Modern Vespa

Vintage, then I'm going to sell it for $4000

Trade for a leica?

I have the same camera. 3.2 megapixels, still goin' strong and taking halfway decent photos!





must...resist...class rage...trying not to...errr...

I am sooo jealous of that helmet. I want one but there are no dealers in Canada yet and I am not getting one without trying it on. I would so get the red and white stripped one though.

LOL!

Y, Leica just released a gaggle of new products yesterday.
Among them a 50mm f/.95
Yep that is an F-stop of point nine five...


http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08091505leica_50mm_f0_95.asp

YUMMY! ($12,500 BTW)...

That was a found for Marimekko. You can't find them for that here where they are made, unless you know the designer personally

Looks good, the helmet. I've been tempted to get one of them, but to try the fit, the nearest & only retailer is quite peripheral...

From the photos there seems to be some space on the padding for the sides of the heads and the frames of the sunglasses. Can you confirm that?

I don't mean to fart upwind of your joy, but unless you have an XL Trust Fund in your future you should reassess how you spend your $.

There is an old saying - 'Pay yourself first'. IRAs, 401Ks, even a savings account at 1.x%... put something away for your future every pay period. If you have credit card debt, NOW is the time to FIERCELY work on eliminating it. For all but especially the young, Compound Interest is your best friend when you save and the worst of enemies when you owe. With few exceptions, if you can't pay cash for something, you can't afford it.

Just lookin' our for ya'.

Now go wax your helmet.

I need a tissue.

I know.......I think I have bit my tongue in half......4 times already.
I live 10 miles from one of the U.S. epicenters of Lassez-faire spending......and have heard every excuse in the world for why it is done....



I will shut the fuck up now.....oww my tongue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Says the man with 5 cycles/scooters in his profile!!!

I'm gonna stick up for Thom here and say that I honestly believe he didn't spend nearly $5,000 on each of his scooters straight off the dealer's floor and in fact restored/worked on most if not all of them himself. Nor do I get the impression that he owns these machines solely because he feels like he needs to have "the best" in life like the original poster has stated on more than one occasion.

There is absolutely no jealousy on my end. Just disgust and pity at the original poster. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but definitely does not fit into my description of somebody i would ever want to hang out with. People who talk about their money and all of the things they can buy with it are about as tacky as they get...

Such good tastes you have. Now your gonna need and equally stunning timepiece to rock on the vespa.

I say if you can afford it why not? If I had enough money I'd do the same..

Wow.

I'm just joking around with Thom, but also saying that everybody has some stuff that they like, and if you can afford it, I think you should go get it.

As to the original poster, seems to me like a young guy who saw some cool stuff and went out and got it with money he earned... so what's the problem with that? If he was some trust fund baby just flaunting his stuff that would be one thing, but he is a guy who works at a hotel.....

He's not exactly bragging about how much money he has - did you miss the part about how it took him a year to save up for a lens for his camera?

On the other hand, Thom is a guy with 4 scoots and a bike from Carpinteria California, which is not exactly the ghetto..... As he says it is 10 miles from one of the world centers of conspicuous consumption! I don't think he needs your help getting through the day!!

So in summary....

Thom, no worries, I'm just joking!

Adam - you are a stylish guy. Congrats on your cool stuff, and the work it took to earn the money to buy it.

Excellent job on the class war, guys!

Mike

That $800 helmet is looking pretty cheap now!

Wow, Mike, you sound like a class act. After reading the OP blog, and seeing that he also owns a Porsche, a couple of Volvos and some Subarus and went to school in Paris, I don't get the idea that he's just some kid who spent a year saving up for a camera lens and a scooter and an $800 helmet while working at a hotel.

People can say whatever they want about their humble lives, that doesn't mean I have to believe it.

haha.. AP Royal Oak 8) gotta love the patented hexagon flush mounting screws. The screws cost like $250 each. And it just so happens you live in royal oak? Do you own an AP time piece?

