The Utility Vespa

My Ford Ranger spends most of its time parked in our driveway collecting pollen from the trees. It used to be my vehicle of choice to get me to work, to run errands, and tool around the countryside looking for pictures. On a good day the big V6 engine would get 17 mpg. That’s on a good day. Since last July the mileage has trickled to nearly nothing and I go for months between fillups. Nice.

Everyone knows that motorcycles and scooters are fine ways to save on fuel so there’s no reason to flog that horse. But I think it is worth pointing out that they have some utility to them as well beyond pure transportation. You can haul things on them with a little patience and planning.

I had a lot of errands to run today and I wanted to stop at the grocery store for the weekly haul. I decided that I would use the Vespa instead of the truck for the grocery run figuring how hard could it be to carry a few bags of groceries. Besides, I had already hauled a few on short trips. As I moved through the store with my cart I tried to visualize the volume of stuff I was buying and how and where I would stow it on the scooter. And as usual I ended up getting more stuff than I planned.

I arrive at the Vespa with six bags of groceries. And I still have to stop for a gallon of milk and some heavy cream. And my bag of Hartley’s Potato Chips. With a little effort I manage to get two bags and a six-pack of black cherry soda under the seat. I used two long bungee cords to string and secure three bags at the rear of the seat and on the rear rack. The last bag hangs from the hook at the front of the seat. I could have hung two more bags. The gallon of milk in the glass bottle sneaks under the bungee cord on the seat and pushes me a bit farther forward on the seat. I could have probably gotten it under the bag on the rack but that would be work…. Heavy cream and potato chips were stuffed in the hanging bag and I was off.

I traveled about 10 miles with the groceries and everything was fine save for a bungee cord through the middle of my loaf of Italian bread. I can live with that.

My point is that the scooter has real, usable, capabilities and I was left wondering if I could live my life without that truck. It’s paid for and doesn’t cost much now save insurance and some routine maintenance. And it is good for things like hauling big rocks and junk. And it does function as a second vehicle should the Jetta go south for some reason. But man, the Vespa really delivers. It’s not just for fun, it is the real deal! You just need to alter your expectations a bit so you don’t get pissed off because it takes a bit longer…