Modern Vespa

Hey, what a great idea! I may end up there within the next year and I would certainly be interested in renting a scooter while there. I will also be passing on your link to others I know that will be travelling through your neck of the woods.

Good luck with bizznezz, Rat!

Thank you! Please do spread the word and I'll see you when you come through town...

so, it turns out that you need a class M for 50cc bikes as well so that idea's out. Oh well... I didn't really want a 50cc in the fleet yet. Still thinking of the MP3 though.

Also, I'm hoping to get a Sprinter this week so I can haul scooters around if I need to.

thanks ratboy for showing me around"great idea"
SAN FRANCISCO is over flowed with european tourist and they too love the vespa way of life,i'am thinking $euro$ coming your way!!!

We need to go buzz around again! MY GT200 should be done soon... I'll have to get used to the 200 again after riding all these 150's!

Ratboy how's business doing, are the demands still high for rentals. have you got a mp3 yet?

My husband and I have San Fran on the short list of places to return to and now, we'll have an excellent way to really see the city! Well, he'll have to learn how to ride first, huh?

Business is great as far as interest goes!

I really need to get an MP3 though as I've had to turn down about 80% of the people who call due to not having an M1 or M2 CDL. Now, some of these are people who have been riding for years, some off road, but have never bothered to get a license. So, they're people who know how to ride but for liability reasons I cannot rent to them.

I've also had to turn down people who were under 21... and will continue to do so as I cannot legally rent to them.

Now, my first rental was last week to an MV member. Unfortunately he got rear ended and the 150S has been deemed a total loss by the insurance company...

I knew that this would happen at some point but I didn't expect it to be the first time I rented to someone! Happily he wasn't really hurt and the person who hit him had good insurance. And he was totally not at fault.

I'll be replacing the 150S with an MP3 this week so that will be available to rent by this weekend! WoOt!

The MV member then rented my diesel Jeep to make a day trip to Santa Cruz and all went well!

jenscully- Vespas are the perfect way to see the city! Get your skills together and I'll be here when you two are ready!

You got yerself a dealio!! May I also make a suggestion for your website? I think it'd be handy to have a map with the tourist spots marked on it so peeps can find your shop.

Thanks, I agree!

I've been trying to add a map to it but it keeps getting messed up... I'm not a web designer but I've been trying...

Once all is going really well I'll hire someone to do a professional site for me.

I got the MP3 here today. Thanks to Darragh of Vespa Walnut Creek/Rockridge Two Wheels!

Hey Ratboy, it was great to meet you today! Hope to see you at the SFSG rally next weekend!!

Best,

Mel

Hi Ratboy, I will be in San Francisco again in October with my partner. We are thinking of renting scooters while there. Which models do you currently have, what is the cost of rental including insurance, do you provide helmets or would we need to bring our own and are they available at all between Oct 16 to 19th.

We'll be staying down near the Fisherman's Wharf, where are you located in relationship to that area of town?

Hey Benito! I currently have 1 150S, 1 LX150 and 1 MP3 250. I had two 150S's and two LX150's but one of the S's got totaled and I sold an LX to get the MP3.

So, what days would you like to rent? I will be out of town from the afternoon of the 17th until the afternoon of the 19th. I have a partner here who can accept the scooters on return though if I'm not back.

I do have helmets but you may want to bring your own as mine are mostly open face at this point. I plan on buying more FF helmets soon.

All of my rates are on my site, including an explanation of insurance and location. [url]www.alchemyrentals.com[/url]

Fishermans wharf isn't too far from me but it seems like it's a world away. I will have my ramp by then and if the Sprinter isn't being rented we can work out delivery of the Vespas.

Have fun in SF Benito!

Hi Mel!

Nice to meet you too! I hope my GT is ready for next weekend...

Saved your website and will contact you on future visit to SF.

Hope your business is doing well!

Great! Thanks! We still have at least 2 months of good riding weather before it get cold and/or wet... then there's the MP3.

Thanks for the info and link Ratboy. We'll have a look at it and get back to you once things are firmed up and if we decide to rent while we're there.

