Modern Vespa

I was pulled over in (freeway/like) Los Angeles by a motorcycle cop with a laser.

Allegedly doing 68mph in a 45mph.

xx edited to be vague for safety.

Guys, back in the '70s, crappy primitive radar guns could pick up baseballs (made of leather, mud, and other non-metallic stuff) with great reliability. A Vespa with that big, wide steel leg shield is pretty much a perfect radar target. A stealth bomber looks a lot smaller to radar than a 50cc Vespa. So don't kid yourself about not being visible to radar.

Police officers are generally regular human beings, and are generally interested in doing a good job for their communities. So if they see somebody on a Vespa, wearing safety gear, and riding safely, they're probably not going to get too excited if they're going a few mph over the limit. Especially as long as there seems to be an endless supply of drunken fools in SUVs with bald tires weaving in and out of traffic, or drag racing clapped out Civics from one speed bump to the next.

When I first started riding scooters I used to get pulled over all the time. But it was inevitably because the copper wanted to ask me questions about it! Back in the late 80's scooters weren't that common in Melbourne.

Most scooters are just as much fun to ride at the speed limit as above it.
The Vespa sweet spot is 25-55 for me, so I only go faster when traffic is passing me.

I got pulled over once in AZ for "obstructing traffic" (I do admit, I was on a 70cc at the time). But total bull, I say, as it was rush hour so no one was able to go the speed limit, I was just trying to find my exit to get off the freeway, and the cop was practically driving up into my topcase. He was a real jerk about it (I was polite, and did not try to weasel my way out of anything), and ended up spelling my name wrong on the ticket (even though he was copying from my license). This caused me to never be able to get the Arizona DMV to look me up properly for nearly 5 years, so I couldn't get the correct info to pay it off. Took 'em nearly 4 years to actually tack it onto my license. I never could figure out why they couldn't let me pay the ticket off properly, but they darn sure tagged my license with it.

What really shocked me was that I told the officer I was moving to CA (which, at the time, I actually was). He suggested I just make a stop in town, take a temporary job, and pay off the ticket. WTF??

I'm all for taking responsibility if I screwed up. But it pisses me off when a cop is a real jackass during the process. I mean, most people are already bummed that they get pulled over in the first place. There's no reason at all to purposely make it worse.

I once got pulled over for "unsafe" lane splitting in CA (I was just following other bikes doing the same thing, and of course I got the crap for it). That cop was a real jerk, too. Before I could even take my helmet off, she immediately said, "Let me guess! You have no motorcycle license, no registration, and you just stole this scooter!" She then proceeded to tell me that she was having a very bad morning, and I was lucky that her partner was there to calm her down, because she really wanted to take me away in handcuffs. I mean, seriously... yikes. I hadn't even said a word at this point.

I was once pulled over by a biker cop, just a routine random stop. He was extremely nice, complimented me on my riding ability, and told me he was very pleased to actually see a scooterist with a proper motorcycle license. So I guess they're not all bad, but boy, I've met some nasty ones.

Well put...... This is the only reason I will ever get a ticket on my Vespa. I will say "yes, sir" a couple of times, sign my name and be on my way.