Thursday, 30 June 2011
As mais recentes tendências dos fabricantes scooteristas
O mês de Junho foi fraco em novas tendências scooteristas: nada de faróis suplementares nas tampas das válvulas ou porta-couves cromados instalados nos retrovisores. Julho, no entanto, afigura-se pródigo em novas tendências de fabricantes scooteristas.
A LML acabou de lançar uma versão da sua popular Select II (baseada na chaparia da T5) mas com um motor 150 a 4 tempos. "Bidanaice", era só
A LML acabou de lançar uma versão da sua popular Select II (baseada na chaparia da T5) mas com um motor 150 a 4 tempos. "Bidanaice", era só
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Rescaldo do teste da PX
Sempre que eu saía à rua com a "nova" PX era sujeito a uma barragem de admoestações que seguiam invariavemente a mesma fórmula: "Ei, essa não é a Vespa da revista Caras? E porque é que você não está a usar um capacete Agatha Ruiz de la Prada?"
Para tentar educar a mole de peões e automobilistas que reconheciam a 63-LO-82 como sendo a PX testada pelos meus ilustres colegas, fui à mala de
Para tentar educar a mole de peões e automobilistas que reconheciam a 63-LO-82 como sendo a PX testada pelos meus ilustres colegas, fui à mala de
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
A visit at Vittorio's!
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| The museums first room, only for Lambretta's! |
On the way home to Sweden after our Italian holiday, a stop in Rodano outside Milano came about. I just had to take a look at Vittorio Tessera's new museum. The story is that he has bought a building in the industrial area of Rodano. Here he can accomodate museum, ware house and workshop in the same building.
The new museum is divided in three larger rooms and one small.
The biggest - of course - displaying all kinds of Lambrettas. Among them the weird Argentinian Siambretta.
The second room is devoted to scooters from other countries. Japanese, German, Belgian, French, Austrian and British makes are on display. Sadly no Swedish...
The third room, or the first if yoy use the right entrance, have Vespa's and other Italian model's. And som of the oldest scoot's, from the 20's and so on (not my cup of tea). The smallest room contains some racing Lambrettas and the two-cylinder factory prototype.
- Now it's enough. I have 160 or so scooters. It has to be a very special scooter from now on if I'll buy another one, Vittorio told me when he showed me the museum.
All the 160 scooters aren't displayed in the musuem, some are stored.
So, here is a first look at the "Museo Scooter & Lambretta".
There will be more in the future!
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| Lambretta Vega 75 cc. |
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| A ice-cream vendor's dream machine! |
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| Vittorio has enlarged old photos, for that lovely nostalgic feel! |
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| A yellow B, the colour ordered by the Innocenti family. |
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| Lambretta 150 D from 1955. |
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| Bastert Einspurauto, the german luxury scooter. |
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| An Austrian KTM Mecky from 1958. With a Sachs 50 cc. |
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| Belgian and strange, a Phenix 175 cc from 1954. |
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| Fuji Rabbit S12 from 1947, the first japanese scooter. |
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| Strange, an American Powell C 47 from 1947. |
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| The Soviet copy, Wjatka. A crude Vespa GS 1955... |
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Faro basso 1956 and the front of the magazine Motociclismo presenting the Vespa's debut. |
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| The new premises of both the museum and Casa Lambretta. Very close to the old place. |
De pé até às 2.30 da manhã a terminar o teste da PX. Hoje férias. Posta Sem Conteúdo Original (P.S.C.O.). "Xassos Urban Cup - Fontes". Resistência de charutos 50cc. Vejam aqui como foi há três anos.
XASSOS URBAN CUP 2011
Os “Xassos” já aquecem os motores.
A edição deste ano do "Xassos Urban Cup – Fontes", que vai ser intercalada pela Semanal Cultura de Santa Marta de Penaguião, traduz-se,
XASSOS URBAN CUP 2011
Os “Xassos” já aquecem os motores.
