Modern Vespa

Hi All

I live in New York and here on the east coast the weather was glorious today so I was super psyched to get out there. There is a local spot that's a two wheel hangout. Tons of cyclists and motorcycle folks.........I am usually the only vespa surrounded by dozens of huge motorcycles. This one guy today said this to me

"hey, those wheels are so small - be careful - you're dead if you hit a pothole"

This has happened on more than one occasion when a motorcycle guy makes a comment about my smaller tires......My response was "oh yeah, I know. I am careful"

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else..

I think I would be quite tempted to tell him to fuck off.

Well, obviously you've never hit a pothole then.

I hit a pothole so hard last week that the engine cutout 🤣

Yea, I wanted to point out the fact that he was too fat for his bike but I kept my mouth shut. haha.

"You must be compensating for something with those large wheels you've got there."

You could launch into an hour long diatribe about the benefits of aircraft inspired suspension.

"You're dead if you hit a tree, too. And we're surrounded by them."

So, question. Did the fellow rider happen to be in obvious possession of a brain bucket?

It's a North American thing that I think. I ride 50cc to 1200cc and never get that in London.

I like riding motorcycles AND scooters. Doesn't matter what you're on, there's always somebody that has to say something stupid. That guy was probably so insecure that he feels "Big Time" to give you advice like that! They're here on the West Coast too. Keep rockin that scoot! Oh like Jess said perfectly, a stout Fuck Off can sometimes get your point across but that's not for everyone. 😉

Tilt your head, put one hand on your chest, give them the "oh, bless your heart smile"

If you're within reach, shake your head as if saying no, while giving them two pats on the shoulder as if to say "You sweet, innocent, naive thing."

Say nothing the whole time. Turn around and leave.

Let them wonder what the fuck just happened



No need to nod politely and just take it, or to be rude to someone who might have genuinely thought they were looking out for you. You can make your entire point without saying a word.

"Well, unlike you, I have this one weird trick up my sleeve: I go around potholes, which is easy and fun with these flickable little tires, my ability to pay attention, and my well-practiced skills."

Matching video

I've hit a pothole so hard the handlebar moved/twisted forwards a bit in its clamp.

But was the motorcycle guy right and you died? No? Same for me 😀

Of course this sort of riding is why i had to replace my steering bearings last year 🤦‍♂️

Comeback?

"That's the beauty of trailing link suspension."

I've never heard that small wheel remark from a motorcycle rider, even with all my Burgman 650's.

What I did hear a lot of though, almost always from the older, grizzled, cruiser riders, was that when they could no longer 'swing a leg over a real motorcycle', that they may try something like my Burgman 650. I've yet to hear anyone say that about my Vespa, however.

I was always polite in my response to such a statement, though it did aggravate me a little that my 650 was considered an 'end game' machine for these guys, and that they were denying themselves the experience of riding a really great bike unless it was a last resort kind of thing to be able to keep riding.

I assume that with the diminishing numbers of the larger Suzuki Burgman bikes, and the increasing (exponentially, I might add) numbers of MC trikes, Can Am Spyders, and those Slingshot 'things', that the 'end game' riders will ALL go that route and save themselves the humiliation of being seen riding a scooter in their dotage.

I just did the speed-run on that whole bike progression thing back in 2005. My Burgman 650 is still running nicely... needs a seat-lift strut and maybe new front discs at some point. Maybe.

(I've got a few other bikes in the stable, to keep the 650 from getting worn out too soon. )

Ignore that stuff.
My response if I bothered would be to ask when did it happen to him.
The answer will probably be never.

Related experience-on the way home to Massachusetts from the Grand Canyon a few years ago on our Indian Scouts, at a fuel stop in Ohio, an Indian Chief rider told me he liked his Chief and the Scout was not suited to long trips.

I hope I see that guy when I'm on my way to St. Paul on my GTS300 next May, though I don't suppose he'd consider a three-day, 1300+ mile ride on a Vespa a "long trip".

I think that I could ride a properly configured Indian Scout around the planet with little trouble, and would likely even prefer a mid-sized bike like that over many heavier 'serious' touring bikes.

Oh, and I've owned two Indian Chiefs and five Goldwings, so I'm not just blowing smoke about my opinions on these things.

Just my $0.02 here, but sometimes I think that those riders say such things to verbally justify their choice of machine or to tamp down insecurities experienced when encountering another rider who may seem to have more "grit" than them.

I met an older rider at the QuikTrip by my home when I was prepping for 2020 High Rollers Weekend. The scoot in question is my '08 Majesty 400. I'd just adjusted the tire pressures and topped off the tank when this fellow approached.

"Hey, where are you riding?"
"Hi there. I'm heading up to Vegas with my buddies tomorrow."
"On that? God go with you, man."
"Thank you. You have a great ride as well."

I didn't feel slighted, but I did feel a bit of satisfaction in the knowledge that the Maj is far more capable than other riders give it credit for.

The next day, I wound up leaving late due to family commitments. Put a little too much sauce on the throttle while passing a Prius and made the acquaintance of a State Trooper near Buckeye, AZ. When asked about my speed, I said that the midday sun was obscuring the clocks and I figured that passing the Prius was OK. He suggested that perhaps it hadn't occurred to me that the Prius had been speeding as well. After issuing my citation, he commented how he didn't realize that scooters had gotten this big or this fast. As a result, he wrote me down for a smaller infraction. Secretly, I wanted to know what the score really was!

