Modern Vespa

Check out December '15 issue of Road Runner magazine, on the shelves at Barnes and Noble.

P. 122 has a great report of a SoCal trip on a Kymco 700 and a Vespa 300 GTS.

Author covers strengths and weakness of both bikes in various road conditions, and recommends a few mods for your 300GTS.

Article is also online for those of you who are scared of print.

http://www.roadrunner.travel/magazine/read/november-december-2015/page/122/

Great read!

Thanks for the link!

That was a very good read. Thanks for posting.

It is about "Southern California Scootouring", big touring bikes. not "Southern California Scootering"

I love seeing articles like this. There really is a seat for everyone. "Different strokes for different folks." I personally prefer a small & nimble ride that is comfortable, fun, and easy on the wallet.

When I retired from the Marines, I started looking for a hobby. Like most middle-aged men, I looked to my youth and what I enjoyed doing growing up. One of those activities was riding my dirt bike. So I started researching them and came across all these beautiful BMW adventure bikes and movies about adventure touring. But damn. $15k to $20k for a bike? Just seemed so expensive to me. Then I stumbled upon Mark (Big Dog) of http://bigdogadventures.com/. This rider took smaller displacement, dual sport bikes and converted them into a cheap man's adventure touring bike. He took a Yamaha WR250R and installed better lighting, a bigger fuel tank, added racks, etc. and rode over 40k miles on it. Up into Alaska, throughout the States, and even into Mexico. A bike that seemed more reasonable in price and wouldn't make you cry like a baby if you dropped it.

Then I came across an older gentlemen that toured a lot on big bikes when he was younger but now was riding a Honda Silverwing. He lamented how he wished he would have switched to scooters sooner. However, I was stuck on the whole "manly" adventure & dual sport bikes. That was until I started actually shopping for the bikes and gear. When I started pricing everything out, I was still looking at close to $10k or more. Everything adds up quickly when you want to put on a larger tank, add extra lighting and buy all the riding gear, boots, helmet, gloves, etc. Plus, I didn't want to ride alone and thought it would be a blast to have my brother join me. However, he didn't have the dough. So I really started thinking about the real kind of everyday riding I would actually be doing. It's kind of like how most people really don't need to buy a truck. I realized for where I live (Florida) and for the majority of riding I really would be doing, a scooter would work out quite well after all. Plus, the prices allowed me to buy a second one for my brother so he could join in on the fun.

So where is all of my ramblings taking us? It's to here, where I would like to add to this gentlemen's article of why a Vespa GTS is a great, little tourer that could! (with some additions & minor changes of course):

