Are scooter riders different?
The moto-culture might suggest certain kinds of people are attracted to certain types of machines. The man or woman who finds themselves prowling the Harley Davidson showroom being a world away from another couple wandering through their local Vespa dealership. My own observations lead me to believe any differences have less to do with machinery and more to do with the innate personality traits of individuals.
The video below depicts a love relationship with a scooter rider but it could just as easily have unfolded for the right Ducati, Harley or Suzuki rider.
I have two dogs sleeping at my feet while I write. My heart swells at the connection we have but there’s always a hint of sadness in recognition of the lightning fast speed at which their lives unfold. I see the looks on their faces when I ride to work and if I let them I bet they would run after me as far as their legs could take them. Much like the goose flying along with the scooter.
Is their a goose in your life?
I don’t want to stir up a firestorm, but yes, devoted scooter riders are very different from motorcyclists. Likes, attitudes and aims are completely different. People cross over based on the change in those factors and you can own both. I believe how you see yourself is still based on the image you have of yourself as one or the other..
It’s not a firestorm that I’m concerned about Jim, more the dying of the flames that were exhibited in my youth. Call it a gradual degeneration of the brain coupled with gathering mobility issues like cocking my leg over a BMW Dakar. Yes, the factors that drove us to ride bikes indeed now drive us to more humble forms of transport but it’s still an adventure.
As someone who has more titanium joints that calcium, my options for a “real” bike are limited by my need to sit strait and get these conceptualized knees over the gas tank and the my seat in the saddle. But there is a part of me that yurns to shift gears, and travel further. For now, my Stella will have to do.
I think we have each others commiserations!
Thanks for replying.
As I get older and see the beginnings of limitations due to arthritis I can really see the advantages of not being locked into any particular machine or style. The step through feature of many scooters is a welcome feature for anyone with joint issues. And less weight is a gift as well. The MP3 has additional advantages. Hopefully I won’t have to think a lot about them for awhile…
I fear the same dying flames. I wish I knew when the fire was going out so I could plan accordingly…
Swinging a leg over a tall motorcycle, especially one with side cases, is probably a mobility test that’s particularly telling. Hopefully our Department of Transportation will never use it as a requirement for riding and a license…
You’re right about personal image — it certainly drives some of the culture around specific brands. And then there is a rider culture which drives allegiance to things like Aerostich which is brand neutral. I can see myself with a motorcycle or a scooter. As long as I can ride…
Aerostich fanatics are annoying – at least that is what people tell me. 😉
But the gear is really that good, as one can tell it was developed by people who used the prototypes long-term. Oops, I am proving my own point.
Perhaps one of your better questions.
As a once former motorcyclist who, all things being equal would return to
a powered two wheel existence very quickly if allowed..
First of all scooter riders “generally” seen from a distance are not (may I say stupid?) as those who operate a pure motorcycle. A scooter is a hybrid, not a motorcycle, not a bicycle. Often a comfortable perch while riding.
Scooter riders, again observed by me from a four-wheeled device tend to be less aggressive and far more aware of their surroundings. Then too the newer “scooters” say the Burgmann for example, are a cross between the traditional Vespa scoot such as yours, Steve and a full dress touring motorcycle.
Scooters are intended for local distance, not long distance. Oh, some can quite easily do long distance, it is not the machine that makes the difference , rather the wishes of the rider.
As I’ve noted prior, my lower legs are way too long for me to even contemplate riding a scoote, the handlebars are unable to turn in either direction as they’ll strike my knee,;
have sat on a friend’s Vespa (the model one size larger than yours), no room to move, and my big body size flattened the shocks. This same friend also owns a Piaggio MP3; The Donkey as he calls it. Wonderful front end engineering, however he has found the front end also now requires expensive front suspension repairs, now that it has almost 40,000 miles plus on the clock. And have sat on The Donkey, and it felt just right, except as noted for the handlebars being too low issue.
Scooters may be labelled as “cute,” deservedly so, and in this part of Canada are competing with electrically powered two wheeled cooters from China as well. No license required to drive one of the devices, other than a simple written test.
And when winter returns with a vengance, where will those elctric scooters do to, ditto the Vespa scooter?
When winter comes most two-wheeled machines go into hibernation as requested by their riders. Probably not a bad idea all things considered.
Scooters are different but not as much as most motorcycle riders think. But there is an image issue that turns a lot of would be scooter riders off — the decidedly non machisimo image. Oh well…
The same question can be asked concerning cars and their drivers really. What is it that makes a person choose one type or car over another. Some people like compact cars; some like big, loud, muscle cars; some like euro-boxes, and so on.
There is one thing that seems to be the case with every scooterist I’ve had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with. There is a shared gentleness of spirit, and a light-hearted nature that tends to not take ourselves too seriously. This is, I think, a good bit of what sets us apart from the power-rangers and the bar pirates.
Of course, this is all anecdotal opinion and farting into the wind, but hey. 😀
Scooters are a double-edged sword. The same ease of use that allows one to focus so well on the surroundings instead of operating the machine, also allows for bad habits, such as grabbing brakes, abrupt throttle changes, and not considering road camber and footing when coming to a stop, to go “unpunished”.
This is why when I had to reduce the fleet size, the little Elite 110 went and the Honda Deauville stayed as my commuter bike, as the latter demands more attention and respect from the rider, particularly in stop and go urban riding.
I do miss the scooter, and at some point, likely retirement, I see myself leaving behind the conventional motorcycles and riding just twist-and-go scooters.