So, the veil of disbelief regarding scooters can be a curse, but also a blessing. Consider it in that light the next time "someone not in the know" comments on your bike.

I would just give a simple "thanks", and move on.

I knew you were a nice guy! So professional. I need to be more like that.

Since I am back into scooters in 2019, I did not get any comments on the scooter in general or its wheels. Of course my BV has a bit larger wheels.

But back in time when I had my first scooter, that was in 1979, it was a Vespa 160GS built 1962, there was this guy delivering construction wood. We were doing some construction work at the house at that time.

Unloading the truck and putting the material in the barn where also my scooter was parked the guy asked who's it was, I said:"Mine".
Then he said to my mom: "I cannot understand that you allow your son to drive that thing. Me, I am an "ammaniac" myself of motorcycles, but these things are so unstable you better already order a coffin."

It had taken me quite some time and argumenting before my parents allowed me to buy the scooter in the first place: scooter = motorcycle = dangerous = accident = death.
And now this guy came up with that? Fortunately for me my brothers and sisters also did help with the unloading and there was the humour in the way he mixed up "maniac" and "ammoniac". It became the joke of the day.

I drove the Vespa for some 3 years. Without any issue.

I think I'd probably have treppenwitz for the rest of the week, but Jess's offering is the correct answer.

Cheeky barsteward!

That is right.

Most mopeds over here are 50cc scooters and people tend not to see the difference between my BV 300 and a moped scooter.

There is this bridge across the river some kilometers away. Very practical that bridge. You are allowed to use it as a pedestrian, a biker, or on a moped, but not on a motorcycle.

I have crossed that bridge regularly with the BV. I go slowly and nobody cares

In my local Vespa club, someone has 8" wheels on a vintage Vespa and a lot of people have 10" wheels - so my 12" wheels seem quite large in comparison!

I have found that non-smart people often want to appear to be smart.

They hear something that sounds smart to them, so they start repeating it every time they get a chance.

The assumed small wheels and pothole problem is a big one with that crowd.

Bill

I had the same thing happen to me about 15 years ago when i was down in California, i was outside a restaurant when a group of motorcyclists roared up and parked their bikes, one guy commented on how small my Vespa was. I was about ready to cuss him out, when I realized that it must be a religious group, because they had Angels written on their backs. 😅

Yep, good man, I do the same. Why waste your time on a fool.

Agreed.
That, and the small bike = small miles idea.

I don't really see the issue with the original observation, although perhaps there was a less-condescending way to have phrased it. Every vehicle out there is a set of deliberate design decisions and constraints. Not everybody is familiar with them.

Smaller wheels are more sensitive to road aberrations. They also tend to wear out after fewer miles. They make the scooter more maneuverable and lighter. They're well-matched to the generally smaller engines that Vespas have and are part of what make a Vespa look and feel like a Vespa. Hitting potholes at speed is less of a concern by the nature of how Vespas are often used. Larger wheels have their appeal, which is why Piaggio has the Liberty and BV lines.

the condescending part is what bugs a lot of us

"I'm voting for [insert whoever the big mouth probably doesn't like] because they are committed to eliminating potholes".

On my way to the coffee shop, I was distracted by, welll, never mind, and hit a huge pothole.


Fortunately i rode through it, no damage to the bike.
My wrists took a pounding.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when I start hunting for my 8th bike."

"hey, those wheels are so small" Not small, it's a scooter, It has small wheels, has he never seen a scooter?

"be careful - you're dead if you hit a pothole" how many times can this guy be wrong in one sentence?

Sorry, I call Dick!

It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you are happy with it. And there is always going to be someone that will disagree with you on your choice of ride - it's too fast, it's too slow' the front end is too long, blah, blah blah. Screw 'em. Many years ago I was into BMW Airheads. The particular one I had was a R75/6. A wonderful touring bike whose only rival was a Goldwing - another wonder machine. Most of my riding buddies were into go fast bikes but thought my BMW was a dinosaur, but respected my choice.. A new guy showed up at a meet and proceeded to tell everyone how fast his bike was. He then went on about that only old senile men rode BMWs and I was crazy to own such a machine. I just smiled and said it was good enough for me. He then challenged me to a race. He wanted to race out to a point 20 miles away. At that I politely refused citing it wasn't long enough. He increased it to 50 miles. Nope. 80? Nope. He asked what kind of race I was looking for. I said I'm taking a trip, but it can be a race too. How about here to Phoenix AR (about 2300 miles from WPB FL)? He replied I was crazy, I said you already mentioned that, but I'm not wasting my time and gas money on a little 20 or 80 mile race as there was not enough of a challenge there for man and machine. He walked away shaking his head and left me alone after that. On our next club gathering, we rode up to Daytona - about 200 miles away. He ran out of gas twice on the way up. the first time I helped him. The second time, I just rode by. A biker should know his machine, this one clearly did not.

This thread makes me think of one good bit of advice I got from a guy on a dirt bike when meeting him and his mate in the middle of nowhere (no cell service on a 4x4 track): since I ride on my own I should tell someone where I'm going at the start of the day - accidents happen. I did after that buy a satellite/gps emergency beacon - better than nothing - but he was right.