A edição deste ano do "Xassos Urban Cup – Fontes", que vai ser intercalada pela Semanal Cultura de Santa Marta de Penaguião, traduz-se,
Monday, 27 June 2011
Bob testa a "nova" PX de 2011
Há alguns anos atrás tivemos o desprazer de assistir à triste extinção da Vespa PX, terminando 30 anos de produção contínua. Se a Piaggio achou que os lucros do modelo não justificavam a continuidade da linha de montagem ou se estavam convencidos que não seria prático modificar o motor para cumprir as novas normas de poluição, nunca saberemos. Do que temos certeza é que a PX está novamente no
Friday, 24 June 2011
Rare Ape Calessino
Quite a surprise! Upon leaving Cortona I stumbled on a rare vehicle from Piaggio parked on the Piazza Garibaldi. An Ape Calessino, only 999 of the threewheelers were built in 2006 to celebrate 60 years of Vespa. Hrm, it's powered by a 422 cc big diesel engine which hurls it up to 56 km/h.
This very example was the nr 667 built. A one hour and 20 minutes tour will cost you 50 euro.
New but nice!
Viagem fotográfica pela PX de 2011
Estamos prestes a partir numa viagem fotográfica pela PX "nova"/2011/E3. Por favor mantenham os braços e pernas dentro do veículo. Se não gostarem das minhas fotos sobre-saturadas, a minha desculpa é que fiquei sem bateria e a luz estava muito forte. Obrigado por terem escolhido a Horta das Vespas para satisfazer as vossas necessidades blogófilas de índole scooterista.
O velocímetro já
O velocímetro já
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Ancora una volta; Vespe
Some more Vespas from my walkabouts in the town of Camucia.
The white PX sits in a garage and looks like it's ready to go.
The guy on the yellow 50R is Andrea. He told me it's a 1973 model, just like my son's 50R. But the tail-lights differ, the one the Swedish model is bigger.
The last white is a Primavera 125, nice condition. Prepared to carry a heavy load.
The white PX sits in a garage and looks like it's ready to go.
The guy on the yellow 50R is Andrea. He told me it's a 1973 model, just like my son's 50R. But the tail-lights differ, the one the Swedish model is bigger.
The last white is a Primavera 125, nice condition. Prepared to carry a heavy load.
Dissecando o conteúdo do porta-luvas da PX E3
Como primeiro passo nesta fantástica viagem de descoberta da PX125 de 2011, decidi lidar inicialmente com o tópico mais importante de todos que, certamente, é a vossa principal dúvida e ansiedade no que respeita a este cintilante ciclomotor: o que se encontra no porta-luvas?
Exactamente! Enquanto outras publicações e agências de media reportam assuntos triviais como performances, preço ou
Exactamente! Enquanto outras publicações e agências de media reportam assuntos triviais como performances, preço ou
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
The Montepulciano experience
This seat seems to be in fashion in the hill town of Montepulciano in the Siena region. We went there to "mangiare". The town is situated on a mountain ridge and you enter through a medieval gate. The you walk and walk uphill until you reach the piazza. Very nice!
The blue Vespa seems to be a 50 Special. The green should be a PK, vero?
I can't read the make of the saddle. Photos by telephone so the quality is not at it best. The photo of the green Vespa was taken at 21.30.
The blue Vespa seems to be a 50 Special. The green should be a PK, vero?
I can't read the make of the saddle. Photos by telephone so the quality is not at it best. The photo of the green Vespa was taken at 21.30.
Under the Tuscan sun
It's very hot here in the surroundings of Cortona. One local uomo that I spoke with said that these temperatures are more normal for August, it's over 30 degrees C in the shadow. After my youngest son got an italian haircut, I managed to capture some Vespas in Camucia, the "new town" below Cortona.
The first is a PX sitting in a window of à clothes shop.
Next one is a PK 50 XL.
The Ape is relatively old, I like how the Piaggo emblem is glowing.
The green Vespa is a 70's Vespa 50 special, I think. I didn't catch the name of the driver. À nice restoration.
Last, another PK 50 XL.
The first is a PX sitting in a window of à clothes shop.
