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Mon. June 2, 2008, 07:43am PDT
Not Just a Scooter, It's a Vespa
Or so I'm told. After buying one this weekend I was made aware of the fact that we've joined a bit of a cult on two wheels. Well, when motoring in Rome...
A couple years ago I saw a blog post about a promising looking, fully electric scooter from a company in Canada. I got really excited but couldn't even think of exploring the option because they weren't yet approved for selling here in the states. With gas prices so high ($4+ per gallon), AP's desire to start a scooter gang, and since home and work are so relatively close I recently began eying that electric option again. Lack of a local dealership combined with some sketchy reviews online urged me to drop my dreams of an electric mode of transport (for now) and look toward gas fed scooters. Knowing their efficiency can be anywhere from 80 to over 100 MPG I still felt like this is a step in the right environmental impact direction.
Last Tuesday our short journey started. We first stopped by NW Motor Scooters [ map ] on South Tacoma Way near the corner of 56th. Since I knew little about scooters I asked numerous newbie questions of Shauna there and looked at the shiny little vehicles. They specialize in Vespa's as well as a couple other high-end brands from Europe and one from Taiwan. The quality of the scooters they sell is high but prices were above what I thought we should think of paying. So we moved on down the road to Tacoma Motorsports [ map ] on Center St. across from Home Depot. Though they had a couple promising Yamaha and Honda scooters at great prices I could tell they were more of an after thought compared to all the motorcycles and watercraft they sell.
We mulled it over, looked at specs, prices, and thought about it for the rest of the week. Then, on Saturday, it was go time. We took a quick stop to look at a promising model of scooter at Tacoma Motorsports again but were first put off with their service Tuesday and again Saturday. That combined with a lack of the model of interest (and the fact that I didn't want to support a company that also sells annoying motorized watercraft) led us back to NW Motor Scooter. Shauna gave us her undivided attention amidst a busy selling season (they've sold about 50 scooters in the last two weeks -- about 2/5ths of their inventory). She walked us through the pros of a couple models of Vespa's and we were sold.
It's great to have a local company willing to dedicate themselves to such a locally focused mode of transportation. The quality of their stock and service helps elevate them above places selling those basic scooters and it shows in the 4 other buys that took place while we were there that afternoon. Our support posse of Frinklin and AP was along and helped us make our decision and even see me home safely on my first ride. From there, Sarah and I were hooked. Right after we got home we doubled up and headed to the Red Hot for some dinner then rode it around our neighborhood a bit. Sunday morning we cruised down for breakfast at The Spar then took the long way home down Ruston Way and back up on Pearl and through various North End neighborhoods.
Is this just a fad or something for the heck of it? Well, I'm taking it to work today and seeing how most of our daily world is right here in Tacoma, it's a pretty great option to avoid hopping in the car. Come to think of it, after we got the scooter Saturday we didn't use our cars all weekend save for a grocery trip Sunday night. Not too shabby.
Comments (36) | To Top
6/2/2008 @ 7:57am
Congratulations Kevin! I, too, bought a scooter from NW Motorscooters a couple of weeks ago. Rather than a Vespa, I bought an Aprilia Scarabeo 100 and have already logged almost 300 miles. I commute from near 6th and Bridgeport to Lakewood and have been completely happy with the experience.
by WaywardSailorGirl
6/2/2008 @ 8:18am
Yes, Shauna rocks and so does NW Motorscooter. Highly recommend them.They put together monthly rides, and, although I haven't done one, definitely plan on it. We bought our Kymco Grandvista 250 a couple of months ago for Kristan to drive to work (Tac to Seatac Aprt). But she has since moved to Pittsburgh, so little Snowflake hasn't had much riding time. We did do some 2-up riding a couple of weeks ago, which was nice. With the gas prices, the purchase was completely justified.
by dawntown
6/2/2008 @ 9:27am
I totally know Shauna. I went to HS with her.
by Dave
6/2/2008 @ 9:42am
AWESOME! That's totally the color I would have picked.
by ZestyJenny
6/2/2008 @ 9:59am
I once belonged to the other camp (Lambretta) they've since gone out of business.
Until my brother stopped me, I almost bought a Suzuki Burgman 650.
For a scooter it was a bit of an overkill.
Click my name to see a picture.
by Doug
6/2/2008 @ 10:04am
That's a nice looking Vespa. Well-suited for high gas prices.
by Erik Hanberg
6/2/2008 @ 2:06pm
so......jealous...........
by jcbetty
6/2/2008 @ 3:04pm
I'm totally next. As in next summer, probably.
