Did you mean “unicycle?”

I’ve lost count of how many people get here by searching on “one-wheel scooter.” Wouldn’t you know, Honda has actually come up with one.

See how it’s made

The Science Channel series How It’s Made recently had a segment showing the steps in building a Vespa. The video recently turned up on YouTube.

Reporting from the Sticks: Vespa GTS 300 Super

Steve Williams photo

Since it was introduced, the question has been asked, repeatedly: is there a meaningful performance difference between a Vespa GTS 300 Super and a Vespa GTS 250i.e.? Scooter in the Sticks‘ Steve Williams offers an opinion.

It was bound to happen

Motorcycle.com reports the 125 and 150cc engines found in Vespa LXs and Ss (and presumably any other Piaggio Group scooter that uses those engines) will trade their carburetors for electronic fuel injection.

No surprise, really. Emissions standards around the globe are getting tougher, and the only way to meet them is to precisely monitor the amount of fuel going into the combustion chamber. EFI (or if you prefer, inienzione elettronica) is how you do that.

Of course, the added bonus is more torque and lower fuel consumption. If this means you can get an LX 150i.e. in orange, so much the better…

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.

Necessity is a mother

Safety Ed made a backrest out of materials in his basement (Orin O’Neill photos)

All my road trips with the PX were about 200 miles (or in the case of the ‘08 Oregon Road Trip, 200 miles/day). I was usually pretty beat at the end of the day; I expected such journeys with the GTS to be much more relaxing, with a possibility of 300-mile days.

However, the trip to Neah Bay and back was about 300 miles. And I was more beat than I ever expected to be.

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.