Handling: Some say the smaller wheels make it feel skittish & unsteady. I say it makes it a more fun, nimble, & visceral experience. I can get out of a situation a lot quicker than with a heavy maxi-scooter or motorcycle. Avoid that pothole or that car that's pulling into my lane. Now that I've been riding it for awhile, I actually love zipping down the interstate. I'm sure I've surprised quite a few drivers when they see a Vespa zip by. No problem maintaining a GPS 75 mph (as long as it's relatively flat & no strong headwinds). And when riding with bigger bikes, I was actually getting bored with how slow they would take turns. It was almost like they were riding tanks. Loud and slow...
Automatic: I love touring with an automatic transmission. I can focus more on exploring and enjoying the views. It's a very pleasant experience. And after riding all day and you come back into urban sprawl with traffic light after traffic light, it's not a pain in the butt. Just twist & go. I do not work now but if I did, commuting with a manual transmission in stop & go traffic would just aggravate me. Plus, I have a big problem with shifting. I end up riding more aggressively by accelerating through the gears and downshifting into turns. I know not all people are like me when it comes to a manual transmission. However, with an automatic, I just go with the flow and enjoy the ride without being so focused on becoming one with the machine & burning thru the power band & gears. I find that I ride a lot safer & responsibly with an automatic. It's a much more enjoyable experience where I focus on the touring aspect of the ride.
Leg shield, Floor Boards, & Windscreen: Just like the big, expensive touring motorcycles that have big fairings & windscreens but without the big price tag. The leg shield, floor boards, and (by adding) a larger windscreen provide protection from constant wind blast, rain, & debris. And with the floor boards, you can place your feet & legs into different positions. I know you can get highway pegs for your motorcycle. However, I would hate having only one or two positions to place my feet. On my scoot, I can have one foot forward with one placed back. Or both stretched out with my butt slid back on the seat. Or both feet forward, both feet back, etc. It's great for long distance riding. And that's also why I like a small fuel tank. It forces me to stop every 100 miles to get off of the thing. You actually can ride longer distances if you stop more. You don't get burnt out and sore by overdoing it on one super long stretch. And since I'm a cheapskate & wouldn't pay for an auxiliary fuel tank to be added, I just bring an extra fuel can with me on longer rides when I'm not familiar with the area and locations of gas stations.
Comfort & Sitting Position: The "begging dog" position reminds me of just sitting at the kitchen table. A really cool kitchen chair that allows me to just cruise on by beautiful countryside, hustling city scenes, or kicking it down on the interstate highway. For me, it's the most comfortable riding position. I find that maxi-scooters don't provide me enough height from the floor boards to my butt & hips. Even when stretched out in the lounging position of a maxi-scooter, my hips would become very sore. Each rider is different and you really don't learn this until after getting a lot of seat time. I really thought the Burgman 400 had everything I wanted until I rode it on several longer rides of 300+ miles. My hips just hated it. With my Vespa GTS, I have rode many trips over 300 miles in a day. Even a few over 500 miles. The most being an Iron Butt Association's SaddleSore 1000 (over 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours) in which I rode the entire time on the interstate highways in Florida. I might be mentally tired after a very long ride but physically, I felt fine. It did take my butt some time to get used to the seat and riding longer distances. But as I progressed in miles, my butt got more and more used to it.
Parking: Cool thing is once you get to an urban or city environment, you can park it pretty much anywhere. Which would also make it great for attending school, getting to work, and running various errands. I would imagine it would be harder to get away with parking a motorcycle or maxi-scooter up on the sidewalk or somewhere illegal. Maybe it isn't. I find that no one minds where I park my scooter as long as it doesn't block or interfere with foot traffic.
Storage: I always have my rain gear with me and extra earplugs, sunglasses, etc. Sure, the bigger bikes & maxi-scooters have more storage....but they also come with a bigger price tag. Just add a top case if you need more storage. Or add a front rack and some soft saddle bags. Or even use the space between your feet & legs.
Size: I have no desire to push around a large motorcycle or maxi-scooter. Some riders in my club have a hard time using their center stands on their maxi-scooters. I love the size of a Vepsa GTS. It's easy to maneuver through urban & city environments and within your garage or around parking lots. Plus, I have had no problem taking my Vespa off the unbeaten path. Of course, a very lightly, unbeaten path. Once up & down a hill in a farm's pasture. Another time was to take it down a dirt & grassy road to a local fishing hole. Or the time there was no shoulder on the side of the road...so I went further into the ditch to get some buffer space between me and traffic. Once, by mistake, I even got it stuck in beach sand but was able to pull & drag it out. Don't think I could've done that with a maxi-scooter or a big motorcycle. I haven't dropped mine yet. But when I do, I'm not worried about pulling my back and giving myself a hernia by trying to lift it up.
Price: Sure, for a scooter, a Vespa GTS is more expensive. However, have you checked out the prices of maxi-scooters and motorcycles lately? I purchased used and added some stuff. Total was well under $5k. I like to optimize my money and a scooter is one way I can still have a blast on a budget. Like the song, Downtown (by Macklemore & Lewis), says: "Gas in the tank, cash in the bank!" https://youtu.be/JGhoLcsr8GA

The Vespa GTS is the only ride I own. I love it. And it's thanks to Russ Dixon & WLeuthold (http://billleuthold.blogspot.com/) for introducing me to Vespa. Both are members of 7 Bridges Scooter Club of Jacksonville, Florida ([url]www.7bsc.com[/url]) and ride a lot of miles. Check them out on Facebook by using the link from their website or just search within Facebook for 7 Bridges Scooter Club. Come & ride with us if you are ever in our area!

Well put, Shane!

