Modern Vespa

I just started work at a new office (I'm an external consultant and work at the client's office) , it's on a relatively busy street in the city.
I park the scoot on the sidewalk next to other motorcycles and scooters. But I'm the only Vespa.

Monday someone spat in my mirror.

Tuesday while I was smoking I saw a women put her 3 year old kid on the scoot. The little bugger was playing with switches and trying to turn the handles side to side .... I'm surprised it didn't fall over. Before I got time to tell her to get her kid off, they walked away.

Today some POS put a Ronald McDonalds sticker on the front shield!

WTF why do people mess with my scoot!

I think it's just a matter of time before someone plays with it and it falls over or some POS vandalizes it.

Do you guys find that people often mess with your scoot? Is it because it's a Vespa? I don't see people messing with the other scoots.

Put an alarm on it, and turn up the sensitivity real high. It'll scare the shit out of the first person who touches it.

I luckily have not had anyone mess with my Vespa yet. Woe to the first person who does. I do check on it frequently if I'm parked for very long.

I have found a very cute chick on my scoot when I was leaving from work. Thought I would be cheeky and asked her if she wanted a ride. She went really red and told me "maybe later" then done the harry up the street.

Hehe nice.

Cute chicks aside, some people just have no respect for other people's property. Mine's been vandalized and moved before (not to mention the one which was stolen). It just makes my blood boil

same here. apparently some people are quite happy to move a bike or scooter in Australia if it was deemed "in their way". I would never dream of touching or moving another person's property without their permission unless you're willing to pay for damages.

Agreed hot chicks can sit on it anytime np
I hate alarms I disabled it completely on my VW.

No problem with eatheir of my Scooters.

Yeah.... must be a Great White North thing... Here in the States vandalism never happens..... All BS aside... I'm sure if you could find a garage near your office you maybe better off.

I've haven't had a problem...yet...with anyone fussing with my scoot while park.

Could be that it's not parked in an area that would be exposed to folks that may be prone to mess around...not sure if finding another parking spot might help (per Jimmie's recommendation...garage where they allow free parking?)

Where I normally park; no, it's not an issue.

You may have read of a couple of people pushing mine over when I left it outside someone's house for the night? That's been my only instance so far.

I've kinda resigned myself now to the fact that it's a nice looking scoot, and people that can't live with other people having 'nice things' are gonna do things to piss those people off - like tipping it over, or spitting on it. So whilst it'd be nice for me not to keep having my scooter pushed over, and getting even more scratched, I've come to the point where it's just a vehicle to me; a possession (but a nice, expensive one at that). I'm not normally 'defeatist', but I'm not the sorta person that would go and rough someone up if I knew they touched the scoot either.

I was on the bus on Cally Rd and saw a kid sitting on a swiddling the controls of a scooter parked in the street. Made me worry about some little turd messing with mine. The mum letting the 3yr old sit on your scooter was bang out of order. You should have chased her and raised your voice. A good fright would make sure she never did it again

(Soap Box put out)

Why is it that "cute chicks" can piss around with some peoples scooter?

Are the owners that hard up for a shag they'll do anything in the feint hope they may get laid?

Or is it that most comments question a male vespa riders sexuality in such a way that is raises deep harboured doubts, hence when a "cute chick" turns up, desparation and feint hope surfaces?


(soap box parked)

I used to park my Vespa outside my old office and would regularly find some ****ing idiot had been sitting on it and mindlessly flicking the switches - which would always prompt me to check the mirros and sure enough they would be out of alignment too!

On the other hand, I was at a nice cafe once and there was a nanna with her grandson admiring my beastie so I told her to let him sit on it. I think I converted one little boy to a love of Vespas that day!

I've had them tipped, spat on, vandalised, scratched, moved, run over and perhaps least badly, come home to find some eager beaver sitting on it, pretending to go somewhere.

There's not too much you can do about it, though I've had the satisfaction of turning up and talking to the relevant idiot sometimes, girl, boy, animal, mineral or vegetable.

Mostly vegetable, it has to be said.

Someone scratched my scoot on the first day of ownership. It still makes my blood boil to think about it.
I have an idea who it was but without proof I cannot take my accusations too far.

Installing CCTV next week.

I have had a few occassions when mums or dads want to put the little ones on the seat. I really don't mind this at all but it is polite to ask permission first. I would not dream of putting my kids onto someone elses property.

yes

Sorry to hear about whats going on with your scoot. Zero respect for other property is definetley a hard pill to swallow. Maybe a cover will deter them just a bit?

I've been lucky so far ... I worry about it all the time though. At work I am able to park my Vespa under my desk window. All I have to do is lean back and take a peek to see if she is alright. I also throw a Prima cover over the scoot in hopes it attracts less attention.

