Vespa Obsession

Dear readers of Vespaway and Vespaquest,

First, thank you for the great experience I've had as a Vespa blogger overall! You're why I've stayed on here for as long as I have.

But in case you haven't noticed, I'm the only one who posts over here these days, and even then, it's a bit sporadic. My sincere apologies for that. I signed up as a volunteer blogger for Vespa almost two years ago, but over time, the enthusiasm and communication from the marketing folks at Vespa for the blog has dwindled considerably. It's been difficult for me to maintain a cheerleader attitude, as much as I love Vespas. I wrote why I blog for Vespa a year ago, and the reasons haven't changed. It's an experiment I'm glad to have been a part of, and for me, at least, the experiment is over. My queries to VespaUSA folks about the destiny of the blog have gone unanswered, so I don't know what the plans are for this blog, if any.

So, even though I feel a bit guilty about it, I'm going to take the initiative and retire myself from Vespaway. The reason I've stayed is because of you. But behind the scenes, it's pretty lonely over here. I've got so much to do with scooterseatcovers.com and girlbike.com, as well as writing and editing for clients, that trying to carry Vespaway on my own simply doesn't make sense, and sporadic posts aren't fair to you. girlbike readership is growing all the time, and it is so freekin' cool to have so many readers who absolutely love scooters, both Vespas and others. If you've enjoyed my posts here, I hope you'll come visit me there regularly.

Before I sign off, I'd like to give some recommendations for online resources about Vespas, besides the VespaUSA site and this blog.

Vespa News

Sign on to Google's Alert and use the keyword "Vespa" or "scooter"
http://www.google.com/alerts
You choose your search terms, and Google Alert sends you the relevant stories found online as often as you choose from its menu. Google Alert also sends new blog entries (from Blogger blogs only, I assume, since mine are never up there).

The Scooter Scoop
http://www.thescooterscoop.com
Steve does a great job of gathering up comprehensive scooter news from around the planet. I'm pretty sure he knows Vespa stuff before Vespa does.

Vespa Community

Vespa Club of America is a non-profit organization dedicated to the scooters we know and love. Historically it has concentrated on members with vintage Vespas, but now anyone is encouraged to join. The club publishes American Scooterist magazine, and hosts the AmeriVespa rally.
http://www.vespaclubusa.org/

ModernVespa.com
http://www.modernvespa.com
Hold on to your helmet, because this is one busy forum. But if you're into modern Vespas (versus vintage Vespas - although you won't be shunned if you happen to have one), this is the place to hang out, ask questions and so on.

VespaSpeed.com
http://www.vespaspeed.com/phpBB2/index.php
This forum has some ups and downs as far as traffic, but it seems to have picked up speed again. You can  find some good stuff there for upgrades and tech help.

Urbanscootin.com
http://www.urbanscootin.com
Started out as a Honda Metropolitan site, but has turned into a great resource for all things scooter, and there are a lot of Vespa owners there. I'm one of the moderators.

ScooterBBS
http://www.scooterbbs.com/
This site has nearly 8000 active members and covers every scooter topic imaginable.

Vespa Events & Resources

scoot.net
http://scoot.net
This is the resource for a universal scooter event calendar, scooter classifieds, and the Stolen Scooter Registry. Plus there's a huge gallery from previous scooter events that every enthusiast should take a few days to wander through.

There are tons more great references, personal blogs and various things Vespa. I wish you the best in your travels.

- Crystal Waters

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

As I've written both here and on girlbike.com, I've had my red Vespa Ilene up for sale off and on, but didn't want to sell her to just anyone. Some would say (not you, of course) that it's crazy to have deep feelings for a scooter, and I just couldn't bring myself to sell her. But I hardly rode her in the past year, so I finally decided it was time.

Through the grapevine, a woman who lives about an hour away heard about Ilene. She had been shopping around for a scooter and wanted to come up and check her out. She recently got her motorcycle license, and had her heart set on buying a scooter. It took over a couple of weeks for us to finally get a time for her to see Ilene - finally this past Saturday, we were able to set up a test ride.