Osteopath, thanks, I love San Francisco, this would be the second visit this year, the first was an Investigators Meeting and this one is for a Preceptorship. I like to add a couple of days onto these work related visits to make them more fun.

Sounds good!

Got my Smart!

Good luck and a question. I plan to visit Napa Valley next summer and want to rent a scooter but not have to drive in the San Francisco traffic.....are there any places in Napa Valley area that rent scooters???? Thanks for any advice......

There's a place that offers Vespa tours of Napa but I don't know if they rent them otherwise.

San Francisco really is awesome on a Vespa though if you decided to come to the city for a day. Also, my MP3 would be big enough to ride to Napa from here.

Wish I could be more helpful there... maybe by next summer there will be someone up there renting them.

Congrats on your new business. I like the 'Think Green' idea. Will sell in S.F. What are your rental rates for scoots and Smart Car?

I just sent you an e-mail with a link to all the info you should need. Let me know if you're coming up to S.F. and we'll get you a rental!

Sadly I had to get rid of the Sprinter so the scooter delivery option is not on the table at the moment. The financing company I was using turned out to have been less than forthcoming with how much it was going to cost me per month. It would have been over $900 each month to keep that in the fleet so I sold it off... man, those are awesome vans.

Speaking of financing companies... I called them up to see why it was so much and they told me that they don't normally floor vehicles that cost that much and that they expected me to be buying cars that cost between $3000-$6000 to rent to people. Seriously.

I'm not rent-a-wreck* here... sheesh.

I told them that I want to rent people vehicles that won't break down on them. LOL!





*nothing wrong with rent-a-wreck. Just not my thing.

Updated the site!

im going to be in cupertino for 2 weeks,no idea where it is in regards to you...but if its not far i'd be interested

Cupertino is a bit far on a 150 but the MP3 would be fine.

Is there an exit at 22nd and the Moran Freeway?

Moran?

The GPS would be OvertheTop Awsome. A must have.

Sorry, my typo - it's the bay side 280 into 6th in the city - Foran?

ah, yes, 280 has an exit just down the street from me. It's the first exit after the 101-280 split heading towards downtown (Ballpark). It's the Cesar Chavez exit... if you go forward onto Pennsylvania you go right by my shop.


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Thanks for the offramp. AND, aren't you also just down the street from the AMTrak 22nd St station? Good news for down the Peninsula people. Or those already in the city and within walking distance of AMTrak at 4th.

Ratboy, congrats on the new business. EagleRider must be feeling the heat. They now offer an LX150 in San Fran. They have some "environmental" charge. It looks like it totals $88 per day incl tax.

Yeah, I saw that. Guess they saw my little business and decided to crush me.

LOL!


At least when they're rented out I can get the blowby!

man, I need to advertise...

I'm exactly a half a block from the station!

Holy hot November!

I'm going to pick up my GT200 tomorrow. I just had it painted...

Business is slow though so it will be put up for sale asap.

So, without going into too much detail I'll talk about my weekend rentals.

I had a couple rent my LX150 this weekend and another couple (not as a group) rent my MP3. I always go over the scooter with the customer before they take off. I note any damage and show them how everything works. The LX150 had some very light scratches on the front (looks like someone rested something against it) and the MP3 had zero damage of any kind.

The LX150 couple dumped it pretty hard. For liability I won't go into too much detail but the damage is between $1800-$2500. I'm waiting for a more specific estimate...

I get back to my shop with the LX after getting it looked at at the same time that the MP3 is getting returned. I do my inspection prior to refunding the security deposit and notice that the left side is all scratched up and several of the plastic parts are cracked and coming off slightly... then I check the right side... same story and the right mirror is totally loose. It took me quite a bit of time to get it to tighten down. That and the headset is off center.

I'm waiting for an estimate on this one too...

The only scooter I have left with no damage at all is my 150S...

Fun in the rental biz!

Oh yeah, my GT200 is officially for sale. I'll need the funds to cover the repairs on the other two until I get reimbursed for the damage.

Too bad about the LX150 damage. Does your rental insurance cover repairs or must the renter have motorcycle insurance, too?