My guess would be that 99% of people who are incapable of driving a stick shift are not in the market for an 850cc scooter.

Yep. Nothing wrong with that.

Also people who feel safer on scooters than m/cs: nothing wrong with that, either.

Of course the biggest marketing scheme is the 120 mph top speed. That's insane!

one word - Quadrophenia:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1249932675.jpg

Actually, the old Vespa's are manual, at least the one I rode. If I remember correctly, you shift by rotating the right hand grip and the clutch is the right lever.

EDIT: no, it must have been the left, because the right would have to be throttle.

Actually the reason scooters are so popular in Europe has much to do with fashion.

Europeans city types are very fashionably dressed. Women in pumps and dresses, men in expensive suits etc. You wouldn't ride a motorcycle dressed like this—but on a scooter this works just fine.

Correct. Throttle on the right. Clutch and shift on the left. (If you look at post #11 above you'll see the driver riding the clutch with his left index finger.)

Another reason they're popular is that you can get a motorcycle/scooter license at 14 years old. At least in some parts.

And here i just thought it was because french and italian men are metrosexual homos. ;)

Probably just as much as they think 928 drivers are knuckle-dragging apes.

Anyway, it's be cool to see you say that to the faces of a few Italian and French men on scooters. It'd be really cool.

Then you could start in on the punk rockers, goth kids and soccer hooligans who ride around on their modified loud-as-hell 2-stroke banshee scooters.

SmileWavy

I hate it when I am sitting at an outside cafe, and a bunch of metrosexual punk rockers wearing Manchester United Soccer jerseys ride by on their loud as hell "hey look at me" Vespas.

Oh, i would. :)

Ahem.

Punk rockers wearing Manchester United jerseys are, by definition, not metrosexuals—and vice versa.

How can you be sure? Everyone that rides a loud Harley is automatically categorized as a RUB?

(obviously my post was a joke)

And 120 mph scooters may be ridden in nickers and bow tie without risk to life and limb. Such a motorcycle would require proper gear including helmet, gloves, jacket, boots, etc.

Very wise, this scooter fad.

Another benefit of the scooter (in CO, anyway) is you don't have to register/plate/insure a scooter, if it's (ahem) under 50cc and goes (ahem) under 30mph. And, Dottore is right about how suits/dresses etc. don't mix too well with motorcycles.



Vespas are great, in the same way (IMO) as old XKEs are great. Fantastic, but not my bag of donuts.

Every day, on every street corner in Europe, you can see the following:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1249957837.jpg


...and then of course there is the classic:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1249957871.jpg

Girls i can understand, as that is the most girly damn mode of transportation i have ever seen.

PS: She's hot as hell- i'd hit it.

That, I can understand. Scooter as a cute, lightweight, glorified bicycle or moped for gals getting around the city or college campus (esp. in near-second world countries).

I don't think Ms. Hotlegs, above, would be interested in the monster 850cc version, though.

If you really want to be cool, you need this, the rocket-powered bicycle. I saw this last week at a big MC gathering in Mpls: :cool:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1249963143.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1249963162.jpg

Says the guy who posts his picture and gets mistaken for beaver. :cool: