Modern Vespa

Owning my new GTV for about 4 weeks now has been
Shall I say, very interesting.

Seems my manhood has come into question on a
Recent occasion or two.

For any of you guys that have to deal with the occasional
Jab from the hardcore HD, Redneck, NRA crowd,
(Yes I am one of them, just a little more enlightened I guess)

Here is some good ammo. Works every time.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa

The biggest sales promo ever was Hollywood.

In 1952, Audrey Hepburn side-saddled Gregory Peck's Vespa
in the film Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome, resulting
in over 100,000 sales.

In 1956, John Wayne dismounted his horse in favor of
the two-wheeler to originally get between takes on sets.

By the end of the fifties, Lucia Bosé and her husband,
the matador Luis Miguel Dominguín, as well
as Marlon Brando, Dean Martin,
and the entertainer Abbe Lane had become Vespa owners.

William Wyler filmed Ben Hur in Rome in 1959, allowing
Charlton Heston to abandon horse and chariot between takes
to take a spin on the Vespa.

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic35991

I'm just sayin'...

8)

Being that the "i got insulted on my new scooter" threads get started once a week, maybe we should just refer all of these threads to the gay thread from now on.

You'll always get some looks or comments. I wave to them all and if they don't return the waves, meh, oh well. Those are the image riders.

My own HD hasn't been on the road all season. Just had no interest in riding it compared to the Vespa.

You don't habve to justify what you ride to anyone. In fact its better not to try and justify it to others. Just ride and be cordial. Let the chips fall where they will.

Thing is, the image they've created ( or accepted to believe) about being bad or individualistic sort of loses its credibility when people like us turn into confirmed scooterists. Lone wolf? Not caring what other people think or say? They probably make excuses to settle in their own minds what they really don't want to admit. That these days, most people are not the images they wear or ride, underneath all that leather and persona. They know it takes more individualism to ride outside the herd than it does to conform to it. And when they know that you know it, chances are only the stupid ones will have something dumb to say.

Harv

It's been about 40 years since I last gave a shit about what strangers think of me. I may not be successful, but I am satisfied.

I am getting more pleasure from my GTS than I ever did from any of my high-performance motorcycles.

GTS at 55 is a joy, FJ1100 at 85 is frustrating.

Paul sez, screw 'em, ignore 'em and move on.

P.

If you sold your manhood you probably never really had it to begin with.
Or you can tell people what I tell them, " I am only Gay on weekends".
that shut them up..

I was riding a Harley before most of those posers were big enough to ride tricycles. Agree that they all get sorted out in the end. I like to swing by my local Harley dealer and shoot the bull with them once in a while and to watch customer reactions as I swing through the parking lot on my GT200 wearing my Harley 3/4 helmet.

By the way Mike, what has been your impression of the new ride?

Real men and women ride what suits them, not the spectators.

John

......so far everyone that sees it smiles, even HD riders. It's a good conversation starter.

So funny...I read your post with "Stewie's" voice...love it!

I guess it's a USA thing. Badass hockey moms and Joe-Sixpack versus the Gay Vespa riders. Yanks simply wallow in their homophobia.

In Italy, people saw our Greek plates and fell all over themselves complementing us on our adventuresome spirit and telling me I was a real man because I wasn't riding some Johnny Come Lately Japanese automatic oversized scooter.

Ardy was complemented for her Yesterday, another fine Italian product and they were infuriated over Malaguti's decision not to offer it in Italy. And, of course, they were impressed that a retired woman was touring by scooter.

But even with all the Ducatis and other muscle bound crotch rockets along the route, no mention of being of a specific sexual orientation because of our choice of vehicle.

So, it must be an American thing. And, as American citizens, we don't understand why......



A&A

Havin a blast, one of the best purchases I'v made in years.

I like that
Where did you get it?

One more line I would want.

"BEEN THERE DONE THAT"

Don't feel bad Mike, I too sold my sportster in 2002 when I bought a vespa. got some real funny looks and questions from friends.

I just told them if you have to ask, you won't understand.

Having more fun on my Vespa than I had on the bike in years.!

It may be that I'm not a hot dog eatn' joe six pack watchn' nascar, "you betcha" American idiot, but stock Harley's today are very played out. Their bikes look like crap with all the "bells and whistles" they place all over the damn bike. They tried really hard to come back with their lame "Dark Customs" bike line to try and complete with the custom bike building market. Trust me, they are not fooling anyone with this by trying to make a stock sportster look like some sort of old school rigid frame with a springer seat. It's kind of sad that the only useful thing out of a Harley is the drivetrain.

The point is, you still don't look very cool on a Harley. Want to look cool, then get a bike from Exile or Sucker Punch Sally. IF you really want to look cool then ride a scooter. Atleast you don't look like you are trying to compensate for something.

Joe six-pack here. Married to a soccer/softball/taekwondo mom. We have five scoots for less than the price of one HD and a lot more fun. You betcha'!

These are the same guys that are trailering their bikes to events. I find I put in more miles each year than most of the guys making comments. I don't have an issue with HD riders and for the most part they do not have any issues with me when we meet. I have often wondered what it would be like to ride a Ultra Glide Classic?

One of my friends on a crotch rocket board that I hang out on quite a bit has this in his signature block:

"99 percent of Harelys sold are still on the road..... the other 1% made it back home....."

I like it!

Motorsport Scooters http://www.scooterwest.com/

I usually just part my jacket open and show them my pair of long slide Colts 45's in the double shoulder holsters
Juan

Ride what you want and to hell with what others think.

In my experience, it seems the people who are most likely to be "concerned" about what others ride have their closest association to two wheels limited to:

The T-Shirts / license plates / window stickers they sport with the name of the only motorcycle they would ride if they had one.

Whichever motorcycle sits in their garage for fear of getting dusty, wet, or getting a bug squished on it.

Riding in their cage because the temperature has gone down below 72.

I could go on.

I must be naive, but I don't get the gay thing. Maybe because I'm old enough to remember when scooters weren't a "statement?" (Other than, "This is what I want to ride.")

There was a popular gay restaurant/bar around here that had dozens of motorcycles parked outside all the time. Never saw a scooter there, not even once. I don't get it.

But I don't have to get it. I just ride. Frack 'em.

Don't think THAT doesn't happen too.

A clubmate of mine who was of a particularly raucous sort was on his racing smallframe pulled up at a light.

a crotch rocket pulls up along side him and the guy revs his engine to mess with my clubmate.

My clubmate revs his, which is nearly as loud. This really irritated the crotch rocket guy for some reason, who pulled up his jacket to reveal a small revolver tucked into his belt.

My clubmate laughed and opened up his flight jacket to reveal his nickel plated .50 AE desert eagle he happened to have shoulder holstered. The crotch rocket took off.

It was the classic "you call THAT a knife? THIS is a knife!" story.

anyways, i don't condone what he did at all... but it makes for a funny tale. There's a handful of my clubmates who have concealed carry permits ( myself included ) and who ride with firearms on us, but anyone with 2 cents about them never brandishes. Everyone knows this - so please don't flame or whatever.... the story is an example of bad behaviour... and that dick-swinging gestures, whether brandishing or calling you a fag for riding a scooter, occur all the time.

It's something we deal with as scooterists.... and at this point, it's about as tired a subject as the repeated "Scooter Craze!" articles in your local paper or MSNBC.

Could not agree more.

Harv

A question of manhood or womanhood actually begs a few other
questions:
Do you honestly earn the money for what you're paid to do?
Do you take care of your mate and children and the rest of
your family?
Are you a friend of your friends and decent toward strangers?
These things are true manhood and womanhood, everything else is
Hollywood hype, macho bullshit, and corporate marketing and
advertising. Image is phoney and is usually someone else's idea.
Doing your own thing isn't some passe hippy crap, it's really
quite a good idea as long as you take care of real things first.
Ride, smile, wave, be happy, don't worry and remember: those who
don't like it are welcome to perform a solo anatomically impossible
sexual act standing up with no devices allowed.

I wouldn't worry about it. As a life long motorcyclist I once had these same thoughts about scooters and scooterists. Once I went to the local Ducati dealer to check out the sport bikes when I discovered they were also the Vespa dealer. I kept finding myself going back to check out the scooters instead of the motorcycles. Panic set in "my god I like these things, when did I turn gay???" The next day I went on a 200 mile motorcycle ride on my Triumph just to assure myself I was straight.

That was about 5 years ago and between my wife and myself we now have two vespas, a stella and a Kymco. The poor truimph hasn't moved since Feb. and I'm thinking of selling it instead of just letting it waste away.

So don't worry about it. Some of those making the comments may find themselves riding a scooter one day, just like I did.

Hate to say it ....but a Vespa.....even a "Daring Plum" or "Mauve Excitement" colored one with a snakeskin seat is a step up from a Sportster.....

"Girl Bike"
Just saying....



These threads are boring ..but I always feel compelled to respond....

IMO only very unsecure, immature men would ever attach any concept of being a man or a mature adult to whatever kind of bike or any other vehicle they may be riding!

And that includes Harley riders, Vespa owners, and Hummer apes!

If you think your "personhood" is in any way diminished by a machine you happen to own, it might be wise to seek counseling! 8)

Thanks all, 8)

My redneck manhood is feeling totally intact again.

At first I did feel like a traitor to my hometown York Co. PA.
one of the HD capital's of the world.

After talking to my Vespa dealer (also a former HD owner)
I felt much better.

