The CT125 with the heel toe shifter gives a lot of riders pause. It is unfamiliar and calls for a new sort of muscle memory. But once you get it, it is a lot of fun.

I can’t disagree with much you have said. Where I diverge is in the idea of practice. Yes, a skilled police officer can make a big Harley do all sorts of things. But how many riders practice like that? I’ve never met one. I’ve met motocross riders who don’t ride on the street. And cross country riding veterans who still get nervous moving their bikes around the driveway. I won’t say no one practices like that but it isn’t the normal course of events. So unwashed and unskilled, a scooter is far easier to navigate than pretty much any motorcycle. My Honda Trail 125 included.

My Trail 125 is nimble, but no where near as nimble and easy to use at the Vespa ET4. Those 10 inch tires make for a very narrow turning radius.

Maintenance between the bikes and scooters is hard to estimate but I think it’s a wash. At least now as I pay for service. And as a friend shared, it’s not a problem if money can solve it. I’ve taken that to heart as I struggled to release my grip on the cash in my wallet. But that’s just me.

The one thing I didn’t include in this piece is the difference in ride and feel between specific scooters and specific bikes. That opens a huge landscape of opinion and experience. I’ve ridden a handful of non-Vespa scooters and even the best of them feel “rough” in comparison. I can only attribute that to the rigid construction of the Vespa’s mono body design. If I ever decide it is time to replace my scooters I will look again at the Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha offerings. But for now I’m happy with what I have.

I love riding my motorcycles. And the same with the scooters. But they are different experiences. Even between bikes. The W650 is completely different to ride than the Himalayan. When people ask what they should get it’s tough to answer. The answer is so personaL.

As always, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I always appreciate them.

First off, with practice a motorcycle will turn just as tight as a scooter. Go to YouTube and see Police officers turning inside a tight cone circle on a Full Dress Harley. Second. I’m betting with a little practice your Trail Cub will make the Vespa seem like a Harley in a tight maneuver.

As a person who started out on dirt bikes a competition I enjoy the machine aspect. Shifting gears and hearing the sounds is like music to me. I don’t even turn on the radio in my car. I like to hear the engine so I know when to shift my six speed manual box.

It’s too late to prognosticate but I’m thinking you would have had a lot less to wrote about all this time if the Blog was called “Honda Rebel 500 In The Sticks” as, believe me, maintenance is so much lighter on a motorcycle.

Forgive my negativity though, There’s new starter motor lying over there waiting to replace the burned out one in my scooter. Removing the old one was so much fun. Lying on the asphalt driveway removing the old one since the scooter components are such a joy to remove. It seems that the engines went in first and everything else was built around it. Unlike motorcycles with their engines exposed.