Modern Vespa

Ok...I'm the first to admit I'm new at this...so I'm going to apologize if you've had this discussion before...Do people, strangers, pedestrians etc...sit on your scooter when it's parked? Do they engage your turn signal, headlight and kill switch?

Happened to me and wow...people have nerve. Should I put a coin receptacle next to my scooter like the children's rides in the supermarket? Is this something to worry about? Maybe I'm being too sensitive...

Great forum by the way.

Cheers!

No, you shouldn't put a coin receptacle next to it, and no, you're not being too sensitive. Sitting on and messing with a parked scooter or motorcycle is no different than jumping into a parked convertible and playing with the shifter. Do people sit down at others' desks at work and rearrange the drawers?

It only goes to show that the general public (by and large) view scooters as toys, and thus, are not to be taken seriously - on the road, or when parked.

Scurry.

Yes, I've seen this thread before.

I would be pissed if I came out and saw someone on my scoot. Do you have to park it for long periods of time for work, etc.?? If so, I would recommend a cover. This would keep the casual curious person from sitting on it.

Would you be upset if someone was sitting in your car, or even on the hood of it? I would be livid! A cover is a good idea. Or maybe a motion detector, with a LOUD siren!

Strangers messing with my scoot

Sorry about the repeat post...my crappy search skills...but thanks for the advice about the cover. I never thought I'd need one on the street!

Not quite the same thing is the way that the riders in our building at work eye each other's bikes when the come in to park when they think no one is looking. Especially the ones with the larger motorcycles looking longingly at the scoots parked next to them ;o)

Masala is right, everyone views these scooters as toys.

its insulting, I would be very upset if someone was sitting on my scooter when I walked up.

can we say BB gun? or sling shot.

Pretend they aren't there. Just get on (it might mean an elbow or two) and ride off.

You need to run up on them and slap them. It won't help, but you might feel better. I've seen people walk up to our aeroplanes, open the door and stick their kids in. So sitting on a scooter is nothing, and you'll never stop it.
It really sucks though.

I bet in Texas you can shoot them and nothing would happen. Next time they won't do it for sure.

I like your thinking !

i read a thread, a few months back, in which a woman came out of a business to find a grown man not only sitting on her scooter but also making engine sounds with his lips. that would make me crazy. it is so infantile. i do think that people see scooters as toys. and, i do not think it will change anytime soon.

You're not being too sensitive. This would irritate me too. Not sure how I would handle people messing with my bike, but I bet it wouldn't be pretty.

New York is a very pedestrian-oriented place, so I have no idea what happens when I'm not around, but the only two times I've ever walked up on people sitting on my scooter, they were women who wanted me to take them for a ride, and I gladly took them for a ride around the block and then wished them well. As for kids, I like the fact that they think the scooter is cool, as long as they don't mess with anything on the bike.

Brendan

this is how it would go down with me if i cought someone sitting on my scooter. I would walk up behind them, then have a flash back to being in the Marines and when i was in Iraq, and then when i come to, we'll see how things went. Or just a simple back hand to the eye and a get the fuck off always work.

Don't worry too much about the re-post.. Your still a lurker.. we forgive you. It does take a bit of doing to get good search results. I find doing the "search for all terms" helps to narrow things down. If I think the post was a project, using the Forum pull down to select the right area also helps get better results. I even use the "Search for Author", but that gives you all the posts he created and the ones he commented on, so you will still have to scroll through alot of posts to find the one with the information you want.


Getting a cover was the main answer from when someone else brought this up. As was a mention or two about coming out to find an attractive woman wanting a ride.... drats.. now what do you get a cover and stop everyone from sitting on your scoot, or do you leave the cover off only when your in an area with lovelies walking around, kind of like bait....

What really annoys me is when I get on my Scoot to go home and someone has been jacking with my mirrors..GGRRRRRR!

I'm not sure how I'd react. I know I'd be mad as heck. Probably ask them what was wrong with them. Whether or not I'd get physical would be how they answered.

I've got a Piaggio alarm with the sensitivity as high as it will go. If someone did much more than sit on it, they'd probably shit their pants by setting the alarm off. Which is why I generally put the seat cover on if I'm leaving it for more than a few minutes at a time. So far, un-setting my alarm has not indicated that this has ever happened, yet.

