Modern Vespa

Me too, age & paper route but zero Vespas until ten years ago, just lots of 2T dirt bikes but enough Vespas now to make up for lost time. I reposted this just to show off a little and because I like the pic. So... '55 Chevy behind you, right? And that is a sweet old widebody handlebar AllState, now I am jealous.

48 now. Had a Yamaha 70 when I was a kid that spent more time stolen than ridden. Then 5 years ago i found a Honda Passport in a ditch while walking the dog. Brought it home, back to life, and tuned it as far as I could within fairly stock parameters. That took me through 2 years of daily commuting but at a top speed of 43 with a tailwind in a tuck, it wasn't quite enough. I stumbled into a Stella about 3 months ago and now the Honda just sniffles in the corner of the garage.

Hal

62 now. Started with a Briggs and Stratton powered mini-bike at 12, Honda SL100 at 14, and many different flavors since then; singles, twins, triples, fours; two and four stroke; dirt, street, cafe, touring, scooters; new and used; 50cc-1100cc.

I enjoy bringing broken and neglected bikes back to life and passing them on to new owners more than riding, to be honest.

I still like to ride, but I am largely a fair weather rider these days.

Hey Lucky Bear Fat, how about changing the title a little?

Now I wanna know all the youngest kids we got here too!

Yoohoo! Any teenagers present?

39. got my first ptw just over a year ago. already have had 3. 1 auto sold. both my 2 strokes are in pieces currently. . My uncle who gave the first stella to me keeps bugging me to get a harley. I really want a sportster 48, but can't seem to really do it cause I love the vespas way too much!

I've owned two Harleys, including a Sportster I custom ordered from the factory. Sold it after a year. Beautifully made, but underpowered and uncomfortable. Plus, Sportsters are looked at as "chick" Harleys within the "brotherhood"-not my opinion, but I heard that a lot, and ultimately sold mine to a woman biker.

Harleys are aspirational "lifestyle" products, in my opinion. The bikes are rolling expressions of group membership. If you like the leather, fringe, chaps, beards, and pseudo bad boy tribal scene, you'll enjoy ownership.

Ironically, scooters (and, especially, Vespas) are much the same-look at the Mods movement, ska music, riding in packs, discussions of clothing and imagery, etc. Vespas are also aspirational-expensive for what you get, relative to a conventional motorcycle or Japanese scooter, but quirky and unique. Like Harleys, just in a different direction.

I have never been one to care what other people think about stuff like that. In fact I think 90% of the harley models are butt ugly, anything with fairings and saddlebags is atrocious to me. The sportster 48 is the only harley I like, and even at that.. I would remove almost all the styling on it and chop it into a bobber like such:


Funny thing though, my uncle who gave me my first PTW, stella 2 stroke, is an old school MC guy still member of his club over 40 yrs every bit the part of the toughest guys you've seen on a Harley. He rode this little red stella to work for over 2 years in his club colors and would challenge guys on motorcycles to drag race at red lights for a laugh. Needless to say, bucking the trend and giving two shits is in the family. ha!

The only thing preventing me from getting that other bike is I can't really rationalize spending money on a 3rd ptw when I have a stella and a vintage vespa I really like. When I get them both on the road again, I just can't see using all 3 enough to justify owning all 3, and the vespas will win out. Especially with a small garage, I don't want to give up all available space in garage for storing them squeezed in there.

62 here. Riding since 1969

a funny story about the "chick" Harley's...

