Tuesday,
July 24,
Vespa: It's Cool
Again
The
ANNOTICO Report
In
1946
One
of the motor scooters first spikes in sales came in 1953 after the Audrey
Hepburn-Gregory Peck movie Roman Holiday. The
enduring classic, about a princess who runs off with a reporter on his Vespa, introduced many Americans to Italian style and
tragic romance.
The
Vespa re-entered the North
American market in 2001 with cleaner, faster models. For a variety of reasons,
that Vespa buzz
has been gaining momentum in the
Both satisfied
customers Carla Miller and Doug Davidson agreed that Vespas
are pretty amazing. - All my friends are like You
have a Vespa. Thats so cute!- Miller
said. - Where I bought my scooter also sells all these fancy, high-end
motorcycles,- Davidson said, "but while I was
there, three people came in just to see the cute Vespas."
By:
Margie Romero
July
25, 2007
Thanks mainly to
the impact of movies, European countries can be
identified with just a few visual cues. For
For a variety of
reasons, that Vespa
buzz has been gaining momentum in the
But what we drive
is not always just about the practical. If a person is judged by their ride,
the constantly evolving American culture jury has recently reached a verdict: Its cool again to own a Vespa. Like a laptop, cell phone or iPod, the less-is-more philosophy definitely applies to the
iconic Italian motor scooter and other scooters as well.
With gas prices
averaging $3 a gallon, giant SUVs are looking like dinosaurs. And motorcycles,
once the symbol of rebellion, are now associated with an aging biker-Boomer
aesthetic. These days its hip to be a geek, and
theres nothing geekier than a motor scooter.
From Fascism
to Fashion
That necessity is
the mother of invention certainly holds true for the Vespa.
In 1946
Over the last 60
years the global Vespa market has had periods of wild
acceleration, but has also hit some bumps. One of the motor scooters
first spikes in sales came in 1953 after the Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck movie Roman
Holiday. The enduring classic, about a princess
who runs off with a reporter on his Vespa, introduced
many Americans to Italian style and tragic romance.
The
Personal
Mobility
But interest in
motorcycles goes in, well, cycles. The Vespa
re-entered the North American market in 2001 with cleaner, faster models.
Locally, European Motorcycles
of Pittsburgh in Wexford, is the boutique for the Vespa brand. Doug Davidson, who owns the web-hosting and
software company CityNet, decided to check out the
scooters there and quickly became a Vespa owner.
At that time
I was doing a lot of driving from my home in Sewickley to my business on the
South Side. It was boring, he said. So I did some online research and
decided to look at a Vespa. My goal was to find
something fuel-efficient and as environmentally sound as possible but still fun. He ended up buying a Vespa LX-150 from European Motorcycles and he recommends
both the model and the dealership.
I learned
from my research that a four-stroke engine is much cleaner-burning than the
two-stroke engine found in some motor scooters. Im happy with my
scoot because its good for the environment and I get around 66
miles to the gallon, he said. A recent traffic model study in
Davidson was
initially concerned about how he would get his new two-wheeler home because he wasnt an experienced motor scooter driver.
European Motorcycles was great, he said. They just put it on a
trailer and delivered it to my house. I started by taking the Vespa around the block to build up my confidence. Now I go
as fast as anyone in the city. Davidson reported that the sweet
spot for his Vespa is about 50 miles per hour
but he can push it up to 65.
If you're in the
market or own a vintage scooter, Vespas or other
Italian brands, check out Iron City
Scooters which services and restores vintage scooters and sometimes sells
them.
A Scooters Cuter
Carla Miller, age
19 and a student at Carnegie Mellon University,
was already familiar with motor scooters because her father had many. In
September, she became the owner of a used Vespa,
which she found on Craigs List. The key to buying a motor scooter is
to look in the fall and winter because then people dont seem so keen on
them, she said.
But weather
aside, both she and Davidson concurred that two-wheel vehicles have many
advantages. I can park in half spots that no one else can fit into,
Miller said. Parking is huge, Davidson agreed. In the Strip
District I can park immediately, he said.
Miller also finds
her Vespa to be relaxing: You dont have to
get into a hot, sticky car in the summer, she said. While Miller said
using her vintage Vespa in the winter is more like
going snowmobiling, Davidson rides his motor scooter in any
temperature.
You just
have to gear up for weather conditions, he said. I have electric
gloves and ear plugs for the wind noise. It takes longer to get ready and you have
to take it seriously, but I drive the Vespa even when
its 30 degrees. Rain is fine, but I rode through a thunderstorm once and
that wasnt a good idea. Lightning could be a
problem.
The main
disadvantage Miller has with her Vespa is that it
cant accommodate her dog, but as for carrying other stuff, Davidson
reported no problems. It has a grocery hook you can just hang your food
bags on. I can get like seven or eight bags on there, said this father of
three. I also have a decent-size duffle bag for books that also can be
tied to the grocery hook. And I strap my laptop on my back. Its amazing
how much you can bring along with you!
Both Miller and
Davidson agreed that Vespas are pretty amazing.
All my friends are like You have a Vespa. Thats so cute! Miller said.
Where I bought my scooter also sells all these fancy, high-end
motorcycles, Davidson said, but while I was there, three people came
in just to see the cute Vespas.
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