Next one is a PK 50 XL.
The Ape is relatively old, I like how the Piaggo emblem is glowing.
The green Vespa is a 70's Vespa 50 special, I think. I didn't catch the name of the driver. À nice restoration.
Last, another PK 50 XL.
Ho sbagliato, my mistake!
The Vespa in the former post is not a VBB. Always check the wheel size first...
The walking encyklopedia Patrik suggests that it's a late VNB, 125 cc, 8-inch wheels.
I blame the fact that the blogpost was conceived under the influence of Limoncello. And that I'm not so good at recognizing the modern Vespas of the sixties...
The walking encyklopedia Patrik suggests that it's a late VNB, 125 cc, 8-inch wheels.
I blame the fact that the blogpost was conceived under the influence of Limoncello. And that I'm not so good at recognizing the modern Vespas of the sixties...
Bob testa a PX da revista Caras
Boas novas! O importador da Piaggio em Portugal, provavelmente atento às mais Recentes Tendências Blogófilas da Cena Scooterista Nacional (R.T.B.C.S.N.), decidiu enviar-me uma PX das "novas" para ser testada na Horta - um sinal certo do Apocalipse Scooterista Vindouro (A.S.V.).
Consequentemente, tenho 5 dias para derreter à bruta efectuar um teste profissional e abrangente a esta bela PX125, que
Consequentemente, tenho 5 dias para derreter à bruta efectuar um teste profissional e abrangente a esta bela PX125, que
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Pontos de segurança
Na recente prova de Resistência em Abrantes, tive a oportunidade de ajudar a realizar as verificações técnicas às Vespas competidoras. Longe de serem um exame implacável que impõe regras rígidas, estas inspecções possuem uma componente de educação muito importante num desporto que se quer acessível mas seguro.
Se têm uma Vespa de corrida ou pensam construir uma, gastem alguns poucos minutos a
Se têm uma Vespa de corrida ou pensam construir uma, gastem alguns poucos minutos a
Monday, 20 June 2011
La prima Vespa in Cortona
At last! A Vespa in Cortona. Earlier I have seen som small frames from a distance, no chance to take any photos. Last night we went out for dinner. On the way to the trattoria my youngest son pointed down an very, very narrow alley.
It was a Vespa GL 150, 1962-1965. I think this one, nicely restored, is missing a list on the front fender.
The second pic is of a poster for the opera L'Elisir D'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti. The premiere was in 1832, so I wonder what's with the Vespa on the poster. Allora, Vespa sono un elisir per me. The opera will be performed in Teatro Signorelli in Cortona on the 29th of June to 2th of July.
The third picture is of an old statue. Well, not etruscan by any means. It's the mascot of the 1990 World Cup of soccer in Italy. The approx 3 meter high statue of metal is rusting a bit. I would love to have it in my garden!
Dois Bobs entram num bunker...
Coisas estranhas se passam no bunker. Fui voluntariado à força para servir de modelo num projecto fotográfico de um amigo. Como adereço, peguei na primeira GS150 que me apareceu à frente. :-)
Foto de Nuno Dantas
O processo fotográfico, por estranho que pareça, não envolve nenhum tipo de fotomontagem. Trata-se, sim, de uma exposição demorada de alguns segundos num ambiente escuro durante a qual
Foto de Nuno Dantas
O processo fotográfico, por estranho que pareça, não envolve nenhum tipo de fotomontagem. Trata-se, sim, de uma exposição demorada de alguns segundos num ambiente escuro durante a qual
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Ready, Set... Can't Go :(
A vida por vezes troca-nos as voltas e desta feita questões familiares impedem-me de participar nesta passeata que me habituei a fazer nos últimos 3 anos. Disse passeata porque deste que o Agent se lembrou de fazer 15.000 Km's numa Vespa, tive de alterar a escala de classificação kilométrica:
1- Até 1.000 Km: Ida ao café
2- Até 5.000 Km: Passeata
3- Até 10.000 Km: Passeio
4- Mais de 10.000 Km: Viagem
Ao Vasco as minhas desculpas por te "abandonar" assim.
