North East Scooterist, Peter Green has set off this evening on the trip of a lifetime on board his Vespa GTS 300. We brought you the story back in February, you can read all about it here. Peter aims to cover over 17,000 miles and tick off 48 countries during his three-month road trip.
Peter (pictured above at yesterday’s Helmsley ride out), is already sporting a healthy ‘adventure beard’ but he’ll need all the extra warmth he can get when he gets to the Arctic Circle in a few weeks time.
Datatool TraKKing
Since we did the original article in February we got Peter hooked up with Datatool to fit him a Trakking Adventure S5 scooter tracker. This will give him added peace of mind and also allow people back home to keep tabs on his journey. We’ll bring you updates about his trip once he gets a few miles under his belt.
During the trip, Peter will be stopping with and meeting up with various Vespa Clubs around Europe. His little ride out will also include Vespa Alp Days, as well as Vespa World Days in Hungary and he plans to travel back via Ireland before doing a quick lap of the Scottish North Coast 500 before he finally heads home in July to catch up on a list of chores his long-suffering wife will have saved up for him.
Follow his progress
Although you can’t follow Peter’s progress on his Datatool tracker he has set another mobile tracker up. You can login and track him here.
Just Giving page
It’s always good to raise a bit of cash for a good cause and Peter will be raising money for a couple of very worthwhile charities along the way. He told us “Whilst I am doing this trip for my own self-gratification, I would like to benefit others and give a little back.
If you would like to help please check out my Just Giving page. 100% of donations will go directly to a childhood leukaemia and cancer research project. Check it out on my Just giving page.
Scooter mods
Peter had this to say about his trip and the scooter modifications he’s made.
The scooter I will be sharing my journey through Europe with is a 2016 Vespa GTS Super Sport. The scooter is now all set up for our trip and I have added about all you can add. She has a full set of crash bars ‘cos I know she will end up on the floor at some stage for one reason or another. I have fitted a backbox and will be using it as my kitchen for the trip. I’ll be using a Jet boil stove for my hot water, fixed into the back box for ease of use. For anything else I have a meth spirits tangy cooker.
The scooter already had a front SLUK Guard on when I bought it. I also fitted a Vespa 3/4 size screen but changed this for an adjustable split screen. This was because the 3/4 screen put all the turbulence straight at my helmet, making for a very noisy ride.
Modifications to the scooter itself have all been electrical
- External USB port
- Cigarette lighter/charger and voltmeter fitted
- Hardwiring of my Tom Tom rider 550. (All Fitted by My good friend Mally at Maltech here in Stockton on Tees)
- I did try heated muffs for the grips but they didn’t feel right and getting to the switches was a ballache, so swapped them out to Oxford heated grips
- Had a ride on Sunday for the Helmsley pre-season ride out. It was a very crisp morning but the palm of my hands felt lovely and warm, not so the back of my hands. Maybe the heated gloves would be a better option but let’s see what happens when I hit the arctic circle…
- Also fitted was a Datatool TraKKing Adventure. This service covers your ride through the whole of Europe, not only a great security feature (they have called twice since fitted due to the battery showing disconnected within minutes of us working on it. But also a very useful tool to aid managing your journey data. Iggy had heard of my trip and contacted DataTool to see if they could help. A great shout as they came forward with a free fitting and a year’s subscription
- With regards to all external USB I bought a battery booster kit off eBay, it came fully loaded with all the electrical connections you will ever need. And included a warning light and an LED torch. You will, however, need a cigarette lighter charger fitted to recharge it as you ride. And as a bonus, it fits snuggly in the GTS glove box
- Talking about the GTS glove box I also fitted a SIP Classic glove box bag to the door
- The last thing I added was the GTS spray deck. It was easy to fit and can be folded down when not in use. Again this was fitted for my ride up to the Arctic Circle. I’ve not had use of it as yet so I could not comment on its practicality
- Maltech also came up trumps regards Tyres. Whilst the scooter was in their workshop a rep from HI- Level motorcycle spares parts supplier was on a visit to the site. He contacted their marketing manager who was more than helpful. He contacted Heidenau tyres who supplied me with advice on what tyre would best suit my trip and donated two pair of K66 Tyres. Hi-Level again knowing I would go through four sets of tyres on the trip kindly provided a further two sets of tyres.
- The scooter had a full service and tyre change courtesy of Tillson’s Motorcycle Dealers, Stockton on Tees
Thanks
On a personal note, I would like to thank all the lads and lasses from both the A19’s and Norton Commandos scooter clubs for the fantastic send-off.
I also want to thank Craig Metcalfe of Metcalfe Roofing and Building Suppliers who have supplied a roof over my head for at least three nights of my journey – cheers fella much appreciated.
SLUK SHOP – Products used or made by us for Scooterists
Good luck with our journey. As a piece of extra good luck, you managed to inclued my runner in the photo. It’s the green and black one to the left and in the background. Stay dry and warm!