Hell no! And if you could see Royal Oak, you would realize how funny it is that they named the watch after it. Royal Oak is a nice, hip kind of old suburb, but the houses here are mostly 1200-2000 square feet. It's a nice place to live, but not as nice as Monterey! I am jealous!

Do you ever get to Laguna Seca for the races? I've been going for about 15 years (it's my job)... You've also got the best Leica dealer in the country (Camera West, downtown) but you are lacking an In-n-out burger - otherwise it would be the perfect place.

Seems like a great place to scoot as well. We have a little problem here in Royal Oak - called WINTER!!!!

So glad you got it - looks great and I'll admit to a little friendly jealousy Nice shots too IMO.

Enjoy!

Give me a break...
Worked my ass off...paid cash for almost everything I own from the sale of something else I had taken care of......bought over 8 years time..did a lot of the work on my own / with much help from friends......all combined with my Triumph ,Classic truck & Mazda 3 dont even come close to the cost of some shitbox Lexus or BMW SUV.


Work 10 hours a day to afford some shitbox $400,000 condo with a 1 car garage in Carpinteria as I have been priced out of my Wife's hometown & the place I called home for over 10 years....Because Oprah & every other rich fuck think it is awesome to live there & listen to Jack Johnson while getting drunk.


I am probably the luckiest man in the world as my former boss trusted me enough to take over his legacy...a business which is the worlds ONLY manufacturer of a specific camera for agricultural research....Of which I was lucky enough to be part of the designing & engineering process.
Every penny I make is a gift & I treat it as such.
That kind of opportunity only happens once if ever....so everything I own is because of that & I am grateful.

If I become dirt poor tomorrow...I wont be angry, just glad I had an opportunity to enjoy some nice crap along the way.



So forgive me when I scoff at an $800.00 helmet or an overpriced Ducati that someone was too scared to even ride.
Considering that so many don't & wont ever have the luxury of attempting spending feats like that...it just kind of gets under my skin.
You are only worth what you contribute.....

And most? I cant even figure out what the hell they do to warrant the cash they pull down & blow....oh well.....




And I appreciate the backup MJ....absolutely

I will shut up again......ughhhhhh
I have just bitten clear through my tongue.....

Hmm, 8 bills for a helmet thats not even a full face?

Its very pretty and all, and the box is mighty fancy, but lordy are you going to feel stupid if you ever face plant with that thing. No offense dude, but you can score a decent full face for a hundred and a half. Then again, it seems like you have got the dough for the extensive facial reconstruction you will need if you bite the pavement. Its a personal choice but, seems a little to me.

Maybe this belongs in the "Vespas Only for Rich People?" thread?

I would just like to say every working class person I have ever, ever met had a heart of gold, loved all of his/her brothers/sisters and was really, really nice.

And everyone else was an arsehole.

PLease, Please don't

Like you've brought anything to the table that he didn't already know.

Ah guys, c'mon... educate, don't criticise. There's no reason to dog-pile the guy. You can have an opinion but you shouldn't judge someone (espciallly in public) until you've met them face-to-face.

There are wants and there are needs - know the difference and spend within a budget. That's it in the shell of a nut.

OT: Hey monterey isnt bad, I was in Charleston, SC before this, but now I get to live 100ft from the beach, and I do take the 405whp vette out to laguna seca for thrills... but for me its more about spearfishing in the kelp forest. Id say the first 400 miles of scooting have been excellent here. My only regret is I havent saved a penny yet in my 20s, but I got alot of nice long term assets out of it.

back on topic, nothing wrong with spending the money on nicely built gear, its very apparent to me, that you can either save a few dollars, and buy something that gets the job done, but will never have vintage appeal, or you can spend the extra on something that will still be cool in 20-30. That helmet is a work of art.

Why don't you folks just mind your own business? Either comment on the helmet itself or please just shut it.

Looks like there are some tabs on top will you place a flip down visor on it?