À T5 uma palavra de consolação. Estás com muito bom aspecto e não perderás pela demora:
No entanto a "Scuderia Serenissima" com o Nº 14 marcará presença na mesma com o Vasco e o Hugo Oliveira a quem peço o favor de se divertirem à brava.
Tentarei ir ter convosco à chegada a Lagoa.
1- Até 1.000 Km: Ida ao café
2- Até 5.000 Km: Passeata
3- Até 10.000 Km: Passeio
4- Mais de 10.000 Km: Viagem
Ao Vasco as minhas desculpas por te "abandonar" assim.
À T5 uma palavra de consolação. Estás com muito bom aspecto e não perderás pela demora:
No entanto a "Scuderia Serenissima" com o Nº 14 marcará presença na mesma com o Vasco e o Hugo Oliveira a quem peço o favor de se divertirem à brava.
Tentarei ir ter convosco à chegada a Lagoa.
No Vespa, but italian...
No Vespa yet here in Cortona. But we're just resting around the rented house. On the parking lot of the grocery store there was this Fiat 500 Nuova. The model appeared in 1957 with an 479 cc "big" engine producing 13 hp. I think a lot of scooterists would choose this as a subsitute. Unfortunately this one had a dent on the right front wing.
Yeah, that's me posing.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Una sera in Italia
Sono in Italia. Ho mangiato prosciutto, formaggio, pomodori, salate, ulivi e pane. Ho bevuto vino rosso e limoncello. Il bicchere e' molto bellissima:
Friday, 17 June 2011
Circuito da Boavista em Vespa
DOIS vídeos da Horta numa semana?! "What's the catch?" Bem, o segundo não é grande coisa do ponto de vista cinematográfico.
A pedido de vários leitores, fica aqui uma tentativa de volta completa ao Circuito da Boavista (a uns meros 2 minutos de minha casa) em cima duma Vespa, marcando a minha primeira vez com uma câmara de capacete. A zona da meta é toda em sentido contrário e, portanto,
A pedido de vários leitores, fica aqui uma tentativa de volta completa ao Circuito da Boavista (a uns meros 2 minutos de minha casa) em cima duma Vespa, marcando a minha primeira vez com uma câmara de capacete. A zona da meta é toda em sentido contrário e, portanto,
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Ferramentas improvisadas na Resistência
Um alavancómetro bem enjorcado para descolar os pneus das jantes...
...um compressor de embraiagens...
....e, claro, o tubo grande para desempenar guiadores.
...um compressor de embraiagens...
....e, claro, o tubo grande para desempenar guiadores.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Mail, delivered by Vespa's
I don't really remember how I found this pictures. They're from The Sydney Bus Museum in Australia. A fine part of Australia's postal history.
On the seat inside the Ape you can see a sign with the letters PMG, which stands for Postmaster-General's Departement. It was founded in 1901.
The Piaggio products, the VBB (?) Vespa and the Ape was used in the beginning of the sixties. Sydney Bus Museum credits the firm Ansair in Melbourne for the box behind the cabin of the Ape, which were used in inner-urban areas.
The Vespa's were more common in Adelaide, from the sixties until the late 70's.
Look how the Vespa has been reinforced to hold heavy loads of letters up front.
Let's hope the postman had a saddle at least!
(Pictures published with authorization from The Sydney Bus Museum)
O "Torpedo"
Quando me fui despedir dos Vespistas do Norte, estavam eles prestes a embarcar numa viagem monumental até à Noruega, foi impossível não reparar na Vespa do Vasco, um híbrido customizado em cinzento-mate que oscilava perigosamente entre o tunning teutónico e o "rat-bike". Com a minha curiosidade despertada, fui saber mais.
O Vasco montou esta Vespa propositadamente para servir de
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Cosa, more beautiful now?
