Modern Vespa

...at pictures of other men's Vespas. Is that so wrong?

I'm happy with my Vespa. I love my Vespa. I do not need another Vespa...

But...still...I cannot stop looking....

Black Vespas. White Vespas. Yellow Vespas. Old Vespas, young Vespas, tight and shiny, old and patina-ed...I cannot stop.

Also, this is the world's longest winter. The longest EVER.

Ever!!

This winter is so long, and my Vespa "issue" has grown so large, that I actually found myself doing something that I haven't done in over 30 years.

Yes: I actually found myself thinking about moving back to California.

Hey tdrake! Yeah, come back! There were a few cold nights here and there with a good amount of frost on the roofs (in Nor Cal anyway). I am hoping there has been enough chill for me to get cherries this year. No snow though. May I ask what took you to Idaho? Cheers! AngeL

I suppose that my biting the bullet (extremey hard...no unseemly metaphors please) and choosing to buy a new GTS over used (couldn't find a decent used example at the time) has kept me safe from - ahem! - coveting another individual's Vespa. However, as I've brought up in a previous thread, this has not stopped me from considering the possibilities of acquiring a seemingly long-abandoned PX residing in my former neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn:

I was 20 and an idealist, so the usual suspects: love, adventure, escape, mountains, open space, gravel roads, the lure of chainsaws and hard-earned calluses....

Sigh.

Actually, come May I'll be humble-bragging about how I escaped the rat-race and get to live in paradise while all ye bastids are stuck in the grind. But, in the meantime, yeah, I remember when I thought a lil frost felt like winter.

If that's not the rescue animal of Vespas, I don't know what is.

If you listen very, very carefully, you can hear it whispering..."save me...s...a..ve...me...."

At this time of the year, I can't help wondering what my ancestors have seen in Finland. Then, after a few months, when over 1000 (literally) small, mostly very clean lakes are there for fishing and swimming, rich forests invite for walks....and roads are clear from ice for riding, then I get it.

To prevent me spoiling my eyes by staring too many bike (and there used to be cars too...) pictures, I've invented winter hobbies. Music is a great distraction. You know, there are many types of quitars around, always something to upgrade...

Yep, I hear ye; this is my second winter in many decades without being in a band or having some big music project, and I think that's really killing me. Last winter I was obsessed with buying the Vespa, but this winter...zzzzzzz. I did teach myself to play piano/keys these past two winters (something I've always wanted to do), but I'm starting to realize that wasn't enough....

...ah, it's snowing again...

Yeah, right!?

I can ill afford to take something like this on right now, but the next time I cross its path I swear I'll leave a note...then wonder what the £#EUR% I've got myself into..

AM i wonder if the cops would believe you if you told them "officer i swear it followed me home". Whenever i see a battered Vespa i also want to take it home. To bad there aren't any laws to prevent Vespa abuse.

Boy, does this resonate - I lived in California in the 80s and still miss it terribly, sometimes...

That looks more like a P than a PX. Even after living in the urban outdoors they can often be brought back to life with fairly easy work.

A coution...don't start looking at Lambrettas!

Yeah I don't know why I thought that the bad weather preventing me from riding my GTS meant I should bring home the Elite 250 to work on in the driveway...in the dark...in the rain.
Too much looking and reading I guess.

I totally feel your pain. I get it. It's a strange addiction.

Aaaargh, I know the restless feeling.
Got an S 150, then started getting the jitters for a used GTS 250.
Got that (very happy), and now I can't stop wondering what it would be like to own a 500 cc MP3.

Humans... we love to be miserable.

Let's see, last winter I bought 3 used scooters between Nov and Feb. I only ended up keeping one (sold one and totaled the other). Yep, I think I know how you're feeling. Haven't bought any this winter so I guess that's a good thing.

this winter the wind is glaring up its ugly dirt and dust! and it's only November!! I hate to see what the spring will bring..

I know what you mean. It's been down in the 60s here lately, I can't wait for things to warm up a bit.

Sorry guys, I'm a Californian 100%. A little rain here and there keeps things interesting for sure. Bought my GTS about 6 months ago and everyday is a riding day.

I must say though, a new scooter is a joy to have, but my heart belongs to classic and vintage vehicles. I've owned so many trucks from the '60's, I think it's going to be time soon to get a vintage Vespa as well.