Howdy all,
I’m not buying a Vespa any time soon, but I’ve always really dug them. I love their look: the lines and curves, the retro-cool style, the association with ska music and mod culture. It just wouldn’t be practical for me to get one, since I commute almost an hour to work on busy expressways, but one of these days I am going to just go to the local Vespa dealership and test-drive a couple. I’ve never had that great love for motorcycles that a lot of guys have in their teens and 20s (and throughout life), but I just love scooters, and the idea of zipping around on a Vespa, wearing my suit, looking sharp.
Does anyone have a Vespa, or any other kind of scooter? Do you like it? Is it safe, practical, fuel-efficient, worth the money? Do you work on it yourself, or take it to a mechanic? About how much did you pay, and how much would I (a completely inexperienced layman) probably have to pay for one? Are Vespas worth the price compared to other “less cool” scooters? And most importantly: ladies, do you think a guy riding a Vespa is sexy, or some kind of hipster doofus?
I realize I could Google a lot of this information or just find out at the dealership, but I’m soliciting first-hand opinions here. And this way, I can show up with some knowledge already. Thanks in advance!
I almost killed myself on a Vespa. A drowning death in a single vehicle (vespa) accident is not how I want to go out.
I’m interested in a Vespa too but I’m a big guy – 6’4" and over 250 pounds … closer to 280 pounds, if the truth be known. I like the look and especially the quiet on the electric models, but am not convinced they could carry me at uphill at 40 mph, which is what you need to navigate safely on surface streets where I live.
Sexy? You’re joking right? A man riding a scooter is the antithesis of sexy, unless you consider the “so confident he’s willing to ride a scooter in public” angle. That’s indirectly sexy I guess.
From an actuarial point of view, they’re apparently safer than motorcycles, since insurance is less. The reason seems to be that scooter riders don’t exhibit the same 'tude as a lot of cycle riders. Also, they can’t go as fast, although 50 mph is plenty fast enough to kill you.
You couldn’t get me on one of the things in city traffic. For trips around the neighborhood, and for commuting in non-heavy traffic, they should be more or less okay, so long as you wear a helmet.
I think they’re cool. I don’t think they’re sexy.
Oh, no, I disagree. I think a guy on a scooter is very sexy. Especially a Vespa. But I love them too. Oh, how I love them! Actually, we have a lot in common, Big Bad Voodoo Lou; I have all the same questions.
You may say that a man riding a Vespa is not cool, but what about a fish riding a Vespa? Is that not cool? And a lot of women have a “thing” about fish and bicycles. Probably carries over to Vespas. So it IS cool for a man to ride a Vespa if he has a fish or personally knows one. I’m just sayin’.
!? Was that supposed to mean something.
Apparently I’m stupid as well as a man-hater.
I don’t have one, but my brother had several, including one that was previously owned by Frank Sinatra Jr.
My brother used his to commute in Los Angeles, about 7 miles or so one-way on surface streets. He had some pretty hair-raising tales to tell. Mostly about drivers treating him like he was on a bicycle…merging into him, that kind of thing. It was not a lot of fun to ride in the rain, either.
Plus, riding a Vespa would be a perfect excuse for me to wear goggles in public (along with suits). Keep the opinions coming!
Before I forget, miss elizabeth, how YOU doin’?
Actually, it wasn’t intended to mean anything. And there was no intent to call you a man-hater, as I was unaware of your gender.
I, too, REALLY want a moped. Preferably not a Vespa, though. Men look good on them, sure, but I once saw what was CLEARLY the coolest girl in the entire world step off her sleek black scooter, take off her helmet and let her hair tumble down.
Ahem. Yes. Moped. I also need to wait 'till it’s more practical.
I’d like a Vespa, myself.
Problem is, a new one costs more than what I paid for my car!
Sexy? I would so totally give it up to any chick that rides a Vespa!
OK, I’d give it up to any chick with a pulse. I am a guy.
Okay…first off, LaurAnge… ahem …IT IS NOT A MOPED!
Sorry, but I ride a 64 Vespa GL with a 200 cc motor, and I get this question all the time. “Where are the pedals” usually followed by loud frat boy type guffaws.