A couple years ago i was looking for a low hour/mile KTM 300 xc-w dirtbike, and i found one in Texas (i'm in Oregon). I was planning on a VERY long road trip to go buy it. The owner ended up telling me he has a few Harley's as well. He said that many years ago he sold one to Chuck Norris. Not personally to Chuck, but the film crew for the TV show Walker Texas Ranger needed a Harley for a chase scene in the show, and they bought his. He was super pumped about it! Since the producers of the show told him the date that the episode would be televised, the guy ended up inviting a whole bunch of his friends over to watch the show so that they could see his bike. Anyhow turned out that in the episode a "chick" was actually riding the bike and not Chuck. The "chick" (on purpose) crashed (and totalled) the bike because that's what was scripted. All of the guy's friends made fun of him for many years after that because he once rode a "chick's" Harley! It was a pretty funny story. He also told me how he recently accidentally joined a gay motorcycle dirtbike club. He didn't realize it until after they asked him to not bring his wife to the meetings. They finally explained to him that is was a "gay" motorcycle club. He ended up getting asked to leave because he was straight. He said he was a bit bummed out about the whole thing. He said he just wanted to hang out with other dudes and go ride dirtbikes! I'm sure he had even many more funny stories like that!

Two funny anecdotes in one post! Well done.

59 years, i started driving at 13, with my uncle's Vespa 125 V33T; the list of my two-wheeled vehicles is below in the signature.

57 - Am I old enough to post here?!?

Been riding since I could walk, or close to it anyway.


I'm in the middle, with my two brothers!

Suzuki 450T - Early 80s

My P200 is around there somewhere...

Outstanding fatbear if I make it to 75 hope I’m still riding a Vespa

I had a black and gold GS450S I bought new. Took a 2000 mile trip in the early 80s on it. Bulletproof motor.

Qa—Love all your pics here, but the one with your brothers is totally awesome! Great pose, great memories, and great parents (cause the helmets). Thanks for sharing!

Well Scott, maybe you started younger and I'm maybe four or five times your age here when I got started seriously, but I DO have a much more POWERFUL Hodaka Ace 90 here.

BTW, were you ALL maniacs? Is that your Dad doing the dirt burnout in the background in that hot Mopar hardtop?


That's my son KC in the red shirt, who now has the family Rally 200 and takes his lil girl Lucy riding with him(with her helmet on of course!)

Bulletproof! I loved that bike! It took me more places than I can count. Up and down the west coast, the desert, etc. I went 107, tucked down, on the 5, next to a car, so I know how fast I was going Can you say young and dumb?. Thanks K! I believe that picture was in Mexico. My dad took 3300 slides (from the late 50's to the late 70's), and for their 60th, I converted them to digital. Now all us kids (5 of us) have all the slides.

My parents took us everywhere, and we always spent Easter in Baja California. Catholic mass on Easter Sunday in Mexico - what a trip. Then riding the mini bike back to the converted school bus (yes, like the Partridge family, but way cooler). Great memories indeed! Hahaha - you crack me up T! The Mopar was just a car passing by on the highway.

Dad bought three mini bikes for $50. It was a big deal back then and we all worked on them to get them running. Mean Green was my machine. Big Yellow older brother Bruces. BUT - mine rarely broke down and would take me everywhere. I towed Big Yellow back to the bus on many occasion

I'm glad to see you got your kids riding!

And LuckyBear - sorry for the threadjack. I'll stop posting irrelevant pictures now.


Church in Mexico

Dad surveying the beach from the bus. It was a blast to jump out the back BTW. Run and fly out the back door and roll in the sand...

My brothers and sisters, and me.

Hodaka! Best names ever. Combat Wombat! Road Toad! Super Rat!

I had a Suzuki Dual Purpose TS100 in high school and lusted after the Hodakas in the showroom.

Memories.

Wish I'd shot slide film back in the day instead of prints and polaroids. Kodak's slide chemistry has held up remarkably well over many decades, but much of the print stuff, especially Kodacolor, has not.

