The Harley Electriguide is the biggest Harley made. I rode it to Sturges South Dakota and back in 2013. Nothing beats the Harley for highway driving. However, it’s rather big for the city. And nothing beats the Vespa for the city.
I know cyclists will tell you different. I bicycled across Europe with a gorgeous woman companion in my 20’s. I was young and athletic then. I’ve since had several bicycles and loved my latest, the Rad Electric Bicycle. But I’ve been a fan of scooters since I rented my first, in my 20’s riding about Hawaii and later in Cozumel, Mexico, having so much more fun.
My first scooter was an Aprilia 50 cc which I bought when I lived in the Vancouver West end. The Italians are famous for their scooters and motorcycles, world reknowned for their performance design and workmanship. The next scooter I had was the amazing Honda Ruckus. The Japanese captured the American market with motorcycles in the 60‘s and 70‘s. My brother loved his Yamaha 125, back when the 100 to 150 cc machines were all the rage. The big bikes, like the HD and Triumph 1200‘s used in WWII only became popular for cruising in later years. My HD Electriglide is 1600 cc and can carry myself, Laura and the kitchen sink at high speeds, all day without a care.
I passed my Honda 50 cc Ruckus onto Laura. We both truly loved it as the ultimate inner city get about. It only weakness was the lack of power going over Vancouver bridges. I‘d graduated to a Buell Blast 600 cc which had more than enough power to spare. I toured the whole of BC on that motorcycle.
When I lived in Saipan, the jewel of the Northern Mariana Island I rented Vespas. Laura and I loved touring the island on a Vespa 250. It was grand riding through the jungles and coming out onto a stretch of endless white beaches with vast expanses of blue Pacific Ocean. When we visitted Rome, not that long ago, I again rented a Vespa 250. It was one of our favourite days travelling around the ancient picturesque city, scootering from cathedral to cathedral to pray at the these famous sites of the most holy of relics. It was a bit gruesome, finding the head of one saint at one magnificent cathedral and the feet at architectural. The Vespa made it all so Italian. Really quite spiritual. Cobblestone roads made by the Romans. Places where St. Paul had walked.
Now I’m the owner of a Vespa 300 GTE Touring motorscooter and I’m thrilled.
In Vancouver, it’s an unspoken rule that anyone on a motorcycle is fair game. The trouble is female vegetarian yoga pant wearing liberal voters Huffington Post readers, with their unowned aggression in deep denial of their road rage loathing all things male, unfortunately, perceive motorcycles as masculine, It’s a life and death struggle with their constant negligence and insistence “I just didn’t see him, (before I smashed him like a bug with my Volvo SUV).” By contrast scooters are treated like bicycles, somehow seen as not target worthy metrosexual. They are less triggering to the liberal arts college grads. Riding a motorcycle in Vancouver is a serious matter. I’ve even a heard a Hell’s Angel say he wouldn’t ride his Harley downtown because of the poor drivers. Vancouver drivers are definitely the worst in the world but they are equally passive aggressive. However, they simply don’t target scooters. Admittedly when I’m driving my Harley, Steppenwolf, ‘Born to be Wild’ plays in my head while on the Vespa I’m hear opera arias or in the summer sun, the Beach Boys. People actually smile at me rather. Part of it is that they don’t know my Vespa as gas powered. Simply polluted with propaganda they believe electricity, even if coal generated, is ‘clean’ while all things gas is ‘dirty’. Vespa even has an Electrica version and Harley Davidson has just put out an Electric 500 cc motorcycle
My Vespa maroon and sparkling which rich mahogany brown leather seats. My Harley is black and I geared up in black armoured clothing. I bought the Vespa wearing shorts, tshirt and sandals. I wore a helmet. When I got home I added armoured gloves. Once a surgeon and musician hands are forever important. The fact is I’d mostly miss the ability to type these days. I just don’t feel I need to wear leather on a scooter. My Harley is 800 lbs and my scooter is 300 lbs. In the city I mostly do 30 to 60 km and routinely bicycled at 40 to 50 km/hour when I was younger. So while the chance of major injury remains it’s not the same as when I’m on the Harley on the highway doing 120 mph. The Vespa 300’s top speed is 135 km/hr. Admittedly less than a day old, I’ve had it over a hundred already. I was only wearing t shirt and shorts and helmet and being stupid but it’s not at all like the day I took my Harley up to 140 mph and chickened out finding just how fast it would go. It goes a lot faster but I’ll never know. What I confirmed with the Vespa is that it really can go on the freeway. If I plan on touring I’ll at least wear jeans and jacket. Armour protects joints at higher speeds.
