Mistaken Thinking
In my brief and seldom views into the social and marketing realms of the Moto-world I’m always shocked at how overwhelming the size, weight, power, and tech can be. It feels a lot like going into a hotel and turning on the TV and feeling it’s all commercials and pitches with very little content.
A 150cc Vespa scooter seems a lost and forgotten machine amidst the din of macho claims and excitement of real motorcycles. Scooters are dismissed for a variety of reasons. “Real” riders dismiss them for lack of everything. Some find them embarrassing, common I think in a world of giant SUVs and trucks where size reinforces myriad weaknesses in self image. And probably the most egregious view of scooters is their inability to deliver on the road. Simply put, they’re toys for the beach and not much more.
Taking my ET4 for a ride always reminds me of how capable it is, and how grateful I am to ride one. For a week our hot water heater was dead and awaiting replacement. That first hot shower, something easily taken for granted, was suddenly an amazing experience. How grateful I am to have a hot shower. It’s the same with my 150cc Vespa scooter.
Out on a backroad on my way to breakfast and taking in the beautiful central Pennsylvania landscape in which I get to ride. I’m a lucky man.
A Morning of Chores and Errands
Any bike in the garage could take me on all the chores and errands I had to run. Including a stop for breakfast. I chose the ET4 because I hadn’t ridden it lately. And just minutes into the ride I was reminded once again of how fun it is. And perfect for 35 miles of errands. The direct route would have reduced it to 18 miles but where’s the fun in that?
For practically any destination I have a variety of possible routes. All of them roads less traveled.
Breakfast at the Earlystown Diner
Nine miles from home I pull into the diner parking lot. I don’t often eat here but it’s close to the first couple errand destinations. And the food is good and the atmosphere relaxed and quiet. As I get older quiet is becoming more and more important. The Earlystown Diner meets all my needs.
Breakfast Accessories
My wife is fascinated by bears. Black bears, brown bears, Grizzly bears, Sun bears. So I couldn’t pass up a dangling laser cut aluminum ornament depicting a mother and her cubs. It offset the chocolate cake I got for myself. I’ve become obsessively aware that afternoon tea requires something sweet to go with it. I won’t bastardize the tea itself so I need some external sugar delivery mechanism.
The Apothecary
Seems like I live in this place. Between the medical ailments of my wife and I there is always a reason to be at the Apothecary. There are closer pharmacies around but nothing quite like a place where everyone knows your name. Plus it’s a fine excuse for a ride.
The Long Way Home
Over the mountain and a big loop around the far end of the valley gave me a chance to unwind, take in the scenery, and appreciate once again the beauty and utility of my 150cc Vespa scooter. If it was the only machine in my garage I could lead a full and happy Moto life. The only real limitations of a little scooter are time, patience, and my willingness to puzzle out a route.
It’s great for running errands. But if I had to ride to Portland, Oregon, it could do that too. No frills or tech. Just a reliable 150cc Vespa scooter. Just add a rider willing to adapt to its limitations and in possession of a durable ego.
I’m grateful to have this little scooter.
Discover more from Scooter in the Sticks
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I miss my 2006 vespa 150 lx. I sold it on a whim…I like you Steve think it was the perfect go to machine when a all scooter ride is needed..I SURE enjoyed the photos in this post that cloudy sky looked like an artist’s brush strokes. Happy trails sir what ever you hop on.
I’ve grown more careful of selling things on a whim. It hasn’t occurred with scooters or motorcycles but I sold my Leica M6 system on a whim and an 8×10 view camera on a similar whim. I’ve regretted both decisions.
The ET4 is a great little scooter with a fine history. My friend Paul purchased it new and rode it for a few years. My father-in-law bought it from him and rode it until he died. Now it is at our house and still providing the same smiles and satisfaction it did its previous owners.
The skies were great that morning. I’m glad I was outside to appreciate them.
“For practically any destination I have a variety of possible routes. All of them roads less traveled”
And somewhere along that route, yet another perfect brekkie joint. OMG!
My encounters with breakfast joints are becoming more distant as I’ve been riding farther. This one is close but others will soon be farther off.
From what I gather a 150cc Vespa in good tune will top 60 mph by a few miles per hour so it can do most local work or longer easily. When I bought the 169cc China scoot I felt it would do most of the same things. I really like the perceived power over the 150cc GY6 I had previously and it has been good to use. I took it out on an event one day and it handled it nicely.
On another note I used my 250 Nighthawk this weekend on an event and it always makes the day special. It’s light and zippy, not 750 Kawasaki zippy but the Honda is only one-third the size. The Honda carves through turns readily and sticks to the road. It just does the job.
I find the size issue of two wheeled vehicles so overrated. For example a 450 Kawasaki Eliminator weighs in at 390 pounds having 47 horsepower. A 114 cubic inch bagger (you know the brand) weighs around 800 pounds putting out 94 horsepower. Equal power to weight there. Top speeds are relatively equal.
Bigger isn’t always “Better”. Enjoy the lightweight Vespa. Fun is what goes on between your ears, not what meets others approval.
My ET4 hauling my 214 pound body will reliably travel at about 55 MPH. A little faster if I tuck in. And like you say, that’s fast enough for most anything outside the freeway or the heavily traveled main arteries where people want to exceed the 55 MPH speed limit by 20 or more miles per hour.
The ET4 is tiny in comparison to everything else I own. And so easy to mount. My CT125 is light but it is a chore to mount when I have the milk crate on the back.
I’m content with smaller, slower machines. If someday I find myself in a situation where I am touring and doing 400 mile days then it may make sense for something bigger and more powerful. But for now, I’m owning the right machines.
And not needing the approval of others is a bigger deal than I realized. I never much cared what other people thought of me or my choices. But that doesn’t seem to be the norm for most people. How else do some neighborhoods all use Chemlawn??
Hi Steve, was missing you over on YT. Checked your channel description and it lead me over here. Glad it did!
As for the small bikes… When I started riding, back in the 70’s, 350cc bikes were common & 650cc bikes were considered BIG bikes. I have to say, I’ve had the most smiles per mile on bikes 250cc and less. I guess not all of us need a big bike as a penis extension.
In the next few years I’m looking to thin the heard and only have 2 or 3 small bikes, (250 or less). I don’t ride 2 up anymore and at 70 the big heavy bikes just need to go…
I lost interest in making videos Dennis. They take a lot of energy from the ride and I couldn’t come up with a good reason to keep making them. Maybe I’ll return to them again but for now I enjoy writing and sharing a few pictures.
Smaller scooters and motorcycles are a lot of fun. Particularly if you don’t require a penis extension.
I’m in a similar situation where I suspect I’ll thin the herd over the next few years as well. And if I ever find myself in a situation where I can spend a few weeks crossing the country I can see myself buying something bigger if that made sense. But for now I’m happy with what I have.
I’m glad you made the trip from YouTube to here. I’ve been posting to this blog for a long, long time.
Always a fun read, thanks for putting it all together! All I have is a Piaggio 150, and that’s fine. I’m 70+ so it’s a nice weight/easy to push around the garage, goes 55-60 ok, comfortable, flat floor, reasonable storage with a tail box, and gets good mpg. I’ve went coast to coast on a larger motorbike and if I had the room in the garage, I’d probably get more motorbikes, but the 150 category has a lot of advantages. I’m probably swapping to a Honda PCX in the future, just because of service.
You’re right about scooters and motorcycles in the 150cc range having a lot of advantages. If you can get past the lower power they can be a lot of fun to ride. And service is understandably important. I want to have service and repair options under 50 miles away. And I am lucky that everything I have fits that parameter.