Well, a little about me; 65 years old, riding since I was 15. I learned to ride in Italy on a 1968 Vespa 50 Special. My current rides are in the pictures, and my 1985PX150E gets ridden the most.
I bought it new in 1987 and now it has over 40 thousand miles. I use to commute to work on most days, as well as for running errands because it is so practical and useful to carry things. I can easily do my weekly grocery shopping with it.
Just remember one thing: you don't stop riding because you get old; you get old after you stop riding.....

sp949, what the hell are you doing, still werkin' at your age?
With three lovely Italian ladies like that I can see some added expense, but you really need to use your time more to enjoy them, sez a guy older than you.

You don't think : you don't stop werkin' because you get old; you get old after you stop werkin'..... , do you? This is only a false rumor, trust me.

I knew some one here would ask me that question!
Yes, I am retiring finally in 6 months, and do plan to spent more time riding.

I'm diggin that Benelli SP! Looking good and very nice rides!

I’ll play today because it’s my birthday! I just turned 44 today! I started out riding a super tiny Yamaha PW50 dirtbike....two up because that’s how young I was. It was my friend’s bike, and we would switch off on who would ride the other. That was probably back in 3rd grade. My parents didn’t deem that a dirtbike was necessary on a farm. I did have a super crappy 3-wheeler that was 100% reliable, 30% of the time. I did get to ride friend’s dirtbikes from time to time though. I finally saved up my money and bought a 1983 Honda XR200R (it had mono-shock) back in 1992. I would have been about 16 years old then. I had to hide that dirtbike out back behind the barn so my parents wouldn’t find out about it. I ended up getting a Honda Elite 50 around 1995. I bought a couple 1979 Montgomery Wards “Open Road” mopeds in ‘96. I then bought my first Vespa (a P200) in 1999 when I was about 23 years old. I raced scooters for about 5 years (from 2008 to about 2013) It’s been uphill ever since. I currently have a gob of well running Vespas and two sweet Lambrettas (Golden Specials). I also have 4 KTM dirtbikes (300, 525, 640A, 950A) and compete in enduro and desert races a few times a year. I’ve had a sport bike for a short period, and they look cool, but they just weren’t “me”. I’m pretty much a scooter and a dirtbike guy and nothing else.

Here’s a picture of my friend and I riding 2 up on my ‘79 Open Road moped. This was summer of 1996. I’m on the front, and he’s on the phone on back. For some reason we’re both wearing wigs...

Cheers!

And another picture back in 1996 riding 4 up! I’m the one on the very back trying to hang on!

^^^ Rear tire needs air, no?

Happy Birthday WhoDat! Great story, your riding life is! Thanks for sharing...

Started riding at 12yr's , parents too poor to buy me anything with a motor.

So being mechanically inclined, worked on all the rich kids Vespa's and Lambretta's. Got a lot of seat time doing test rides

Finally got enough $$ put together ,and with a buddy we built out of a pile of parts, a Whizzer Sportsman .

Continued riding all brands of bikes until age 72 , had a stroke.
Sold off all my bikes .
Thought I was done riding for good.

Got the bug real bad again and at 75yr's bought my first new Vespa GTS300 Touring .

The adventure continues.

So many great pics in this thread! Very much enjoying.

Attila—both shots are great! But extra liking that vintage denim-on-denim, who knows what you’re riding?, 80’s spectacular! Rad goggles!

kb6-emh—I have a sneaking suspicion you two went to senior prom together. Your pose is just too cute! Beautiful, really.

Whodat—the wigs rock. And the corded phone. But, seriously? You were able to hide a dirt bike behind the barn? What? Like your parents never circled around while feeding the hogs and noticed anything NEW parked back there?

V oodoo—your son’s t shirt is bringing me all the way back. I think my oldest brother had that I’m a Pepper red classic. Nice bike, too. How’s about a pic of that family Rally?

Sp949–the Vespa is the Bestpa!

Fatbear—Happy Birthday! Great pic on the P. May you have another golden year of riding ahead of you!

Keep posting, people. I’m not a senior yet, so I can’t.

We had 10 acres, so “things” could easily get hidden around the farm. One of my friends hid his car in the back pasture for 3 months without telling any of us. Apparently he put his car back there to hide it from HIS parents! We only found out that it was there when he finally drove his car out of the pasture months later.

