scooters = two-wheeled volvo??

[1.21GW]

How people drive scooters in Italy, makes CA line splitting a kids game  

The first motorized two-wheeler I ever rode was a moto in Italy.  Rented one with a buddy, something like $14 for the day.  I asked about a helmet and the guy said $8 extra.  Ha!!  In the US, they make you wear a life vest if you rent a canoe in 4 feet of water.  In Italy, helmets cost extra.

[HotIce]

The first motorized two-wheeler I ever rode was a moto in Italy.  Rented one with a buddy, something like $14 for the day.  I asked about a helmet and the guy said $8 extra.  Ha!!  In the US, they make you wear a life vest if you rent a canoe in 4 feet of water.  In Italy, helmets cost extra.

I remember when we went visiting a friend in Naples with our Vespa 125PX (long drive from my home town, especially with a Vespa).
We arrive, tired as hell, set up at his place, took a shower, and were heading out for dinner with our Vespas and our helmets (helmet law was already in place in Italy).
Our Naples friend suggested us to not wear the helmet, or police might have stopped us for suspiciously looking like bag snatchers.
As those were basically the only ones wearing full face helmets (or better, helmets at all) in the hot Naples summer 

[BastrdHK]

ive got a flat black  1964 vespa GL 150 with a p200 motor in it, its probably the scariest bike ive ever ridden.

nothing quite like going 90 on a set of 10" tires with suspension and brakes that are nearly twice my age...

Does she flex like a soggy noodle?

I have had short excursions on Vespa 150/250s in downtown Chicago while I worked for a dealer/shop there.  FUN AS HELL!  The 150 especially because of the shorter wheelbase/smaller body style. I rode way more hooligan on the vespa b/c I felt like I could get away with it, splitting lanes like mad, passing in bike lanes, skidding the rear wheel into every stop, etc.  Caught in that strange land between bicycle and motorcycle, where the law deems it one, but the public perception is  cute and harmless.  Like squirrels....cute and furry, but try to cuddle one and its like trying to hold on to a mini bruce lee with razor blades.

The Vespas were very confidence inspiring, good/great brakes, even on Chicago's rough streets.  The two limiting factors were frame flex, which is a very necessary deterrent to pushing any harder...reminding you that you are going very fast on a very small machine, and dragging the kickstand on left handers at surprisingly, shallow lean angles.

Like anything else, once you know your/its limits, its nothing but pure joy to get from A to B on

[ducatigirl100]

this tread should be rename " share your mopped stories"    cool stories though 

[ducatiz]

this tread should be rename " share your mopped stories"    cool stories though 

 

[El-Twin]

 

^^    Put a mop on your mo-ped and you can clean up your competition. 

That thing does look menacing though, almost Grim-Reaperish.

[justinrhenry]

 

Where's the story to go with this gorgeous mop?

[DucatiBastard]

DAINESE MOP IS NOT AMUSED BY YOUR SPELLING ERROR

[1.21GW]

DAINESE MOP IS NOT AMUSED BY YOUR SPELLING ERROR

Brilliant! 

[Michael Moore]

Well, since we're swapping scooter stories, I figured I'd weigh in with mine.

I own a 2000 M900, a 2010 Streetfighter S, and a 2008 Vespa GTS 250. I commute every day about 26 miles round trip, across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I'd say 90% of the time I'm on the Vespa. It's easier to lane split, and cheaper to run. (Notice I didn't say "cheap"  ) Plus if I need to pick up groceries it'll carry a couple of shopping bags worth.  When I ride the SF or Monster to work, it's mostly to get a little blast of badassery. Or cuz I feel like scaring pedestrians that day.

I always get asked about the Vespa, and people think it's a toy, or that it won't go on the freeway. It'll do 82mph (measured by GPS) and from 0-30 it's pretty respectable off the line, meaning it'll beat anything but a high end car driven aggressively (or moto of course) to the next stoplight.  The brakes and suspension aren't bad at all - not Ohlins or Brembo monoblock good, but not inadequate by any means.

As for gear, I ride in my Roadcrafter, full AGV, and gauntlet gloves every day. I may look like a dork, but I figure the pavement doesn't care if you come off a bike or a scoot.  And I ride the thing pretty hard, and a lot of miles (currently 30K+ on the clock), so it just makes sense.

So I guess I'd say if you see someone on a scooter, don't immediately assume they're a noob or unskilled.  Unless they're like that guy I saw riding barefoot down Van Ness the other day. He was an idiot. 

[kopfjäger]

Commute this 


Vespa Racing with Helmet Camera!

[sfarchie]

Like Michael, I have a 2010 Streetfighter and a 2008 Vespa GTS 250. I commute across the Bay Bridge daily on my scoot. I've been in 2 crashes since I started riding (1 on a scoot, 1 on my M1100). Guess which crash was worse? The scoot. I got nailed by a left hand turning limo. Fractured both my wrist and leg and tore my right ACL. The driver said he didn't even see me coming. Scooters are smaller and even less visible than a moto. I wasn't able to brake hard enough to avoid the hit. At least with my moto, I prolly would have locked up and crashed without hitting the limo.

I remember a rider on a Gixxer came up to me when I was about to mount my scooter. He asked a lot of questions and said scooters are much safer. I replied, "If you crashed going 50 mph on your Gixxer and I crashed going 50 mph on my scooter, we would both hurt just the same". He responded, "You can go 50 on that?!" Damn bastard...

[ducatigirl100]

 

  sorry for the misspelling it was the "spell check" that made the error 

[zooom]

I see your Vespa race and race you this...

[ducatiz]

sorry for the misspelling it was the "spell check" that made the error