Modern Vespa

Hi all,

Brand new to the site so please go easy! Just bought an S150 and I am in love with it. I rode it home (about 30 minutes drive) from the dealership and once to the grocery store... however, the other day I somehow lost my balance while moving it and it fell on me a little and now when I go near it to ride I feel kinda like throwing up! I am signed up for the safety course in a few weeks and intend to practice more obviously before using it to commute to work, but I wanted to know.... is my anxiety normal? How to make it go away!!!???

I don't want to give up, but I also don't want to get hurt!

First of all, welcome to MV and congratulations on the new ride.

Secondly, I'm so sorry. Anxiety, I would assume, would be pretty normal. You just figured out that riding is dangerous. Practice on quiet neighborhood roads, or get someone to help you haul it to a seldom used parking lot. Only ride if you're ready, and go at your own pace!!! You might use the search function at the top of the page and read some stories of new riders like you.

The safety course will give you loads of confidence.

Good luck!

go ride your scooter and get more confident, cant talk your way out of this

What he said.

The course will give you a world of confidence. If it doesn't, then it's time to return the scooter.

It's good to fear something dangerous, but you have to conquer that fear. Nothing wonkier than a fearful scooter rider. You get very unpredictable behavior.

Echoing what has been said, and what no doubt just about everybody on here would say.

Take the safety course and then practice as much as possible in school parking lots or somewhere equally as quiet and your confidence will soar.

Good luck and enjoy your scooter for many years to come.

Sorry - I edited this as I just saw you are located in Canada.

Not to seem insensitive or crass, but when I was introduced to (cranky old geezer voice) to motorized two-wheelers in the mid 1960's, you couldn't keep us off of those little Honda 50's and 90's, and the last thing on our minds was 'post-almost-fell-over-psychological trauma'....the first things on our minds was finding the keys to the damn thing and getting some gas money.

Just put your helmet on, a protective jacket, and go find an empty parking lot to practice riding the bike. Maybe take a couple of bandaids for emergencies, it's just not the kind of thing to lose any sleep over.

This post was not quite
What we were hoping to see
Try again, perhaps?

I've been riding for a number of years, but there are plenty of times when I get The Fear before getting on the bike - I'll convince myself I have 'a bad feeling' about riding on this particular occasion.

I have to make myself get on and ride, reminding myself of all the times I've been nervous and nothing bad has happaned.

Once on board, I've found the best thing to do is sing! It's hard to feel nerves when you're thinking about the next line. Another tip is to loosen up physically - if you're tense you'll have a worse ride, which will make you tenser next time and so on. A tip you'll often hear is to let your elbows flap loosely a few times whenever you feel yourself tensing up.

When you're not in the right frame of mind riding is a nightmare; when it's good, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world. Hope you find your 'zone' soon!

Obviously, if you learn as a teenager you are going to be fearless. It is only naturally for an adult to feel some anxiety. By the time you take the course and have about 300-400 miles under your belt, you will feel more comfortable. Stick with it.

sometimes being insensitive and crass just works!

Good advice.

It made me think about my own brain. Sometimes I get nervous before jumping on my vespa, but once I'm on it and going, nothing else exists. You have to pay attention to your surroundings and be hyper aware of the vehicles around you. You don't have the time or the ability to think about your fear. Its the perfect distraction from itself.

This post was not quite
What we were hoping to see
Try again, perhaps?

hi, welcome to MV

learning to balance a scooter doesn't come naturally to everyone, and it's normal and probably healthy to be a bit anxious when the machine does something you didn't anticipate. try not to let it put you off - you've had some really good advice in this thread - we're hoping your next post will be a report of the great ride you've just had, even if it's only in the local parking lot!

Another thing to look out for, is that day when you
overcome your anxiety and you start getting confidence
and a bit cocky... that is a dangerous time!

Welcome again to MV. I would say you have a healthy fear of riding, which is much better than those who think they are invincible. As a woodshop teacher, it is more beneficial to be somewhat fearful than having no fear at all. It is important to consider the dangers as some other strings have mentioned. Your rider course should help quite a bit with feeling more confident and comfortable. If it's not too far off, just wait and start riding again then. Don't feel rushed to have to ride today.