I personally love the helmet. I am definately thinking about getting one but definately woul like to try it on first.

I personally love the helmet. I am definately thinking about getting one but definately woul like to try it on first.

I think given the current economic and financial situation, it is hard to ignore such blatant excessive spending simply in the name of "style".

Many would agree that spending above one's means is a big part of the problem today.

On Edit: I am not implying that Adam is spending above his means. I don't know if he is or not. I hope not.

Hi Adam

I think the Atelier Ruby is just gorgeous! There seems to be a lot of sour grapes on here at the moment for some reason!

I remember you asking which colour you should go for. For me it would have been the white. If I had wanted it I would have bought it, but like Genie, and after having hit the ground recently, I would always buy a full face!

In fact I would always spend lots of money on a helmet, as it is one of the most important purchases. You are obvioulsy more interested in style and function, my interest is in comfort, noise, venting and quality, as well as the importance in protection. I think most modern helmets will do the same job of protecting your head though, as long as they are certified. I do own one of the higher priced euro helmets, which is a Schuberth and beautifully made it is too!

Good luck with the helmet and your lovely new scooter (do you have a fiaxation with yellow? Just noticed the Porker was in the same colour in your blog). Let us know how the new Scoot rides and make sure you post some pics here!

Doug

If the helmet offered superior protection to lower priced brands I would say its money well spent... But this seems more of a fashion statement, and has a big problem in that it does not offer full protection. Not to judge the OP, but not something I would do personally. Just my .02

Ok, let me address all of the "haters"!

1: Trust Fund: I am not a trust fund baby. My dad died when I was 13, and left us nothing. He cheated on my mom, got AIDS and died...so if you guys want to push that around anymore, take that into account.

2: Savings: I put away $100 into my savings every month at a rate of 5.5% interest. I also have an IRA which I fund $4k into each year, and a 401k which I put 7% of my pay into and the Starwood Hotels adds 4%...so 11%...not bad...right?

3: Cars: I do not have a Porsche, or a Volvo, OR any Subarus....I HAD all of those cars. If whoever pointed them out would have taken the time to read the last post in each of their blogs, they would see that EACH one says "SOLD". I owned those cars one at a time, and paid out the ass for them, but loved every moment!

4: Debt: Yeah, I have some. Oh well. I pay my bills early, and I always pay at least double my minimum payment. I see debt as a part of life. I would rather have had my Porsche at 21 years old, and have been in debt than be 50 and looking back thinking "I wish I had this when I was younger and still able to achieve an erection." LOL. Life is short. We can drop dad at any moment....why not enjoy very moment. MY debt does not give me stress, and my toys help me enjoy life.

5: Color: This is nt a "hater" response, but I wanted to get it out there anyhow. Actually I am not a fan of yellow. I bought my 993 because it was a good deal, and a cherry car. If I had had it my way, I would have got white, but they are just TOO rare! If I end up winning the lotto, this SS180 will be going back to Hawthorne White...but who knows if I'll ever get around to it.

6: Paris: Yeah, went to school in Paris. My mom paid for my education. This was a 5 month study abroad program. My apologies if my mom saved her whole life to be able to pay for her son to have a good education. SHE saved her pennies for her future from the time she was 18 on, and she was more than happy to pay her money to send me to Paris to study, just like she did when she was my age. While I was there, without a job, I was not living the high life, BTW. I was malnourished, as I could not afford to eat properly, I lost 27 pounds, and got an extreme case of Pneumonia which left me bed ridden for over 2 weeks. It was NUTZ!!
a.s.
a.s.

I love white! Very cool it will be too. And it will look great with the helmet...

I still don't know where all the venom has come from in this thread. I agree with you. Enjoy yourself!

Thanks, Doug!
a.s.

+1

Ditto.

I saw these helmets yesterday....gorgeous!!! Works of art!! Expensive , yes..but what isn't?

Congratulations on your purchase. You will enjoy it for years to come!

Thanks!!!!
a.s.