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| Cosa from Piaggio, not a Vespa? |
I remember when the Cosa from Piaggio was in the shops. I had just bought my Vespa GS 1961. I thought the Cosa was ugly as hell. Too square at the back and ungainly overall. But I never drove one, or has driven one after that. I now know that the Cosa clutch is highly praised.
The photo above was taken today outside Stockholm. I'm pretty sure that it's the same Cosa that was for sale on an Internet-site here in Sweden a couple of months back. It's an import from Germany and it was registered in Sweden in the beginnning of April, and for sale a couple of days later.
As time goes by, I've started to appreciate the Cosa. Not only for it's part in the Piaggio story (a sad part, they tried to get away from the Vespa brand), but now I kind of like the quirky look!
Tudo sobre a LML 200 quatro-tempos
Recebi um email da internéte a avisar que as novas LML de 200cc a 4 tempos chegam em Julho aos concessionários Italianos. A esperada Star 200i possuirá um motor de três carters com uma árvore de cames, duas válvulas, pistão de 65.5x59.3mm, catalizador da era espacial e certificado Euro 3. Quanto ao chassis, presumo que será idêntico ao já existente na gama de quatro tempos.
Fotos de LML Italia
Fotos de LML Italia
Monday, 13 June 2011
Time-lapse na Resistência
Poedmos estar a atravessar uma época de feriados e mini-férias onde apetece carregar uma GTS vermelha com uma quantidade perigosa de tralha...
...mas a Horta continua a trabalhar. Baldei-me na Quinta-feira (não houve posta) mas vejam o que eu fiz! Um time-lapse com o pôr do Sol e o nascer do Sol nas boxes da Resistência de Abrantes! O astro-Rei também deu uma volta à pista.
E se gostam de
...mas a Horta continua a trabalhar. Baldei-me na Quinta-feira (não houve posta) mas vejam o que eu fiz! Um time-lapse com o pôr do Sol e o nascer do Sol nas boxes da Resistência de Abrantes! O astro-Rei também deu uma volta à pista.
E se gostam de
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Moscone, the Vespa of the sea
It's summer! Time for boating. No, it's not.
But since this is a Moscone from Piaggio I had to buy it. It's a 100 cc producing 3,3 hp at 4 000 rpm. I believe that it's from the early 1950's. The information on the early outbord motors from Piaggio is very scarce. I haven't found out how many that they built.
La Vespa di mare!
Moscone translates to "Bluebottle" as Vespa means "Wasp" and Ape means "Bee".
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| The gas tank with a stylish logo. |
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| At least they branded this product properly. |
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| A friend had the missing covers for the string and the carb. |
Friday, 10 June 2011
This is cool! A Lego Vespa...
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| A Vespa made of Lego from the world famous Danish company. |
It's a strange world, with a lot of strange people. Some are grown-ups who "plays" with Lego.
One of them is Eugene Tan from Singapore. His latest creation is called "Life Sized Vespa Scooter". Yes, a Vespa made completely out of Lego. Planning the build took him one year and building it another four months, after work. Eugene Tan is an architect.
No, it's not glued together so it's very hard to move.
I just love it!
Mr Tan has captured the curves and lines of the classic design.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
As fotos da Rézy
A fotografia de acção é um pouco como cantar: todos o podem fazer mas poucos são verdadeiros artistas. A minha fotografia de acção é quase tão má quanto os meus dotes musicais (procurem por "vespa azul-cueca" no Youtube se não acreditam) mas há sempre algumas que se safam.
O resto das fotos da Resistência (Rézy para os amigos) aqui ou aqui em glorioso slideshow de fundo negro. (lamento mas
O resto das fotos da Resistência (Rézy para os amigos) aqui ou aqui em glorioso slideshow de fundo negro. (lamento mas
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
A morte de um motor?