One of the guys at work loved turning my mirrors around. Now at 50 + years old you'd figure we were past such foolishness but nooo.... . I was
placed in a position that if I complained he would be encouraged to do it even more but if I said nothing, he would get bored and leave it alone (or not). Well, he did it few times and then one time when he was in the office,
I mentioned that someone was messing with my scooter and that the mirrors now were loose and slapped me on the arms when I hit around 50 mph. If they kept it up I would have to buy new ones.
He exclaimed, "That little thing will do 50mph".
"Yep , actually closer to 60." I replied.
He never touched it again. I think that some people look at scooters as toys and not real modes of transportation. ( the loose mirrors, ahh, just a tiny little lie, tightened them up and they are fine.)

I've been contemplating about getting those spiked strips,
You know the ones, They use them on eaves trough downspout bends to keep pigeons from nesting.

That outa keep their damed asses off my scooter,
Damned brats and the parents that actually put them on your seat.

I usually ask them if I can sit in their car to see how it feels.

xena disc alarms are quite sensitive and may work well for you. Probably the best solution is a cover.

The seat cover alone makes sitting on a Vespa a rather unattractive experiment, particularly, if the helmet is on its peg.

I have yet to find anybody mess with mine so prepared.

If you want to do more, you can even keep a rather uncomfortable item hidden under the seat cover

I came out of work the other day to find a stranger sitting on my GTS smoking a fag (cigerette in the UK btw).

I screamed GET OFF MY FXXKING SCOOTER NOW !
I shouted so loud and was foaming at the mouth lol everyone stopped to see what was going on.

The man in question an asian chap was shocked and jumped off the scooter apolagising prefusly.
After a few seconds of him groverling I had calmed down.
I did explain though that this Blue 250 is my work bike and if it had been my brand new 300 he was sitting on he would be picking himself and his teeth up off the floor right now.

I wish I was there!

Sometimes I see tourists taking pictures of it. I just leave them be, I don't really care.

My scooter's finally been knocked down (parking on the sidewalk!) so it's not pristine anymore anyways... it's just a scooter, no big deal.

I guess if I see someone sitting on it or messing w/ the mirrors that'd be another story.

Covers go a long way in preventing silliness done to your scooter. Takes me 20-30 seconds to put on and take off the cover on my scooter.

There are some 1/2 covers that only cover the top 1/2 of the scooter that would be even quicker.

Great timing on this topic. I just got back from a ride and noticed my 03 ET4 had some bad scuff marks on the left cowl. There was not a mark on it until today. While I was parked, apparently someone decided to "throw a leg over" and nailed the cowl when they did so. Sadly, they could have stepped through but didn't.
Most of the scuff was from a rubber sole and I could remove it; the underlying paint knick underneath, not so much. The scoot is silver and it really shows. It makes me sick that a 6+ year old vehicle could have such immaculate paint until today. I realize what's done is done and it's either ride it and have fun or just admire it in the garage. I guess the rule of thumb is if you are going to be in a public place, anything and everything is potentially fair game. Oh, and I've only owned my scoot for two months. (end of rant)

That might work, A big strapon under the seat cover,
Heh, But then again, Maybe not.

Ummm, ewwww?!

You can borrow mine.

Bill X

I've had a bunch of fast food wrappers in my floor boards when someone was evidently enjoying a meal on my scooter. I've also had people write insults on my rear view mirrors with lipstick.

The strangest thing was one morning when I was going to my scooter to go to work. There was a 3 1/2 foot stuffed panda sitting on my seat. The kind you might win as a big prize in a carnival. I just set in on the sidewalk for someone else to pick up.

We need to make a pact, if we see anyone fuming at some gormless moron messin with a scoot, we should go over and back them up. Chuck Norris and stuffed Pandas are notable exceptions tho.

Take an old board and pound some long nails through the bottom. Apply it to the seat, nails up. : )

It will keep the pigeons off as well.

There is no real excuse for anyone to be messing with anyone's vehicle.

then the yahoos would take it and start smacking the scoot, not a good idea.

would be best to just put a cover over it when parked.