And hog farm?...nope, just one pig. We never went “whole hog” with the swine, just one rescue “miniature” 220lb Pot Belly pig who likes to cuddle on lazy hot summer’s days.

Pic from last summer of me, the dog, and “Bentley”. It was too hot out to work, so we took a breather out in the orchard, under the walnut tree.

Seriously great pic, whodat!

Bentley seems to be a bit of a camera hog......

Whodat - That is the BEST picture! I love it! All three of you look very happy! That's awesome.....

Which end of that dog are we looking at!?

O.S.

I am 81 and love doing over night trips on my GTS
Older Guy

81... that is great!

I've had a goal of still riding on my 80th birthday but now I'm going to have to raise that to my 82nd birthday.

Way to go Older Guy!

...you have to go back to the first page of the thread and see if you have already replied.

Yep... 6 years ago.


Teeth are longer
Hair is thinner
Still just as stupid.




As the saying goes I'm now - "Long in winters/Short in years"

Good for you. I remember when you first got back into riding and were trying to sort your bike. You've been a great contributor here on the forum. Hopefully I'll be riding when I'm 81.

It’s that time of year again… time to ask how many of us are still on two wheels (and I don’t mean in a wheelchair).

I just turned 76 and I have to admit that I didn’t ride as much this year as I did last year but that’s mostly because I spent a lot of the summer in my garage restoring my new ride, “Spermy”. Rebuilding a Spermy Vespa . Without repeating the full story, I would just say that I call it Spermy because the original owner dipped a Styrofoam packing “peanut” into paint and stamped sperm-like squiggles all over the blue body. I had a hell of a time getting them off but I kept one sperm on the glove box as an homage to the artist.

My restoration is just about done and I have been riding Spermy a little but now it’s getting cold in Central California (below 70) so I won’t be riding much more this year. Come spring though, Spermy and I will be hitting the road again. How many other Old Timers will be with me (at least in spirit)?

I'm up here in Quincy, CA and it has been getting cold lately. It was low 70s when I went for a ride today. The forecast says rain for the next couple of days and temps in the 40s for the next week. I'm 71 and long past my expiration date, so I will ride when I can as long as I have daylight and clean dry roads. But that's not saying much. I have had my GTS 300 HPE since June and still only have 460 odd miles on it. My ride today was longer than usual though - I had to change my oxygen tank, which I normally don't ride long enough at any single time to do so.

I'm thinking I should get me some flannel lined jeans or some long johns for these colder months. We don't get nearly as much snow as we used to in this area, so maybe I won't have to keep my scooter parked for the whole winter.

I'll be 44 in 2 weeks. Time flies.

Was a bmx bandit as a kid, never really cared for motorized 2 wheelers back then. As I got older and couldn't ride a bmx bike anymore I upgraded to a road 10 speed bike and raced that around for a while till a crash made holding myself up on handle bars not enjoyable at all (my whole arm goes "dead" after about 15 mins on a pedal bike). But before that happened I had a friend from my mid 20's bmx days who had a sweet fast as hell Vespa. One day we were standing out front of some bar on the "hippest street in town" (you old timers may get that pop culture reference maybe), and a guy pulled up to the red light in a muscle car and honked and asked my friend if he wanted to race. He shook my hand and said see ya later to me. Light turned green and he smoked the ever living daylights out of that car. Wanted one ever since but have been way too poor as a musician. Retired from touring and finally have a stable home and got a Vespa finally. I had a Kinetic moped about 20 years ago that I got off ebay and it was so much fun but so so crappily made. Got a 2005 Yamaha Vino in a trade for a guitar speaker cabinet I was no longer in need of. Wrenched on that for a year and a half then started the search for the Vespa.

It's obviously a mid life crisis. Lol.

PX with a BMX