime all the of the missing / replacement parts have come in so I'm all ready to go. I am quite excited about getting the bike running, registered and on the road. I don't intend a full restoration. The paintwork, especially the red sections, have many original flourishes that would be lost if it was stripped back, so I want to keep its original patina, polished up and preserved. It will also keep the cost down which will be important!