mayorofnow
Well-known member
When I was 15, I learned Vespas were how everyone my age got around Italy and went "WANT!" My parents were like "hell no." Ended up getting a car and figured the days I might ride a motorino were behind me.
Spent my early teenage summers cycling around town with a friend (who coincidentally now owns a bike shop). Picked it back up when I graduated from college, and it's been my primary means of transit ever since. Moved to SF 9 year ago. Moved to an apartment that didn't include parking 5 years ago, and sold my car.
Last year, we got a new flatmate. He'd spent 2 years learning to ride motos in Asia: touring the villages of Vietnam, becoming a monk in Burma, etc. I was heading to Thailand for New Years and he goes "rent a motorcycle!" I reminded him that I didn't know how to ride a motorcycle. He sloughs it off "you ridden a bike in the City every day for a decade - you'll be fine!"
I found myself in Ao Nang - a town that has no public transportation infrastructure; even the tuk-tuks are only available at night, in one spot near the bars. I wanted to go see Big Buddha on the side of a 1200' cliff, and my Airbnb host had brought me the keys to a Honda Click. I spent half an hour on a rural Thai highway with my inner monologue screaming HOLY SHIT THIS IS FUN! 28 minutes in, barely over a mile from my destination, I encountered a stoplight with a lefthand turn. Having cycled-toured through Bali, I remembered that the most challenging parts of left-hand-drive motorways are the intersections. I was super careful to pick the correct lane, pointed the moto at it, and waited for the light to turn green. I opened the throttle and proceeded to turn. The back wheel kept speeding up as I made the corner and I slid into the intersection: low-side. I cleaned up my bloody joints at a nearby pharmacy and continued to ascend the 120 flights of stairs to catch the last gasps of sunset.
There's a much longer version of that story, but the part that's relevant here is that it nudged me to make my childhood Vespa dream happen (especially since one of my best friends just moved from Singapore to San Jose, and I have no other way to get down there).
I took the MSF course last month. I heard plenty of "don't do that - it's dangerous;" "get a scooter, but get a cheap, used one with bigger wheels;" "fuck all that - get a real motorcycle!" - all from people I love and respect.
I haven't seen any other scooters I like - the craftsmanship of the Vespa seems to be unparalleled, and nothing else is that cute. I like the idea of being able to see not just loved ones in nearby cities, but parts of SF that I never visit because it's a pain in the ass to bike there, or not safe to park there. Downshifting and upshifting at every stop sign along the hills of SF sounded like a needless chore.
I took delivery on a 2020 Vespa GTS 300 HPE on Monday.
Spent my early teenage summers cycling around town with a friend (who coincidentally now owns a bike shop). Picked it back up when I graduated from college, and it's been my primary means of transit ever since. Moved to SF 9 year ago. Moved to an apartment that didn't include parking 5 years ago, and sold my car.
Last year, we got a new flatmate. He'd spent 2 years learning to ride motos in Asia: touring the villages of Vietnam, becoming a monk in Burma, etc. I was heading to Thailand for New Years and he goes "rent a motorcycle!" I reminded him that I didn't know how to ride a motorcycle. He sloughs it off "you ridden a bike in the City every day for a decade - you'll be fine!"
I found myself in Ao Nang - a town that has no public transportation infrastructure; even the tuk-tuks are only available at night, in one spot near the bars. I wanted to go see Big Buddha on the side of a 1200' cliff, and my Airbnb host had brought me the keys to a Honda Click. I spent half an hour on a rural Thai highway with my inner monologue screaming HOLY SHIT THIS IS FUN! 28 minutes in, barely over a mile from my destination, I encountered a stoplight with a lefthand turn. Having cycled-toured through Bali, I remembered that the most challenging parts of left-hand-drive motorways are the intersections. I was super careful to pick the correct lane, pointed the moto at it, and waited for the light to turn green. I opened the throttle and proceeded to turn. The back wheel kept speeding up as I made the corner and I slid into the intersection: low-side. I cleaned up my bloody joints at a nearby pharmacy and continued to ascend the 120 flights of stairs to catch the last gasps of sunset.
There's a much longer version of that story, but the part that's relevant here is that it nudged me to make my childhood Vespa dream happen (especially since one of my best friends just moved from Singapore to San Jose, and I have no other way to get down there).
I took the MSF course last month. I heard plenty of "don't do that - it's dangerous;" "get a scooter, but get a cheap, used one with bigger wheels;" "fuck all that - get a real motorcycle!" - all from people I love and respect.
I haven't seen any other scooters I like - the craftsmanship of the Vespa seems to be unparalleled, and nothing else is that cute. I like the idea of being able to see not just loved ones in nearby cities, but parts of SF that I never visit because it's a pain in the ass to bike there, or not safe to park there. Downshifting and upshifting at every stop sign along the hills of SF sounded like a needless chore.
I took delivery on a 2020 Vespa GTS 300 HPE on Monday.
