Modern Vespa

Now 73 yrs, been riding from 16 yrs (a Lambo 150) but legs not so good now. Dropped size down from 500cc through 300cc, now of Honda vision 110 'cos I can't push anything else or pick it up if needed. Now to the point. Honda has twitchy light steering if crawling in traffic queue and I wobble about like a drunk. Like the Idea of a Piaggio MP3 Trike BUT will it stop me falling sideways in a crawling jam OR will it stay upright?

I can relate. I'm going to be 71 next month, dropped my 250 Nighthawk recently and needed help to pick it up. I don't know your situation but most of our fears live between our ears. You might try finding an open spot where you practice maneuvers to help your balance. Sometimes it helps you beat the fears by honing your skills.

Welcome to the forum!

The short answer is no, definitely not. The MP3 will not stay upright, at least not without some intervention on behalf of the rider (there is a "lock" switch on the handlebars). The problem is that the lock switch is not perfect — if you're still moving above a certain threshold, it will not lock. And if you miss it, the MP3 kind of hovers upright for just long enough to lull you into a false sense of security before it falls over.

And did I mention it is heavy? Yeah. Quite. I've picked one up before, it's not fun.

Many, MANY people with limited mobility have tried to use the MP3 as a substitute for a two wheeler, and (to my knowledge) the vast majority of them — maybe ALL of them — have failed.

The bottom line is that it really is NOT a trike — it is a three-wheeler that leans very much like a two-wheeler, and falls over just like a two wheeler.

My wife is in her 60's and has always been wobbly on 2 wheels. So she had her Silverwing scooter converted into a trike. Motor Trike GT3 was the kit.

She also had a Can-Am Spyder before the Silverwing but the Spyder was always having electrical issues and was silly expensive to service and maintain.

But when she retired from work she quit riding. I can say the Motor Trike kit was a quality product. Her commute was 70 miles one way. Only complaint was cleaning the rear wheels. It was a tight squeeze.

I thought we all did that. No sir. CanAM Spyder would.

Thanks all for your replies, I'm very grateful. Very helpful indeed.

As has been said find a quite spot to refresh your skills.

Also leave your feet down and "dragging" at low speed. This will lower the centre of gravity, much in the way a tightrope walker uses a sagging pole.

I don't know how fast you want go. But see if you can find a Honda Gyro small around town grocery getter. Two wheels in the back leans into the corner.

I'm almost 74, and living in the Philippines now. I had a Ducati 900SS and BMW R90S back in the 70s and 80, and only got back to two wheels three years ago.

I started with a Honda CRF250L but found the weight a bit of a handful as it's too heavy, and I had to push it out past our car down a gravel driveway to our gate which got me hot, sweaty and puffed out as it's always so humid here. I also have angina which doesn't help. I sold the Honda a few months later, and bought a new Vespa Sprint 150 S.

What a difference! The centre of gravity is much lower, of course, which makes it a doddle to ride on the crappy & mostly crowded roads we have here. The stock suspension is adequate so long as I don't hit potholes or speed-bumps at higher speeds. I've been 'airborne' a couple of times.

Those early rides left me a little tired but the sore muscles disappeared after a few rides. I've been working on my balance by standing on one leg when I brush my teeth (don't laugh!), and also do some push ups and leg lifts most mornings.

What's hard for me to describe is the feeling of being alive when I ride. It's magical and gives me that 'happy to be alive' feeling even though the driving standards here are crazy.

I'd say keep at it for as long as possible. Maybe buy something slow and light to start with, or even a mountain bike to get some basic fitness, balance, and agility back.

I love my Vespa!

I'll be 64 in a couple of months. I have bad knees and hip joints. That's the reason I got into scooters many years ago. I had to give up riding my 225cc dual sport bike because I can't get my leg over the seat anymore. No way would I be able to pick it up. Now riding a Vespa GT200 and a Genuine Stella 150 2 stroke manual transmission.

I considered a Can Am Ryker 600, but just don't care for the new computerized stuff. I have an '06 H-D Sportster 1200 I am seriously thinking about making a trike out of.

Another old guy here. I'm 77 now and ride a Piaggio BV250, no problem with balance yet so I'll keep on riding. But, and this is a big important thing, one of the places I ride is to a gym and back 3 times a week. I work myself pretty hard to keep my body strong enough to ride and control a scooter. You can do something similar - if you have certain limits learn how to work around them. Ask your doctor if you have concerns about hurting yourself. And remember, it took you a while to get out of shape so leave yourself time and patience to get back into shape. Start off very gently. If it hurts you're doing too much. You're not too old - that's an excuse.

A lot of good advice here.

I am 74 and have been riding MP3s since I was 58. It's a big, heavy bike that only supports itself when stopped. The main advantage of this for us older folks is that you can "push it around like a shopping cart" to park, move around in the garage, etc.

Some general advice for aging:

Make sure your diet is a healthy one, but still enjoyable.
Exercise - both aerobic and resistance (weights) every day. (I alternate)
Balance - practice, practice, practice.
Learn new things.
Riding is good for the brain - similar to light exercise and meditation.
Maintain social engagement.

That's good advice. My physical therapist said that the best exercise for me after my hip replacement would be a bicycle.

By the way I am penning my saga with my hip. I know I keep talking about it all the time and feel like you deserve a more comprehensive report. I just need to get at least a couple x-rays. But a thread is surely to come. Stay tuned.