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growler_southI just got back from a two hour ride on the scooter- through the dark and around the city, just riding for the fun of it. I saw 3 accidents with ambulances and police attending, almost ran over 4 dumb pedestrians, followed 8 randomly swerving taxis, and ate 22 bugs. (its night-time and they LOVE the headlamp) I also used a whole tank of gas, 3.5 litres oh my!!
The scooter ran like a dream- I havent ridden it much since my jacket got stolen (I dont like the thought of shredding my arms should I fall off) and it took 4 kicks to get it started, but once it fired up it settled into a nice even tickover. A hint of four-stroking as I drove up the driveway and that was all. Clearly it appreciated being taken for a nice long run.
My shoulders are a bit sore, and my feet are still buzzing from the trademark Vespa vibro-massage, but im feeling fantastic- riding a good-handling little bike is such fun, and the Vespa 90 is one of the best handling classic scooters ever made. Turn-in is crisp and immediate, the short wheelbase and aggressive steering rake suit the grippy modern tyres I have on it. The suspension, being completely rebuilt, is fluid yet precise, which is pretty important on a small bike- small bikes being a bit sensitive to rough roads. The only niggle is that the front suspension compresses dramatically under braking (the short swinging arm is pivoted at the wrong end in my opinion) and Ive had to make a progressive polyurethane bump-stop to stop it bottoming out suddenly. But once you get used to it its not too bad I guess, you just learn not to brake too suddenly...
happy happy me :-)
The scooter ran like a dream- I havent ridden it much since my jacket got stolen (I dont like the thought of shredding my arms should I fall off) and it took 4 kicks to get it started, but once it fired up it settled into a nice even tickover. A hint of four-stroking as I drove up the driveway and that was all. Clearly it appreciated being taken for a nice long run.
My shoulders are a bit sore, and my feet are still buzzing from the trademark Vespa vibro-massage, but im feeling fantastic- riding a good-handling little bike is such fun, and the Vespa 90 is one of the best handling classic scooters ever made. Turn-in is crisp and immediate, the short wheelbase and aggressive steering rake suit the grippy modern tyres I have on it. The suspension, being completely rebuilt, is fluid yet precise, which is pretty important on a small bike- small bikes being a bit sensitive to rough roads. The only niggle is that the front suspension compresses dramatically under braking (the short swinging arm is pivoted at the wrong end in my opinion) and Ive had to make a progressive polyurethane bump-stop to stop it bottoming out suddenly. But once you get used to it its not too bad I guess, you just learn not to brake too suddenly...
happy happy me :-)
