Wednesday, February 24, 2010

An Amusing Feature on the Vespa GTS

I've been trying to rotate through the various motorcycles in my stable to keep them healthy and happy.

Yesterday I rode the Triumph in. The weather was darn cold, and I was happy to have the 600cc heater keeping my legs warm. Today I took the Vespa GTS.

I noticed something on the dashboard display that I had never really paid attention to before: an outdoor temperature thermometer. I mean, I've seen that there's a temperature display, I just never took the time to really check it out and contemplate it's value to the rider.

Today, it was 51 degrees Fahrenheit on my ride in, with a couple fluctuations. Neat.

But then I got to thinking about this thermometer on the Vespa. How silly is a thermometer telling me it is cold outside? Or hot, in the summer? I already know that! I am, in fact, experiencing the current temperature first hand.

OK, OK, I kind of see the value of it. For example, instead of telling my co-workers "Man, it was chilly out there!" I can say "It was 43 degrees out this morning. With windchill that's, uh... [pause to count on fingers] 20 below zero! Good thing for coffee, eh?"

These are the kinds of things I think about when I'm not dodging traffic...

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Lucky:

You may not appreciate the thermometer but I miss mine. I had one on my old bike and may purchase a stick on type the next time I see one.

In the winter, our temps hover around freezing. In the sunshine it may be just above freezing but in the shadows there may be ice or frost. Having a temp gauge would make you more alert to this fact if it were 33 or 34F, vs 38F.
I don't think the "finger in the air" method would be as reliable (from a safety standpoint:

bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin

Lucky said...

Obviously, I never thought of that. It makes perfect sense and now I'm kind of annoyed the Triumph doesn't have one.

Blame it on too much time in the desert...

Ruby said...

it's not very reliable tho. in the az sun it'll register 115 when it's only 90 or less..