Tag Archives: Gilera

440 kilometers by moped

Tomorrow I will possibly have the worst trip of my life so far. Or the most boring, back-aching, cold and lonely. Or the best.

Anyway, I will attempt to drive my Gilera Runner (50cc) från Stockholm to Ulricehamn, a trip that totals about 440 kilometers. I will make a stop (and possibly spend the night) in Tibro, but have otherwise no plans besides hourly stops to stretch, eat, and so on.

Why? The practical reason is that I’m going to store the moped at my parents place during the winter, but the other reason is probably just for the heck of it. “Because it’s there”, as a mountain climber would say. When I was 15 I wanted to go on a moped vacation with my friends, but that never happened so perhaps I’m subconsciously compensating for it now. 😉
To quote the great Waylon Jennings: I’ve always been crazy but it’s kept me from going insane.

To see the route I’ll likely take: Google Maps

Now: Time to pack.

Update:

A few miles from Katrineholm
A few miles from Katrineholm

The  trip went great! I took the whole trip in one day, only staying for a pizza with my friend Dossen in Tibro instead of spending the night there.

Total travel time: 12½ hours, including a total of about 3½ hours of breaks for stretching, food and gas.

I’m very glad I took this trip. 😀

GPS FTW

I just bought a GPS for my bike (can I still say bike even though it’s technically a scooter?).

It’s nice. I can even hear the voice quite clearly through the helmet while riding if I crank up the volume.

I tried going to work the other day using printed google maps, but still got lost since I had to go through the inner city (Stockholm) since I live on the north side and work on the south side.

I’ll give it another shot in a day or two, using my new Garmin Nüvi 205. Unfortunately there was no good way of placing it on the handlebar, but some cable ties and patience fixed it good:

Garmin Nuvi 205 on my Gilera Runner
Garmin Nuvi 205 on my Gilera Runner