Vespas & other scooters

I'm thinking about getting a Vespa. It'll be next Feb/March when I get it. I'm leaning toward the GTS model.



Does anyone else here have a Vespa or another scooter? I've looked at some of the other brands online, but the styling of the Vespa is very appealing to me.

How much do you plan on spending? Dont go for a Dealer Drop Ship.

Cost isn't an issue, but I'll look for a used one first.

if they tell you Okay, it will be here in a month. If they cant put gas in it in 24 hrs or by monday.

Ihe engine is called a GY6 aka the honda clone from china. learn it...

It was a beauty with an automatic transmission. It looked just like this one here at the link below, but without the side car. If we'd bought the sidecar, I think we would have enjoyed it more:

http://bluecatmotors.com/2011/07/for-sale-1980-vespa-p200e-wsidecar-3200/

Not predicting anyone else's experiences, though. I like the idea of the Vespa with the 'floor' for driving in city traffic. A little bit cleaner than some. There are good Vespa shops in our area.

I rarely take anyone anywhere in my car.

That is really cute with the side car!

Plus I work with some Italians, I should get them to teach me some more "colorful" phrases to say as well. :)

in Philadelphia, and a bunch of actual Italians (not the South Philly 3rd generation variety) rode up on Vespas and stylish leathers, and sat at a long table next to us, yapping away in Italian.

We felt like we were on vacation in Italy!

Vespas look like great little vehicles for cities.

And I'm also referring to real Italians. They're ways so nicely dressed and dapper. Plus they're super nice and funny.

"Legal Moped" (30 mph top speed, 49 cc), does not require an MC license. Lots of fun to buzz around the neighborhood on! Ours is a former resort rental.

Did you find it difficult to learn to drive it? I'm pretty excited with my decision, wish I could get it now. I really think I'll love driving it around the city and at 80 mpg!

The guys at work are all excited for me, including the motorcycle guy (with a couple Ducati cycles). He's actually very encouraging and thinks I'll just love it.

interestingly, here in Milwaukee a lot of the students at UW milwaukee ride scotters and park them in the bike racks on campus. It's a very congested area with major parking problems so they are very practical. More Hondas than Vespas though.

I graduate with my bachelor's next May. I'm starting at the university in the city I live in fall 2012 for my MBA, which is only maybe 5 miles from where I live. Part of getting the scooter is to use as my main transportation there, plus I'm only 5 miles from work.

The one in the OP goes up to 80 mph, so though I don't plan to drive it on the highway, I could if I have to. It's got 287 cc's so it requires a motorcycle license, which I'm gonna get in Oct/Nov after the weather cools down.

PLUS, the motorcycle parking at work is right next to the door. :)

what are you studying?

I finish next May, but the following fall I'm starting my MBA with an international business emphasis. Actually during that break next summer, I'm thinking of starting a Rosetta Stone to learn a second language. I'm thinking German. :)

The company I work for is expanding a lot into international business development. I'm interested in getting into the export control area (working export agreements with the US Govt/State Dept) or the contracts area. I would loooove to get into business development, that's really interesting, so we'll see. This company has offices all over the world, so if I get into a good area, then maybe I could spend a couple of years outside the US working - like maybe the UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Japan, etc.

It has that old school look if you like that sort of thing. And you can get a sidecar for it.

http://www.genuinescooters.com/stella4.html

I like the old school look. :)

Looks really nice, but does it vibrate parts loose going down the road like a Royal Enfield?

The Stella's more of a scooter that you tinker with and is more mechanically hands on, while the Vespa isn't.

I lurk a Royal Enfield listserve, and I have the distinct idea that the RE is not a "Grab and Go" machine, I can imagine other Indian machines are the same. I had a neighbour who owned 4 Vespas and he spent more time riding than he did tinkering.

can take my chubby ass up the many steep hills on my commute at around 45 mph (it can get up to 55 on a straight-away) and gets between 80 and 95 miles to the gallon depending on which hills I take it up.
Mind you, I only take it on city streets and the occasional 1/2 mile run on a posted to 50mph "highway" because it's not freeway legal unless you can maintain 75mph on it - which is usually the 200cc range or above.
And I'm sure as heck not going to take a 200 - 400 lb vehicle on a freeway, no matter how fast it can go. There's times when I'm going 50mph where I feel if I had a bit more baggyiness in my jacket, I could get lift...
And of course, most drivers don't really see you. At least with city streets, it doesn't hurt so much laying the scooter down in an emergancy.

There's also a debate between Mainland "Chinese" scooters where there are any number of factories making the same parts with different standards(when I was checking two years ago, Flyscooter and Lance are the most reliable Chinese scooter manufacturers) and other scooters - Sym, PGO, Vespa, Piaggio, Bajaj, Honda, Genuine (built in America, but with a Taiwan manufacturer - PGO - for the engine) and others.
The dirty little secret is, of course, that most parts are made in China - even for the European scooters, and it depends on the company as to how much quality assurance and standardization there is on the factory line.
Check online for Scooter organizations in your area, and look at some forums - and they'll let you know who the best dealers are.
http://scootdawg.proboards.com
http://www.scooterforumonline.com/
And keep your shiny side up.

And as someone said up above, don't Dealer Dropship. There's a lot of shady dealers who scam buyers with that - because you have to bring the scooter up to running condition - hook up the battery, check and tighten the wiring and bolts, etc - and some scooters are dropshipped "flat pack" where you have to put it all together.
Almost all the scooter corporations void their warrenties once an "unauthorized" person touches the scooter in a mechanical sense.

On edit - make sure you take a state-authorized motorcycle safety course. That can knock 30% off your insurance, and you won't need to take the driver's skills test.

Haele

I found a couple of scooter message boards already. :)

I'm still pretty set on the Vespa model in the OP. It goes up to 80mpg. Everything outside the city is highway based (the DFW area). It's not like I'm going to ever want to drive to Dallas on a scooter, but there might be an occasion where it would be necessary to take the scooter on a highway.

I'll be taking the motorcycle class in Oct/Nov (after it cools down!). I'll have to get a motorcycle license for the scooters I'm looking at.

I guy I work with is big into motorcycles, and he knows quite a few scooter people too. He thinks I'll really like it.

I have old shipyard worker's injuries (back, knees, shoulders and ankles)and have actually found I feel better after riding the scooter than driving in a car. I leave my cane in the car, I don't feel I need it when I ride.
Nothing wrong with motorcycles but...
I generally sit up straight when riding, my arms are more relaxed, the seat is the perfect height and support for my length of leg to the ground, and I don't have to haul my leg over a potentially hot engine when I get on or off. I've also found I can haul a lot more on the scooter than someone with an equivilant sized - or even a bit larger - motorcycle can haul - 4 bags of groceries.
I also like not having to deal with coordinating handlebars and foot levers trying to shifting and break and remember which leg is doing what - some of the people who's first time on a motercycle was during the safety course looked as if they were trying to play three dimensional twister. (What can I say, I'm not really very coordinated and having everything on the handlebars was a major selling point...)

The downside of a scooter is that the wheels are smaller, and a bump or pothole can jar your teeth more than on a motorcycle with larger wheels.

Haele

Bigger than other scooters.

I've never really driven a standard vehicle. A friend at work offered to teach me on his Jeep before I do my motorcycle class. Really I think the Vespa being an auto is a huge upside. :)

I gotta say with the more research I'm doing the more exciting I'm getting. :P

Love it -- it's perfect for my commute in the non-rainy season and for travel downtown because it can be parked just about anywhere. A 150 cc is big enough that both Mr. Laurel and myself can ride around town and keep up with traffic with no problem.