I haven't gone anywhere out of the area on Red Dog this year so here's a link that will take you to my current 2014 summer blog. So far I've toured the southwestern states on my old BMW Bumblebee sidecar rig, then returned home where I switched rides to my Vespa GTS 250ie scooter and headed north to Canada. Between the two of them I racked up over 7000 miles which isn't all that much but for me it's enough for now.
Since Red Dog's a scooter you may want to begin at the Day 14 Jul 17 post where the Vespa 250 part starts but if you like sidecars you can always start at the beginning of the blog. For some weird reason I'm having problems getting the link to operate which means you may have to copy it into your URL field and hit enter. Sorry 'bout that, I'll try to fix it.
http://bumblebeehack.blogspot.com/
In the mean time here's a few pics of the scooter that show most of the more important mods I've done to it prior to going on tour.
 |
| For the 2014 tour I elected to leave the red top bag home. The panniers, top box and front bag [not shown] provided more than enough storage for my gear. Way more than enough. |
 |
| Admore LED turn signals and stop lights were added to the top box. The turn signals are amber and the brake lights are bright red. The brake lights flash rapidly when first applied, then come on steady. The scoot's stock lights are functional as well. |
 |
| An adjustable windscreen turned out to be a great option in bad weather. For rain storms I raise it up to where I can just see over the top. When it's hot & sunny I lower it all the way down. This versatile windscreen is truly one of the best. |
 |
| My Garmin Zumo 550 is now outdated but I still really like it. [Especially when it gets me lost!] I've used this GPS on several bikes for tours to Nova Scotia, Mexico, and all over the USA. |
 |
| Touratech's locking mount makes stealing the GPS just a bit more difficult. I remove the GPS at night but leave it on during lunch stops, etc. Competent thieves can defeat the lock easily enough but it still foils the snatch & grab guys. I like that. |
 |
| This RotoPax 1-gallon fuel tank reduces the likelihood of unscheduled hikes. After this shot was taken I opted for one of their security locks. You'd have to destroy the fuel cell to get it off. Maybe blow yourself up. Oops...! |
So when the heck am I ever going to tour on Red Dog? I dunno, one of these days for sure but at the moment I'm really loving the Vespa's light weight. Call me lazy but it's so much easier dealing with this lighter scoot I think I'm getting spoiled. Gotta think this whole thing over maybe.
LL
