Modern Vespa

Supposing, for argument's sake and on a purely theoretical basis mind you, that I am the owner and daily rider of a fairly heavily customized Vespa GT200. Chrome crash bars on the side and rear, fold-down rear rack, a flyscreen, re-dyed leather on the stock seat, even a Euro-style tail light and heated grips installed for cold weather riding. Oh, and a newly chromed exhaust, crank case and center stand, as long as we're talking hypothetically and all.

And further supposing, still purely for argument's sake, that despite my joy in having and riding such a fine vee-hick-le, I were to be the sort to nevertheless lust after a larger displacement scoot (a BV500, or should it ever arrive Stateside and catch my fancy, the "New" Aprilia Scarabeo 500ie), especially after being given a generous one hour test ride on a BV500 a few months back, taking it on the highway and coming back with a big grin on my face.

And finally, supposing I actually had the wherewithal to buy the new scoot without actually having to sell the GT200... And could even make the effort to find garage space for both vehicles.

Would this be insane? Wouldn't I really be either riding one or the other the vast majority of the time, rendering the keeping of the other scoot a complete waste of money and space (not to mention, depriving some other soul of the joy of riding it)? And should that "other" scooter actually be the larger one, well, that'd be a really bad purchasing decision now, wouldn't it?

Is there anybody who has been or is in the position of owning 2+ scoots and can justify saying, "yeah, it's not insane"? (Or, "I tried doing that, it ended in tears and a pile of ashes that used to represent a thousand or so US dollars"?)

I mean, is this one step along the path of becoming a Scooter Hoarder, so that I'll end up like a crazy cat lady in a garage full of bikes of various assortments? I have wondered about the snow/dirt capabilities of the Big Ruckus or Zuma, for example... And might like to give a manual PX150 a try sometime...

I have 5 bikes. Many people have more than that. Buy what you can afford, keep what you like, and as it's been said, "You only live once - and if you do it right....once will be just fine!"

Check my avatar--you're not insane. If you buy right-deal hard, buy used, etc. You can keep alot of cash in your pocket. You have to leave your emotions at the door when you deal. This is about you parting with your hard-earned cash for a toy. So the deal better be good. (It's not "Gee Mr. Dealer can I buy one of those? I'll pay whatever you want!")

You would certainly miss the Vespa. If you can hang onto it then do. Your significant test ride is a help on the prospective bike. But it's not an ownership experience. You've got to leave the door open for the possibility that you may not like it after all. You don't want to commit financial suicide in the process. Buying used can be a huge help here (and buying at Summer's end, AFTER Christmas, etc.). As always cash is king to the seller so have it in pocket prepared to buy then on your terms or smile and walk away.

Good luck!

I have a GT 200 myself, but it's not big enough to ride 2 up long distances, so I have been jonesing for a burgman 650.

Can't see getting rid of the Vespa though, its a great daily driver! So I guess we may share the same insanity.

Not nuts.

I have 3 bikes right now. A GT200, a Honda 599, and a Honda Elite 250 (which is running but needs work - it'll be my Cannonball Run bike). Nothing wrong with having or wanting more than one bike - especially if they compliment each other or serve different purposes. Or at least thats' my excuse, adn I'm sticking to it.

I have 2 and would get another one if the price is right. You can never have too may scooters [/i]

scooters are social creatures by nature and love being in groups!

that being said, i was in a similar situation a month ago- i'll tell you my short story: i got an LX150 which was the scooter of my dreams after starting off with a Honda metropolitan, so i had them both. then i got this hair up my ass for a GTS. figured i'd use the LX in town and the GTS for rides, maybe once a week for in town errands and whatnot. so i traded in the Honda on a GTS. so now i have a LX150 and a GTS. i love them both but i favor the GTS. i think i've put 13 miles on my LX vs. 450 on the GTS in the last 3 weeks.

but i AM keeping them both- i'm just breaking the GTS in...

That's what I fear will happen to me. Either I'll totally start riding the bigger bike, or relegate it to "long distance rides" which are rare for me, less than once a month at best, while continuing to use the GT for my daily commute 5 days a week.

And frankly the thought of clearing the garage space is a bit daunting.

But the heart wants what it wants!

Auugh!

Hmmm. We've got two scooters and three motorcycles in our garage. So you can guess my answer is pretty much in line with the others here.

Actually, coming here and asking this group if you should buy a scooter is like going into a bar and wondering aloud whether it was a good time for a drink.

I just had 5, just sold one... now just 4. a few years ago I had 6 at the same, not that hard. soon just 3 for good!

Pour me another one please...

I suspect there will be an immaculate conception in my garage in a year or so. Scooters are social little things, they like to have friends.

So many freakin' scooters and motorcycles I can't imagine riding them all. Even the possibility of keeping the carbs clean, gas moving through them and the batteries charged is a distant fantasy. If I'm lucky my spring service rewards me a bike I might be able to put 1000 miles on before the snow flies again. I rotate them in the garage based on the odometers. Sundays everything gets pulled out, fired up and rotated for the following week. The problem is I haven't bought these classics...I've adopted them. And I've got a whole leper colony in the basement...if I did just one of my own bikes a year i'd get done just in time to die.

2 good scooters is just perfect...serves the duality of man.

Also gives you a "spare" in case of failure or overnight service.

If we were meant to enjoy the exact same ride every day of our lives we'd only be allowed one wife (at a time).

I'll send mine over...They'd have lovely babies...

Vespretta or Lamspa?

And will it be like asses - the next generation down can't reproduce?

i have nine. yes, nine.
all serve different purposes. all have different personalities. all look and ride differently.

it's nice to go into the garage and think: i'm in this kind of mood; which bike matches my mood today...

word of advise-- don't leave them unattended in the garage. they'll reporduce like bunnies!

best,
-greasy

Noo,the twin GTS...keep the breed pure!

