Modern Vespa

I've bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite in red. Postie brought it this morning just as I was about to leave for work - I can't wait to get home and take it for a test drive.

Edit: Well hello dere page 20!

The things I do for Love...

No more mickey D for me, I'm sticking to the ocassional Doner Kebab.

Well done that Spider. How are you going to drive it with so many legs ?What a cool lookin motor geezer.

Cooper huh ? I can't think why I like that name so much.

Would the only person who knows my true indentity going to stand up ?

Bill XX

My God! You're an FBI agent??

You'd eat a McDonalds so your girlfriend could have a free/not free plastic coke glass huh ?

We'll if that's love I want my old job back which was crawling over broken glass.

That's love. Has anyone got a pair of tweezers ?

Smiles

Bill X

Edit - Hang on though if that is love where have I been going wrong ?

A small fortune - I think it's something like £400 or £450. Bear in mind I couldn't transfer my car's no claims bonus to the bike, so that's with 0 no claims. Completely clean licence though.

It's not nearly as good as the SH300 or the Vespa 300, but it's pretty good. I was going to say "considering the price", but I notice it's listed at £4k, which is more than the GTS300 and the same as the SH300.

This is based on 20 miles of riding from west to south London and back again

Plus points:

Good road presence
Comfortable riding position
Good visibility from mirrors
Good storage (about the same as the GTS300, although not helmet-shaped)
Very visible halogen lights
Fairly quick acceleration from 5-30mph
Large tank with can be filled without lifting the seat
Light
Comes with a windscreen

Minus points:

Plastics and switchgear feel quite cheap
Engine is a bit agricultural (almost like a diesel at certain revs)
Stock tyres are not especially grippy
Exhaust smells bad (although that could just be this example)
Variator lag is pretty bad - it takes a long time to go from 0-5mph (more than my SH125)
Looks even worse than the SH (which I rather like)
High central tunnel

If it was listed at £3k or so, it'd be a good thing to get, but it's just not terribly refined in my opinion. Having said that, I'm certainly glad I've got it while I get mine fixed.

Kate had a rather better opinion of it from riding back with me - bear in mind I'm in the kind of mindset right now that will find fault with anything that isn't my SH300.

the shitty is oddly expensive to insure. when i was ringing around for quotes to see if it was viable to insure doug's so i could borrow it while the 'loper is getting repaired, i was getting quotes in the neighbourhood of £2000. one of the online places quoted me £94,000.

David, sorry to hear about your accident. I'm afraid riding in bus lanes has it its perils. I have had several drivers do that on me too. Fortunately I have avoided them. I lost my MP3 about a week after I got it too.

On another note, a big thank you to genie for getting the MOT on flash, he's now taxed and awaiting a coat of, either

a) Mercedes Vivianite Turquoise
b) Ford Electric Orange Pearl (from the Focus ST)

I'm leaning towards the orange, we'll see what the painter has to say... Spoke to him last night and he seems a nice bloke!!

i stopped in the evil evil swiss cottage intersection today to help a bloke who had just been taken out by a black cab. he was on a very new and shiny LX150, which had been cut up and gone over in the wet. he was geared up head to toe, so apart from a rather nasty bruise on his shin he was fine. myself and another bloke picked up his scoot and settled it on the pavement (i didn't even want to leave it on the side of the road in that intersection) - one of the wing mirrors had snapped off, there were some scratches on the cowl, and a few on the fender, but apart from that it looked to be in not too bad shape. i think the rider was pretty shaken up - all his gear looked brand-new and i think it may have been early in his riding career.

bloody taxi driver didn't bother to stick around. what is it about that intersection for hit and run???

doug: teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal teal. teal.

if you're getting flash repainted directly you get back i'll stop being so damned careful. i've been riding like a right fanny

Yeah you can stop riding like a fanny.

Quote for repaint is amazing at under £400 and their work is sterling...

Anyone got an undamaged ET4 floorboard and glovebox unit kicking around? A visit to the breakers might be necessary!

Gotta be orange. 8)

The blue Merc looks like that old invalid carriage colour.....

OK

One vote either way. Any other opinions?

Paw up for the ASBO orange.

I love orange.

SHitty is expensive to insure because it goes like SHit off a shovel.

It's got to the orange - I've seen it in the flesh, but the decisive fact has got to be that the Merc that hit me was that exact shade of teal.

Orange it is then! But I do think teal would suit Doug more. A 'gentler' colour.

Spider, that is one cool car. Nice purchase.

Muad'Dib,

Doug, +1 for Lakeside-Orange

There's only one colour. It begins with an O and ends with a E and rhymes with Morringe.

That teal blue/green is wrong on so many levels.

Bill X

funny stuff

I am not on gentle form. I'm feeling lairy!

Then orange is the only choice!

bah. how many times did i say teal pfffft.

Sorry Genie but this time you are in the minority and basically wrong.

The Mercedes Benz's that have been painted in that colour can't be given away they are so unpopular. In fact I can't think of an automotive product that looks good in that teal green.

Knowing you you'll probably try and prove me wrong now but you'll have a job.

Maybe the old shape Suzuki Bandit but after that it's a struggle.

Terry's Chocolate.

Bill X

trafficjammer's scooter is teal and looks fantastic. it may look dreadful on a car but i think it would suit the lines of the ET4. two-tone it teal and orange. now that would be an eyesore.

Trafficjammers scoot is beautiful.

I was going to cast a vote for the teal, purely because I fancied exactly that orange for my own ET. Needless to say that means I think t'orange looks brilliant. And it's not like we show up at the same parties or anything. Even if we did, it would be highly unlikely I'd have my scoot. I'll just reiterate how brilliant that orange would look and how jealous I'll be if you get it done.

Orange is great. It goes look at me, look at me, look at me! I am really orange!

Teal is nice. More of a mmm, lovely colour. Its also the name of a duck, which diminishes its cool.

It depends whether you'd want greatness or niceness.

PAINT IT ORANGE.

(Obviously it's your bike and your decision, mate.)

We two are going to Bestival down in the Isle of Wight next week.

Any tips - I have to secure a tent on the 300 and don't want it flapping everywhere.

Also we have to wear costumes (this years theme being "Space"). Any suggestions gratefully received - I like the idea of riding down wearing fancy dress!

how about riding down as the smash robots, wearing colanders instead of helmets.

the silver suits will also mean you probably won't have to bother with a tent.

I have a geared itch i'm really struggling to scratch.........

I'm having a battle royal with my inner voice.

We ALL seem to have got it! I scratched mine. 8)

a geared itch? sounds like you need to buy your trousers in a larger size, or use a bit of fabric softener in the rinse

Titter........could the cubic capacity of said trousers accomodate 600cc I wonder? 8)

M'colleague is going away for a weekend which includes a fancy dress party, and brought to work this morning one Dalek costume purchased for £4 in Woolies' closing-down sale.

I was dared to wear it down to the boss's office, and did.

There may be a photo later.

Mmm Dalek on a Vespa - that sounds good.

This thread is now useless without pics, Alice.

Dalek On A Vespa would be a great name for a band.

I'll try and persuade my other colleague to release the pic she took on her phone.

Anyone want to join me and Alice for breakfast at the Oakdene Cafe at the bottom of Wrotham Hill on the old A20 on Sunday morning at 9.00 am ?

Bill XX

We'll be there for about an hour or so then I'm off to Brands Hatch for the German Touring Cars. Nice.

Dalek on a Vespa. Genius.

Were on the 3rd page people ! What a great day I had yesterday -
Up early to get to Brands Hatch to meet my best friend Nik (yes I'm still old enough to call him my best friend) to watch the German Touring Cars practice and qualify for the race today and while we were there we both had the best Full English we've tasted for a while and I swear I could hear my heart saying Hold up !
People asked me what's so special about the DTM and it's due to the fact that these cars although they look like road cars they are entirely built out of carbon fibre and run 400 hp V8 4 litre engines which make the most glorious howl on full throttle. They also look really sexy with huge wings and vents in the bodywork for cooling and downforce.
These things are very fast and much faster then the World or British Touring Car series because of thier increased power and weight or lack of it so fogive me for fawning but boy do they put on a good show.
They also slide out of the corners sometimes leaving lurid black lines on the track which for a big child like me that's really impressive.
Nik and I got caked in dust when two Formula 3 cars crashed into a tyre barrier right in front of us but apart from both drivers looking a bit winded no one was injured.
In the evening we met up again to watch District 9 at the movies which is a very clever piece of work but seems to want to work on too many levels. It's doesn't know if it wants to be a piece of satire, or sci-fi shoot em up,a
message about ingorance and racism or forgiveness and redemption then even a social comment about the power of the state over the little people.
Still a great movie though.

Oh yeah there is a sexy robot in it and we all like sexy robots in a ED 209 kind of way.

Bill X

Off to the races again.