I once once parked my Moto Guzzi California in a small alley in town. I was just coming up to the alley when I heard the alarm go off. I ran round the corner expecting to find people stealing my bike but instead found a young Indian child and his father both terrified by the alarm and then again by me charging round the corner. In this particular case I felt a little guilty and let the kid sit on the saddle and rev the engine. It made the kid's day but I did warn the father that it wasn't a good idea to let him sit on other people's bikes in future.

What city in Canada do you live in? It might have something to do with how easily accessible it is when parked on the side walk rather than on the road. Here in downtown Toronto, I park my scooter with the cars on the road and not on the side walk. Perhaps I've been lucky, but I haven't really had many people mucking about with my scooter. Consider parking on the street and covering it with a scooter cover as a deterrent.

The quick solution is to change the law to allow people to carry concealed firearms

In college, we had to fight for finite parking spots on campus, and people would move my vespa out of a spot and I'd get a ticket, only to find some meathead's sport bike in my stall. You couldn't ever prove that specific person was the one to do it, so it was annoying.

I've gotten my revenge by age old patience. I just let time and probability take hold. The people that do stuff like this are dumb enough that they end up making a series of mistakes on their own that ultimately cause them more suffering than I ever would.

In all seriousness though, I've worried about this happening so often. Never had a problem, but I could see it happening. The closest thing I've gotten was people stopping to look at it (walking around it/looking under it/etc.). That makes me chuckle.


P.S. does anyone know where I can find the above sticker?

Second this recommendation. Get a generic one, without "Vespa" printed on the outside.

Could it be that the vandals are just pissed because you are parking on "their" sidewalk? Are maybe other bikes also vandalized and you just don't know about that?

I found that covering the seat with the stock cover is a good deterrant for anyone thinking to test-sit on it.

Or "Yugo"

Would you prefer it if he'd punched the 'cute chick' in the face?

That's crazy enough.... it just might work.

That sucks that someone has been messing with your scooter. Have any of the other mc's or scooters been messed with? Does maybe someone in your office not like you or hold a grudge?

Well, there's plenty of women out there who seem to love a violent asshole...yeah, might be lucky!

So far, it's been quite safe. Motorcycle culture in Chicago suburbs protects it. People don't mess with motorcycles here.

I have seen folks taking photos of it with their cell phones after giving it the once over.

I can't imagine why?



Actually, maybe the custom paint job protects it in a way. They look, but don't touch.

So if you have tricked out scooter, do people still mess with it? Or do only standard scoots get assulted by strangers? Does it happen to vespas more than others? Is it a "size" issue? Do they think it is a toy? Are they just rude Bastages?

we had a thread like this going once before and apparently a lot of people dont mind strangers sitting on their scoots, doing their bit to bond with humanity I guess. I would love an optional detonating device myself, just make sure your scooter's insured

Really seems like it's all a case of "out of sight, out of mind." Just buy a cheap cover and throw it over the thing, or find a secure parking area. Cheap insurance

I think the Vespa is it's own worst enemy. They look kinda "cute", so those that hate that kind of thing want to express their stupidity. And those that like "cute" think it's ok to play around on it.

I seem to remember seeing a lock that went on the brake lever and throttle, which would keep people from moving it, as the brakes would be locked on.

Alarms seem to upset people more than anything else here in the state though.

My scooter is parked in the front garden, and requires a ramp to get it in there so it's kinda safe from theft. That said, it's had the ignition switch messed with from the front side. I also caught three dickheads breaking into the pet carrier, gave them the shock of their life and chased them up the road. They managed to make off with a disc lock and they broke the plastic part the seat latches to so I could no longer lock it.

mr. dib and i park up in the same location people in this neighbourhood seem more interested in nicking bits off scooters that they can't steal outright. the novelty of simply sitting on them is fairly limited so we don't often have to deal with that. as far as i know my mate's 3 year old son is the only person other than myself who has sat on my scooter.

i have moved people's scooters before - like this morning, when i found two plastic scooters taking up 3 spaces in a very crowded parking bay. a little gentle rearrangement was infinitely preferable (from my point of view) to spending another 15 minutes looking for a parking space. plus i left an empty space on my departure. my good deed for the day

I think our litigious American society prevents people from generally touching another's property, especially with respect to picking it up and actually moving it.
I have not had this happen whether I've been parked on a street or in a garage.
That said, I would yell at anyone who touched my scoot or sat on it without the courtesy to ask first. Would they like me to sit on the hood of their car? Oh, let me play with your mirrors!

just buy a pitbull and tie that to your scoot no one will even look at your scooter never mind sit on it!!

Drongos! put a cover on it.

Scooter Condom????

+1

Harden up. It's the only story I have about busting someone on my scoot. if it was a cute enough bloke I would have said the same thing . You are always going to have someone messing with something of yours no matter what, so you might as well look for a silver lining somewhere.


Edit - cause it was a bit nasty