Modern Vespa

A non-riding friend periodically asks why I love my Vespa so much. His point of reference is something between Hells Angels-looking men riding Harleys to friends of friends who died in terrible motorcycle accidents.

He will ask about speed, gas mileage, costs, and things related to the mechanical functioning of the scooter. As much as I try to explain that I don't really care about any of that he can't quite wrap his head around anything else.

So I decided to make a video to explain why I love my Vespa. He watched and sent me a text that just said "Oh."

It's only two minutes long. Here it is if anyone is interested in the videos I put together. Nothing useful like Robot...

https://youtu.be/D7XeDqPlMjo

Fantastic Steve!
I will definitely add that to my answers to the same question.

Beautiful video but I can see why a non rider might not feel it the same way we do. To him it probably looks the same as if it were shot from a car. That sense of freedom that we feel when we ride just can't come through in video to someone who hasn't experienced it.

Beautifully done; no words needed.

... I should get out at dawn more often. That looks really peaceful.

Well done! Thank you.

Well expressed.

I really like some of your camera placement and the way you framed some of the scenes.

I completely understand why your friend doesn't really get it. You can't smell the video, feel the video, or get the sensations of riding (and thoughts and emotions that go with them) from the video. If those are unknown to a non-rider, a video won't really help.

The Vespa is such a lovable machine.

Many will never understand.

But some of us do….

Bill

Words. I was expecting words. Instead you gave us art.

Well-done.

Just a glimpse, but was reminded how close buildings are to the road in western PA. A bit unnerving at times.

I dunno...MY Vespa never wakes me up that early.

Another great video...reinforcing my desire for a Vespa...also you dumping the Himalayan is basically me on my KLR these days...my hips want a scoot! 😀
Cheers,
Byron

Excellent. You nailed it. This represents about 50% of my riding. Another video of a Vespa performance riding through the curves and ending in the same coffee shop would cover it 100%

I remember riding past Thunder Bay in Ontario on my KZ1000 and feeling that this was the way to go. Being on a two lane road in a quiet Canadian morning and listening to the music only your favorite engine can play as miles of peaceful woodland slide by is soul soothing. You can't explain that to someone who doesn't get it but it sticks with you for the rest of your life.

Veerrry Nice. Well done video!

Wonderful! Shows how much you love riding to do that at 42F!

Great video! I enjoy riding because it is real. Your body is flying through the air at a mile a minute or more. You can smell flowers in spring you can feel the temperature change as you ride into a valley. Too many people see their world through a windshield but we are there. We are not passive observers but we are active participants. I am sorry I can't explain it better if I could there would be more riders.

nice video

Well done. I have struggled before to explain my fascination for riding to others. I try to explain how I am focused on the ride in a Zen sort of way - enjoying the sights, the sounds, the smells, and even the changing temperature of the air. They mostly don't get it. Oh well.

I started riding a few years ago and my first bike was a GTS 300. I absolutely loved it, but ended up selling it after a year and a half because I wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Rode motorcycles for a couple years and sure they were fun, but I didn't get the same kind of enjoyment out of them that I got from my Vespa. That emotional connection was never there and I kinda lost focus of why I started riding in the first place.

Over the last few weeks, my motorcycle rides have gotten a bit tiring. I've been less enthusiastic about all the intricacies that come with riding a motorcycle — the shifting, the clutch, the added weight, the maintenance, etc. It's all just seemed so…cumbersome. Naturally, that's made me reminisce about my Vespa. I remember looking at it on numerous occasions and thinking "this is hands down the best purchase I've ever made." I've never thought that about either of the two motorcycles I've owned.

A couple days ago, I randomly came across one of your videos where you were explaining why you love your Vespa so much and what stuck with me was just how peaceful your ride was. There was excessive engine noise. No shifting. No top speed runs. No obscene exhausts. You were just…riding.

At one point, you stopped on the side of the road, put the scoot up on the center stand, and commented on how easy it is to just make little stops like that wherever. And I remember thinking how, if I wanted to do that with my motorcycle, I'd have to downshift before braking, then make sure I kept the bike in gear, then turn it off while holding the clutch in, then swing my leg over the seat, then use all my weight to maneuver it onto the center stand…it's not that much different, but it's all just more cumbersome.

The day after that, I found myself at my local Vespa dealership asking about their inventory. "I'm just looking," I told myself. Two days later, I put a deposit down on a new GTS 300 that should be arriving this weekend.

I can't wait to have a Vespa again. Thank you for reminding me just how nice it is!