Oh - and they will have beautiful children who look just like them.

(It is taking a lot of self control not to go get me one of them noisy exhausts right now. I have decided that pride matters and I need to get eth riding skills up before I get too obsessed with performance parts.)

Pop Quiz:

Can anyone tell me the perfect number of scooters a person should own?

(There is only one correct answer).

As many as they can manage

"Duality of Man"? You mean, I should designate one Yin and one Yang? That's funny.

Your second point touches on one of the key reasons I'm jonesing for a #2. (Er, change that to a second scooter.) I've been scootless for nigh 'pon two months now due to work being done on my GT, and one of the rides I'm seriously considering is the Aprilia Scarbeo 500ie, which by reputation may have a very long wait for (body) parts if I ever need them.

Ooh, is this one of those Zen koan like things, where the answer is "one: the scooter you're riding right now"?

Or is it forty-two?

Nope, correct answer is "one more"

i've got 4, 1 moped, and 2 more vespas to buy this summer. once you get the second one, you're like, "well hey what's another one going to matter?"

CONGRATULATIONS! Oldswimcoach, you are indeed correct.
"One more" is the only possible correct answer. You get a gold star.

True true, very true!

But I still want to hear about people's actual experiences owning and riding multiple scoots/rides. Isn't it true that one basically ends up with a core ride, with the others being either situational ("long highway ride", "bad weather ride", "off road ride", "shlepping stuff ride") or an emergency backup?

Like the T-Shirt that reads (re: beer): "Having one is good, Two is too many, Three is never enough"?

My last home and this one both had to have three car garages because of my... addiction to bikes. I haven't been as far along as Greasy but since last year there always seems to be a couple that aren't mine which are brought here and put into the riding rotation. And there's always one in some state of "becoming" rideworthy.

I try desperately to tell myself I can only ride one at a time. Its not working.

Roadbum

I have 2 (GTS and Kymco People 150)and my husband has one (BV250). I would love a little Honda Passport or something similiar. I agree with an earlier post, you only live once. If you can afford them and you can store them, go for it.

You're not crazy. Keep repeating that and you'll do fine.

I've owned 2 scooters and I've owned 2 motorcycles. When I had 2 cruisers I only rode my favorite, same with the scooters. They were so much alike why would I ride the least favorite? For me the bikes have to be totally different to want to ride all of them. Now I have a perfect mix...a great cruiser for touring, an enduro for on and off pavement and a great around-town scoot!

As a fellow New Yorker, I can say that two scoots is a hassle, but do-able if you have garage space for at least one.

You can only ride one at a time, and at some point the futility of paying insurance and upkeep on two will catch you out, as well as the worry of theft and damage from the friendly streets of NYC.

Now... having a scoot and a motorcycle.... that somehow I easily justify, even though I only ride the big bike a handful of times a year. Two different purpose vehicles, two different trains of thought.

And you don't want that poofy BV500. You really want an X9.

These are not the droids we're looking for... move along, move along.

Purchase a GTS in Vintage Red,

Keep the GT as a Loner / Back up Scooter

Find one Vintage Project Scooter so you have something to keep you busy during those cold winter months.

i relagate them to different tasks. the vnb is the sit around look pretty go to shows scooter, the et the daily rider, the bajaj the grocery store tasker, the moped the ride up and down the street with the 3 year old beater. i just got the px so i don't know what will happen to her. i'm going to be getting an 's' and a probably a modern px 150 this summer, i suppose those will end up in the daily rider rotation. somebody will probably get b listed and end up as the camping scooter as well.

I've had my ET4 for four years, and I've used it both as a daily rider and for long trips, but I was interested in getting an older bike, so I bought a P200 over the winter. It's still garaged at a friends house, and I am looking forward to getting it on the road this spring, but I still plan on using the ET4 as my main scooter (especially in dealing with Manhattan traffic, it can't be beat) and using the P200 more for fun. We'll have to see how the balance works out, but I think each bike will have its own advantages and play a different role. Of course, now that I have two, can a third be far behind? As a New York City apartment dweller, the big challenge for me is not clearing room in the garage, but having to keep two scooters on the street!

Brendan

We have a Vespa ET4 & a Vespa GT200, plus a Burgman 650 & a Yamaha FJR1300. Different bikes for different rides Life is GOOD

Janine

Cindy, I'll wager you're closer to 120,000 miles than 100,000 now. At least 110,000. You ride hard and you ride a LOT. Any chance for an update to see what you're up to now?

Roadbum

This thread is very timely. I've been trying to get my Partner riding and found a good deal on a slightly used Blur. The problem being it will be a few weeks/months before I can get him to the MSF class and the "M" endoresment on his licence. So until then I'd have be rotating the 'new' Blur and my GTS on my rides to work.

As I read the various posts here it just confirmed what I already knew. You only live once and should go for it!

I have two scooters, but I have a special case where I keep one in my friends garage with hers (always supervised and one at home. This allows me to ride wherever I am(stupid Bay bridge), have a backup when one is being serviced, and have one to loan out when my friends is out of commision. OTOH, my husband has a project bike (never runs), his baby (puts thousands of miles on it), his new project bike ( I will change the face of scootering forever!) and his motorcycle (no, I don't have a shifting chip on my shoulder , why do you ask.)
And no garage. At all.

I was wondering when Jess or Mrs. Jess would chime in.

I have 2 scoots (LX and GT), although the GT is my husband's.



Mel

I haven't figured the miles lately, but I am looking forward to another trip out west this summer, maybe 5,000 miles worth.

Paige, I like the idea of a loaner if you know you will have a good outcome, but I am glad I sold my sister my other one before loaning it. She crashed it twice within 2 hours.