Modern Vespa

I live in Charleston, SC, where BIG-ASS TRUCKS/SUVs rule the road and anyone riding a scooter is secretly thought of as having had a DUI and can no longer posses a driver's license to drive a four-wheeler. Never mind that one needs a driver's license to drive a scooter over 50cc. Unfortunately, in most cases, people are correct in their assessment that many of the 50cc scooter drivers out and about in the Charleston area are using scooters as a last resort mode of transport. As such, it is difficult to find passionate scooter riders in my [red]neck of the woods. (I tease about the red-neckness of Charleston in an affectionate way ... the Charleston area is in most all respects a beautiful place to live, and it is full of good people; albeit not scooter riding types.)

I'm opening this thread to start a discussion on scooter culture in other part of the world. Is it passion, utility, the final choice when all else fails, or a mix where you live?

Some hill people don't like it. But most think it's cute. All are suprized it

can go over 55.

Paul

There's multiple scooter clubs in and around Denver, but not a lot up north in the suburbs where I am. Most people where I am have scoots either as cheap secondary transportation (as in, Chinese scoots), or big maxis they commute on, and do nothing else whith. Not all, but most. Just south of me, many college students in Boulder have scoots, because they're cheaper and we have very few requirements for 50s.

Here in Reykjavik, scooters are common, but you still see way more motorcycles on the roads than scooters. Scooters are rapidly gaining popularity though. I bet there's probably 200% more scooters around now that the banking crisis has hit us. Only one of my neighbors had a scooter before, but now I see 5 scooters parked around here at night. 3 of them are vespas But as far as I know, there aren't any scooter clubs in iceland.

Almost every scooter you see is a 50cc because you can ride them with a regular driving license and kids can get a special 50cc license before they are allowed to get the regular driving license for a car. 50cc's have blue license plates. I ride a 125cc vespa S and most people are surprised if they notice my white license plate and I get asked about it frequently when I'm out and about. The popularity of 50cc's can also be a pain in the neck when you're out in traffic, because when people see a scooter they'll automatically assume that it's going too slow and will pass you, no matter what speed you're at. I've had people pass me when I was doing 120 kmph down a mountain!

You are right about the DUI image. I am just a few hours up the road in Greenville. I currently ride a motorcycle but am thinking about replacing it with a large scooter like a Burgman or Tmax. I have mentioned this to a few people and they all said that everyone will think that you got a DUI.

I guess there's a reasonably active scooter "scene" in DC and Baltimore, but we seem to be far enough out in Annapolis that there is not the "critical mass" for that to develop here. There are a fair number of scooters here, but most are 50s ridden by students, waiters and waitresses at the many restaurants and shopclerks in the downtown area where parking is at a premium. But not much scooter-related socializing.

'Tis a shame, as Annapolis is an ideal scooter town, with plenty of ways to get around efficiently without resorting to limited-access highways.

In Santa Cruz, there is a club with about 25 members and I'd guess there are a couple hundred or so scooters. We have 4 dealers carrying Vespa, Honda, Yamaha, Aprilla, Peoples, and a perhpas a couple others few others.
Miguel

Here on the Cape, you see a smattering of scooters, the 50-150cc range. I'm not too sure about the Outer Cape, north of Orleans up to P-Town.
Visiting my sister in Cambridge, one sees alot of people on scooters.

I remember when I lived in Charleston, people either drove really fast or
r e a l l y s l o w.
I couldn't imagine going over the bridge from Mt Pleasent to Charleston.

OAHU. Big 50cc scooter scene here mostly in honolulu. Tourists and then locals who don't want to pay for parking since most of the time scooters park free and they don't have a yearly registration just a one time moped sticker . I see the occasional vespa and we currently have 6 people who are on MV most with 200's. One lives on kaui with a 250. I have never seen a scooter on our freeways but the guys ride on them. We get together for workshops,rides and lunch/bbqs but no club. There is one here Pacific Prowlers which is mainly a vintage club but anyone one can ride with them. In fact they are having their annual Sept ride in a few months. I met a few MV people 3 years ago who flew over to ride in it. Out here in the country we have mostly 15-16 year olds on 50cc scoots and me on my vespa

Here in London scooters are mostly just a fun way of getting through the traffic and more pleasant (and cheaper) than the train. It's not perceived as a stepping stone between walking and driving though - many car drivers get them simply cause they get bored of sitting in traffic, many motorcyclists get them cause you can just jump on them and go.

There has always been idle talk of forcing people to start driving by going on two wheels. The idea was they'd respect 2 wheelers a little better in future plus if they're going to drive around like maniacs then they're more likely to just kill themselves than a bunch of others. I always quite liked the idea but perhaps it doesn't work in reality.