Uma máquina pode ter alma? Eu acho que sim. A passagem do tempo imprime uma qualidade intangível a meros objectos que os eleva acima do plano meramente material, especialmente se se tratar de um elemento móvel ou motorizado. É debaixo dessa luz que considero as palavras do Jocha da equipa 64:
24h de Abrantes. Desta vez a 64 não cumpriu a sua missão. Depois de andar cerca de 22h a discutir o
24h de Abrantes. Desta vez a 64 não cumpriu a sua missão. Depois de andar cerca de 22h a discutir o
Monday, 6 June 2011
Due Utilitaria, una con sidecar
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| The left Vespa 125 U, with sidecar, is restored to original. |
Went home to my friend Patrik today. He has a Vespa 125 U with an original sidecar from Piaggio. Both were restored by him during the winter 2009/2010. He choose to have them resprayed in the original light green colour of Vespa U. About the time he was finished, my 125 U showed up.
We thought it would be cool to have a picture of them together.
Yes, I would like a sidecar too. But not on my U, it's slow enough!
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| My 125 Utilitaria in a arty fashion... |
Links de Sexta-feira
Porque a Cena Scooterista Clássica Nacional (C.S.C.N.) está a colapsar sob o efeito do seu próprio peso, quase tudo deixou de fazer sentido sola de sapato gabou bacalhau graúdo às 17 horas, constitucional amarelo. Consequentemente (e também porque só "dormi" uma hora no chão de uma carrinha cheia de ferramentas e peças suplentes com as portas todas abertas a 15 metros duma pista cheia de Vespas
Friday, 3 June 2011
24 horas!
Faltam 24 horas para as 24 horas. O Uhn-pocalipse pode esperar, vamos às corridas! Conseguem senti-lo? Aquele espírito de aventura que se apoderava do vosso ser quando eram miúdos e iam acampar com os amigos? Que foi morto 8 hortas por dia no vosso escritório com alcatifa, ar-condicionado e secretárias de catálogo? O ano passado falhei mas o relato de 2009 existe para aquecer o motor da mente.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Ditching The Car for a Vespa.
Found this awesome article written by Jim Brumm, a fellow blogger and Vespa rider in Northern California.
For years I watched them go by on the road. They would appear at an intersection or pass me going the other way, the riders looking somehow freer—cooler perhaps—than the drivers around them, like they were in traffic like the rest of us, but not of it. And every time I spotted one, I’d smile and think, I’ve really got to get one of those someday.
Vespas. Cool little scooters that seem to personify a different attitude, a different way to approach living in our congested cities. Films of Europe and Asia invariably show thousands of people zipping around town on scooters or bicycles. In the rest of the world they are a way of life. Here, well, we like our cars. The bigger the better. We have five foot, two inch soccer moms picking up their kids in urban assault vehicles that get eight miles to the gallon and that could carry ten Vespas in the back. We give our large cars large names. We have the Armada, the Expedition; sometimes they are so large we name them after mountains, as in the Denali. We take three thousand pounds of steel with us to pick up a carton of milk.
Even though gas prices continue to rise, even though congestion on our streets worsens with each passing year, we cling to our cars and pay the price for the gas no matter how much it is. Sure, we complain, but we keep doing it. I wanted to break that pattern in my life. For years, Roy and Johnna, owners of Sonoma County’s local Vespa dealer, Revolution Moto, in Downtown Santa Rosa, had been watching me come in to their store to sit on the scooters and ask questions. I would hang around until I couldn’t justify being there any longer, then leave with a sigh and climb back into my car. Roy and Johnna would just smile. They knew that look in my eye; they knew I’d be back. I was hooked.
I had this vision in my head. Me, astride a new Vespa, book bag slung over my shoulder, on my way to an appointment or a coffee shop.
Finally, I made the leap. Wanting to get out from under a ridiculous car payment and the attendant gas prices, I waited until the end of the rainy season, crossed my fingers, sold my car and bought my first Vespa. A LX150. Deep blue with a tan seat.
Vespas come in different sizes. You can get a 50cc, which is great, but it only goes around thirty-five to forty miles per hour, plenty, unless you’re going on highways. They go as large as 250cc, which will attain speeds of eighty five mph, which is faster than I wanted to go on a scooter.
But for me, the 150cc was perfect. It will go sixty-five to seventy mph, depending on the head wind, and it gets seventy five miles to the gallon. That’s right, seventy five.