She and her boyfriend arrived, and the first thing she did was walk up to the scooter and pet the leopard seat cover. She had that look in her eye, and had a big smile on her face, and I knew she loved Ilene the minute she saw her. I answered a bunch of questions, went over the controls, took it down to the road for her to practice putting it up and down on the center stand, and then she was ready to do her first test ride.

Well, she just LOVED her. She took off up the road, and we could hear her laughing as she rode. There is no other way to describe it - this girl was absolutely chockablock full of glee. After she rode around the block a little, her boyfriend took it for a ride. Then both of them, 2-up. Smiles all around. Then I took her for a long ride (me on Rosa, her following me on Ilene) on curvy roads, up and down hills, in town and in the middle of nowhere, and she had a smile on her face the whole time. I already knew Ilene was hers. But even if she decided not to buy her, it was totally worth the ride because she was just so freekin happy, and it's always a lot of fun to ride with other crazily happy scooter people.

I was right, she was sold on Ilene. If it weren't for the banks being closed on Saturday, she was ready to take Ilene home.

When she left, she said goodbye to me, and then said goodbye to the scooter - proof she's the right buyer for my special girl.

But I have to say, when I took Ilene for our last ride on Friday, I had second thoughts about selling. She has an oomph that Rosa doesn't have, has a different sound and a different feel. She's got energy off the line and loves to go fast. I've poured a lot of love, money, sweat - and yes, even some tears into this pretty little scooter. What if I regret selling her?

Ilene's new owner and her boyfriend came back late on Monday to pay, get paperwork, and pick Ilene up. I thought I was going to be incredibly sad selling Ilene, and I am. I've been looking out where she was parked, and I miss her. But I'm not as sad as I thought I would be. Why? because I know she'll be loved and admired, and best of all, ridden. That's what she was made for.

A version of this post was originally published today on girlbike.com.

For those of you who are putting your Vespa away until spring,  here's a bit of winterizing reading:

ScooterDiva article on winterizing your scooter

ProvoScooter's article on winterizing your scooter

Rocky Mountain Harley's article on winterizing your motorcycle

If you're looking to ride all winter, check this out:

The Baron in Winter : a sponsored rider gives the Minnesota winters a whirl

You have GOT to check out the custom work done on this Vespa GTS - aka Scorched. While you're over there, check out the awesome chroming that Jettin can do on your scooter's wheels and parts while it's sitting parked over the winter. Wowsa.

From Jay Kay to Jay Leno, it's always news when a celebrity buys (or is given) a Vespa - or if they sign them for auctions and fundraisers. Nearly every news article or editorial includes a list of owners. I think Wikipedia's list may be the most detailed, including a list of fictional characters that owned Vespas. Do you know someone they don't know? Add them to the list.

I mentioned the Peg Perego Vespa Scooter over on Vespaquest in February - and now it's here. Check it out over at Wal-mart and at Sears. For less than $250, you can have a working scale model of a Vespa GT - with training wheels and a working top case - for your little one.

Just in case you can't tell my intended intonations in this post, I'll forewarn you that I'm being bitterly sarcastic.

Wouldn't it be funny if someone stole the GTS a couple days before I returned it?

Don't worry, Vespa folks, the GTS is perfectly fine. But I'm not.

read about it here.

The GTS is going back into the Vespa fleet this week. Suddenly I'm getting pressure to get it back to Vespa, so I'm waiting for the weather to clear up so I can ride it back to Vespa Columbia and coordinate a ride home.

I'm sad because I had it for 5 weeks or so, and was gone for over 3 of those weeks. Doesn't seem fair somehow.

Sorry I've been quiet again - I've been on the road, visiting friends in Boise, Idaho. Just a quick post for now, and a photo of Emily posing on a brand new Vespa at the brand new Vespa Boise, on South Orchard Street.