Travel by motor scooter in Europe
 

As a new Vespa GTS 250 owner, I'm daydreaming about scooting in Europe. I've been trying to find forums of people (here or England, most likely, due to language) who travel Europe by motor scooter--akin to those who motor-home, I guess--who deal with where to buy/rent/lease scooters; paper legalities; where to stay along the way, etc, etc. In my Googling efforts, I stay away from 'Vespa' only because I find the focus is usually on the bikes themselves rather than on the realities of traveling by scooter in various countries, inter-country travel, etc.

I'm coming up dry, and wonder a) if any of you know any relevant links, and b) how you'd go about researching this.

Thanks,
Karen

IMO, a miserable idea.

Well, you can research it by googling motor bike rental UK or any number of word combinations. I had to help a client rent motorbikes in France a few years ago and google found dozens of sites.

But IMO scooting in a country where they drive on the "wrong side of the road" = roadkill.

Hi K,

Have you scootered for a week or three in your home country?

((I))

If you scooter in England you have a better than average chance of being soaked to the skin. For days.

Perhaps you should head south. They say when in Rome do as the Romans do. The city is infested with scooters buzzing by like hornets and one more in the mix will hardly matter. Putting issues of petrol and parking aside, do you enjoy courting danger? Do you enjoy annoying dozens of strangers? If so, this is the vacation for you.

On the plus side, there don't seem to be any road rules to learn. Just rev up and run wild.

The down side is if you make the slightest miscalculation,or encounter an absent- minded pedestrian who steps off the curb and into your path, you will be toast.

It would help a lot if you're capable of turning your head a full 360 degrees. Gotta keep an eye out in this city. When in Rome, I don't worry about pick pockets, but I always keep an eye and ear cocked for scooters, and prepare to jump and run.

I can't resist asking, what does your mother think of your plan?

"Where seldom is heard/ a discouraging word . . .

Not here I guess. Certainly get some experience, but here are some links that may help. The first leads to a site for a magazine specializing in scooter travel. It's been sold but the links section has a few leads.

http://www.scooterridermag.com/links.html

The second specializes in adventure touring on motorcycles, but has a section on scooters.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/

The third follows the adventures of a young Englishwoman who rode her Yamaha 225 (a motorcycle but with less displacement than your scooter) from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and then made a second trip on a slightly larger bike from Tunis to Cape Town.

http://www.loisontheloose.com/

I'm planning an 1800 mile trip around France on my Yamaha next year. Don't know if it will happen, but there is no reason why it couldn't -- after all, people take similar or more demanding trips on bicycles all the time.

Hi Karen--there are people who do this, and scooter scenes in europe you can check out these links--your best bet might to try one of the rallies.
http://usa.ultimatetopsites.com/kewl/stian/

http://www.iscootny.com/links.htm

http://members3.boardhost.com/kickstart/

a lot of the stuff on these boards is repair and parts related so be prpared to wade through.

Is going to be a lots of fun but also a very grueling experience for your poor body.
I hope that you have a good health Insurance and a Will ready.
Buona Fortuna or In Bocca Al Lupo..:)

Read about Peter Moore's travels in Italy, on his vespa, in his book "Vroom with a View." It's pretty funny!

My goodness! What assumptions you make!

I'm not out to change minds here, but not everyone riding a scooter is a twenty-something careless narcissist! Scooterists in the U.S. are on the whole much more safety conscious than many auto drivers. I've had several hours of safety training on how to anticipate and evade the worst coming your way from motorists, and will get much more.

I, too, have felt threatened by Italian scooterists in Florence, behind me on the Amalfi Coast, and many other places. And, my interest is not scooting in major cities, but rather in the countryside of France, Italy and other countries where I find hidden beauty.

For the record, I'm almost 58 years old, a lethal cancer survivor, and my mother, if she were still alive, would have no input on my choices. I've driven solo on 6 and 3 month European journeys and managed varied problems and challenges. Riding the scooter is one of the greatest joys I've discovered. Doing so in the kind of beauty I cherish would make it even more joyful.

The dangers are real, but can be managed with skill, maturity, training and focused attention on what you're doing.

Karen
http://www.pbase.com/karenmickleson

The later posts above came in while I was writing. Thanks for the great links. That's what I was looking for--points of departure for researching the idea.

It may never pan out, but I simply want to explore the idea.

Best,
Karen
http://www.pbase.com/karenmickleson

I, for one, think it sounds very cool, Karen. Afraid I can't point you directly to resources to answer your queries regarding logistics, but perhaps these links might give you a starting point:

http://www.petermoore.net/vroom/vroom.htm

Author Peter Moore's website concerning his book "Vroom With A View." "Vroom" chronicles Moore's purchase of a '61 Vespa on eBay, his journey to Milan to pick it up, and his subsequent travels (headaches and all) around Italy. Not the best book I've read, but you might be interested in how he managed.

The second is http://www.italybyvespa.com/

which is really just a tour company that markets tours through Tuscany by Vespa (as the URL says). Not exactly what you asked for, but the FAQ page has a little (very little) info regarding licensing requirements.

Just a note of support. Good luck.

sorry--bad spelling, grammar and punctuation on my post!

Good suggestions, guys.

Karen,I didn't mean to stick a large pin in your travel bubble. As my daughter says, "Mom, why do you always want to bring out the facts? Just let me enjoy dreaming for awhile longer"
Very good advice. So enjoy your dreams, and go out and follow them.

The lyrics to "Home on the Range did make me re-think the posting. As an aside, I must mention that, when I was a child, I always thought the lyrics were "And Seldom HAS heard a discouraging word". I always felt sorry for poor Seldom,with nothing but bad news. As of now I'm officially retracting any of my discouraging news.

One other thing -- I've pretty much decided to ship my bike to Europe and not to rent or lease. If you're looking at more than three weeks rental you'll probably save money. In addition, you won't have to worry about setting the scooter up for touring -- you'll have your luggage, etc. Lastly, you'll have a vehicle you're familiar with (presumably) well maintained.

By-the-way --learn to perform routine maintenance and minor repairs. It will come in handy!

Did you ever get to Europe? This year I comleted a one week camping trip to France on a modern Yamaha 125cc scooter (and me aged 60) No problems, just do not overestimate your daily mileage, stick with what you are comfy with, sit back and enjoy. Rural French motorist will treat you far better than UK ones, as for towns, well they're the same wherever you go. Good luck if you get there.

Scooterman - this was posted 5 years ago and you're giving advice now?