I love how you've captured the peace and tranquillity of an early morning ride. Being in a car just wouldn't be the same, you couldn't absorb the beauty of the morning like that.

Thank you for posting!

VESPAsfw3,

I think you captured it. There has always been a feeling about sailing
flying and these amazing Vespa machines. It is like being at one with
the beautiful world around us. Kind of a wind in your face experience.

Super video friend. Love the stuff you post.

Bob Copeland

my thoughts (vs cars)

in a car you're in a bubble. often with music or a passenger chatting and also air con and a wall of glass and steel. no connection to the world. and the average car driven in an average way doesn't even give a connection to the vehicle. sure sports cars and convertibles will probably be different.

edit:
I love the above mentioned connectedness to the world instead of living inside my head all the time.
I also ride for the following reasons (not in any order) which could also apply to cars: I need a hobby that doesn't involve computers etc. I love spending time in nature. I need an excuse to get out of the house (ie away from the home office and living on my own)

Please let us know how you get on with your new purchase, pictures are optional

Gladly!

As the cliché goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here, a two-minute travelog is worth a novella. A very good novella. Great work (again), Steve. I'm frequently in that part of Gotham. Perhaps we might cross paths. Good luck with the new bike!

Wonderful video. Thank you!

I got my Vespa GTS 300 like two weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. The video was great and reminds me there is life outside of the city. I haven't really ventured out of the city but you've inspired me to get away from the grind for a little while.

Thanks,
A

Great video, Steve! I appreciate your perspective and your videos... you said a lot in a two minute video without words. Thank you for sharing that.

Ya! That's part of why I like my rides, for me it's the old river roads, the winding back rural roads, the slow cruise through the older parts of a city to really see the architectural stuff that's just not done now. To get a peak into some great landscaping, or a renovation on some place I'm glad someone decided to save. The peace, the balance in life that ride gives me.

Thanks Ken. I told my wife I need to keep riding more to explore the answer to that question!

You're probably right, a non-rider can't really experience what we do unless they ride. But that said, there are plenty of cinematic stories that have moved people to embrace things they have never tried.

I thought I would give it a whirl...

Hips. Ugh. I groan every time I climb on and off the Himalayan. My motorcycle days will end at some point due to hips...

I can see riding a scooter a lot longer!

Only another rider would appreciate the notion of "smells" as a positive. It still amazes me how varied are the fragrances I encounter during a ride.

When I was still working I would often ride at dawn. Once retired I got out of the habit. And it's a hard one to restart. But every time I ride and see the sunrise I feel like a new man.

Your description of the difference between a motorcycle ride and a Vespa ride echo my own. They are markedly different and one might ask why I would even entertain a motorcycle?

In my case, the Royal Enfield Himalayan has a specific purpose -- to take me onto dirt and gravel roads in the mountains here that just hammer the heck out of the Vespa. But your thoughts on the extra work to ride and maintain a motorcycle are spot on. When I'm riding the Himalayan the reward is where I can go and what I can see. But it is NOT the experience of riding itself.

The Vespa feels like flying peacefully through the world. That's my experience.

Thank you for your kind words about the video and stuff I post.

After so many miles on my Vespa scooters, I am still amazed at the thrill they generate every time I go for a ride. It is a singular joy in my life.

Thanks Jim.

You've inspired me as well with your videos. I finally bought the 360 camera you suggested. Now you need to inspire me to take it out of the box where it's been since I got it two months ago...

The 360 camera can seem overwhelming compared to an action cam that gives you a video you can post right out of the camera. BUT, the 360 camera allows you to just enjoy the ride... and decide what you want the viewer to see afterwards. It does take time to edit, but once you get into the rhythm of it, it is not a whole lot different than running every still image through Photoshop (something I still do). I really appreciate being able to put key-frames where I want and then still be able to select the field of view, from extreme wide angle to "narrow." (which, like any action cam, is still pretty wide)

The Insta360 app is what makes it all work. I view and edit the clips on my iPad then export the edited "flat" video to my MacBook Pro to put it all together in iMovie. When you see an 8 to 15 minute video that I shot with one of the 360 cameras, I probably have 2 to 3 hours of post, mostly going through the different views. The actual editing with the app is easy.

That said, I enjoy the process. And, I sure like what you are doing with stills and video.

Best wishes,
Jim

Full flounder ahead!

And keeping with the theme of this thread, I am reminded of my years of riding Harleys and one of the cliche' t-shirts: "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand."

True for any two-wheel enthusiast.