Sonoma County lends itself perfectly to scooters. With hundreds of miles of beautiful, country roads, you can go pretty much anywhere without going on the freeway, and I was anxious to see those roads from my new vantage point.
I went to the DMV and took the written motorcycle test to get my permit, and then I spent the first couple of days after I got my new Vespa just cruising around, getting the feel of it. And it was just what I’d imagined. There is a sense of freedom that comes when riding a two-wheeled vehicle that you can’t capture from the inside of a car. The wind, the sunshine on your arms, the feel of the road under the wheels, it creates an almost intimate connection with the road and the outdoors.
And here’s the thing. When you’re riding a Vespa scooter, people smile at you. Everywhere I go, strangers grin, give me a thumbs-up sign and stare at my scooter with . . . is it envy . . . longing? All I know is that it’s the same look that I wore when I would spot a Vespa on the road and think, I’ve really got to get one of those. Every time I stop anywhere someone comes up to me and slowly walks around my Vespa, and ask lots of questions about it. How much was it? What kind of mileage does it get? How fast will it go? Then they smile and tell me that they’ve thought about getting one themselves.
While you need a motorcycle license to ride a Vespa, we scooter people know it’s not a motorcycle. The word motorcycle conjures images of either big noisy Harley’s or those little crotch-rockets. And most motorcycle enthusiasts of that ilk wouldn’t be caught dead on a scooter.
That’s because riding a Vespa isn’t about being scary or tough or fastest. It’s about being a part of the solution. It’s about a way of life that much of the world embraces, but which has been slow to take hold here in the United States. A recent Department of Energy survey found that if Americans were to utilize energy efficient and eco-friendly scooters, they could, in aggregate, reduce nation fuel consumption by fourteen-million gallons of gasoline per day, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by three hundred twenty four million pounds per day. I tried to multiply that to get the numbers for an entire year, but my calculator wouldn’t go that high.
But saving the world aside, let’s talk about saving money. First, the monthly payment on a fully financed Vespa runs around $50-$60 per month. I bought full coverage from Geico insurance for just $250 per year, including roadside assistance. Parking is free in most parking garages and parking lots.
But the best part, and I never tire of this, is going to the gas station. With a two and a half gallon tank, nothing makes my day more than walking up to the counter and handing them just a few bucks for a fill-up. I go back to pump the gas and watch the guy next to me filling his SUV. I pump my two gallons in moments. While he stands there numbly, watching as the gauge on his pump passes sixty or seventy dollars, I’m climbing back on my Vespa, and heading back out to enjoy the day. And as I pull out of the gas station I can feel his eyes on me; I can almost hear him thinking, I’ve really got to get one of those.
Valborundan on a Vespa
The two wheel rally "Valborundan" in the Swedish town Gävle, 170 km north of Stockholm, was very nice. Sunny and warm. Never has so many scooters participated in the 30 year old rally. The oldest motorcycle was an "American Chicago", from 1911!
My own Vespa 125 U was the oldest Vespa, the 125 with sidecar is a 1954 model. There was also a 1955 Vespa GS 1950. Another rare scooter was a Peugeot S55 from 1955. There was also a NV Progress 1956, a "badge-enginered" german from the Progress-Werke, sold by the Swedish "Nymans Verkstäder".
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| Ola on a 1954 Vespa 125 with sidecar. |
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| Tobi, a german on a german Vespa GS. Note the "swan-neck". |
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| Paka on his nicely restored Vespa GS 150, VS 1. |
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| Another GS, now a VS 5 from 1960. Janne drives. |
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| His fiancé Märit on a Vespa Touring, 6 hp and 10-inch wheels. |
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| My own Vespa Utilitaria lost in the woods. |
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| Håkan has a rare Peugeot S55, 1955. Unfortunately he got a puncture... |
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| Note original jacking devices. Fixed in no time at all. |
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| Gävle Scooters, a local club, paid a visit. |
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| The guys from Vespa Club Stockholm. |
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