i miei viaggi
my trips

After the 2010 journey to Nordkapp, Giorgio and I desire another classic motorcycle adventure; so we decide to cover the US Coast to Coast, with a two wheels vehicle. Also Alfredo, an old friend of Giorgio and  an expert Vespa fan, is thrilled at this plan. Thanks also to internet, it was known that numerous motorcyclists crossed the new continent, covering the historical Route 66. The choice of the two wheels vehicle, excluding the mythical, but banal, Hearly and our Moro Guzzi V7 Special, already ennoblemented with Nordkapp, is addressed on the Italian, historical, likable to the eyes of the Americans, Vespa. Alfredo an I already own a 30 years old PX Vespa and Giorgio quickly acquires an analogous one.

The three Vespa are prepared for the challenging journey and distances and dates are also decided, also the search of the shipper goes, after all, to a good aim. In May, the three Vespas are shipped to New York and  in June the 16th, we fly to New York from Bologna. In the same day the Vespas get free  from their shipment wooden case and become quickly ready to travel.

To complete our adventure, here the classic article. In order not to fall in the trap to write a banal chronologic list, that often traces those existing on internet, I prefer to propose you some sentences, coined along the travel, that I hope give the sense of our adventure.

The sum of 150, 100 and 65 makes 2011 Coast to Coast

Our 2011 Coast to Coast traces three important anniversaries: the 150 years of the Unity of  Italy, the 100 years of the US Naval Aviation (being Giorgio and Sirio two Naval Aviators) and the 65 birthday of the Vespa. 

Vespa is kind and never overtakes

It is known that Vespa is not fast, while all the vehicles met in USA are faster. Our Vespas, therefore, always are overtaken by everybody; as the only exceptions, we overtake proudly a smashed truck and some rare bicycles that.

Vespa: great heart, small wheels

Vespa runs slow and cannot be fast, but she has a great heart: its engine. In fact the three engines of  our Vespas, covered  7800 kilometers each, without any serious malfunctions and they were reliable and punctual. On the contrary Vespa wheels are small and narrow; unstable in presence of strong wind and sensitive to the road conformation.

USA is wide  and the Vespa is small

When we think to the US distances, unavoidably a comparison with our distances is made. When we realize that USA has a surface wider approximately 25 times than ours, that his population is only approximately 5 times bigger than ours and that his territory does not  include many steep mountains, we have a clearer idea on their distances and their straight roads. If in this context, we insert our slow Vespas, with ambitions of long distances, we cannot avoid to smile.

Our Vespas, as the pioneers, go from east to west

Thank to our journey, we understand the meaning of the conquest of the far west, started with the wagons of the pioneers and followed by the realization of the rail road and with the subsequent road for cars: the  historic mother Route 66. We confess that, in some circumstances, also we think to conquer the far west, as pioneers, in saddleback of a horse rather than that of a Vespa. In fact our Vespas go from east to west, tracing often the paths ridden by pioneers.

The translation of Vespas is Those Things

Vintage Vespas, as ours, arise the curiosity and the interest of the Americans. Frequently they, made curious from the strange animal, approach us to address their interviews, but, many of them, not knowing the term Vespa, call them Those Things (TT). Here, therefore, examples of their questions: where are you coming from with TT? where do you think to go with TT? have you really made it with TT? how many miles per gallon with TT? which speed do you maintain with TT? may I have a picture on TT? are TT really 30 years old?

To better understand USA ride the Coast to Coast with Vespa

The limited speed of the Vespa, in this context, constitutes an advantage, since it forces you to avoid, as much as possible, freeways and to prefer common roads. Hence, it is possible to see details of varying of  landscapes,  settlements and human realizations. It is also possible to discover those aspects of the USA that are far from the ideas we have from their films and their technology; in the USA exist many farmers, breeders, simple people, ethnic minorities and inhabitants of small collectivities spread in their wide territory.

Route 66 is dimensioned for Vespa, freeways not

Route 66 is still open for about 80% of  its course, often two lines made. Vespa, or bike, may be considered the ideal mean of transportation in order to cover it, concurring to discover those remaining evidences of the life that before it was present on this road. In particular, it is very pleasant to cross the green villages of Illinois and  Missouri, and the wide plateaus in New Mexico and Arizona. On the contrary, covering freeways with Vespa, even if is often necessary, is not a pleasure. American freeways are similar to a river made up vehicles, that all together march at 70 mph. The only obstacle to this flow is represented by our slower three Vespas. The idea of having always, behind us, vehicles, that must slow down in order not to run over and overtake us, is not pleasant.

Dewey, Huey and Louie are red, orange and blue colored

Aware that all the American vehicles are faster than ours, we have promptly implemented a defensive strategy: proceeding in a single row in tight formation close to the right limit of the line. The comparison with three motherless goslings, has quickly came to our minds and, since we are in the Walt Disney land, the comparison may be easy completed assimilating the Vespas to the famous Dewey, Huey and Louie. A small difference still exists, they are green, red and blue colored, while our Vespas orange, red and blue.

Mather nature generates winds, but also American trucks do

Wind is a phenomenon of the nature and can be more or less intense and more or less warm. In our travel we have often opted for a very strong and warm one, which blowing abeam and forward, forced us to reduce our already contained speed. Once, we had the pleasure to have an aft wind: when, mistaking the road, we were wrongly heading north! In our case, nature has found many other allies in order to generate more wind to invest our Vespas: the huge American trucks.

Harleys run faster, but more noisy

95% of the bikes in USA is made by big Harely Davison, each one differing from each other and fitted with healthy noisy mufflers silencers, ridden by the stereotypic Harley biker.  This Harley biker really exists: heavier than 100 kilos; short sleeves leather jacket; jeans; cow boy booths; bandanna; evident mustaches or beard, better if white; long hair, better if bald at the temples and with a short tail and with an helmet, if worn, very small and black. Harley people, always very warm, waving and friendly are always curious about our Vespas, also if they never accepted to trade our scooter with their bikes; deal that I often proposed them.  Also their bikes show signs of a character: heavy chromes, studs, leather pendants, drawings, custom-built forks, very noisy mufflers, extra foot rests to convoy wind from foots to neck and huge baggages hanged everywhere. Harley men ride by himself; bring a passenger only if  girl friend or lover. After the marriage the Harley bike evolves, it is equipped with a huge and bright trailer, where it is possible to carry a full cooler and other voluminous baggages. The last metamorphosis of these bikers come when reached an elder age: from a two wheels vehicle to a three one; anyhow always Harley and noisy.

The three worst moments of the journey

Left the sunny and windy Route 66 westbound from Tucumcari, the three Vespas take the US84  to ride the “Santa Fe loop”. After some kilometers, Vespas find themselves in a very challenging situation: thunderstorm of yellow sand that gets everywhere, very strong warm headwind, desert all-around without any human buildings, rare traffic made by few vehicles, whose headlights  visible only very close to us and stifling heat. During a necessary refueling with our auxiliary tanks, one of us asks where we are and where we are heading to; the answer from the other two is an eloquent silence.

While riding a high traffic intensity freeway, among trucks and cars quickly overtaking our Vespas, my Vespa suddenly looses head tire pressure: very wide oscillations of my Vespa and  miraculously I do not fell down, neither I am run over by incoming vehicles, while bringing my scooter to the emergency lane. Lucky in an unlucky situation; now I have tubules tires.

During a very hot night time transit to our motel in Las Vegas, the three Vespas, slowly preceding with their low intensity headlights, are surrounded by fast incoming vehicles impatiently overtaking us from everywhere.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS

1. •Vespas did not betray our expectations and they behaved well.
   

2. •In order to face a such journey, Vespas must be well tuned, since they will be stressed by high external temperatures and by long distances in altitude.
   

3. •It is easy to find gas, ice, toilettes,  fast food and motels with good breakfast.
   

4. •There are numerous supermarkets well furnished, but it is wise to have something to eat on board; camp stove, spaghetti and lyophilized food are very useful.
   

SOME STATISTICS

1. •Kilometers: total 7.800, of witch 7.000 from the Atlantic Ocean (New York) to the Pacific (Morro Bay);
   

2. •consumptions: 28 - 30 Km per liter, 4000 km to change the rear wheel;
   

3. •failures: one spark plug, one flat tire, disconnection switching gear lever;
   

4. •temperatures: maximum 45.6 C in Las Vegas,  minimum 13.4 C on the Pacific coast;
   maximum elevation: 2453 meters on top San Franceso pass, close to Flagstaff AZ;
   

5. •Route 66: begun in Chicago IL - left in Kingman AZ;
   

6. •costs per biker: 1600€ for freighting one Vespa and its temporary importation, 850€ for air ticket, 250€ for insurances, 1800€ for live costs in USA;
   

7. •cery useful equipments: canteen, store room, new tire, prepaid credit card, America cellphone, navigator;
   

8. •interesting persons met: preaching bikers riding Harley Davison in Santa Fe, French cyclist pedaling in US for one year, prying lady with heavy backpack on Route 66, two walking men on the Pacific coast with heavy backpacks and one dog with its cartridge boxes;
   

9. •interesting live animals seen: squirrels, jack rabbit, prairie dogs, deer, prickets, opossum, sea elephants, seals, pelicans,  condor, falcons, herons, box turtle, desert lizard;
   

10. •interestng dead animals seen sideway roads: cow, coyote, wild cat, pricket, opossum, squirrel, jack rabbit, prairie dog, rabbit, skunk, armadillo, snakes.
    

i miei viaggi
my trips