Modern Vespa

Welcome back WANGTA. First thread i saw before coffee this morning and i thought i was seeing things Glad your doing well and are going tom be on that scooter of yours more. Don't be a stranger. We missed you.

You are suitably concerned.

I've been riding for more than 35 years. I've had my spills and near misses. And yes, every time I ride I think of the dire consequences.

I also worked at a major trauma center and attended to too many motorcycle and scooter accident victims. Some did not survive their accidents.

But, I also treated automobile crash victims, bicycle riders, skate boarders, surfers, skiers and divers. And others who were hiking and or horseback riding, plus lots of construction workers, some runners and a bunch of 80 years olds who fell off their roofs/ladders/steps/chairs while trying to fix something.

However, we also face the risk of cancer, influenza, tornadoes, earthquakes, bricks falling off building, WAR, hazardous materials, mosquitos, TB & HEP C, drunk drivers, and criminals.

Life has its risks. We must to be diligent to minimize those risks when riding.

Take an MSF course, wear appropriate riding gear, don't drink/take drugs when you're on your scooter, always ride defensively, and be considerate of others on the road.

Please, don't be afraid to enjoy what you like to do.

Your first responsibility is to YOURSELF.

"Do what ya' gotta do"...

Dad, 1938-2002

You can die in a car, you can die if a tree falls on you, etc. As a mom of three boys, one with autism, I worry about being responsible. I try to be as careful as I can. I know my husband would do a fine job with him if something happened to me, and he has brothers to look over him also. I do plan on putting something into place to ensure his lifetime well being however.
I had a boss who died after a wedding, driving drunk in a van and plowing into a tree...the company carried on. No company is that dependent on one person to make it work(or shouldn't be anyway!)
I know of people in their 70s and up still riding scooters and motorcycles(read their letters in magazines and postings). Riding is such a joy, they keep going and apparently it doesn't always kill you:)
If I get too worried about it I will stop riding, but I think if I ride reasonably I am not taking much more of a chance than driving my little Scion XB really. If I get in a headon with a truck(they seem to drive L of Center all the time around where I live)I would almost certainly die anyway, on the scoot, I might actually zip around them in the narrow space left(read about a guy who actually did do that)! Sally

Get a high amount of life insurance and relax. I just read on a list I am on about a woman who almost died doing nothing. People die of heart attacks without warning, even people in good shape, often because of undiagnosed problems that are genetic. I met a lovely man in his 30's not long before hearing of his unusually early death (hubbys college friend, nicest guy in the world). Sat in his car and died at a Quickie Mart, he had a congenital heart condition he didn't know about. Probably stopped for milk on the way home and never made it.
I had a work friend who died in her 30's from brain cancer that was inoperable, she had a little girl, I am sure her husband carried on. People do what they have to do, they go on, they live, they thrive.
If I worried about everything, I would do nothing, if it worries you a lot, quit riding. It's no fun to ride worrying and will distract you from riding well and cause you to have an accident, so you have to choose whether to ride and not enjoy it because you are so worried, or set things up for your family and relax. Sally--oh, and I am turning 50 next month. I think you are realizing in your 30's you aren't invulnerable, it's a hard truth to get past.

HAHAHAHAHAHA love it.

The CEO of Pininfarina, Ferrari dude , did he have a helmet on? Probably not. My advise to you is, when you feel scared to ride, don't ride. Your age has little to do with your ability. Wade Parker turned 70 YO last year and he still rides his P200.
Keep the shiny side up.

Erich - he was wearing a helmet. If you really are interested in the details, see thread here (warning - some graphic pics): [GRAPHIC] Pininfarina Head Dies in Vespa Accident

However, whether or not he was wearing a helmet is not the point of this discussion.

Hey kid, good to hear from you again. Keep in mind that this is an OLD and long thread. I would bet a lot of the responses in the reopening of it are from folks who don't "know" you and didn't take time to read every one of the approximately 200 posts leading up to today. One of the hazards of reopening a long and serious old thread.

You are not a "wangta" here, even if you use that name.

