Modern Vespa

I appear to be overstocked with RE 650's, might have to acquire another Vespa to balance things out a bit...

And a Triumph.

Actually, two Triumphs. The Rocket didn't get into the first photo. The Speedmaster is my wife's bike.

I see your a cyclist also, so you understand the N+1 concept. It relates to Vespa's also.

Love the RE's. I hope to get one one day.

Iv'e had three Royal Enfields but I ended up spending more time having to talk about them than riding them.

One of the Royal Enfields even looks nice.

I test rode an Continental Twin a year or so ago but the engine felt lifeless compared to the single 500.

If I was 6ft tall, incredibly successful and handsome I'd have the Rocket.

But apparently with REs its N-1.

The Rocket next to the Vespa. What a contrast.

This Rocket is extreme: a 2.5l 3 cilinder 165hp engine. About 800cc per cilinder. Who came up with that engine design?

A genius with no real understanding of the word Enough.

Indeed. Which reminds me...

10/10. Good find.

Crazy people...but I mean that in a good way.

And don't forget it's true 'Ace in The Hole', which is it's 163 ft lbs of torque at 4000 rpm, 90% of it on tap at 2500 revs.

All well and good you might say, but for a truly pleasurable, satisfying, and yes, FUN riding experience, my GTS300 equals, and usually exceeds the Rocket 3 in several important ways.

Since I bought the Vespa late last summer, I've put more miles on it than any of our other four bikes.

that video!

Ok, here's the deal.

As it turns out, after riding the new 650 GT today for thirty-something miles, I find that I don't like it enough to warrant keeping it, so I will not ride it again, and will park it alongside the wall of our garage, then see if I can sell it off starting in March of '23.

I do not particularly like the seating position as compared to my Interceptor 650, and the angle of the bars seem to give my wrists problems after a dozen miles or so.

There are a few other minor, subjective, 'issues' as well, and when totaled, they add up to not keeping the bike and moving on.

I will definitely be hanging on to my '22 Interceptor 650, and of course, my '20 Vespa GTS300.

I might even consider buying a new GTS300 once I 'move' the RE Continental GT....but, nah!....I don't want one with a 'Keyless' Fob ignition, so fuggetaboudit!!!

I'd swap the tanks before you sell the GT. I find the GT's tank much nicer than the Interceptor.

That poor Vespa looks so lonesome.

I like the GT's tank too, but I slightly favor the mid-60's 'Brit bike' look of the knee-padded 'tear drop' shaped Interceptor fuel tank over the other. Nostalgia-wise, I have more of a personal connection with the Interceptor configuration than I do the GT.

The way to prevent aching wrists when riding with clip ons is to ride faster as the air pressure on your chest takes the weight off your hands.

Having said that around an hour is enough for me.

It's deceptive, the Vespa is Italian royalty with an unquestionable pedigree and lineage. It's, as they say, a 'class act', and the other bikes know it.

The bars on my Interceptor are lower and shorter than stock, but the grips are at a more natural and comfortable angle than the GT's and cause me no discomfort regardless of the time or distance traveled. My butt hurts before my wrists do on the Interceptor, and I find the bike's stock seat tolerable for a reasonable distance.

I don't want to give the impression that I find the Enfield GT's rider position intolerable, not at all, but I've found a sort of personal perfection in my Interceptor's handlebar/seat/peg setup, so prefer it.

I've been riding mostly low-barred, unfaired, non windshielded bikes for decades, tending towards the classic 'cafe racer' configured motorcycles.