I hope you didn't get too scratched up. Just the mere fact that you are asking about this and acknowledging your fear is very positive. Take care and ride safe. Maybe your one lay down means you are statistically less inclined to have another fall.

When you get a chance, post some pics of your new S150 in the scooter gallery too (the good side)!

Wow! the thread of disappearing posts or what?

yay, i'm no longer a lurker, but a legitimate member! i feel very welcome.

that is true, too.

Very true! I'm at that stage now...still being careful though 8)

I've had confidence and been 'cocky' now for decades.

By golly that's part of the fun, dontcha know? (Former Minnesotan accent)

Welcome.

I have been through the post-drop pre-ride anxiety myself. Nothing helps better than practice. But it has to be good practice. Nothing worse than practicing bad habits.

The MSF course is a great help, and while you are waiting, get a hold of a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. This book was of immense help to me in understanding what competent riding is all about.

Welcome to the forum, I'm new too. I got back into two wheelers last year when I bought a 1955 Triumph, I hadn't been on a bike since the 80s, and that was a very smooth modern Suzuki. I was very scared the first time on the Truimph, I was shifting with the opposite foot and it had 55 year old brakes. I took it VERY slow, once around the block on our very quiet street, figure 8s in a parking lot, etc. When your young (and sometimes stupid) you dont think about breaking an arm or leg, or worse. As you mature, you become more cautious, thats a good thing. Riding your scooter should be second nature so if something does happen, you just react, not having to analyze what's happing, think about what to do, and then finally do it. many times thats too late. The important thing is like many here have already said, take it SLOW at your own pace. A capable rider with a lot of patience can help. Don't ride with someone who pushes you beyond what your comfortable with. The classes are excellent. Also 2 tips a friend gave me years ago when starting out. 1) ALWAYS have an escape route, I do this automatically. As your riding think "if the blue car ahead changes lanes and cuts me off where am I going" etc, after a while this comes naturally, and will boost your confidence tremendously. 2) PRETEND YOUR INVISIBLE !!!! This sounds stupid but it's literally save my life. when your riding imagine that no one can see you, that way it comes as no surprise when they cut you off or turn in front of you, your almost expecting it and you react accordingly. Dont put your self in situations such as blind spots where the driver can't see you, or where you don't have an escape route. Both these tricks will make you more confident and keep you safe, instead of just hoping everybody does the right thing and doesn't hit you.
Be Safe and Have Fun !

^what he said!

And get good at dodging

For me the only time I get a bit fearful is when I read posts on MV about crashes, broken bones, mangle body parts and even death. There I hope that helps. In reality I think it what you are experiencing is normal. For instance I never really looked in my rear view mirror much while stopped at a traffic light or stop sign until some cell talker/driver rear ended me 6 months ago. Now at just about every stop my eyes are keeping a close eye on whats behind me. The other thing is to keep what happened to you in perspective. For instance this is the first crash I've been in with some 35 plus years of driving, so I'd say I've done pretty well and you will too. Be alert and careful, and go have fun riding.

I feel confident in my abilities on a bike or scooter to react in a dangerous situation, however put me on an airplane where I'm not driving, and I don't know the person who is, and I get a bit concerned.

I've been riding just one year. A similar thing happened to me last summer when I first bought my LX 150 and was learning to ride. I missed a corner, hit the curb, and down I went (I was looking at the curb instead of through the turn-lesson learned-always look where you want to go!). Nothing major happened except an arm abrasion and a few scrapes on the legshield. But I got that same nauseated feeling for the next few weeks wondering-what was I thinking buying a SCOOTER! But I stuck with it, took the MSF course twice and passed on my scooter the second round.
I also practiced my riding for about 100 miles in my little neighborhood before going out in traffic. All of a sudden one day when I had put about 400 miles total on the Vespa, my body felt like it really could make the scooter go where I wanted it to. A friend called it "feeling ONE with your bike."
So stick with it, take the MSF class, wear your gear and practice til you feel confident enough to handle the traffic. It just takes some time and practice. Also, it is good to have a little "healthy fear." It keeps you alert all the time to watch for danger nearby but not so fearful that it makes you a spastic rider.

I would give it some time before getting back on the scooter. Riding it in a terrified state is just destined for trouble. Scootering isn't for everyone. If you don't feel comfortable riding it, get rid of it. Better to give it up then to get seriously hurt.

Shane

Oh, another thing: you'll get much more confident about pushing your scooter around and getting it on and off the stand with practice. My other scooter is a Gilera GP800, which is a huge critter, and for the first couple of weeks I was absolutely petrified whenever I had to manouevre it in case I lost my balance and it went down. Now I'm used to it, wheeling it around is less of a big deal (I bet I drop it now I've written that!).

Thanks for the advise! I just needed a little confirmation that it was healthy to feel anxious at first (and that I'm not somehow genetically predisposed to not being able to ride a scooter!) and some pointers about the steps to take in progressing to feeling comfortable riding. I also ordered Motorcycle Proficiency from amazon! I will definitely post a pic soon and hopefully along with it a report of having conquered some of my fear!

Thanks again.

Don't you need to have a valid motorcycle license to ride an S150 in Ontario?

Otis42
Welcome to MV; as you can see we love to give advice, in hopes of encouraging others to share our love of riding scoots. Most of the advice was aimed at riding, and I see your trouble was when you were off the scoot just moving it around. Truth in point here is that when off the centerstand, and not moving is exactly when any two wheeled motorcycle will want to fall over the most. Next to that is when it is moving slowly, as once a scoot is up to speed the gyroscopic effect of the spinning wheels helps it to stay upright. Manuvering a scoot around is the trickiest thing you will do. Starting one up and taking off is way easier than moving it around, the yard, the garage, a parking spot... and so on. Every scoot is heavy and ungainly at near zero speeds. I have almost dropped my GTS250 twice and only through sheer brute strength did I keep it off the ground. Both times I was just moving it over a foot or so over to make room so I could work on it. Both times the scoot was trying to fall away from me. When it tries to fall towards me is step in closer to it and stop it with my leg against the rear cowling. I find that keeps the wieght on the wheels and does not let it get too far over. Even a small scoot is about 200 pounds so it is not like we can just toss it around, you have to work slowly and maintain it's balance over the two wheels.
So to help you work through this sick feeling. Go stand next to the scoot, and stay there till the feeling passes, even if it takes 30min to an hour or even multiple tries. Once you can stand next to it without feeling sick, then grab the left handle bar in your left hand and hold the rear grab bar or storage rack with your right. Stand there like that untill any un-easiness passes then take her off the center stand, and balance the scoot just standing there. When you can do all this without feeling any uneasiness then work at moving the scoot side to side and play with the balance, brace your legs to take on the extra wieght and keep control of the scoot. Exposer to what causes you fear, and gaining cofidence with that situation is the only true way to rid yourself of this fear of the scoot falling on you. Good Luck and happy scooting!!
I hope to see pictures of you and your scoot soon!!

First of all, Welcome to the board.

There's a lot of good advice here.

I've always felt that fear can be great for motivation. When I first started riding (on a 125cc chinese clone) with my husband (who has been riding for 20+ years) I was fine at first. We mostly stayed on small single lane streets.

One day he decided to take me out on a 3 lane street (50mph) on the way to one of the local cycle shops. He merged left to turn onto another road and I went to follow, just as I was nearly in the other lane I looked over my shoulder and saw a car right where I wanted to go, and 100 ft in front of me was a gaurd rail. I had my blinker on, but the lady talking on her cellphone in that car was oblivious to my attempt to merge. After wobbling a bit and fearing I would crash I finally made it into the merge lane, but I lost my husband! Since I only had a permit to ride I wasn't sure what to do next, so I just proceeded to the cycle shop. I found my husband across the street drinking a slurpee and laughing. He saw everything and asked "Do you still want to ride a scooter darlin?"

That whole adventure scared the carp out of me! It took 3 whole days for me to get the nerve to ride again. The lesson I learned- ALWAYS LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER BEFORE YOU MERGE- don't rely on mirrors. Take a riding safety course, and take every near miss as a lesson in what to avoid.

Just as you think you're over your fear something else will happen and scare you again.

Once I got the M endorsement on my license I upgrade to a BV250, at least now I can gun it and get away from scary drivers like the one in the above story. On the ride home from the dealer I figured I was safe.... until I went to make a very slow right turn uphill and discovered the BV250 is MUCH heavier than the 125cc I was riding. I almost dropped the bike- with a line of cars waiting behind me- and caught it before it hit pavement. It took a few mins for me to get it upright.

I'm much more comfortable with the larger bike 3 years later. I still ride with the fear that some moron will turn out right in front of me. I had a near miss 2 weeks ago on the freeway. I haven't been on the freeway since.... maybe I'll try again tomorrow

Riding gear is a MUST- Full face helmet, riding jacket with armor, protective pants, over the ankle boots, and riding gloves.

Ride safe and have fun!

I am with you there, I've never flown and have no desire to either. I think John Madden and I are some how related.

Well said! I would add to that though. When I am moving my bikes around, even just a few feet. I prefer to sit on the seat and start the engine and use my feet/legs to do most of the maneuvering and using throttle a little to assist. I've always found that standing next to the bike and trying to move it around like a bicycle just doesn't work.

Ditto here...constant reminder to myself..."don't get cocky!"

You have a typical 'fell off the horse once' case of nerves. It's natural to be jittery about getting back in the saddle.
I experienced the same thing when I dropped my new LX150 pulling out of a parking space, I lost traction on some pine needles and was looking at asphalt before I could recognize the fact I was falling. About $800 worth of repairs later, including fixing the paint job, my baby still looks like she came out of the showroom.
And me, I still get nervous turning right, but I recognize where my fear comes from, and then I just say to myself, "you were an idiot once, you don't have to be one all the time".
BTW, I have to manually turn her around my narrow driveway when I park her. I move slowly, and balance her weight along my hip, keeping one hand on the handlebar and one on the rear bar.

1. Anxiety....yes it is common after an event that puts you unders stress and this is different for all people. Keep in mind that the effects of this anxiety remains in you subconcious mind longer than you conscious state. Hence, depending on the level of stress...you could not even be "thinking" about the episode and have it "show up" as an unexplained reason for not feeling right...this is basic post traumatic effect. Hence, it's not just you...it's everyone...me inlcuded.

2. The best way to reduce the stress is to gain confidence and practice. MSF safety class is good, Proficient MC is great...I would suggest you rent the Ride Like a Pro IV from Smartflix (focuses on throttle control and directional steering and counter steering...your turning skills which are important).

Good Luck!

Don't worry. I bought a S125 last fall, and have been riding it almost every day since. Early on, I managed to lock up my brakes doing 30kmph and fell. I was nervous to get back on my scooter after that, but I'm glad I didn't stop riding. After a couple of rides, I wasn't nervous anymore. If you keep riding, you will get over this.

Also, you have good taste. The S is a very good looking machine, don't you think? What colour is yours?

A good dose of fear is healthy and tends to help keep you safer than if you were overly confident. Every now and again, I make a boner move and it serves to remind me just how easily I could have gotten myself into real trouble. Embrace your fear ... it is your friend! Ride defensively, deliberately and decisively. Fear will help keep you from doing stupid things and possibly getting hurt!

Thank you otis42 for starting this thread! I am also very new (just got my LXV150 a week ago) and I have been struggling with fear as well. These tips are terrific!

Yesterday I completed about 100 miles in my small neighborhood and I have now been venturing out in traffic (not major arteries etc. yet). My advice is baby steps. I am already so much better than just a few days ago.

Another thing that really helped me was a tip from my husband: I practiced U-turns and Figure 8's with my bicycle before trying them on the scooter. By remembering how I automatically look "through" a turn when I'm on my bike, gave me way more confidence doing the same on a scooter.

All the best!
Laurie-Jeanne