Modern Vespa

I just bought a 2006 Vespa GT 200L in vintage green! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!! I am a scooter newbie so please forgive me for the somewhat silly quiestion

I need to get a helmet and wanted to see if there was anyone out there with some opinions. I want something that is visible to other drivers on the road, but also one that would look cute with my scoot. Safety is obviously most important but I should be able to find something with some style too, right?

Does anyone have any ideas or tips? What types of helmets do you have?

I also need to get some riding gloves and boots for my motorcycle safety class. Do you think that these boots would suffice? I'm on a budget so I want to get something that I can get multiple uses out of. I thought these would be handy to have for the rough Chicago winters.

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-us/ViewProduct.mvc.aspx/15471W/0/Womens/Thermo-Arc-6-Waterproof?galleryId=W-F

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Aloha and welcome to the forum. Find a helmet that fits properly. That's the best one. I have a FF shoei that i rarely wear since i don't do freeways. I'll use it on really windy days tho. Have a HJC and a Ruby helmet. Cheap to very expensive. I will have to say people notice my ruby way before they see me The sticker on my HJC garners a few chuckles but it's black and blends in. Here's a pic of them. Go out and try a bunch on. Find one that fits and also has the looks you want. Good luk an ride safe.

Thanks for the tips, Judy! The Ruby helmet is so fun! I've tried on a few but need to go try a few more before I make my final decision. Do you know of any websites that might offer better deals than the retail stores (once I find the one I want).

I'm so jealous that you are in Hawaii and have year-round riding! I think I have about another 2 months to enjoy my scoot here in Chicago then it's off to the garage until March or April!

I prefer solid white helmets, and believe them to be the most visible.

Not stylish at all, but that's less important to me than visibility.

Since you did ask: I think this might help you:



Good luck with the shopping & have fun!

And here's the citation: http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7444/857.full

I ride the same scooter that you do - I use a Piaggio Copter in black. It works for me.

DB try some on at your local places that sell them and then go online to buy it. If you use the measurement guidelines online it may not fit properly. With my ruby i measured out as a S and i got a M and it fits snugly. Would of been screwed if i had gotten a S. Plus most online places don't have a good return policy. I don't know of any good online shops but you'll get plenty of replies. I bought my HJC here (cheap so there wasn't much tax) but the ruby online ( saved $90). No tax if i buy online which is a good thing. Good luck

These comments are not to create a helmet debate, but rather to help you address the fact you live in a really tough climate. If you are going to ride in Chicago more than just the summer months consider a full face or a flip front helmet. White is considered the most visible although a few manufacturers are offering hi Viz yellow now.

You really need good face protection from the cold- I have both a Nolan N102 Flip front and a very nice Nolan N30 1/2 helmet mainly for hot weather scooter use. If you can only afford one helmet get the one that will give you the most days of riding (weather protection).

If you really want a truthful answer on boots, those ones you linked look warm, but will do little to protect your feet if you have an accident. Motorcycle boots are designed to do that. Some will provide a little better weather protection, but you'll need to balance protection, water resistance and warmth and get what makes sense to you.

Good luck with your new scooter- love the color.

Welcome!

In terms of helmets, I like HJC - they offer affordable DOT + Snell rated helmets. I'm not a big super-pricey-helmet person myself. I'm more concerned with the amount of coverage it offers and the safety testing it has passed.

While very pricey helmets often meet or exceed multiple safety standards, it is not clear to me how much they meet or exceed the protection offered by cheaper helmets which have also passed the same safety standard testing. I know people, for example, who are more satisfied with the comfort and fit of mid-range HJC helmets than low range Shoei helmets, despite similar pricing. If both helmets also meet or exceed the same safety certifications, then in such a case I would personally opt for the better fitting helmet. In a lot of cases, I think you pay for aesthetic design and the prestige of the name with some of the very elite helmet brands. Not always, but it's worth bearing in mind.

I recommend getting the level of head coverage you are comfortable with, and pay attention to the impact testing the helmet has gone through. It's your noggin

If you're into matching helmets, I believe Vespa makes a helmet that matches the Vintage green color. I sold one on Ebay a while back. It was almost the portofino green of my LX but not quite.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmets.htm

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmet-faq.htm

That will keep you busy for a few weeks!

Coming from a background a free-spirited motorcycle riders... a helmet was not part of their world, and until recently not a part of mine. However... now that I converted to the scooter world, and addicted to this forum, I after 30 years of being around bikes, have finally purchased a helmet for my scooter.... thanks MV!!

I was very concerned about really using it... I got one that's as stylish as my Vespa... and I wear it everyday. Yes, I know that being concerned about "style" has made me more safe...is a bot out of whack! By the way, I have the Vespa GT Helmet in Dragon Red.

So net, get one you will wear!

Black helmet. You can even add color-matched graphics etc... at a later time if you so choose.

As a newbie to two-wheelers I resolve that my first on-the-street skirmish (whenever that is) will probably be my fault. Based on that, I'll support xantufrog's comment 100%: After thorough research I knew that my first helmet should have two essential requirements: must be a good one, must be high visibility, and must fit correctly. (yeah, that's three, i know).

It just happens that my first helmet is an HJC, and just happens to be a white one. (it was the cheapest... i mean "best value" SNELL 2010 helmet at the shop). The longer I live, the longer I'll have plenty of time to pick out my "perfect helmet".

Good luck on that.
PS: There's a gray Copter helmet in the Classifieds.

I give this opinion without any scorn and with no offense meant...if you are a dude, please do not get a vintage green helmet to match your vintage green scoot. If you are a lass, have at it!

White or yellow helmet if you want people to see you better.

Before my MP3 I had a Yamaha C3 and used a half helmet. It was fine for the most part, what I didn't like about it was I hate wind in my eyes and it allowed a lot of wind to hit my eyes. It was matte black and with my riding experiences now I would have gone with something brighter that had better visibility.

+1 I would suggest my Nolan N30 Graphic helmet for sure if you are a lass, but if you are a dude, I would suggest another Nolan graphic. I have a portofino green Vespa and I like to ride my husband's black S. I like the one I have because not only does it meet my safety requirements. but I look pretty dang cute in it too and it matches every scoot in our stable.

theres no such colour for greater visibilty.... white on a wet misty morning ... yellow while traveling into the sun .... black in the dark

just buy what fits and you like........... thats not an order

White matches everything.

or


Matches nothing except hi-viz

This is why -->

I gotta agree with Bitsa. There are colors which may be better in different environments/conditions, but it'll never be ideal 100% of the time methinks