The truth of the matter is I really like slower speeds on the Vespa. Sitting upright it’s a wonderful platform for sightseeing and looking about. I have already taken it out to a country trail to confirm that it’s just fine on country roads. I’m so looking forwards to taking mine camping and having a camera or a bow along as I explore. Laura enjoyed riding on the back of the Vespa for a spin so it , will be fun again to ride with her about the city. We rode all over the province together on my HD Roadster but she‘s lost interest in the highway the road trips I still love with my HD Electroglide. The last year Gilbert, the cockapoo was my companion on the rides up the canyon to Merrit.
Laura and even Gilbert, now, much prefers riding out to the country in my Ford Truck with the Adventurer Camper. I carried the KTM 690 on the front or back so will now have to arrange to carry the wider but lighter Vespa the same way. My Vespa is only 300 lbs.
I’ve only had it a day and already made the trip to the market. Like I found with all my previous scooters there’s lots of storage. My Vespa came with the box I’d had added to my previous scooters. It holds too bags of groceries. The under the seat storage holds tools and there’s even a rack on the front and a dashboard storage compartment. There’s a little ring to hang bags from at my feet too. I love my Vespa.
On the way back from the market and the post office I picked up burgers and fish and chips from the White Spot. With Covid I’d had to take two post office trips a week and with the Harley I’d simply be less likely to make stops. Not now. Scooters are just so convenient for multiple stops. I won’t even compare them to cars. Cars are cages and anyone who has ever had a scooter knows how much they open up a city. Parking is everywhere and unlike a bicycle you don’t have to go through all that locking up and chaining up one has to do in Vancouver where a million bikes are stolen by the hour despite NASA titanium locks.
Did I say I’m happy with my Vespa. Admittedly I’m happy with every vehicle. Vehicles are adventure to me. Different vehicles, different adventures. I’m the same way with canoes, boats and yachts. I’d really like a personal space craft. I asked my brilliant nuclear physicist engineer cousin I’m depending on him for a nuclear powered Harley Davidson with outer space capacity. For now I’m really looking forward to more fun on the Vespa. Last night I took it for a spin too to check out the lights. Perfect. Not only that but it was just quiet enough that I didn’t feel like I was disturbing the neighborhood. I don’t take the Harley out after 10 pm unless I have to and my KTM 690 was similarly, though not quite as loud. Loud pipes save lives. Not the Vespa. It’s loud enough that Laura heard me come up beside her as she was driving the car but not so loud that I couldn’t go out for a late night spin and feel I wasn‘t disrupting the neighbour hood. It‘s a trade off.
Metrovespa,the dealer was like a miniature, Trev Deely, my Harley Dealership. Martin, the sales man was terrific, so friendly and helpful. The service department is there and they do everything as well as manage maintenance schedules like Trev does. I confess,a major part of owning a two wheel machine, is trusting the service department. Harley and Honda have been great that way. Now I’m delighted to see the same kind of professionalism and concern in the Vespa service centre. The good news was that Vespa, doesn’t require much service, less than Honda or Yamaha. Vespa has always been known like Harley for being built sturdy. Tough little machines. Marten showed me where the oil inspection site was and added it doesn’t use a lot. He reviewed the walk around inspection bike owners need to know with powered two wheel vehicles. A tank of gas gets 200 km. At the price of gas today the fuel economy is terrific.
Now I just need more time to explore. One of my joys is going for coffee at outdoor cafe’s. I love to carry a laptop , and journal thoughts and impressions outside. A consummate blogger. Now I’m looking forward to next weeekend, weather permitting, a run down to the New Westminster wharf area on my Vespa. New Westminister is one of the most marvellous and oldest areas of Vancouver but while it’s only a half hour away from where I am in Burnaby I’ve simply not enjoyed taking a car or motorcycle down the hills to the waterfront. The Vespa was made for such terraced roads and traffic. I remember riding about such places in Rome.
Lots to look forward to. Thankfully a friend will take care of selling my KTM which ,while being a skookum motorcycle is too off road for any of my needs to day. Older I just didn’t ,this last year like the risk of leaving the logging and forest roads or any of the risk taking in the wilderness with an off road enduros deserves. A decade back I’d ridden my Honda 250 on deer trails and literally off roads through pastures and fields, jumping rocks and barrelling through streams. I didn‘t even think if I broke my body or machine, it would be hours or days before someone found me. This last couple of years I simply haven’t felt as courageous or foolish alone in the woods as I did younger. Someone else will enjoy the full experience of the KTM while I scooter about, never planning on leaving a road with my new to me beautiful little friend. Kaloo Kalay, he chortled in his joy! Thank you, Jesus!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment