Post by shalomdawg on Sept 30, 2009 16:07:50 GMT -5
howdy , dawgs. i won't be able to attach pictures but here goes with the trip.
i bought a new piaggio bv500 in may and by second week of july had 2000 miles on it. i took it in to have the left handlebar brake assembly replaced which was broken when i bought it. after a month and a half i went to check on it(working wheat/apple harvests long hours)and found that the shop was no longer a piaggio shop and they had sent the scooter to seattle without telling me to the vespa shop to finnish the repairs. they told me that that shop would not release the scooter to them after repairs so i'd have to go get it. i called the shop in seattle and they said they had to order parts but when they did get it done i'd have to get it quick or there would be storage fees. last thursday that shop called, said it was done come get it. so here's what i did
yesterday i left my house with helmet and coat, caught the 6:45 from my place and after changing busses several times got to the greyhound station for the 8:05 to seattle(51$). arrived seattle and wondered around trying to find a bus going near the vespa shop. found one an hour later and arrived at the shop. put some air in the tires, fuel in the tank and set out for the 220 mile ride home. it had been raining all the way from the top of snoqualmie pass with snow coming down about a thousand feet above pass level. that's beautiful but looking cold. it started raining about issaquah and i stopped twice to add clothes from my pack. the new temperature sign at the bottom of the pass said 46 degrees and raining buckets. each truck or car i passed or that passed me had a private rainstorm for me. watching the snow capped mountains getting closer was thrilling though. the top of the pass was really neat with the clouds roilling and catching glimpses of skiing weather coming up. crossing by horseback must have had similar feelings with water running off everything. the scooter was a lot better protection than any of the motorcycles i've had. i figured, wrongly, that it would stop raining on the east side but it was still raining when i stopped in ellensburg for fuel. mid 60's for fuel mileage which i think is very good considering i'd frequently seen the speedo on 80 mph in that 112 miles.
instead of staying with the freeway i went down the river canyon. the road paces along the river through a deep canyon which is just beautiful. i saw people parked watching deer and elk in the heights above the river.. several bikes came through obviously taking that route for the scenery. little patches of timber and open sagebrush, the sound of the river and birds and the smell of fresh rain. great trip. rejoined the freeway 30 miles later and stopped for my first meal of the day about 5 pm in yakima. 70 more miles of freeway with productive farmland lining the road and lot's of trucks hauling produce to processers, the wonderful smells of sunnyside which i lovingly describe as the smell of steak but my cousin indicates he'd never, never live there cause it stinks. got home about 7:30 and though tired realized there's no better way to travel unless it's just too slick to stay vertical.
the piaggio performed flawlessly and handled the windy conditions with no problem at all. was able to keep freeway speeds up the pass even with my 300 pound being aboard. it is nice compared to my gv250 and hd 200 where one has to think about being able to keep up and how to stay out of the way when you can't. i am concerned about not having a dealer closer than 200 miles though. there may be one in spokane which would be closer.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya all
i bought a new piaggio bv500 in may and by second week of july had 2000 miles on it. i took it in to have the left handlebar brake assembly replaced which was broken when i bought it. after a month and a half i went to check on it(working wheat/apple harvests long hours)and found that the shop was no longer a piaggio shop and they had sent the scooter to seattle without telling me to the vespa shop to finnish the repairs. they told me that that shop would not release the scooter to them after repairs so i'd have to go get it. i called the shop in seattle and they said they had to order parts but when they did get it done i'd have to get it quick or there would be storage fees. last thursday that shop called, said it was done come get it. so here's what i did
yesterday i left my house with helmet and coat, caught the 6:45 from my place and after changing busses several times got to the greyhound station for the 8:05 to seattle(51$). arrived seattle and wondered around trying to find a bus going near the vespa shop. found one an hour later and arrived at the shop. put some air in the tires, fuel in the tank and set out for the 220 mile ride home. it had been raining all the way from the top of snoqualmie pass with snow coming down about a thousand feet above pass level. that's beautiful but looking cold. it started raining about issaquah and i stopped twice to add clothes from my pack. the new temperature sign at the bottom of the pass said 46 degrees and raining buckets. each truck or car i passed or that passed me had a private rainstorm for me. watching the snow capped mountains getting closer was thrilling though. the top of the pass was really neat with the clouds roilling and catching glimpses of skiing weather coming up. crossing by horseback must have had similar feelings with water running off everything. the scooter was a lot better protection than any of the motorcycles i've had. i figured, wrongly, that it would stop raining on the east side but it was still raining when i stopped in ellensburg for fuel. mid 60's for fuel mileage which i think is very good considering i'd frequently seen the speedo on 80 mph in that 112 miles.
instead of staying with the freeway i went down the river canyon. the road paces along the river through a deep canyon which is just beautiful. i saw people parked watching deer and elk in the heights above the river.. several bikes came through obviously taking that route for the scenery. little patches of timber and open sagebrush, the sound of the river and birds and the smell of fresh rain. great trip. rejoined the freeway 30 miles later and stopped for my first meal of the day about 5 pm in yakima. 70 more miles of freeway with productive farmland lining the road and lot's of trucks hauling produce to processers, the wonderful smells of sunnyside which i lovingly describe as the smell of steak but my cousin indicates he'd never, never live there cause it stinks. got home about 7:30 and though tired realized there's no better way to travel unless it's just too slick to stay vertical.
the piaggio performed flawlessly and handled the windy conditions with no problem at all. was able to keep freeway speeds up the pass even with my 300 pound being aboard. it is nice compared to my gv250 and hd 200 where one has to think about being able to keep up and how to stay out of the way when you can't. i am concerned about not having a dealer closer than 200 miles though. there may be one in spokane which would be closer.
lotsa miles and smiles to ya all
