I've been riding motorcycles for a while, but I really admire the style and travel possibilities of 300cc Vespas. I like the other versions as well.
Let me ask, what induced you to riding scooters? The looks, the mechanics, the history?
OP
|
UTC
quote
I've been riding motorcycles for a while, but I really admire the style and travel possibilities of 300cc Vespas. I like the other versions as well.
Let me ask, what induced you to riding scooters? The looks, the mechanics, the history?
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Hooked
Vespa C38 - S50 4T Super.
Joined: UTC
Posts: 266 Location: Netherlands |
|
|
Atypical Canadian
![]() 2009 Vespa S50(LX150 motor swap), 2006 Vespa GTS250ie
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2319 Location: Toronto, Canada |
UTC
quote
I couldn't afford insurance on a "real" motorcycle, or a real motorcycle for that matter, so I got a 50cc two stroke because it was like $340/yr to insure.
That's it. It was cheap and I was a broke student. Seven months later I picked up a third job and bought a motorcycle, but the scooter had found a soft spot in my heart so I always kept one, even if it just a secondary or teriary two-wheeler after the motorcycles.
Positive
|
Ossessionato
![]() BV400, Primavera 150, Yamaha Zuma 125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4425 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota |
![]() UTC
Hooked
Stella, GTS 300, Vespa p200e
Joined: UTC
Posts: 154 Location: Portland usa |
|
|
UTC
quote
I used to ride a '79 Suzuki 750 and my legs would get cold and wet from riding in the rain….. I'd always wanted a Vespa but couldn't afford one when I was a teenager. So I bought a Vespa P200.
|
|
UTC
quote
I've always had a motorcycle be it dirt, dual sport, or street yet never really gave scooters a second thought. My wife got her scooter 7 years ago, talk about an ah-ha moment. Twist and go! They are so easy and convenient for running errands and such. Much fun and very addicting!
|
|
UTC
quote
Ease of use. Even whenI had sport bikes I always has a scooter. Now it's only scooters. Reason is still ease of use.
|
|
UTC
quote
I've owned Gold Wings down to mini bikes.
I found that scooters were perfect for enjoying the surroundings. Easy on/off for pictures. Easy to get into/outta places. Easy to work on. Easy to handle. Friendly to other people. Easy to get help. Easy to pack. Easy to bring inside if you should need/want. Easy to pick up if/when you drop. Easy to repair. Easier and faster to get serviced (at least here) instead of waiting weeks/months. Easier on insurance. Easier to convince SWMBO. Easier to start conversations with strangers. And they are chick magnets!!!! ![]()
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Veni, Vidi, Posti
2007 LX150 2015 GTS (running like a charm!) 2017 BV 350
Joined: UTC
Posts: 12424 Location: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
|
Veni, Vidi, Posti
![]() 2007 LX150 2015 GTS (running like a charm!) 2017 BV 350
Joined: UTC
Posts: 12424 Location: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
UTC
quote
JKJ-FZ6 wrote: Scooter people are the greatest! I started looking for fuel efficient transportation to work, expecting a bit of fun as a side benefit. What I got was a ton of fun. I've always leaned toward small and efficient, without overkill, and scooters hit the spot. I can go as fast as I ever want to, park and store easily, and yeah, a great crowd. |
Ossessionato
![]() Triumph Bonneville 2022, Triumph Street Scrambler 2018 (sold), Suzuki VanVan200 (sold), 2015 Sprint 125 (sold)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3207 Location: Finland |
UTC
quote
Nostalgy
I drifted back to motorcycles, but may as well drift back to scoots again...as many others, I like both. |
|
Ossessionato
![]() 2020 MP3 500 HPE Sport ABS/ASR
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4774 Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula |
UTC
quote
I first rode a scooter for a delivery job in high school in 1964-65. (Fuji Rabbit 90)
Slow-forward to 2007. We had gotten rid of one of our cars because it wouldn't fit in the garage, but we still needed two vehicles. My wife suggested that I get a motorcycle. I had seen a review of an MP3 a few months earlier and I thought it was super cool. I'm now on my third MP3. I never really considered a motorcycle. |
|
UTC
quote
mpfrank wrote: I first rode a scooter for a delivery job in high school in 1964-65. (Fuji Rabbit 90) Slow-forward to 2007. We had gotten rid of one of our cars because it wouldn't fit in the garage, but we still needed two vehicles. My wife suggested that I get a motorcycle. I had seen a review of an MP3 a few months earlier and I thought it was super cool. I'm now on my third MP3. I never really considered a motorcycle. |
![]() UTC
Ossessionato
Red Devil SH150i (11,000)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3305 Location: Orange Park Florida |
|
Ossessionato
![]() Red Devil SH150i (11,000)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3305 Location: Orange Park Florida |
UTC
quote
When I'm playing chess with the Air Bag Jockeys, I don't have to think about what gear I'm in.
Positive
|
Molto Verboso
![]() Dongfang 170cc, CF Moto Fashion 250
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1900 Location: Hyde Park, New York |
UTC
quote
My late wife wanted a scooter for cheaper gas bills. She had it a month and wanted a motorcycle. I inherited the scooter along with my Kawasaki. Now I have two of each.
|
|
UTC
quote
Great and iconic design (Vespa) and amazing to ride in a city and beyond. I like scooters just as much as I like motorcycles though.
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
Carrying capacity! I use my Sprint to commute to my airline job, and the rolling suitcase fits perfectly on the floor between my knees.
All the other stuff has been a happy bonus. I sold one motorcycle, and the other just collects dust now.
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Veni, Vidi, Posti
2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6798 Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia |
|
Veni, Vidi, Posti
![]() 2019 GTS300 HPE SuperTech 66,000km
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6798 Location: Batmania aka Melbourne, Australia |
Ossessionato
![]() 2020 MP3 500 HPE Sport ABS/ASR
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4774 Location: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula |
UTC
quote
Max6200 wrote: I heard they're really hard to park Or did you mean wives? |
![]() UTC
Hooked
GT200/GTS300/Primavera 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 139 Location: Olympia, WA (US) |
|
Hooked
![]() GT200/GTS300/Primavera 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 139 Location: Olympia, WA (US) |
UTC
quote
My wife actually suggested I look at one that was being sold in our neighborhood, a Yamaha Vino 125. She may have feared me returning to a motorcycle, and possibly was trying to mitigate the potential damage. Now almost 15 years later and riding actual Vespas, I wouldn't have it any other way. They are great fun, relatively easy and low cost.
|
Moderaptor
![]() The Hornet (GT200, aka Love Bug) and 'Dimples' - a GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 44558 Location: Pleasant Hill, CA |
UTC
quote
Commuting in London, UK. No other vehicle makes more sense in an old European city.
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Addicted
2015 Sprint 150, 2018 GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 894 Location: SoCal |
|
|
UTC
quote
Let me ask, what induced you to riding scooters? The looks, the mechanics, the history?
[/quote]Yes, Yes and Yes. Also teenage kids got the 2 wheel bug, plus for me nothing beats the convenience, fun and comfort of a Vespa for city driving.
Neutral
|
|
UTC
quote
mpfrank wrote: Actually, Max, just the opposite. Engage the tilt lock and you can roll them around "like a shopping cart". Also, you can park them sideways on an incline. Or did you mean wives? |
|
UTC
quote
I had a little moped as a teenager and was absolutely obsessed with it. I always, always wanted a Vespa, but couldn't afford one until 35 years later!
They are just plain fun to ride. I like the the feeling of going fast while not actually going fast. LOL
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
When they ask me, I ever say that I am too adult to stroke, which is why motorcycle transmission isn't for me.
But the truth is pretty simpler: my first bike was mp3'250. I'm a big boy, so I have a problem with fuel tank in my crotch, so when I was in a search for a ride, I didn't really consider motorcycles. Only maxiscooters, and the only one that fit to my body size was mp3. |
Ossessionato
![]() LXV 150 3v ie. Midnight Blue (Sold) Now Honda Zoomer X
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4130 Location: Kingdom of Lanna |
UTC
quote
I needed to go to 7-Eleven ocasionally and I had one of these.
![]() So I bought one of these. ![]() Brilliant for urban point and squirt. Case of beer up front. Will do indicated 100 kph. Also happy in town with a large guy as pillion. |
|
UTC
quote
My first moped in 1990 was a 1-seater Honda Vision scooter. My dad absolutely hated mopeds (though I later learned he'd had some himself when he was young), so I was afraid to buy a moped when I became 16 years old (the age when we could ride mopeds legally). But I still wanted a motorised vehicle.
