Unveiled Today at EICMA: Vespa 946

It is official: this is the new face of Vespa!

On the LaVespaVite.com Blog they wrote, 

“Today, after having put more than seventeen million vehicles on streets throughout the world, and becoming a legend worldwide, Vespa unveils its future at EICMA in Milan, Italy.

It does so by directly referring to its original product, the MP6 prototype, first embryo of the Vespa from which, in the spring of 1946, the world’s most famous scooter was born, an Italian and unsurpassed icon of style and creativity.

Distilling the purest essence of those traits which marked forever the aesthetics of individual mobility, forcefully entering our everyday life and enhancing the lines which made it famous, the Pontedera Style Center projects the Vespa in a new generation in which references and projections, tradition and innovation, seamlessly merge. Once again Vespa is ahead of its time, projecting itself into a future marked by style and technology at the service of a better quality of life.

Stumbled upon this on WordPress and wanted to share it over here. Good advise for everyone, including those who only drive cars. Respect the road and respect those on the road! Cheers and hope your weekend was long enough!

fantasy is not reality.

Just in case y’all forgot, 

This photo is currently being passed along the FB Scooter/Vespa pages, and I couldn’t resist displaying it here. She is a beauty to be sure, but OUCH! Brought to you by the guys over @MenPeopleWhoWon’tScootWithoutTonsofGearOnNutEpectWomenToLookLikeThis. Fantasy, shmanty: I look good with gear on and think that it is responsible to present another aspect of women who [really] ride. Any of you have photos out on rides with your gear on and want to show the world how it is done, please email me your photo. Let’s show ’em the sexy reality of our world: izevel1923@gmail.com. 

Are You “Vespa People”? And the story of my first ride on Roxy.

 This week on the ‘ol blog, I am looking forward to getting back to some of the basics about owning a vespa and provide some information I could have found very handy right before I purchased mine. I plan on writing out a few detailed posts that I think will help those out there looking to own a scooter and aren’t sure how to go about it. The questions you forget to ask are often the questions you’ll most regret, so I plan on asking you those in a few of this weeks posts. The posts will include topics such as maintenance, figuring out what questions you need to ask yourself before you even start asking questions to a dealer, and how you can figure out if a vespa is a better choice for you over another vehicle in this time in your life.

 I will go through more of these details from the very beginning steps of someone who is considering their options and wants a better idea of the larger picture and how owning a vespa could help/hinder that picture. If anyone has any questions they would like me to try and answer about these beginning steps before ownership, please leave a comment or get in touch with me (izevel1923@gmail.com). I’ll also write a bit about my own shortcomings with this whole vespa ownership deal that I really wasn’t aware of at the time of purchase and now better understand. I wanted to start off these writings with my first drive on Roxyvespa, from Jerusalem, the day I bought her to show you that things do indeed get better.

My First Ride, in summation:  It was a decent day with warm sun overhead and little wind, considering it was early December. Once the guy (who I bought it) from left, I knew I was on my own and that made me even more nervous. I haven’t drove before in Israel and have only heard, and seen, how bad Israelis are at the whole driving thing. And here I was just going headfirst into this mess on a Vespa. Sometimes, it is just better to do and stop thinking and this was clearly a good place to apply that lack of logic.

For the longer version (for those keen on vespas), 

Vespa Adventures: Oy! Pesach Driving.

Israel for Pesach? Advise: Stay away from the highways!

Driving during Pesach is only for the brave here in Israel and maybe those looking to catch up on their reading. Beware:

“Traffic jams were reported throughout Israel on Monday, in the first sign of what has become an annual nationwide gridlock ahead of the Passover dinner.”-From Haaretz.com.

For Israelis, Passover is usually a time for family travel, particularly those who are not observant and don’t mind missing the family seder. With the kids off from school for two weeks and most companies offering half days during the holiday’s four intermediate days, it’s the perfect time to take a trip. (College students and most military personal also get this time off, so basically everyone is everywhere and things are crowded.) 

Treasure Found: Piaggio PX 200E

A sunny day’s walk  leads to unexpected treasure,

We were out on a walk through our neighborhood when unexpectedly my partner points out a blue machine over in the shade. I would have never noticed it on my own, as it was pretty well hidden by overgrown weeds (-one that is related to poison ivy, so I was careful with getting close to it). The extra neat factor of this old Piaggio was that it had a cozy sidecar attached! Those are quiet rare, I’ve found, and was excited to come across this so unexpectadly. The colour was still, even in this state, brilliant and I knew that if someone had the skills and knowledge to restore it, it would be a prized procession and a real eye-catcher on these Israeli Streets.