He told me his wife works for HD here at the York plant.
She said you'd be surprised at the number of scooters now parked
Everyday in the HD plant parking lot.

+1

Mike I felt the same way at first but Scooting is so much more... fun. I used to really enjoy the motorcycle, but Love riding a auto scooter.
BTW, I ride armed with my pistol too. In my career anyone who has to show his gun as mentioned earlier lacks any self respect. The guy on the scoot probably did the right thing and showed the idiot no all people are going to be victims. But, HOW in the hell did he carry a Desert Eagle .50 AE??? That gun is HUGE!!!!!!

I scored a used leather last weekend with a Harley patch on it. I removed it, went to my buddy's house (his dad rides a HD) threw the patch down & stated: "i just raced a Harley rider for his patch, & I WON!" the whole room cracked up.

Yeah, not sure. It's the hummer of firearms: big, silly, unnecessary, and typically wielded by those needing to compensate for something.

I'd love to talk about it further, but i fear it would take the topic not only way off course, but into waters that MV doesn't like to tread ( and i understand / respect that ).

Yes Eric , the thread needs to stay in the scooter zone. But man that gun weighs a ton. My old para ordnance weighed in at 40 ounces unloaded!!!

ok I will stop. I think I am going to carry a water pistol and water ballons on my scoot. hahahaha!!!1

.40 s&w Sig here

There isn't anything wrong with any manufacturer who builds bikes as much for the passion of riding them as a business solution. This is where the Chinese bikes miss the point (although apparently they aren't missing the boat because they're frickin' everywhere).

I love it when people rattle off how one bike is better than another bike. In some ways some are and in others, others are. Still doesn't account for personal preference and that's why there are choices.

My OPINION is that the modern Vespas are a completely different ride than any HD including the one scooter they made. I prefer the ride of my modern Vespa to my other bikes. But to say one is better than the other would be a blanket statement that needs to define what's best in each catagory of the overall design. Even then, its still a matter of personal preference. It just depends on who you talk to.

For example, I think Lambrettas are ugly. I can't get past their hideousness no matter how good they ride to ever think of owning one. Its not a matter of dissent, its an honest opinion. And no one should be offended by it since I highly doubt anyone here was involved in the design of any Lambretta. I respect anyone's right to say what they like or don't like and I expect the same respect in return. Unless they're crybabies, then I expect a full history of the wonderfulness of X product and the offended's reasons for abject devotion to it.

Harv

Can't help but notice the OP is from York, PA. Biggest thing in town is the HD plant. Not saying anything one way or the other about that. Good company, strong following.

But speaking as a PA native and having inlaws in the Hannover area, the level of "scooter fag" flack you can get up there is worse than it is in some other places.

Spent my Columbus Day riding the P200 to Harley of Annapolis to help my wife Christmas shop for her dad. First question we got in the parking lot was, "what year?" That was a nice, warmer change from the reception we've gotten further north.

My advice is take your choice.

Laugh at them.

or

Leave south central PA. (That was my choice in 1978 and the best decision I ever made)

Yeah the Harley culture in York is strong but remember Harley made the Topper scooter.

Also this winter when they are all bundled up in their pickup trucks instead of riding your can ask yourself who is really a pu$$y?

Santiago from Camp Hill PA

I ride with a bunch of different motorcycle groups and seldom do I have anyone question my choice of ride or my manhood. On the rare occasion that someone goes into "What the hail is that thang?" I usually reply with "Piaggio calls it the MP3-500, but I call it The Big Johnson." Their usually return with "Why do you call it The Big Johnson?" And the answer is "Because when you have Big Johnson, you don't need a Harley Davidson!" That always shuts the entire discussion down.

Hmmm......ummmmm......o.......I am just saying......I am by no means an expert in style....But the Honda,Yamaha & Harley in your sig aint winning no beauty contest anytime soon....

Computer says?........Ugly




Computer says?........OOgly


Computer says?....ehhh...not THAT ugly.





Computer says? YES




(P.S. Santiago....Harley Toppers suck...)


Can we get back to talking about how gay scooters make people look please?

When someone calls me gay on my scooter, I mention that I'm a good friend of Chuck Norris. They immediately die of fear.

Having had about 9 Jap bikes over 30ish years, and now owning a Harley, I see some similarities between HD and Vespa owners. Both seem to aspire to a premium image. Both are willing to pay a significant premium in $$ for heritage, look, sound, feel, image, all-metal construction. The objective function of either can easily be equaled by other brands.

Being acquainted with dozens of motorcyclists, almost none are brand nazis. 1 or 2 dress "bad-a$$" occasionally, but are not really that way, and not necessarily on Harleys. I've never seen anyone on any two wheeler packing heat.

The various steriotypes established by several biker and Italian movies live on.