I'm pretty sure everyone enjoys their rides though as most people seem to smile as they ride along.

DC and Baltimore both have very active scooter scenes but they are semi-underground and not likely to show up on MV. Many DC scooterists also share a love of motorcycles, mostly old and non-Harley.

As for Charleston, there are plenty of people on the Peninsula who would seem to appreciate scooters, including the [non-Citadel] student population, but across the bridges, forget it. I'll always have fond but ancient memories of living on Archdale Street as a young Coast Guard officer.

True ... but my Vespa 250 ie keeps-up pretty well. I sometimes drive I-526 and I-26, and the Vespa ... she does just fine. I think I freak people out though. I get the feeling that they think I'm not supposed to be on the Interstate. I'm not sure when you were in Charleston, but we've since gotten rid of the old cantilever truss bridge and replaced it with a new beautiful cable-stayed bridge. The new bridge is a blast to drive over. The old one was something to fear!

OLD


NEW

There's free scooter parking in downtown Annapolis, not far from the fudge shop. I have run into issues with parking in Annapolis tho... when the scooter lot is full and you park in a normal spot (during the busy season) people have yelled at me "go park that toy on a sidewalk"

I live in Aiken, South Carolina and our redneck ratio is probably even higher that Charleston. You are right that people generally assume that anyone driving a scooter in this area has gotten a DUI.

All things being equal, a 150 would be ideal for this small town, but the truth is that you need to power of a 200 or 250 to deal with the nuts who are absolutely convinced that your being on the road is going to cost them a few precious seconds.

I just came out of a popular biker bar/restaurant here in Charlotte (Mac's Speed Shop) about two weeks ago and as I was saying goodbye to a friend, three young men in their 20's walked slowly by my GTS 250 shaking their head. It was parked alongside some Harley's and the one young man just kept shaking his head and giggling. We made eye contact and he laughed saying "man, that dude's got some big Kahuna's. First he get's himself a DUI and has to ride one of those things and then dude has the balls to park it at a bar at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! Man!"

I was speechless-laughing my butt off. Never said a word. And my friend was crying he was laughing so hard...

Really funny thing about this bar/restaurant is that there is a "Joe's Vespa Veggie Burger" on the menu-a tribute to the original owner of Vespa of Charlotte, just a few blocks away.

I waited until they got into the place before climbing aboard to ride home.

Well, good to have some "big Kahuna's!"

There seems to be a lot of scooters running around Columbus, and quite a few scooter shops.
There a couple of scooter clubs that I know of, one of which puts on the Scoot- A- Que rally in the fall. Most people seem to ride for pleasure, and most that I ride with have at least 125 cc scooters.
I ride mine all of the time, we actually got rid of one of our cars because it was just not being used at all.
All in all Columbus is a pretty scooter friendly town.

What kind of motorcycle do you ride? Why the thought of replacing. I think it's cool I am just wondering why?

Scooters seem very at home in Orange County. I get alot of thumbs up or people yelling nice scooter! Emily and I went out for dinner at the Five Crowns in Corona Del Mar Tuesday night and the Vallet asked me to put it up front where everyone could see it and told me there is no way I am going to charge you. One the way out we had people honk and wave. It was a great way to spend a night.

I'm in a college town where there are many, many motorcycles and plenty of scooters too. They mainly seem to be a cheap form of transportation for students. We don't have the DUI stigma, though, because if you ride anything with two wheels and a motor, you have to have your M.

Most riders wear no gear at all, not even a helmet.

Charleston is a nice place, but it is way behind the 'hip' curve.

It seems - only through observation - that if one wears gear (helmet, etc) - then they appear to be serious riders. That sort of implies no DUI. I mean, it makes sense ... if one is careless enough to drive drunk, why would they give a flip about a helmet. So, in that regard - since I wear a lot of gear when I ride - I might come-off as a serious rider and not a drunkard ... HA! Got 'em fooled!

+1
I work at a small company (less than 20 FT employees) and there are three of us who own Vespas with a possible 4th (if he can save his money!. I ride my GTS about 25miles each way from my home in the suburbs to my office downtown and it's not unusual to pass another scooterist somewhere along the way. I think it's a great town for scootering...now if only we didn't have that whole winter thing to slow us down.

On the west coast of Florida, around Clearwater, there are plenty of scooters of all sizes and descriptions. Seem to be a significant number of 'older guys' 50+. It is a Harley town though and scooters are ignored more than anything else. But I must say that my MP3/400 gets a lot of positive looks and questions.

I usually pass at least one other scooter on a daily basis here in Northern NJ. When I am at my beach house on Long Island I pass them constantly. There is a big European influence there, and well, it is the beach. Most of the interactions I have with people are positive. Many say they are contemplating getting one, and they ask me where the nearest dealership is.

