My Vespa S150 Scooter Adventure

Do not ride your Vespa Scooter into the swimming pool. Do not ride your Vespa Scooter over fence post stumps. And absolutely, no matter how hard you might WANT to do it, do not walk your dogs with your new Vespa scooter. I know. I know. You are probably thinking that this smacks of a novice rider. Because road weary veterans will know exactly how to do all of the above with hands tied behind their backs. Well, maybe one hand tied behind their back.

100 plus degrees have kept me off the streets and hiding in the basement, but the other day I had an amazing idea. Wouldn't it be cool to practice riding my Vespa around the swimming pool in my backyard? It's all cement. I have a nice long cement slab to practice starting and stopping. The pool is a 9' in ground cement pool that would help me practice turning. It seemed like the perfect way to practice riding without bothering RD, who is putting in 72 hours a week at the BMW dealership in OKC. I was ready for another Vespa Venture.

It took a few minutes to remember how to turn it on. I almost got off and gave up but then I couldn't get it back on the kickstand. It was too hot to hold it up until RD got home. And I knew I couldn't lay it down. Wouldn't you know the one thing I did remember is to take her off the center stand before starting. Finally, I successfully turned it on. Then off. Then on again. Just to be sure I would remember. I bounced up and down on the seat a little. I put both feet on the footboard to see how long I could stay upright before the bike started to lean. I tooted the horn. I turned the lights on and off. Then I figured what kind of a wimp can't even get her own bike on the center stand. So I turned off the bike and stood beside it deep in thought. Turns out I just needed to put some elbow grease into it and hoist it up and forward. I was feeling pretty cocky about knowing how to:

Turn on

Turn off

Put it on the center stand

Take it off the center stand

Toot the horn

Turn on the lights

Turn off the lights

How to balance while sitting with no feet down and not going anywhere

Not bad for my first hour of solo flight. Next came the big step. Riding. I maneuvered around the 9' long iron bathtub a.k.a. my future herb garden. The Vespa is not a heavy bike. It boosted my confidence to know I could handle the weight and put both feet on the ground. I slowly moved forward down my back porch and along the side of the house, which is all cement slab. I turned around. So far so good. I gassed it a little then stopped sharply. I successfully rode the length of the pool. Close to the diving board I figured I would just keep going onto the grass, loop around the herb garden and get back on the porch. But the grass was a little slippery feeling, so I stopped. Backed up. Gassed it again and went back down the side of the pool and along the side of the house.

This time I gave it more gas. The gate came a lot faster, but I did practice a hard stop as suggested by other more experienced riders. Turns out the back tire can come off the ground a little without throwing me. I turned again to repeat my route, feeling very excited about learning to ride my new pony. Maybe it was the over zealous confidence, or maybe it was my 3 dogs running with me. On my 3^rd pass while making a turn, the front wheel slipped out from under me and I laid it on its side. About five feet from the edge of the pool. I had hit a stump from an old fence post.

The engine kept running. I thought the kill switch was supposed to turn it off. Then I thought maybe I didn't turn the kill switch on, so I pushed the red button and the bike shut off. It was on its side. I was on my side. The dogs were barking and head butting me like this was a new game.

I picked the bike up, put it on the center stand and checked VV and myself for scars. Yelled at the dogs and sat on the porch. This was the pivotal point of all my driving attempts thus far. Twice before I fell then walked away and rode no more. I got a drink of water. Sat on the back stoop and stared at the Vespa. I really like this little bike. It's just my size. Not too big. Not too little. Not too loud. And not going to get the best of me, I decided.

So I pushed her off the kickstand. Started her up. Took one more backyard tour and parked it. While the pool tour started out as a good idea, I need more room. Still, I was pretty smiley after the exercise, so I took out the lawnmower and was mowing the lawn, grinning like an idiot when RD came home.

He was pretty cool. "Happens fast doesn't it?" RD rule number 837 - Do not ride the Vespa into the swimming pool. Ditto from me.