Modern Vespa

As I'm watching the Rose Parade I notice that every float has a white scooter running alongside it.

I Googled "Rose Parade Scooters" and found out they are all Hondas.

Not according to the ones I saw around the Angels float....looked like Vespas for sure.

I only saw them for a moment but I'm sure they were Vespas.

Looks like they may be Hondas

http://www.autoremarketing.com/ar/news/story.html?id=10603

The important thing is that we have scooters patroling. Viewers noticed them. That alone will change peoples minds about there versatility. It looked like a Vespa or one of those scooters with the pointy rear end. But ,the good thing is that they were not Harleys as seen in the past.

Those are Honda Metropolitans. Honda is a major sponsor of the parade and they use the Metros every year. After the parade, the dealers get them and sell them at a discount.

Last edited by Ellen on Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

Harleys are air cooled and run very lean now and with 1580cc they will over heat they are not a good choice for parade duty,

Thanks for the info, Ellen-- all the way from Connecticut, yet! Happy New Year, and happy scooting--

~Deborah

I would have to disagree...because I saw running lights like on the LX on the white scooters I saw on tv and Honda Mets don't have those...I had a Honda Met in 2004...nice bike...also, the Honda Mets are two tone in color and the bikes in the parage were definitely NOT two colors...those were Vespa LX's....no square headlight so NOT an "S".

Yep, post links to stories all you wish, but those were Vespas I saw on the teevee.

Maybe, just maybe there were both in the parade and everybodys right?

http://www.anaheim.net/images/photoAlbum/viewall.asp?img=Rose-Parade006.jpg&directory=/images/articles/2092/

Appears to be a Honda Metropolitan in front of the Angels float. The float passed the Metropolitan shortly after the photo was taken.

Wow that scooter is small or that man is huge

Same s___ differnet year. Who watches parades? You should be out riding. This was posted last year. I think maybe same scooters???

That's what I was thinking! Maybe it's a pocket scooter.

According to this website Honda supplied 166 Metropolitan scooters for the parade. Metro are 50cc scoots and I just looked at their site and the wheelbase is 46 inches and they are a tiny 176 pounds.

So.. I would look like a gorilla on trike on one!

Here is a shot that shows the size of one relative to an older Vespa

The Met's seat height is 2.6 inches lower than the LX and it looks like the Met's handle bars/leg shield is lower than a Vespa's too.

I do believe that's my cousin Adam. He was a scooter rider in the parade and he is 6' 5" tall. We looked for him during the telecast, but never saw him.

I thought the scooters were Vespas also, but it seems clear from the photo that they were not.

Huh? Do you ride in 6F/-14C ? Sounds like the aliens are getting through the foil!

I would have loved to be out scooting but the parade started at 8 am here and my 7 year-old daughter woke me up to sit with her to watch the parade. Could I say no to this simple request? No way!... she's my big girl.