Scooter Commuter

Its been a couple of weeks now that I purchased a previously loved Vespa ET4. It had only 2009 miles on it when I drove it home. The ET4 now has 2200+ miles. It's easy to park (just about anywhere), and moving it around a little on the stand is not much trouble at all. My daughter loves riding with me, especially after I installed passenger footpegs. Before the footpegs, she had to twist her feet inward to reach the floorboard. It was uncomfortable for longer trips. The footpegs allow her to sit comfortably with her feet firmly in place without any extra effort.

My girlfriend is about 5 feet 7 inches so has no trouble reaching the floorboard. But the footpegs also make for a more comfortable ride for her... and I don't impale my ankles on her cowboy boots anymore.

My commute involves about 6 or 7 miles of Interstate 5 north, from Seaworld Dr. to Gilman Dr. From there, I take my daughter to school, about 3 miles or so of secondary roads. And then I scoot down Genessee Ave. to John Muir School where I work as a secondary science teacher.

Fortunately, California allows for lane splitting at stop lights and when traffic is stopped or very slow (that's my understanding). This makes heavy traffic a breeze on the Vespa. No long waiting for several minutes at lights. Once on the on-ramp, I accelerate up to about 50mph, keeping up with traffic, and merge into the slower right lane. This particular stretch of highway is typically slow workday mornings, moving about 45 - 55 mph. I often need to slow down in the right lane. After a few miles, the speed picks up to about 60mph in the right lane. The Vespa ET4 keeps up with traffic.

Granted, cars in the left lanes move 65-70mph and faster, and the Vespa is "giving its all" at 60 - 65mph. Wind resistance becomes the biggest factor on the highway, and a mid-sized windscreen may add a bit more acceleration and top end speed by providing more aerodynamics. And another 5mph may very likely make my short commute a little more comfortable.

But the highway is not where I intend to ride the Vespa the vast majority of the time. Secondary roads and urban streets is where this baby really shines. Out accelerating most cars from the light, there isn't a street, avenue, or boulevard where the Vespa doesn't dominate. It provides quick, fuel-efficient, easy to park, fun filled transportation to just about anywhere that I want to go.

When school's out this summer, I may take a road trip on the Vespa. It will take planning and patience, and I may be forced to stop and smell the roses (or the coffee).

2-wheeled Life before the Vespa ET4

Some years ago, a friend horse traded an old BMW R80 for an even older Lambretta scooter. At the time, I was riding a Suzuki 650 thumper. It was called the "Savage" but was quite civilized, really. Still in production, the Savage 650 exemplifies simplicity, reliability, and efficiency... though lacks passion. We swapped bikes for a short ride and I became enthralled with the feel of the scooter. The old Lambretta possessed many qualities of the Suzuki, but inspired passion as well. Fast forward many years and a handful of motorcycles into the future. After a long break from bikes, I began hitting the local shops, looking at Ducati, Motoguzzi, and others. I loved the classic lines of the European bikes, especially the new Triumph T100 bonnevilles. And while perusing the San Diego Reader classifieds read an ad for... you guessed it... a 1960's Lambretta 125.

I answered the ad and visited the Lambretta to check it out. It rested for years at Montgomery Airport in old old hangar, a naked frame and engine, rusted and layered in cobwebs, dirty and molded, seat cracked and paint faded. Restoration was far beyond my capability and the price was far too high. I thanked the gentleman, a retired attorney and hobby pilot, but left unsatisfied. The search ensued.

About a year ago, a Derbi Red Bullet showed up in the classified ads. Curious, I investigated online, digging into the sites I was becoming somewhat familiar with: Modern Vespa, Scooterville, Scooterwest, girlbike, 2 stroke buzz, and provoscooter. Provoscooter forum even has a forum for Derbi bikes. Apparantly, Piaggio bought Derbi, a smaller Spanish company, some time ago. Derbi now puts piaggio motors in its scooters, and the Red Bullet (a red Atlantis), possessed a 50cc ET2 motor. The price was right so I took it home. Mechanically, it was solid. Derbi makes a quality product and the 50cc motor is bulletproof. My respect and yearning for Vespa continued to grow throughout the year, especially as the Derbi struggled to get up the steep hills (really not a hill like in the midwest or east coast, but a mesa). Most of San Diego is built on top of and around its many mesas and canyons, and consequently, many steep hills are encountered. I made the Derbi work for me, using it to go to work on occasion and for short trips to get movies or groceries. It never once let me down. But it really only went about 45 mph, and substantial hills often forced me into the bike lane. In Kansas, Oklahoma, any other flat land the Derbi would prove to be a competent and utilitarian second vehicle... but not in the Mesa and canyon strewn landscape of Southern California. After a year, I sold a the Derbi to a young man moving to the midwest... somewhere in north Texas I think. His intention was to use it for transportation as he completed bible college. An interesting fellow, he had served with US Marines for one hitch and wound up in Iraq, "a little west of Bagdad". All he was interested in now was finding a little piece.

That brings me to the ET4. Memorial day. My girlfriend was working and I was bored. What to do? Go look at motorcycles... only one shop open today, though. Ironically, the same shop I bought the Suzuki savage from so many years before. I arrived in the late afternoon and made my way through the used bikes.. and there it was. A Royal Blue ET4 parked inbetween an old burgman and an older Yamaha Riva. The Vespa was dirty and the sun's light produced a purplish effect on the paint. Several young men wandered about the lot, sitting astride powerful sport bikes and cruisers. The Vespa looked small and weak, almost feminine. I sat on it and thought, "this might be it". The salesmen largely ignored me. Perhaps it was the little effeminate Vespa in the middle of so many testosterone inspiring behemeths. When asked about it, the salesmen knew nothing about the Vespa, or even how much they were asking for it. I made an offer of 2700.00, which I felt a fair offer. I asked to ride it, but they wouldn't let me. Apparantly, it had just arrived as a trade in and they hadn't yet checked it out. They wanted it overnight, so I resolved to wait another day. Two days later, (I couldn't get away from work before they closed), I picked up the Vespa. The mechanic who did the service check met me at the door, "This thing has a lot of poop to it and its beautiful cleaned up". He was quite impressed as were the sales staff. They asked me how fast it would go, gas milage, etc. Funny, they had sold me the bike but I was "the expert". I'll get it in for service at motorsport scooters as soon as they can accomodate it, and in the meantime just enjoy.