Okay, not for me but for my wife.
She likes them and they are pretty inexpensive for the little ones that go maybe 35 mph or less. Just something to go back and forth to the store and such. Anybody's wife have one? Would like to hear the good and bad about ownership. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers a Scooter course here in the Dallas area that she wants to take (she has never driven a motorcycle). Her safety is my biggest concern. She is a tiny person on what is a tiny bike out on the street. Thoughts?

The biggest problem is that I would like to ride with her, but I don't have a street bike and I won't get my own Vespa. Would I look funny riding "you know what"?

~Rob

 

I have a friend that owns the local jeep dealership and he has one. He bops around town on it. They are easy to ride and only look funny when you ride beside someone like me on a VTX 1800.
My wife wanted to ride her own bike and my patience is zip, so she took the course offered by the state. She got her mc endorsement and got a ninja 250 to ride. When I heard what they told her at that course and saw her ride the first year I said "What a bunch of morons must be teaching that". Now it is year two and her riding has improved alot and even she now says that they were not the best teachers. My wife never even rode on a bike before she met me and she does fine, so your wife should be fine on a vespa.

 

Thanks man, I hope so.
But you haven't seen my wife drive:



I might just have to get the Baja Designs street legal kit for my XR-250.
~Rob

 

I won't let mine drive if I am with her, will you? lol

 

Having her take the Safety Course is a great start(and helps with insurance)here its through ABATE w/125cc & 250cc bikes they provide. A buddy's wife "knew how to ride" even though we tried to expain it was different than a quad. After picking it up off the ground a few times and putting the bike back together the 2nd time, it was sold.

The Vespa will be fun to putt around on. If you want to goto a motorcycle depending on her height and what kind of bikes you are into, the Ninja 250, most of the Import bikes have available 250's maybe even 125cc Cruisers wtih a low seat height.

 

We both agreed the only way she will ever get on the road is if she takes the MSF course. I need to call the Dallas location that teaches the scooter specific course to see if they provide scooters (I would bet they do). If they do, we will send her to the course before buying one. That way she will get a little seat time on one to see if she likes it. If she doesn't like it, we are out maybe $150. Much better than buying one for $2k-$4k and then deciding she doesn't like it.

~Rob

 

I'm getting ready to sign up to take the Virginia Motorcycle Safety Course as we speak. I need to take the OGFB (old geezer fat boy) edition.

Oh yeah, forgot the original thread. The guy that maintains the water system here in town rides around on a Vespa. It's a good thing for that.

 

Sure sure for your wife

My parents have 2 Vespa clones - Honda's - I ride them all the time when visiting. They are so cheap - Vespa is a Vespa but 2X the price. These will do about 40 mph which is by no means slow compared to, say, a bicycle or walking.

The course sounds like a good idea, but for me having taken the course, was unnecessary for a scooter (at least for me) but helpful on a bigger bike. In NJ, you need a motorcycle license for the Honda Metropolitan which goes 37+ but not for the MEtro II that goes 25.

I would say get it. Having sold my truck I have thought about getting a little scooter for errands but just ride my bicycle which has almost 4000 miles on it for 2007

 

Those are nice "scooters" ya'll have. Since they aren't HD's, I assume the "fat boy" comment is not referencing the bike

~Rob

 

Yeah, yeah... for my wife, that's the ticket

I was going to look at Honda's too, I didn't realize they would be cheaper than a Vespa

Thanks Patrick,
~Rob