B'more sucks. I know the few mods around with scooters. Heck the guys from ex-Vespa of DC commute to DC from here. I never see them. I only see Asian stuff. I took my Isabella to Moto-Strada(only real scooter dealer) for a tire change. It's 10 miles out of the city and quite a hike for an et2 with dead plug and a nail in the rear tire. I was actually amazed to see how many they had in for service. I see, the one ET4 that's parked at Center Stage Theater all the time. Once in a while, I see this girl on some kind of ET, think it's an untagged ET4. I got the cook at Club Charles and his LX150. I got my 2 mod buddies that I forget their names cuz we get wasted and talk scooters when we run into each other. Then there's the hot skinny blonde girl (also fun to drink to excess with) that has a boyfriend and a Serveta. That's my umm scooter scene. My whole experience of riding anything other than alone or 2 up is bar hopping with my mod buddy and his Lammy one drunken night.

I'm in Melbourne, Australia - there are quite a few scooters on the road, heaps of Vespas. You need a motor bike licence to ride any kind of motor bike in Melbourne, and you can't ride if you have a DUI under a car licence. The main reason there's so many is because you can park them on the footpath (pavement) legally almost anywhere = free parking is awesome.

I know a lot of people that ride theirs to the train station to commute, and where I work there are scooters parked everywhere - it's brilliant.

Vespa has been selling scooters in Melbourne since 1956 too...

I just moved to St Pete and got my Vespa at Clearwater. I have not seen to many scooters out yet but I have run into the 50+ crowd while stopping my the dealer. Seems the sell a lot to the rich old guy crowd but that is Florida for ya.

Matthew who owns the place did tell me about Tampa 2-Stroke which is a vintage scooter club. He said they let everyone ride but if you have a newer one they for sure will poke fun at you for awhile.

He also mentioned that there are huge scooter scenes in Portland and all around California. Miami beach much have a ton of scooters also since it had the highest sales in the sate for Vespas. Orlando was 2nd I think.

I'm in Orlando and I don't see many other Vespas around unless I'm in Winter Park near Park Ave. Its a richer part of Orlando with a lot of sidewalk cafes. I think people ride them just to be seen. It seems most of the scooter riders ride for pleasure and not for commuting. I was surprised though at the number of scooters of all types that showed up for the Scooters for Hooters charity ride a few months ago.

I am one of those 'rich old guys' that you mentioned. I also bought my scoot from Matt at Vespa of Clearwater -- maybe I saw you there?

I bought my Kymco from Action Wheelsport in St. Pete. My son lives in St. Pete in the St. Mark/Euclid area. When it cools down I plan to take more rides down that way so maybe we'll run into each other someday. Just look for the old guy riding the midnight blue MP3 400.

I'd say it runs the full spectrum here in NYC.

Delivery guys on 50cc scoots (usually look like a Zuma but generally no-name brands)....

... long time vintage riders...

....trendy, single season type riders (buy it cause it looks like fun and sell it at the first sign of inclement weather)...

... daily riders who use them as their primary (or sole) vehicle in a very utilitarian way...

... and then the daily riders who are new to scooters but are hooked and ride for work and fun, come to the NYSC meet-ups, do rides on their own, etc...

It really seems to run the gamut...

South Florida is motorcycle country probably because of the year-round sunny weather. I live in the Delray Beach/Boca Raton area, which, besides being loaded with senior citizens, is a HUGE recovery community. That being said, we have a wide variety of riders.

Some in the sober community start out with the typical 50cc Chinese POC scooters because they can't afford anything else. They usually move on to becoming respectable cagers again as they accumulate clean time. Additionally, there are two national sober motorcycle groups that are big throughout the state.

The scooter scene is really blowing up in Florida. I became interested through a coworker who commutes by scooter, which is what I also do. Through Modern Vespa I learned about my group, SouthEast Florida Scooters
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SouthEastFloridaScooters/
There are links on our site to some of the other Florida groups in Sarasota, Ft Myers, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tallahasee, Daytona, Orlando & Miami to name a few. Some groups are in the 40-60 range, others are younger. Some are vintage, others cover the full gamut of Vespas, maxi scooters and the like. One thing is for sure--we all love scooters!

lol, I haven't seen many MP3's though I did catch my first glimpse of one being dropped on last Friday around noon for something. Perhaps that one was yours? Oh yeah? I actually moved here from Delray Beach/Boca I spent 4yrs there while going to FAU. Now that I think about it I never really recall running into any scooters around there.

Hi,

as Munich is beeing sometimes called Italies nothernmost City, you see a lot of scooters here on the streets, exspecially with fine weather.
The motivation ist both, getting more easily around as with the cage and having an enjoyable commute to work.

As the majority who owns a Scoot has a car es well, Scoots are more a luxury item than a real need. Therefore Vespas as a stile icon a frequently choosen and you find lots of restaurated vintage Vespas as well.


Regards

I would guess that there is a "culture" or "scene" simply where people choose to create one. I bought a 62 Vespa in 1964, as scooters had been in my family since around 1948, when my Dad bought a Cushman to run around town. In fact, several neighbors had Cushman scooters as well. Was before the days of two car families, and the Cushman freed up the Oldsmobile for Mom. Took my first ride on a scooter on the back of that Cushman in 48 or 49. This was in Suburban NY.

My uncle bought a Vespa in the 50's, and I first drove it shortly after getting my driver license in 1958. Again, no big thing, and he let me use it regularly as he normally took his car to his office for business reasons. Again, riding a Vespa was no big thing. Other folks in our town had them as well.

Bought a 62 Vespa in 1964, and have ridden continuously since. Once more, no big thing. As the Army moved me around, I did land in places where Vespas were rare as hen's teeth, but that's the only attention it got.

Now, I rode that 1962 VNB until 2005. It was not because I wanted to be identified or part of a "vintage scene". It was a good scooter and served me well. I enjoyed riding it and saw no need to get rid of it. Didn't make me special or anything like that. Was just a scooter that provided fun transportation. I kind of chuckle at the "vintage only" groups that consider themselves some kind of anointed few. I give them credit for keeping old scoots on the road, but beyond that, I am hard pressed to find anything else to justify any attitude of supremacy. But then, the scooters that made their winkies remi-rigid are something that has simply been a normal part of my life, and in many cases, from before they were conceived. I wish them well, but have nothing in common with their sense of elitism.

Where we currently live, scooters are simply one form of normal transportation. No big thing.

BTW, I could relate a virtually identical history about me and British roadsters. Owned about 8, and drove one continuously from 1963 until 1995, when I switched to a Miata in order to have a more easily maintained but similar driving experience. Would still be driving the Miata if it would have been possible to bring it here.

That said, I am a social creature, and always enjoyed being in contact with other folks who enjoy riding scooters (and/or Brit roadsters). Thus, MV, for example. Gives folks something to interact about. Some people have common interests in reading materials - and the list goes on. A "culture" or "scene" need not be manufactured for all these common interests.

Now, after all that rambling:-

I would suspect that the "being mistaken for a DUI" business in SC has very little to do with "culture" or "scene". Unfortunately, for some period of time, it seems that scooters were the only allowable form of motor transport for DUIs, and thus took on the appearance of a "badge of shame". I would guess that a significant portion of the scooter riding population were in this category for a while, as the US has really never been a major scooter market. It will take some time before people learn that there are other reasons for owning and riding a scooter.

So, in the meanwhile - just enjoy the ride!

Al

Portland is a serious scooter town. There are scoots everywhere.
People generally don't look down on scooter riders.

Lots of clubs promoting scooter riding as well including:
Oregon Scooter Club / Vespa Club of Oregon
Modern Vespa Riders (will that piss Jess off?)
Twist and Play (vintage oriented / drinking club with a scooter problem?)
Belladonnas SC (all gurl club)
Lucky Bastards SC (lambrettas and vintage Vespas)
Ms. Demeanors SC (all gurl club)

-Arjen

You FLORIDA guy should take a look at the South East Florida Scooters group. We have over 850 members all over the state. It's a FREE & Easy Yahoo group. You can hook-up with riders ALL OVER Florida. The LINK is below my signature. Most of the Florida riding groups have LINKS on the site and they also post their rides and events.

You will be surprised at how many active scooter riders there are in Florida.

Janine

Marco_luigi, you guys don't need a driver's license to operate <50cc? That's ridiculous! You lose your license for DUI up these parts you couldn't ride a 50cc either...

That aside, the scooter culture is pretty lame here. We do have some very small tight-knit groups, but the majority of the scooter population is completely disjointed. No waves, honks, nothing. It feels extra special when someone DOES give you the wave, but I wish more of the scooter folks engaged each other, got together, and so on.

The non-scooter population generally hates us as well. Yeah, it's an "old-world" kind of city, but there is an incredible amount of animosity towards scooters on the road. Doesn't matter what your ccs are, you MUST be going slow as dirt and on the road purely to annoy everyone else, right?

This seems to be slowly improving, however, in the years I've been here. I think the drivers are gradually numbing to all the two-wheels on the road.

I live in south Orlando, tourism central. Seems like there are some good groups in the surrounding areas. I don't ever see any other vespas on the road though, at work there is one other that I know and some other maxi and chinese scoots though.