Scooters are a lot of fun, once you pick the one that best suits your riding style and objectives. Weather you plan to ride around town or on country roads and interstates, there are scooters out there that fit every lifestyle and budget.

7 Bridges Scooter Club is a thriving scooter club in the Jacksonville, Florida area that focuses on both short and long rides. We ride twice a week, weather permitting. Any time you're in the area and want to ride with us, look us up!

www.7BSC.com

or search for 7 Bridges Scooter Club on Facebook. That's our main "home" for events and pictures.

I was in Pismo Beach for a few days and read this article in the morning before returning to LA. Decided to go north a few miles and catch Hwy 58 across to 166 and then 33 into Ojai.

Finally made it home and I have to say that Hwy 58 is really a treasure and I look forward to doing it again ... next time on two wheels I was with my better half and at the wheel of her Mini which was fun in its own right.

Shane: I think you put the GTS' virtues front-and-center a good deal better than I could...of course, I "just got here", so to speak. The bike spoke to my inner Goldilocks - Just Right.

I can't say if (or when) I'll ever go touring on the thing, but it's nice to know that if I ever get a hankering, the scoot in my possession won't be the main limiting factor.

amateriat -

I didn't mean to ramble on about my love affair with the GTS. I'm sure, like everyone else, we sat on all kinds of different bikes & scooters at the dealer trying to find that perfect one. Some fortunate riders probably knew right away what they wanted and some may have no problem buying as many as they want. After not riding for over 20 years, I thought I knew what I wanted...

Watching videos, reading reviews, sitting on bikes, looking at prices, and reviewing & comparing specs is one thing. To actually get on one and ride is another. And even after riding, it may take a lot more riding until you really discover your likes & dislikes of that particular ride....and to finally figure out what you really want.

On paper, I thought the Burgman 400 was it. Not too big, not too small, great storage, ABS, etc. It took a few long distance rides until I started realizing that I was missing the fun factor of a smaller scooter (and my hips couldn't take it). Fortunately for me, another rider let me try his Vespa GT 200 so he could test ride my Burgman. Now don't get my wrong, I really appreciate all types of rides and believe the Burgman 400 & 650 are excellent choices. They are really great maxi-scooters. I realized through trial & error what I enjoy the most. We all have different priorities and budgets.

To be fair, here's some things that may or may not be great about the GTS depending on your view...

Off-road: I wish I could do a little more off-roading with it. I do dirt roads and light off-roading...but it would be cool to get a little rougher with it. However, it's not as high on my priority list and I might one day get a dual sport bike to be more like my hero, Big Dog http://bigdogadventures.com/, and go on the TAT and take the unbeaten path. However, in Florida, we don't have a lot of areas like that to ride legally. If I lived in Colorado or Utah, it would be a different story!
Fuel Tank: It is a pain if you want to ride longer...but like I wrote, I think it's a good thing that keeps me in check. It forces me to take breaks and in a way, it's telling me to stop and smell the roses...more often.
Small Wheels & Suspension: Not a great ride on bad & rough roads. I can live with it but have considered trying the BV 350 & People 300 (I wish Honda would bring the SH300i here!). I do keep checking out the BV 350 but after I sit on them & look at the price tag, I'm happy with what I got (even if some say the GTS is inferior). I'm not sure if I really want something bigger & faster. Maybe one day, since another disadvantage is...
Automatic & Smaller Engine: Sometimes I wish I could go faster. On the flip side, it's probably a good thing I can't. Again, keeps me in check. I really don't need to ride over 75-80 mph. On mountain roads, steep hills, or in strong headwinds, you will slow down and you can't downshift and power on through. It's like driving a small car with an automatic. There's nothing you can do and you just slow down. I live in Florida so it's not a big deal and when we rode in NC, I did get concerned at times when I was on the interstate and started bogging down. However, the big trucks and some other cars were also slowing down. I just stayed in the far right or middle lanes. It wasn't that bad. If I lived in those areas, I'm sure I would prefer a BV 350 or maybe even something bigger. Though I would miss the nimbleness of the GTS. And, of course, the bigger the scooter/bike, the bigger the price & potential maintenance costs.
Service: Not many dealers & service centers for Vespa with knowledgeable & experienced techs...but you do have to love ScooterWest and their YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/motorsportscooters. I would love to see ScooterWest build a ScooterEast in Saint Augustine, Florida! ScooterWest, are you reading this???

