My Vespa S150 Scooter

I always wanted to be a monkey. When I lived in Germany in the 70's, my buddies and I used to go to motorcycle races. That was the first time I saw a sidecar race. The person in the sidecar was called a monkey. I met a husband/wife team and thought that's what I wanted to do at the ripe old age of 18. Race motorcycles. My dad, who was a paramedic in the Air Force, thought it was time to send my butt stateside. In the end, I had to settle for racehorses on flat tracks instead of motorcycles on flat tracks. But I never forgot the going fast while hitting turns adrenalin rush.

I started thinking about all the times I traded my camera for a clutch and throttle. Actually there was only one. A friend of mine offered to let me learn on a little 125cc bike. We went out on her property in Washington State and after a few pointers on shifting, I was ready to try it on my own. The path through the trees was pretty wide. No buildings. No fences. The last thing I remember Brenda saying is "Don't hit any trees" just before I hit the tree. Hitting trees on your motorcycle is a memorable experience and quite satisfying. In fact, it's been 20 years and I'm still satisfied I know all about hitting trees.

The cross-country rides with RD on the Mistress have more than satisfied my appetite for adventure and speed, but I want a scooter of my own. I want a comfortable ride. I want a little speed and a lot of control. I want a vehicle that is economic and fun to ride. While on our Iron Butt 4810 ride, Jan at Vespa Oklahoma ended all her comments with, "Wouldn't it be fun on a Vespa?" So I decided to check it out. The Vespa history is pretty interesting. They were actually made during the war as an improvement over motorcycles. Enrico Piaggio wanted a bike with tires that were easier to change since the roads were in such bad shape. He wanted his scooter to be usable by everyone, including women in dresses. He wanted it to be able to blow up tanks. In 1946 there was a Vespa with anti tank missiles on it.

I didn't need the tank-destroying feature, but storage would be nice. I went to a local dealership to look at the different models. The Vespa S150 looked small enough for me as a first bike. There is enough storage space under the seat for quick shopping trips, but not big enough to take my 135 lb dog for a ride. I can add additional storage and an extended seat, but I doubt Rowan would go for it. He prefers my Ford truck. My Ford truck loves gas - lots of it. The Vespa gets 70 to 80 miles to the gallon. At that rate I could let Rowan run beside me at the lake. As long as he didn't chase geese or something

Mack Williams of BMW/Ducati/Vespa in Oklahoma City offered some pointers. I would have to get a motorcycle license. In Oklahoma I could go to a motorcycle-training course and take a written test, or learn on my own and take a driving and a written test. My local insurance agent can insure the 150 cc for around $75 per year. I could practice in parking lot at the lake with RD. Anywhere that didn't have trees would be fine for me. So, I'm going for it. I'm going to learn to ride my own scooter. As long as RD doesn't say, "Don't run into the lake," I should be fine.

Coming Soon: "Lesson 1 on a Vespa Scooter."