Modern Vespa

Meant homie. You know, you are in NH and I spent half my childhood there. Homie.

When I got my first motorcycle endorsement in NH (circa 1980) there was no training requirement or class to go to. I just showed up at the DMV (Troop F near Twin Mountain), rode around some cones to show control then got my endorsement. Amazed that I survived long enough to learn how to ride on the road.

In AZ in the 70's all it took was a written test, mostly of the hand signals. Hilarious.

Here ya go.
http://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2010-Honda-SH150i-111490119
The number one selling scooter in Italy 8) Too bad it's a dealer selling it. The most HP in a stock 150. I weigh 180 and mine goes 73MPH unless there's a heavy head wind. It will take longer to out grow this scoot than any other 150. But I'm not trying to talk you out of a Vespa.

That certainly is some low milage. Kelly Blue Book says "expected milage" is 6935 and retail from a dealer is $2510. Be hard to get it down that much. Bet they'd throw in the 600 mile service, though. OTOH it's spring. Now's the time to ask a lot.

NewToScoot: After your MSF course you should consider the yellow one. Rather than having it painted which would be expensive for a really nice job and require disassembly by a dealer why not get a vinyl warp. It would be cheaper and you could make your scooter uniquely yours.
I started with a 150 cc and it worked well for me. My daughter is about the same size as you and does great with the LX150ie. My GTS is too large for her inseam length and is a little too heavy for her to get up and down off the center stand with ease.
Whatever you decide is best for you I hope you have as great a time on your scooter as I have on mine. Your biggest problem maybe wiping the smile off your face after riding.

My wife cannot use the 250. It was originally purchased for her, so now she can only ride as a passenger. She is petite and cannot manage it. Her feet do not properly touch the ground and she cannot get the scooter onto its stand. She does not have the body strength to keep it upright if for some reason it started to tilt while stopped. If you are small, this can be a big issue. She has since tried other scooters such as an older Honda 80cc and she is much more comfortable. Not sure of your height and weight, but my wife is 5'1" and 105 pounds at best when wet. In NJ, scooters are not really popular, finding repair shops is difficult. Luckily I have been able to do all the repairs myself.

I bought one in a shade of yellow that I 'could not live with' and now I'm sort of in love with the yellow... *sheepish grin*.

Once you get something and start to ride it, you form a weird sort of attachment to it. Not that other colors don't make my head turn sometimes, but I'm kind of bonded to my yellow bananer.

(But you can get it painted, or vinyl wrapped like the other poster suggested!)

I am pretty sure you still don't need any special training or coursework to get your motorcycle license in NH, so long as you can pass the written and driving test. Unless you're under 18, then I believe the course is required. With the course however, I won't have to take the test~passing the course allows me to go straight for the license

Silversmuge - Vinyl wrap, cool hadn't heard of that! If it comes down to it, I'll have to look into it!

rdk - Ha! Maybe, but I'm pretty partial to blues, but if it's a starting scooter for just one season, I would probably live with it! These would be my dreams colors:

You guys must have had the "hard test." We didn't even have the cones, just a trooper holding a clipboard, standing in an empty parking lot:

Trooper: Boy, can you ride around a couple minutes in this lot, so I can see if you know how to ride?

Me: yup!

Trooper (after watching me ride): Can you pop a wheelie? Les'see!
Trooper: Take this signed form in to the nice lady and she'll give you a license, and don't get yer'self killed, kid.

We did have to take the same written test as was required for an automobile, though. At age 14, we thought that part was pretty cool: girls were pretty impressed!

I could have passed the wheelie test back then.

NTS: I like the blues you posted too!

I like white, I like browns, I think the only color I've seen that I didn't really like was bronze (but I haven't seen it in person yet!)

Yellow is actually nice and it's one of the more rare colors out there. I'd ride it. You can always paint it or sticker bomb it. RDK while i don't like brown per se that bronze is a beautiful color. You need to see it in person.

Welcome to the forum. As so many others have noted, the MSF safety course is the place to start. On to scooter recommendations, I have a GTS300 that I am crazy about, but I have been riding motorcycles for years. When I bought a scooter for my wife (5'4" 125lbs) I chose a nice 2006 Piaggio Fly 150. She had no riding experience and I liked the idea of cheap plastic body panels for when the scooter is dropped. A pre-enjoyed Fly will be substantially less expensive than a similar Vespa for your learning experience. If you find a 2006, they were still made in Italy, and they have the same drivetrain as an LX150. Last year I put a Malossi 190 kit on her Fly and it is just about right now. Good luck, you are going to have a great time.

I really like the blue on the new GTS

I really like the aquamarine (the second of the two in your pictures, but have you seen the celeste blue? (my scoot so I'm prejudiced, but I think the metallic light blue looks good)

Welcome to Modern Vespa! I was also In your situation a couple of years ago - always wanted a Vespa (and only a Vespa) and finally decided to take the plunge. The 50s are cool, but I feel not powerful enough for most places I ride. Unless you live in a flat-land city, I can't see where it would be.

I started with an LX150. It seemed heavy to me at first (and I am not petite at 5'9" and 140-ish) but became easier as I got used to it. Never hard to ride...it's plenty nimble and quick. I love the heck out of it, and it's been dead reliable.

I tried my husbands gts250 and found I liked the extra oomph. I lucked out and was able to get a new gts300 last month and I can now ride it no problem. But for someone of your height, it might be a challenge. Not saying you can't, but you might want to work up to it.

Go to a dealer and sit on a few and see what fits. I loved the look of the gtv300 but the seat sat all wrong for me, and would have been cost-prohibitive to switch out. It's all a matter of taste.

Good luck to you and hope to see pics of you and your new ride soon!

I just saw the Plum in person yesterday.

O_O

It's beautiful, even nicer than I expected from photos! Had to hug 'F#$*( Ball of Sunshine' when I got home and reassure her that it was OK and she was still loved.

Biased on the plum of course but it is a stunner when it's all shiny. That said the yellow is beautiful in person as well. Hard choices in '07. They had some amazing colors back then. I went into it always wanting a Portofino greeen.

I'm late to this but I love my GTS and bought it used (2008-250ie) a few years ago and live in SE Vermont. Far from the dealer but the local motorcycle shop is capable and seem to appreciate the brake from Harley's. Also, learning your own maintenance is part of the fun and you can watch videos to learn. Lastly, the Vespa has a style that you can't put a value on.