What kind of people drive a scooter?

When I started riding over 8 years ago, my first bike was a Yamaha XT225 dual purpose dirt bike. I started out on dirt trails and eventually moved on to street riding. Once I got into the street riding it wasn't long before I realized that this bike was not going to be a keeper due to the fact that living in Alberta you have a lot of distance to cover to get to places you want to see, mainly the National Parks and touring into British Columbia.

2009 Piaggio MP3 500 looking like an alien's scooter

When deciding to upgrade to a bigger motorcycle I found that I was immediately drawn to the great advantages of a scooter. The under seat storage, small storage areas located up front with easy access to retrieving your camera or cell phone, kleenex, wallet and plenty of other items you take traveling, it was a no brainer for me, a scooter was what I wanted! And the protection from bad weather was a great advantage also.

2013 Vespa GTV300 ready for a fun ride

I laugh when other motorcycle riders judge people who ride scooters and say it's because they can't ride anything that is a standard transmission. I assure you this is not the case! Driving a standard vehicle is easy for me, I have drove plenty of them. I also own a Suzuki Gladius but find I am constantly wanting to take my scooters out for a ride because they are so much fun!

2012 Yamaha TMax sport scooter

The big thing I notice about scooter people is they are a very casual, relaxed, and fun loving bunch of people. I have not met a scooter rider yet that is uptight and all about their ego, but I can tell you I have met plenty of motorcycle riders that definitely ride only for bragging rights and are HUGE POSERS! Scooter riders also love to laugh, that is why there are so many 50cc Scooter Rallies popping up that have endurance races, and what is more hysterical fun than people riding around at Rallies in costumes, driving all day and all night on a small scooter. Having fun, laughing, and sharing our stories of craziness with other riders is good medicine. It keeps you young and makes you forget about any stress you might be feeling.

While having dinner in Buck Lake we enjoyed the view, gotta love a Honda Ruckus

I recently sold my Vespa trying to downsize my small fleet of scooters and motorcycles but I have found myself back onto the dealership websites picking out my next scoot for this summer. I do have to mention that the Honda Grom isn't making this an easy choice as it just screams fun to me. In 2017 when The Mad Bastard Scooter Rally happens in Ontario this new scoot will have to be a small displacement bike for higher points. It is a on my bucket list of things to do and I can't wait! Driving around on a 50cc scooter dressed in a costume while doing an endurance race just seems like a crazy time filled with chaos, shenanigans, and unforgettable memories. Sign me up!

So if you're debating between buying a motorcycle or a scooter, really give the scooter a second look. I have no regrets buying mine, and hopefully there are plenty more in my future. They can be addictive and offer great times on two wheels. Anything that makes you have a shit ass grin everytime you ride scores huge with me, Well I better get back to shopping, I have a scooter to pick out, so lets see, should I buy a Vespa, Piaggio, Aprilia, Yamaha, Honda........oh ya, great times are in my future :)

Give scooters a try!

My name is Helena, I have been riding scooters for 8 years now, and I have to tell you they are great fun. I started out on a dual-purpose dirt bike, a Yamaha XT225 that I bought for dirt biking and road use. It was a great bike to learn on and drive around our little town, but once I got bored and wanted to go out on the country roads and start riding farther it was time to get a bigger motorcycle.

2009 Piaggio MP3 500 (second from the left) ready for an adventure

My husband let me decide on my next bike and at the time I never knew I would end up with a scooter. After many trips to a lot of different dealerships, the one bike that kept interesting me was the 2009 Piaggio MP3 500, and the more I sat on it the more I really liked it. It was a demon black colour, with 2 front wheels and 1 rear wheel, Made in Italy, with awesome underseat storage (that was a huge selling point to me). So very strange but so cool at the same time. After weeks of reading online reviews and watching youtube videos I had decided it was the one, and I promptly called the dealership and started the financing. It was awesome to hear back that I had been approved, and he would be ready to go in a couple days. Woohoo, let the fun begin! This scoot always caused a commotion everywhere I went, lots of people wanted to know what it was and how the front end worked. I even had an engineer from Germany who came to Canada for a vacation crawl underneath the front to take pictures. I put 18,500 km on that cool scooter and sold it to a lady who was wanting to start riding with her husband. I miss my Piaggio but was very happy he went on to help another person enjoy riding.

My awesome touring bike, a 2012 Yamaha TMAX

My next scooter was one that had interested me for years while I owned my Piaggio MP3, and the reviews were always positive. When I had my Piaggio up for sale it was time to get serious about my next bike. I already knew years before I bought one that the Yamaha TMAX would be in my garage sometime in the future. All it took was a call to my local Yamaha dealer and they ordered a new 2012 Yamaha TMax 530cc model for me, just in time for our trip to Nakusp, British Columbia. It is a beautiful white colour with light blue flakes in the paint that would shine in the sunlight. This scooter was and still is a fantastic touring machine. It handles great, light weight, underseat storage, two front cubby storage areas for your cell phone and a camera, goes fast when you need it to be, and has a large fuel tank. Perfect for those long adventures you never want to end.

I still own and enjoy my Yamaha TMAX, but there was still one more scooter I had to have, because if you are going to ride scooters you have to sometime in your lifetime own a Vespa! After selling our house and coming out a little ahead after buying our new home there was enough left in the old chequing account to purchase a scooter for my inner child, a scooter to make you smile and giggle everytime you went for a ride, a scooter that would make you believe there is nothing wrong in the world, all is well and happiness can be found everytime you turned the key in the ignition. My new love was a 2013 Vespa GTV300 in a rich cappuccino brown colour. I love this lil guy, he is wonderful to ride, light and flickable in the corners, sporty and fun, with vintage scooter looks. He has a bag hook below the handlebars, underseat storage, and front storage too. You can even order a bottle holder that suction cups to the scooter for easy access while riding. Fun, fun, fun!

Riding the Buck Lake area with my 2013 Vespa GTV300

So if you are trying to decide on a motorcycle, don't ever rule out a scooter! I am so glad I didn't :)