Butt nekkid

Notice anything missing? Besides George, I mean…(Orin O’Neill photos)

As you may recall, one of the bolts holding the GTS’ luggage rack to the grab rail disappeared. Turns out it broke. So did the other one, while trying to fix it. Because I didn’t know it had broken until I took the topcase off.

Just in case

Just prior to the GTS’ hospitalization, I succumbed to a fit of pique and put it on Craigslist, cheap. In order to maximize the return, I took off the topcase and windscreen, with the idea of selling them separately.

Needless to say, I’m glad I didn’t sell the GTS. After riding it in a (for a lack of a better term) “naked” state for a while, I decided to put the topcase and windscreen back on.

Endorsing your sport

Reader Stephen alerts us to this video, which shows part of the motorcycle endorsement skills test administered by the Washington state Department of Licensing.

Gettin’ Slimed

Just what is the deal with rear tires on my scooters, anyway?

This hole is not in my heart

Orin O’Neill photo

Look at the circle in the middle of the picture above, and you’ll see the nail that punctured the GTS’ rear tire. It’s quite sharp, and not visible from the tread side of the tire, hence my original theory about a bad valve stem.

Karma chameleon plaid

Orin O’Neill photos

Isn’t that a great view? You can only get it on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, at the turnout near Safeco Field. You’re not supposed to park there unless your vehicle has broken down. In that regard, the GTS was totally legit.

A shopping tip

If you’re thinking about getting a scooter, now is a good time to shop. Especially if you’re in Seattle—even though the Vernal Equinox happens early tomorrow, as I write this it’s cold and rainy.

Lots and lots of Scootin’ Old Skool viewers arrive here by searching on variations of “craigslist vespa for sale.” However, I found a post on a message board somewhere (don’t remember which one, sorry) containing the phrase you need to use if you’re looking for a Vespa:

vespa site:craigslist.org

I tried it with Google, Windows Live Search, Yahoo! and Dogpile; all of them give you every posting on every local version of Craigslist containing the word “vespa,” though not in the same order. Obviously, you can substitute “stella,” “ruckus” or whatever kind of scooter you might be looking for. And you can narrow the search by adding the name of the city (e.g., seattle.craigslist.org), though in that case I find it easier to just go to the specific city site and use the search feature there.

I see a lot of you are looking for Züdapp Bellas…

In search of the elusive donut hole

You may recall last Sunday I found myself in downtown Kirkland with a nearly flat rear tire. Thanks to Chewy, I got the tire reinflated and completed the ride.