Al

I'm 54 and ride my scoter everyday also, i really don't care what anyone thinks one way or the other.
All i know for sure is that they aren't having as much fun as i am......... 8)

Funny thing, In Canada you could drive your Vespa till you die,
But a car on the other hand...You need to be tested over and over when you get too old.

Don't figure eh?

As a 61 year old daily Vespa rider, who is getting ready to ride across the country solo, I say if you have to ask the question what is to old, then you are already to old, no matter the age

http://lostboater.blogspot.com

Yes, it is irresponsible!!!!!

This post is exact me, age and all, except I only ride to the office 4 of the 5 workdays (work from home on Mondays) and the commute is 25 miles there and back. Rain or shine I ride. No plans to quit riding in the foreseeable future.

Edit: It just dawned on me that I'm not 64 for another 3 months. See how unimportant such things become when you get older. Or may it just means the mind goes first.

Wangta,

Your concerns are legitimate and you have a perfect right to feel the way you do. I admire your willingness to confront your fears and your responsibilities in an honest manner. Some MVers are "protesting a wee bit too much" which says more about them than it does you.

I am 71, and am still hotting up my Vespa and riding it to the limits, as I have done for the last 50 years!

Ask me again when I turn 90.

Mike

A good friend of mine was in his 50s. Rode all the time, partied just as much. All around great guy with a wife and kids. He was in his garage on a step ladder, fell backwards, hit his head and died instantly.

He lived his life to the fullest. No regrets. My point is, you can stop riding, wrap yourself in a bubble and when it's your time, it's your time.

Ride with you kids, share the fun, love and live life to the fullest. You never know what day will be your last. When you go, you want those who love you to raise a beer in your honor and say that you had no regrets.

I'm 39, I've been riding for 22 years, my daughter is 15, she's been riding with me for 10. My dad and brother ride, my wife passed the MSF course with my sister and sister-in-law. Riding is our family's culture, it's actually something people who work with me always admire and ask me about. Don't stop living your life because of some social pressure.

It is a personal decision.

Clearly, if you are uncomfortable with any thoughts of possibly leaving your family in any sort of lurch, financially or emotionally, than you should not ride.

To imply that riding is something that people "grow out of" is tantamount to telling the rest of us, who continue to ride, that we are immature.

I don't think I have felt more alive in my whole life than when I ride. Sure it has a degree of danger, but so does being an electrician, working in a steel mill, being a coal miner, test pilot, astronaut, scuba diver, fireman, policeman, the dudes on The Deadliest Catch... that guy who just caught a puck in the face in the Hockey playoffs.

So next time I get in my shower, I will be sure to put on my "William Holden" Crash Helmet just incase I slip!

When I stumbled on this tread I did not realize there was any controversy in it being I just started reading near the end where the tread opened up at. Of course I should have guessed that there was by the subject matter. Anyway, I believe each should decide for himself (herself) when to quit and maybe in a few cases a friend or family should intervene. But there is no certain age that everyone should stop at. I see way too many guys 20 or more years my junior that are too out of shape to safely ride a scooter or motorcycle. Guys that report to me and are 15 or more years my junior are constantly having one medical problem after another. Yet I can't remember my last sick day but I'm certain it's been more than 7 or 10 years ago (yeah I just jinxed myself). Point being I'm healthy and I'd say strong for my age and size so why shouldn't I ride. I also believe I'm wise enough to know when I should stop and I will. I did that a few years ago with mountain biking when I realize I probably couldn't keep taking the falls that go with the kind of trails I like to ride (Man I do miss it). So if someone thinks they should quit riding for whatever reason at whatever age, they are right and they have made a good decision. And for those that ride late into life; if alert and able, they are also right and have made a good decision.

And my personal opinion is that a life lived as risk free as possible is a life not really lived.

I'm 57. I started riding a scooter 2 weeks ago. Until then my two wheel experience was limited to bikes.

I'm not the most accomplished rider, but I'm comfortable and happy on two wheels.

It took me nine months to convince my wife to accept my decision to commute this way.

Wangta, I respect your concern for the risk, and its potential impact on loved ones and others who depend on us.