Anyway. Voodoo Lou, Vespas rock. I’ve had mine for about four years now, and I love it. I wouldn’t think of anything else to drive around town. Although unless you enjoy “tinkering” with the engine on an almost continual basis, stay away from the classics and get a new one. Genuine Scooter company makes a Stella which looks like a 70 era P series scoot, but the main difference is everything works. Lights, brakes, horn, but mostly the brakes. Did I mention the brakes work? Good. It is a two stroke engine, so you can’t get them in California, but my fiance just got one and it’s a lot of fun to ride. Also, your coolness, or whatever you want to call it, quotient drops considerably once you get on one, so your self esteem should really be up to it.
Most of the driving I’ve done here in Denver has been incident free, but just like any bike, you have to watch them, cause they aren’t watching you.
As far as fuel efficiancy, I get about 60-80 mpg depending on the type of riding I’m doing. If I’m just poking around town, I do better, but when I have extended rides, the mileage drops quite a bit. Parking is a breeze and I really can’t recommend any other mode of transport for the urban dweller.
I’m actually off to a scooter rally in Minneapolis (Scooter Du. Heh.) for the weekend,
They are held all over the country usually during the summer. Mile High Mayhem just wrapped up here andI’m just getting the two stroke smell out of my clothes. F’n sweet!
You can meet other scooter kids (aging from late teens to late sixties) who for the most part are misfits, aging punks and ne’er do wells.
My kind of folks.
Like I said, I’m out for the weekend, but email me any questions you have, and I’ll try to answer them as honestly as I can. The rest I’ll just make up!
Pedals. Bah!
Huh, I had no idea that ‘moped’ wasn’t what they were actually called. What I really want is a motorized scooter (which a Vespa is, I believe), something like this.
I live in a college town, and I occasionally see students riding them. They scare the shit out of me - you couldn’t get me to drive one around here, where most of the roads are 45 mph or more when you get off campus. I don’t think it’s safe at all. If this was an old European city, on the other hand, it would probably be quite convenient, and possibly safer, since you wouldn’t be jockeying for position with Expeditions and Escalades so much.
From 1984 to 1986, I put about ten thousand miles on a Rally 200, both in the city and riding cross-country. I also modded it out with luggage racks, and extra headlights. I thought that it was the coolest thing around and even passed up buying a Norton Atlas, stripped for cafe racing, to buy it (which I regret doing, but that’s just me.)
Safety-wise, the biggest problem with the design is the small tires. They just don’t have that much contact with the road, and the bike can slip out from under you very quickly when riding on rain-slick pavement (I once wiped out when shifting into third in a light rain.) On dry pavement, the bike is still twitchy, even at seventy MPH, but it recovers just as quickly. It’s also easy to overshift with the wrist shifter on the older scooters, especially in a panic situation (like I learned the very hard way.) I was also tailgated and regularly had people cut me off on the freeways in Houston; this wasn’t a problem in Austin. I’d guess that Houston just wasn’t ready for another Mod movement at the time.
Maintenance-wise, the biggest problem was that it regularly broke clutch cables. I’d guess that it went through about four per year. I also had to replace a starter gear, and the transmission crucifix (the part that handled the actual shifting inside the transmission) wore out at about ten thousand miles. On the whole, the old bikes are what I would consider good third-world transportation; they need a lot of minor maintenance, but they’re fairly bulletproof overall. I’d assume that the newer models require less maintenance.
I think they’re way retro-
. I’d like to have one. But as Tentacle Monster pointed out, they’re overpriced. Yamaha makes a scooter that looks nearly as retro as a Vespa, and it’s much cheaper. But as a motorcycle guy, if I get a scooter it will have to be a Vespa (or Lambretta).
Scooters tend to get outstanding mileage. They’re cheaper to insure than a motorcycle. They’re great for around town. (‘Around town’ does not necessarily mean certain parts of L.A., but more like Westwood or the beach cities.) And you can hang out with your scotter-riding mates and walk round shouting, ‘We are the Mods! We are the Mods! We are, we are, we are the Mods!’ 
After reading this thread I decided to check out the Vespa website. I looked at the LX150 and it says it’s not available in California. I also know that Royal Enfields are not available in California. (Strict emmissions laws.)
So let’s say I buy an LX150 or a Royal Enfield or another bike that’s not California-legal, and I move back to California. Would I be allowed to take the bike with me? Or would I have to keep it registered at my Washington address?
