Modern Vespa

Ok, being new to the scooter scene (about 2 yrs now), I have only had a passenger once. That was last year in Oct when we had bought a pair of 2006 GTS250's (already had Sprint 150's) and when stopping for a picture, my scoot would not start. Subject of previous MV posts on fuel pump replacement.

Anyhow, my 28yr old bohemian daughter was here for the weekend and wanted to go for a ride. My wife had previous commitment so it was just my daughter and me. She wore her mothers helmet, jacket, gloves, boots but just jeans. Went thru the safety stuff about not getting on/off til I say so, being a sack of potatoes, etc. I know I was probably more nervous than her about this.

We ended up doing a ride of about 1.5 hrs on nice VT roads, past Lake St. Catherine and not much traffic. I started to relax after we got out of the city onto more rural roads. Since we have an helmet comm system, at one point, she asked me if she was being a good sack of potatoes. Love her!

We experienced a great ride together, one of the few precious times I get to spend with her alone. Really know how Bill (WLeuthold) felt spending time with his daughter on pillion when they rode thru VT.

We stopped at what is know locally as the Giant's Dinner Table to take pics. Attached one here of her on the scoot. Looks alot like Mom.

End of ride, she said she enjoyed it and thinks she should get a scooter for running around in Burlington. Maybe made a convert here and wish I knew about scooters years ago. Stung by the wasp now!

Awesome! Sounds like a great ride.

My daughter rode with me a bit when she was smaller (literally), but we're not compact people (well, you've seen me....), so it's a bit, er, cozy on a GTS. I guess it was a short-lived dream.

Looks like you may have another riding partner in the near future!

Very cool.
I took my 81 year old neighbor who is of Italian origins on the Vespa just a couple of miles and back. It was something that she had done back in the 1970's while she was living in Italy.
Made her day and mine as well.
Always nice to be able to bond with your kid(adult). Maybe the daughter will learn to ride & take her folks & make them sacks of potato too .

Whats weird is when you have a passenger that youve totally gotten used to, like my wife, then ride someone else. We have gotten so used to each other that I sometimes forget shes on the back! So its really weird when you ride someone else! No matter how many sack-of-potatos and rules you go over with a non-riding/new passenger its just a strange sensation! I use Grip-n-Ride handles to make passenger riding more comfortable and safer for both of us.

I had my grandson on board with me last month, was the first time I'd ridden a pillion in at least a half dozen years. Though he at 11 knows all the rules of riding back there, he held on tight, he kept his feet still on the passenger pegs, was the perfect sack of potatoes, etc & etc, I even at one point during our ride felt him beginning to anticipate the turns which made for quite the fun ride for me.
Saying all that though I must admit I was borderline mortified because I had the precious 'cargo' of my 'Grandbud' on board. (Plus as I was first pulling away with him, my daughter said "you break my son I will kill you")

Great pic and it sure does look like you may have a riding companion in the future if her smile is any indication.

Every pillion is a bit different and every bike a bit different. My wife is a good pillion though much prefers the C650GT over the GTV.

Thanks, he rarely smiles for a camera, in fact he usually runs away when a camera comes out.
(We rode for ice cream.)

Ice cream can be a great motivator

Well, I did a text from her this morning, saying how much she enjoyed it and wants to get her license. Maybe a new scooterista!

The scooter brought many people to the world of two wheels, and then brought people towards them; this is the best and simplest thing. It is strange that the Vespa was not born in U.S.A .... it could only do it in Italy but also in the United States because it is the idea of freedom that represents making it a symbol.
wbdvt ... apparently you did a follower and that's good.

You scooted around with your 81 yr old neighbor?! This!! My heart is melting. We need more of this in the world!! Well done!

I tried to take my wife for a ride on our LXV150 this past weekend. It may have been a mistake as I have only 1,200kms of experience so far, but we were planning on a short ride on the side streets. It didn't work out, as we couldn't figure out how to do it!
If, while the bike was on its centre stand, she got on first then me, I couldn't roll the bike off the stand. If I got on first, she couldn't swing her leg over the bike to get on.
Any suggestions would be warmly appreciated.