The reason I rode 600+ kms on BIXI bikes last year, and the reason I'm riding the Vespa, is the feeling I get from the experience. It's the way gravity and G forces flow through you on two wheels. The sense of freedom it brings, the concentration it takes, the lessons and skills I am learning daily, the beauty of the scenes that open to me on my bike that I don't experience the same way in my car or on the train.

I was inspired to take this challenge by people like Steve Wiiliams, Dave Dixon, and you. Your blog on your cross-country trip inspired me to embark on the much more mundane adventure of riding 30kms to work each day. And 30kms back.

I contribute to this forum, and I now write a blog, because I am grateful to you, and all MV members for sharing your experience, and inspiring me to assume these risks from which I am getting so much pleasure.

Life well lived is all about the rewards we reap from the risks we take. Marriage and the risk of divorce. Children and the risk of birth defects, illness, and accidents that they entail. Applying to law school and the risk of failure and rejection. Changing jobs. Swimming and the risk of drowning. Flying and the risk of crashing.

Two years ago when I was commuting by train, and I was very stressed in the wake of the bombings in Madrid and the threats uttered against Canadians because of our troops fighting in Afghanistan.

How do we make sense of our decisions? Should we always take the safest route from A to B? Should we foresake activities that inspire us in order to avoid attendant risks?

The best that we have to offer to our community, to those who are closest to us, and to those that depend on us, is the inspiration to live life to the best of our potential, and in doing so, to inspire those same folks to do the same in turn.

Riding a Vespa to work pales compared to the recent achievements in the Vancouver Olympics, which in turn pale compared to the achievements in the Special Olympics that followed.

We are all better off for that risk taking.

I am better off for the risks you took on that trip and the risk you took in blogging about it. Because even blogging and contributing to this forum exposes us to the risk of public disapproval and sometimes bitter criticism.

Thanks again.

Bien dit.Bien exprimer, bien ecrit

Don't worry about what other people think!

Fixed the link

Thank you

I'm in my mid thirties and drive a Vespa to work every day. I'm on two wheels so that I can split lanes. Ten years ago, I was doing the same on a GSXR750 or CBR900-

My wife feels better about me riding the Vespa vs crotch rockets- Don't get me wrong... I still drive it like I stole it, but know that lesser torque and top-end keeps me from getting too crazy.

And last- My boss and co-workers love it. I'm already the fun-guy in the office and they say it fits me. Is it a back-handed compliment? Maybe, but I only need 15 minutes to get to work while they take an hour in their cars.. Ha ha, suck it!

A story I know personally comes to mind for all of this, I won't make it a long post (although it could be) but just as an example.

So about 3 years ago a lovely 80 year old man started coming into the shop lusting after LX150's. He came 3-4 times, the last time I asked him to bring his Son back with him prior to purchase to keep all good in the family and they did.

He purchased in 07 a brand new LX150 Midnight blue. He was excited as he hadn't owned a vespa since the 50's when he purchased his brand new in Montana at Sears. Boy the stories he told about riding leaving the bar, the passenger falling off, all the good stories and he has a bunch.

He rode the LX150 about 5500 miles and everytime he came in he would lust after the GTS250 and I kept saying no. Well that wasn't gonna work for him so finally he talked me into allowing him to test ride one with me watching how he could handle the bike. After that test ride I had no argument for why he shouldn't be able to trade up, he won.

So 09 GTS250 gets launched. At about 3500 miles he had a zero speed spill and broke his hip. Down for months, talked with his daughter numerous times about what the next move would be and we would all just chuckle because we knew there was no way he was giving up his Vespa.

Fast forward to now, the GTS has 7500 miles on it and he is doing great. Remember he is about 83 going on 84 now and he wears Toreador Pants and rides quite well.

Our shop absolutely adores this man and wants him safe at all times however I can tell you this, he didn't get to 84 by accident, he is hardcore and a total gentleman.

Best,
SDG

Inspirational for us "young 'uns" . Thanks for posting.

You are most welcome. I was thrilled to be able to share this one, I love that guy.

Best,
SDG

I'm 66 and, quite honestly, I can't see myself NOT riding for quite some time.