Rock the Vespa

Vespa LX50 in Dragon Red

This week marks my 6th week as a Vespa owner! Let’s be honest, owning a Vespa requires some leap of faith and a strong preference for form over function. Not that it serves no function, but as a brand it draws on people’s emotion above practicality. It does not help that I can barely find information on the web about owning one in Boston, so I just had to do it. The only justification I made was that it’s used and I could probably get rid of the sucker if it sucked.

Right now I’m still the sucker owning it, knowing full well that it isn’t about a better transportation option… or about saving gas, weaving through traffic, or parking it like a bicycle on the sidewalk. It is just so I can say, “I own it” instead of “I wish I owned one”! Then cross it off the list.

POSITIVES:

++ Personal satisfaction: Because I love vintage looking stuff.
+ Scores social points: people will ask.
+ Learn something new: Now I know how to ride a scooter. It’s worth something, isn’t it?
+ Parks any where on the sidewalk: I feel totally sheepish peacocking my red Vespa in front of the grocery store, but I’m over it.
+ Reduces daily commute from 20 min to under 10 min: Doesn’t sound like much but it is a valuable for some one who is often late… like me.
+ Saves Gas: I haven’t filled the gas tank yet, 6 weeks and counting!

Negatives

- - - Not snow-weather friendly: Cambridge weather is going to get brutal and I won’t be risking my life skating on ice on a scooter.
- - - Dangerous at night: I try not to ride home from school too late because the area around my dorm doesn’t feel safe and I feel exposed.
- - - Fear of theft: I say ‘fear’ because it’s really a pain to have to spend extra energy worrying about it. I lock it up with a chain at night and so far it’s worked out.
- Social cannibalism: I can’t walk home with my friends
- Too heavy: It looks like a tiny little thing, but it’s very heavy and I can’t push it up an incline.
- No space for storage: Grocery shopping is severely restricted, no surprise there.

I really wish I had time to take some pictures or even video tape a clip of me riding on it this weekend.. but alas, school has a way of hijacking all my free time. To be continued…