IIRC, my usual MO is take it off the stand, stand with legs spread to stabilize, get close to the handlebars and rider squeezes their leg behind me.

At least that's how I recall. It's not easy getting it off the stand with a pillion, as you already know.

Footrests for pillion on the LX series leaves a lot to be desired....

This is me and my daughter right after we bought the GTV 4+ years ago. She has outgrown that helmet and also outgrown riding with her old man. I used to take her to school on it, but now she's in middle school and image is everything.

Riding with Kylie on that trip was a perfect five days.

She was a great passenger. I never noticed her much at all.

It was a bit daunting at the beginning.

We had to ride through Brooklyn, over the Manhattan Bridge, through lower Manhattan through the Holland Tunnel to New Jersey.

But she was great.

We rode over 600 miles through some high winds and cold temperatures.

But she was great.

I think I will see if we can do it again soon.

Bill

I don't carry a passenger often.

My wife won't let me go on the VCdM rides without her, so I have carried her

I am pleased to have her along.

She doesn't ride, so she rides with me.

Through Italy, Greek Islands and Spain. Portugal in September and Greece again in May. Best trips ever for us.

One other time was in Bermuda in the early 1990's.

Sarah's mother, grandmother and two aunts came to visit us.

I took her grandmother for a ride on my Suzuki. She liked it.

Know anyone with an electric bike? 50cc scooter? See if you can get her on either of those as a gateway vehicle.

What? Vespas aren't cool there? That's kinda sad

Footrests on ANY Vespa have a lot to be desired, extender or not. Then again most motorcycles are not the most comfy to ride pillion unless really designed for 2-up riding. Some of the true maxi-scooters that have dedicated floorboards for the pillion are apparently comfortable

Thinking about that but even if I do that I still want her to do the MSF weekend course for her license. Just the knowledge she would gain plus here in Vermont they have a couple of scooters that can be used for the course

Oh yea absolutely do the MSF. I'm just throwing out what's been an interesting experiment for me.

I've had success lately teaching a few of my girlfriends friends on an electric bike around the neighborhood with a helmet/Sena 20s on.

I've found the new riders nervously looked at the speedometer on my Honda 80 when starting out but had no problem looking up when riding the electric bike. Additionally, corners at speed were always swung wide on the 80. Ebike definitely better.

Once comfortable they self graduated to the 80 for as long as they wanted with my girlfriend and I leading/ sweep. After that it was debrief with a cold drink to celebrate/ information on the MSF class at the nearby community college.



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My 89 year old mom sat pillion in the Vespa dealer while the scoot was on the stand. I only have the GTS for 4 weeks and don't think I'm ready to have a pillion yet. But when she's on, I'll post a picture here.
That'll be cool; a 63 year old son with his 89 year old mom scooting around.
Should she hold around my waist or the grip rails. I do have a top box with a back pad for her.
Should have had one of the kids at the Amerivespa brat contest sit on the back for me to feel a passenger.

Only ONE pillon riding?!
Jokes aside, I added footpeg extenders to my GTV and footpegs to my LXV. I normally ride with my daughter (14 years old) and it was very uncomfortable without the footpegs, her hip was sore and when stopping was very uncomfortable for both of us. Now with footpegs is totally different.

My 14 year old absolutely refuses to go anywhere near a Vespa. At least she will ride with my husband on on of his motorcycles, but she won't let him pick her up at school on it - she will walk about 10 minutes to our neighborhood where my husband is waiting on his bike at this path, far away from the eyes of any of her classmates.

I think it depends on a lot of factors. Your profile does not show your location, where are you? Some cities are definitely more Vespa friendly than others though kids are kids and you never know what they will think is cool.

JJ, looks to me like a Harley is required...?

Fortunately where I am, they are still cool. Actually I ma afraid that my 14 year old now wants to ride the LXV on her own with friends. But yes, middle school is hard.