Hey, anyone want a slightly used SUV?
by frinklin
6/2/2008 @ 3:07pm
Uhh... dude, you named the Karmann Ghia "Fanta"?
Really?
I mean, seriously?
by frinklin
6/2/2008 @ 9:12pm
A scooter and extra crispy bacon in one weekend! Kevin, you certainly do live large. If freeways weren't a staple of my commute, a scooter I would definitely consider.
by Brooks
6/2/2008 @ 10:30pm
I can't wait to see it in person! I love the color!
by ensie
6/3/2008 @ 9:15am
I had a great time riding to work, to get lunch, then over to the Red Hot last night. Even got to ride in the rain a bit which was no problem. Need a good waterproof jacked and gloves for that. The visor I'll soon add will help as well. Lovin' it so far!
by KevinFreitas
6/4/2008 @ 2:02pm
Brandon bought me a pearly white Vespa as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. I just LOVE it! We should totally start a "Hog" gang...
by Britta
6/4/2008 @ 4:32pm
Very nice, Kevin. Last fall I wrote about buying a used scooter (Kymco 250 Bet N Win) and interviewed Shauna and her dad at NW Motor Scooters. If I could have afforded a Vespa, I would have bought one. I hope these aren't famous last words, but...I've ridden on the freeway without any problem. My wife hopped on the back and we did an all-day trip to Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Belfair, Shelton Olympia and back to Tacoma. We had fun.
Drive safely!
by Dan Voelpel
6/4/2008 @ 7:59pm
@Britta: I'm there. Perhaps a Hudson's Bay/PLU alum gang?
@Dan: Sounds like a great ride. Don't know if we'll be venturing that far with our 150 but we'll certainly be all over Tacoma with it.
Another milestone today for me: got my motorcycle learners permit. Popped open the PDF study guide from the DOL site this morning then headed over to take the written test. Only missed two (I don't know where the !#@$ a clutch is on a motorcycle -- my scooter doesn't have one man!) and was only put off by the crabby employee there who, despite there being only signs prohibiting cellphones, told me to put away my electronic device iPod touch (not a cellphone) on which I was passing the boring wait time playing Solitaire.
Next comes the drive course test and my license! Stay tuned...
by KevinFreitas
6/7/2008 @ 5:54pm
Well, if the weather ever gets nice, maybe we can have a meeting of local Vespa owners. There are scooter clubs in Seattle, which is a bit too far for my 50cc sweetride.
The Swiss, sometime in July?
by Mary Kellogg
6/7/2008 @ 8:10pm
I'm down. How about some weekday evening?
by KevinFreitas
6/7/2008 @ 9:13pm
Just found your site and tale. My wife and I are looking at the Grand Vista for commuting, and some short-distance traveling. Glad to hear your good comments about NW MotorScooters - I've been impressed with my two visists there.
by Mark Siltala
6/8/2008 @ 9:06am
Just headed over to NW Motor Scooters again yesterday afternoon. My license plate and windshield were in. Despite the place still being pretty busy they hauled our Vespa into the back to get everything installed and swapped out some fluids. Nice to see the sales floor have a couple more people helping out as well. Even despite the crummy weather each was occupied for most of my visit with customers.
by KevinFreitas
6/8/2008 @ 1:22pm
MarkSiltala:
We bought our Grandvista 250 in April, and we love it. we're two small gals, so 2-up riding in town was no problem on this one. My partner used it to commute to Sea-Tac airport from Tacoma on it. She said highway driving was a bit difficult, because the scooter is pretty light, so you get blown all over the place. But she remedied the problem by mapping out another route that didn't put her on the highway much. This new route still made her commute an hour, butwWith gas prices, it still was worth it.
by dawntown
6/8/2008 @ 7:27pm
Welcome to the "Club" y'all. I don't feel so all alone anymore. Someone else needs a pink one. I think I saw one recently. There are also quite a few vintage ones popping up as well. Sounds like time for an actual scooter club to be created.
by Daymaker
6/9/2008 @ 9:25am
Just got our insurance with Progressive today. I'm sure there are plenty of factors that would change this for other folks, but for the two of us our coverage is just over $300 a year. Not too shabby!
by KevinFreitas
6/9/2008 @ 4:29pm
Nice wheels Kev! Can you ride a wheelie yet? We should build some ramps and see how high you can go Napoleon Dynamite style. I can't wait to see it in person.
by Gavin
6/11/2008 @ 10:15am
No wheelie's yet. Probably ever. ;) I did brave the morning drizzle to ride it to work. A good jacket and gloves helped keep me warm and dry. Barely a drop on my pants at all. I love this thing...
by KevinFreitas
6/13/2008 @ 7:15am
Just filled the tank for the first time and it was the fastest stop at a gas station I've ever experienced. Felt kinda' like a joke. I was in and out in a couple minutes and spent about $5.70 on a gallon-and-a-half and POOF! the tank read full.