Every ride has its strengths & weaknesses. And in a good, responsible way, some of the GTS weaknesses keep me in check. I didn't want to have a garage full of different scooters & motorcycles for different occasions. I'm a cheapskate and wanted one that could do the majority of my type of riding. The GTS ended up being the one for me. And it's cool that it looks like an offspring of a Porsche 911. My GTS is my poor man's 911. Not all of us have the dough like Magnus Walker!

I love going for Sunday rides with my scooter club. Or cruise around town running errands. Or load it up for a longer trip. This weekend I'm riding down to Tampa with my scooter club. About 230 miles there and then touring around the area, checking out Honeymoon Island State Park, St. Pete Beach, Tarpon Springs, etc. but our main purpose is to ride the Sunshine Skyway Bridge a few times. It makes sense: Our club is called 7 Bridges Scooter Club ([url]www.7bsc.com[/url]) after all. I'll spend a couple of nights there and then head back on Sunday for another 230 miles. Not our longest trip but a nice weekender without pushing it hard. I do plan on another Iron Butt in December though. It is fun to really kick it down at times. Maybe one day, I'll even participate in the Scooter Cannonball Run. But for now, I'm having a blast and am very grateful to have a great scooter club in our area.

So enough about the GTS, I want to learn more about these roads! I see BetrRedthanDed enjoyed driving on them. I'm going to have to check them out on Google Maps!

The suspension is pretty easy to fix, just change the shocks to a better aftermarket design. Really, for as little load as the scooter place on the shock, as long as it's rebuildable and you have a good tuner, or are patient, anything will work. Yes, it's not cheap, but save the stockers and put them back on when you sell the scoot, then reuse or sell the aftermarket ones. You can recoup about half of your shock expense if you're willing to do the work of installation/removal yourself. My XR400 has the stock bits, but I revalved the forks and shock (and resprung, too) and it is velvet smooth on even rough trails.

The power, yeah, it's a toss up, especially with the variators. If you tune them for a higher power band (like my Zuma is), then they lose a lot of low speed ease of use. I have to rev the bike up to get it to go a steady 10mph, which is a bit embarrassing, as it sounds like you're deliberately trying to make noise for no reason. Even then, on Richard Arrington (in NC) she was only good for 22-24 mph uphill.

Adding a big bore kit can help, but only so much before you have to start adding more and more bits to make it work right. And those aren't cheap for the four strokes.

Having one bike means having a bike that's good in a variety of places, but not good in others. It's just part of it. Unless you're in those other placed often enough to matter, don't let it ruin the love you have for your bike.

Nice article. Have ridden all the roads they mention many many times. Great route they picked Also, having swapped a 650 Burgy for my GTS, the analysis was pretty accurate.

Just curious, were you up in Pismo for recreation? I've been thinking about taking a short trip up the PCH from LA. Pismo seems like a nice destination but I don't know too much about it! Is it a nice place to visit or spend the night and explore?

Thanks!

John

John, Pismo is a beautiful area to visit. Avila beach, Morro Bay are close, lots of local wineries, and the drive/ride north on PCH, thru Big Sur to Monterey/Carmel, is one of the best in the United States!

JRH, I spent a few days in Pismo on a mini-vacation for my bday. The area is great, lots of interesting sights in the surrounding area with great places to eat and drink. The Central Coast is really gorgeous. I visited Hearst Castle for the first time and felt really poor but even that was an eye opening lesson in opulence... (hint: it's not really about how many scooters are in the garage). We had a great time. Any place around Pismo would be a nice experience, I just like the beach when I can get there. If you can ride, all the better. Highway 1 to Santa Cruz I just rode last summer. Hwy 58 was very cool with absolutely no traffic on a holiday. And Hwy 33 into Ojai is just great period.

Living near the center of LA can make us cranky and evil. A little trip outside to see the real beauty of California is priceless. I felt like Huell Howser RIP, golly gee