Test Run 03 - MKE to Lone Rock WI

Yesterday (8.31.14) I took a day trip out west to see how far I could make it in a single day.

I started out just before 8:00 am and made it to Madison in just about 2 1/2 hours (~90 miles).  That's not bad considering a stop for fuel and a coffee brake.

I then took on the challenge of crossing Madision.  What should have been about 30-45 minutes by milage, turned into a good hour+.  Mostly I found myself wasting time stopping to look at my phone (GPS) and back tracking due to a wrong turn.

So the big leason I learned on this trip is to get a dedicated GPS unit attacked to the bike.  This should help eliminate excess stops along the way.

I also made a point to stop every few hours to let the bike rest a bit.  This really seamed to help quite a bit and I had no break downs.  I also fixed the back rest on my seat before I left and I'm pleased how well it worked.

All and all I went a total of 300 miles in about 12 hours.  Of course that includes three fuel stops, a coffee brake, a 30 minute break for lunch and a good two hour stop to meet up with an old friend and his family.  So subtracting all that, I would guess I road for about 8 hours.  That works out to 37.5 MPH.  Not to bad given all the small towns and stop lights I hit.

- Michael 

Test Run 02 - MKE to GB

This last weekend I decided to take a trip to Green Bay about 120 miles away (240 round trip).  I figured this would be a good day trip since it wasn't to far way, and it would be about the number of miles I would need to go each day when I attempt my CA trip again.

I made it up in about three hours with no issues to speak of (other then road construction).  After lunch I headed home and about 1/2 way into the ride the Vespa started acting like the main jet was clogged (jerking back and forth but not as though it was ready to stop).

Since I was low I stopped for fuel and a map check.  I got back on the road realizing I never checked the jets but everything was fine.

The moral of the story is, I have no idea was caused the issue.  I will keep my eye on it and try and figure it out.  It does seam like a break helped, so maybe it just needed a rest (we are both getting up there is years)

I'm hoping to take another ride soon so maybe I can figure out what's going on with it.

- Michael

Weekly Repairs

This week during riding I noticed the front of the bike "didn't feel quite right".  The best way I can explain it is to say it felt like the shock was bottoming out.  Upon inspection I noticed the rubber bushing from the shock had slipped out of place.

It was a simple fix.  By pulling off the wheel the front shock is fully accessible.  Undoing a bolt, pushing the rubber bushing back into position, and putting the bolt back into place is all it took.  

While I was in there, I took the liberty of putting a larger washer in front of the bushing to help hold it in place.

While checking over the rest of the bike I went to tighten the screw on the tail light cover and broke it off.  Well, the plastic part the screw goes into broke.  So I had to fashion a few new bolts.  It's not pretty but it'll work until I can get a replacement.

That's all the repairs for this week.  I'm sure after something new will rattle its way off by next week.

- Michael

Test Run 01 - Milwaukee to Madison

Today (June 21, 2014) I took a little trip to Madison, about 85 miles west (170 round trip).

The goal of today's ride was to start "training" for another attempt at riding across the country.  Although the weather wasn't the best for riding today did yield some results.

First, I learned the Rally doesn't really like to be kept wide open for long periods of time.  After several hours of full throttle driving it started smelling hot.  With imminent failure in mind I decided to pull over and take a break, and that's when the wheels feel of (not literally).

When I pulled off the highway the Rally just cut out and stopped.  I pulled off and started taking a look around.  I found the spark plug was loose but not much else looked out of place.  I let it cool for a bit but it still would not start.

After a bit of tinkering I pulled out the choke and it started right up.  As soon as I pushed the choke in it would die.  After a bit more tinkering and troubleshooting I figured it had to be something with the carb.

I pulled out the jets and look what I found in the idle jet, a nice big clog.

After cleaning that out I was able to get underway with no further issues.

So, what I learned today is that a non starting condition could be caused by a clogged idle jet.  An easy troubleshooting step is to simply try starting the scooter with the choke out and then pushing it in.  If it cuts out and dies, the idle jet could be clogged.

My next goal will be to try and determine how the clog happened.  I suspect it has to do with the fuel line or something in the tank.  Either way it's going to be a messy process. 

- Michael

Rockerbox 2014

Rockerbox has moved to Road America so I made the one day trek from Milwaukee to check it out.  Although it's 50 miles away now, I have to say I like the open space.  Rather than having everything crammed into a couple of blocks, it was well setup and we had a great time looking around and seeing all the great bikes.  I even found a couple of Vespa books at one of the dealer stands!

Needless to say, for a 100 mile ride the scooter held up grate.  Although I've made some improvements on the seat, there is still something to be desired.  I'm going to try and come up with a way to make it a bit more comfortable so I can do a few more long rides this summer.

I'm looking forward to next year.

- Michael 

MI to WI - Night 2

Night 2 ended at home around 5:00 PM.  It was a long day of riding but most of it was spent sitting in traffic around Chicago.

After we hit the WI boarder we made our way East to ride along the lake front. Around Racine my speedo decided to stop working.  Looks like the gear got damaged so a new one is on order. 

All and all the trip was a success and the bikes surviced! 

Now to plan the next trip.

- Michael

MI to WI - Day 2

Day 2 started around 8:30 with repacking the bikes and fueling up.  We made it through Gary without am issue and stopped in Chicago for lunch around noon.  We're taking a 5 minute water brake in Noth Chicago before we push up into WI. 

The only issue today was a squeaky nut on Doug ' s right hand grip. A bit of grease saves the day. 

- Michael

MI to WI - Night 1

Day 1 was a success and we're stopped in Portage for the night.  The only issue I ran into today was one of my mirrors coming loss and needing a little tightening.  All and all i would call that a successful 150 mile ride.

- Michael

MI to WI - Day 1

The day started early at 4:30 to make it to the ferry on time.  Doug and I got on board and tied the bikes down for their trip.

We made it to MI on time and started on our way.  We're now stopped for lunch in Holland MI at Russ'.

    The bikes strapped down

    Milwaukee from the ferry

- Michael 

MI to WI - Planning

So the Rally survived its first winter in the great state of WI.  I've had it out for a few weeks and everything is working great, so now it's time to plan the next trip.  We will take the ferry across Lake Michigan and drive back around the South side of the lake.

Bike prep

After the winter we've had around here I'm really looking forward to getting the Vespa out of the garage.  This weekend looks like it it should be nice enough to at least pull it out and give it a look over. 

This is the bikes first winter in WI so I'm not sure how it will fare.  Once I get a look at it I can start any repairs and prep work for the trip.

More to follow. .

- Michael