I've also ridden a couple times along Schuster Parkway between Old Town and Downtown Tacoma. This is only worth mentioning because it's a faster road than most around here. People normally cruise at 45 or 50 MPH as I did on the Vespa. It actually didn't feel that fast at all and the scooter felt just as solid and stable as it does as slower speeds.
by KevinFreitas
6/13/2008 @ 9:56pm
IF we can pin down a date, say a Wednesday evening sometime in July...would be nice to take a group Vespa ride, end up at Swiss or wherever...Hub maybe? Take a poll, get a group. Would be fun.
by Mary Kellogg
6/15/2008 @ 6:11pm
Sounds good to me. What about Wednesday the 16th -- right smack dab in the middle of the month? I also often find myself at The Red Hot on Monday nights with my scooter as well. We could make that more of an informal two-wheeled kinda meet-up.
Oh, and for the 16th, I'm willing to come up with a ride route if anyone is interested. Got a couple ideas that might be nice.
by KevinFreitas
6/24/2008 @ 8:40am
Anyone have cold start problems?? I bought the green vespa about a month ago and it has trouble starting. Does anyones just start righ up or do you have to give it gas or press the starter button a few times to get it started? Someone Please respond!
by Amber Smith
6/24/2008 @ 11:39pm
I have to give it a little gas when I start it up and that seems to do the trick. With the scooter still on the stand you can be pretty sure it won't get away from you -- though it does vibrate enough to move the Vespa with the stand down on a solid concrete surface.
I usually let it warm up for 30-60 sec as I get my jacket, gloves, helmet, etc all situated. From there it seems to be happy to get moving.
by KevinFreitas
6/25/2008 @ 1:49pm
If I haven't ridden in a few days, I usually kick start it. My scoot is a 2002 Vespa ET50, so it probably isn't a powerful as yours.
Anyone know anything about the group of scooters parked by the Fed Courthouse in Tacoma on Saturday? About 20 or so. Felt like I wasn't invited to the party....
by Mary Kellogg
6/25/2008 @ 2:38pm
I saw all them too. Beautiful sight, really. Thought it might be a NW Motor Scooters club outing.
by KevinFreitas
6/30/2008 @ 10:54am
Y'all are formally invited to head north to hang with a mess of scooterists over the 4th of July weekend for Scooter Insanity 21!
(how can anyone pass up JP Patches?!?)
Dawn
VP, VCOS
by Dawn
7/16/2008 @ 12:42pm
Hello, Sunday July 20th everyone is invited to a scooter ride that will start at Hinshaw's Motorcycle store in Auburn and go to Stielacoom and Anderson Island. We will have stops in Stielacoom and Anderson Island, and end up at the Hub in Tacoma. The ride is suitable for any scooter 50cc or larger.
MEET at Hinshaws motorcycle store 10:00am
START at 10:30am
END ?
by Jeff Carlson
7/16/2008 @ 12:49pm
The route for the above ride was created by the Firkin Scooter Club of Tacoma. We will be having our first meeting in August, Time, Date and Location to be determined. 21+ only and all brands welcome.
by Jeff Carlson
10/5/2008 @ 8:44pm
I feel like I've seen a vespa gang in Tacoma a few times recently. I was passed by a pack in the evening on 6th ave about a month and a half ago. Some one honked at me. Just today on my scoot home I saw about 5 vespas outside the Hub. I feel a little left out of the club; I went with a yamaha zuma so I would have more service locations. Is there an all-brands scooter club?
by Devinejohnny
10/6/2008 @ 6:52am
@Devine: I think there was one out of Auburn that goes all over the place (including the Tacoma area) that welcomes all kinds. I've ridden a couple times with the group from NW Motor Scooters and they sell only Vespas and other similar brands. Me? I'm down to ride with whomever on whatever. You can often catch me on my scooter at The Red Hot Monday nights enjoying a dog, beer, and watching a little MNF. Won't be on my scooter tonight (got a couple things to fix up) but if you see me on the road give a honk and wave and hopefully we'll hook up sometime.
Cheers (and ride safe)!
by KevinFreitas