My brother owned a Vespa PK50XL back then, with the excuse of him having to ride to his little boat so often. For some reason a scooter (his Vespa) was accepted, while basic mopeds (like the Puch Maxi or Piaggio Ciao) were cursed. So there was my cop-out: a scooter was acceptable, a moped was not. Since a Vespa was too expensive for me (and of course I didn't want the same as my brother), I bought the Honda Vision second-hand. And I truly loved it, even though it looked kind of weird. A 6'3" guy on a tiny little Japanese scooter. The feeling of that little scooter always kept a fond place in my memory. Nevertheless, after many years I got my motorcycle license (which I originally got to be able to ride a GTS legally) I bought a 'real' motorcycle: a Kawasaki Versys 1000. It was (and is) a lot of fun and enabled me to use it for work and long travels. I loved it. I've got my second one by now and I still love it. But the scooter was always there in my memory. There's something about the ease of use, not having to focus too much on the controlling of the machine, but just being there, straigt in the moment, enjoying the surroundings. The ease of doing maintenance yourself. The ease of parking it whenever you want, without having to be afraid to drop it. And of course the history, the Italian roots of the Vespa and the drop-dead GORGEOUSNESS of the Vespa GTS. It's so immensely beautiful. SO beautiful! So since a bit more than a year I have the GTS (and still own the Kawasaki) and I love both of them. But if I could have only one? It would be the Vespa, based on the above reasoning. Ride on!
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
At the time, I riding my bicycle to work and back in the blistering Texas summer. My roommate suggested I consider a scooter, to which I responded, "What the hell is a scooter?"
A month later, we went out to a shop to thoroughly investigate what the hell a scooter was, and came back home with a little bitty Yamaha Razz in the back of my roommate's SUV, and I had signed up for the next available round of beginner MSF training. That was 20+ years, 6 more scoots, and well over 100k miles ago (I stopped keeping track after that). That was also how my roommate learned to be extremely careful about the dangers of potentially getting me interested in anything. ![]()
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
I was a teenager at the turn of the millennium when Piaggio returned to the US. I thought "all the cool Italian kids ride Vespas - I want one!" My parents were like "you live in the mountains - no!" I thought that was the end of that, that I was remanded to cars forever.
Then I went to Asia and realized there are parts of the world that you can't travel independently if you can't ride (and that motos are hella fun), so I was determined to get one when I got home. I lived in San Francisco at the time, and that affinity for Vespas never abated. My BMW-riding flatmate wanted me to get a "proper" motorcycle. My Kymco-riding friends wanted me to get something cheap and practical. My dad, whose experience in college riding a small motorbike around the Bay Area freeways scared him off them entirely, wanted me to not get anything. Basically, everyone I knew wanted me to copy their decision on the subject. So I went home and thought about it practically. All these people I loved thought I was making the wrong decision (but for very different reasons). I tried to set aside the original "I wanna be a sexy Italian teenager" inclination and think about how a Vespa would actually compare to the alternatives. I liked that it had brakes on the bars, just like a pedal bike. (Foot pedal brakes feel wrong on two wheels.) I liked that it had storage under the seat. I liked that I didn't have to manage a clutch in the thick traffic of hilly San Francisco. So I bought my 15 year old self a 33rd birthday present, and here I am 3 and a half years later.
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
jimc wrote: Commuting in London, UK. No other vehicle makes more sense in an old European city. |
|
UTC
quote
We have a joke in Czech Republic, so I will try to translate it into English:
Riding a scooter is a same as having sex with huge fat woman. It is absolutely outstanding, but your friends can`t spot you:-) I didn`t have a chance to sleep with fat lady, so I tried riding a scooter. And I have to admit, it is perfect!
Positive
|
|
UTC
quote
Jurko wrote: Let me ask, what induced you to ride scooters? The looks, the mechanics, the history? before saying anything, I will say this first "For sensations nothing beat the motorcycle and the vespa px (manual)" But I chose scooter for: - utility without having to buy top case - the flat feet rest which allow to wear any kind of shoes - the engine is automatic so can focus on cars around you in the city - maintenance is a joke compared to what a motorcycle need - getting help is easy particularly if you run out of fuel someone can put the foot on the transmission cover and push you -
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Ossessionato
2018 LIBERTY 150S, 2013 Kymco LIKE200iLX
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2446 Location: Ohio |
|
Ossessionato
![]() 2018 LIBERTY 150S, 2013 Kymco LIKE200iLX
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2446 Location: Ohio |
UTC
quote
Wife, 6 kids, 18 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, etc. freaked when I went shopping for a Honda motorcycle.
O.S. |
|
UTC
quote
I've been riding for over 50 years and have had all kinds of big bikes. I bought my first Vespa in 2003, a used ET4. That filled a void I did not know I was missing.
