Modern Vespa

I had my first (ever) scooter crash today, an Uber driver ran into me at very low speed, thankfully. No injuries just some scratches on the bike, which I f*****g hate!! Now dealing with insurance and body shop horror as they'll never get it right. Also found rust at the seam behind the front wheel. How can a 2015 GTS have rust already?!!? The damn thing is always garaged and never ridden in the rain?!!?
All in all, it could have been much worst so I should be grateful, just venting to the only people in the planet who will feel my pain and understand the love we have these bikes...

Glad your fine. Scratches suck!

Seems there is rust in the seams.

Glad that you are safe.
As for the bike, well scratches can be fixed and dents can be mended.
Since it is a Uber vehicle, they were on the wrong, they also have to carry significant insurance, therefore you get an estimate from the place recommended to you by your dealer or good body shops you know of, you will be given the option to have the work done to factory spec and or be given a check for the amount the job will take. You can deposit the money, go to your guy and get it done for a lesser amount and keep the difference to get yourself some drinks..
But if you want them to get it back to factory spec then have them fix the problem and you will be good.

And let's not forget his sore neck and mental anguish. 8)

Thank you for the responses, the driver was a woman in her mid to late forties driving Uber to make ends meet after losing her mid management job. Poor woman has been looking for work for 4 years. I am doing okay after losing my job back in 2010 and couldn't find work for 2 years. Nobody wanted an architect in the big recession, it was rough. So, I am taking care of it myself and sparing her the insurance rate hike. The fact that I am complaining about cosmetic scratches on my Vespa is a sign of how lucky I am at the moment and a reminder to myself of the circumstance of others that can easily be my circumstances. I am no angle, I just know how awful it must be for her...

Buds: Ouch, that hurts to hear - glad you're okay, and I admire your magnanimity given the situation. Scratches make me grit my teeth, but they are fixable. (Melody suffered a few on her underside during my ultra-slo-mo low side last January...getting those fixed when she gets her 6k once-over, not too long from now.)

The rust in the seams? I'd heard about the phenomenon, which led me to inspecting and cleaning the underbelly of the bike every few months, and lightly spraying a bit of PTFE along the seam - since I'm just a mile from the Atlantic, I'm a bit more sensitive about this than usual. So far, no rust.

You just can't see it, but it's there from factory.

Glad you're OK and you certainly are being more than fair to the Uber driver. This city is full of Uber drivers and it used to be you just had to worry about cabbies pulling a u-turn with no warning. Had an interesting "conversation" with one that did this to me a few weeks ago.

Scratches do suck, but can be fixed. Best done by a professional though so it looks good. They are beautiful scoots and any mark hurts. It's not rust, it's patina :-p

Last recession was tough on architects. I work daily with one of the top architects in Canada. He said during the last recession up to 40% of architects were unemployed. In the 10 years I've been working with the firm I've seen the staffing go up and down from about 35 to 65. Currently at the high end of that and no sign of slowing down.

Go to a high end car dealership and ask who they use for body work and go there

+1

Your compassion for the driver will come back to you in spades. As a people, we are over anxious to sue over little things without considering the full impact on others.

God Bless...

Thank you for your kind words cballweg, we all need a break now and then after all so many people have helped me in my life.
On a positive note, the woman contacted me to thank me once again and said her 3 interview went well and she received an offer letter for a job in her field, which was very welcome news indeed...

My positive reading for the day.
You're a good person.

O.S.