I recently sold my last motorcycle, a Triumph T120. I realize my motorcycle days are over with and I am just enjoying the slower pace and beauty of the 2 Vespas I have now. |
Veni, Vidi, Posti
![]() 2006 Vespa GT (Rocket): 2007 Vespa GT (Vanessa): 2009 Yamaha Zuma 125: 2018 Yamaha Xmax (Big Ugly), 2023 Vespa GTS300 (Ghost)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5305 Location: Jacksonville, Florida |
UTC
quote
I got started in 1990 and chose a small motorcycle.
It was in Bermuda where each house or apartment is allowed only one car but as many small motorcycles / scooters as you want. The maximum engine size allowed was 100cc and I bought a used Suzuki FB100 for $800, then rode it for over three years. My first scooter came as a gift from my wife after returning from a trip back to Bermuda in 2002. It was a Malaguti Ciak 50, a big wheel Italian scooter with a 50cc 2 stroke engine. I rode it all over North Florida until I understood that I needed something faster so I could go farther with ease. So I bought Rocket, a 2006 Vespa GT. After a big ride in the Rocky Mountains on a rented BMW, I decided I needed a motorcycle for rides like that one and bought a Honda NC700X. But after realizing that it was terribly uncomfortable for the long rides I bought it for, I sold it and bought a new Yamaha Xmax. That one was much more comfortable and I still use it for many of the big rides. And I still have Rocket along with two other GTs. Can't get enough of them. Bill ![]() My Suzuki with Sarah's grandmother Freda riding cupcake. She visited us the Christmas of 1992 along with Sarah's mother and two aunts.
![]() Rocket in Hyder, Alaska
![]() The Big Ugly Xmax in Colorado.
Positive
|
![]() UTC
Hooked
2006 GT200 2009 Genuine Stella
Joined: UTC
Posts: 279 Location: Chandler, AZ |
|
Hooked
![]() 2006 GT200 2009 Genuine Stella
Joined: UTC
Posts: 279 Location: Chandler, AZ |
UTC
quote
I started riding at age 8, on a 100cc dirt bike. I started riding on the street at age 16, and am now a month away from being 64. I've racked up about a million miles on more than 50 different bikes. I got into scooters several years ago after becoming partially disabled. I still ride motorcycles, but I had to give up the big bikes because of their weight, and dirt/dual sport bikes because of their seat height. I am no longer able to get my leg over the seat of many motorcycles. Step through scooters offered an alternative that was much easier to get on and off of, and light enough that I wasn't afraid of dropping them, and I can push them around the garage, and maneuver them in parking lots. So far I have owned seven scooters, and still have two, and plan to keep them for the rest of my life or as long as I can keep them going.
|
Addicted
![]() 2001 GTS Super (white), 2021 GTS Super (yellow), 1976 Bianchi Snark moped, 1980 General 5 Star moped
Joined: UTC
Posts: 790 Location: Powhatan, Virginia |
UTC
quote
I started riding a moped in 1977 at age 14. In 1985, I bought a brand new Honda Elite 150 scooter. I only had that bike for around a year before I stopped riding altogether. In 1997, on a whim, I bought a 1976 Bianchi Snark moped (which I still ride today). In 2000, I bought a well preserved 1986 Honda Elite 250. Since then, I've owned many different makes and models scooters of various displacement. I bought my first Vespa around 6 years ago and haven't looked back.
I ride scooters because it brings me back to a time when my life was much less complicated. It also reminds me of my early days of riding mopeds and the freedom and independence that came with it.
Positive
|
|
|
UTC
quote
Both kids were in school and I didn't want to drive a minivan or SUV for errands, coffee, lunch, etc. parking in my favorite places for coffee and lunch was horrible in Houston. I'd ridden a moped, the kind with real pedals when younger and always wanted a Vespa. Compromised on a Buddy 125. A couple years later and there was an ET 4 followed by GTS 250 in the garage. Since 2007 there has been at least one Vespa, a GTS 250 or 300 in the garage.
Over the years there have been everything from a Derbi 125 to Honda CTX motorcycle in the garage with it but a Vespa (and the original Buddy) have remained a constant. |
|
UTC
quote
My dad took me to the Ferrari dealer in NY (Chinetti's?) because they had Benelli mini cycles for sale. I was ten. He figured I would get a kick out of seeing them (wouldn't let me get one in NY). The fire was lit.
I've had motos as big as 650cc, but my real love are smaller bikes. The GTS has storage, great performance and gas mileage. Plus I can park it on the sidewalk in front of a restaurant and everyone thinks it's art. That didn't happen with my motos. |
Modern Vespa is the premier site for modern Vespa and Piaggio scooters. Vespa GTS300, GTS250, GTV, GT200, LX150, LXS, ET4, ET2, MP3, Fuoco, Elettrica and more.