The Return of the Vespa

Thanks mainly to the impact of movies, European countries can be identified with just a few visual cues. For France it’s the Eiffel Tower and a long baguette. All you need to say England is Big Ben and the Union Jack. And Italy is easy: the Coliseum and a street full of Vespas buzzing past the Trevi Fountain.

For a variety of reasons, that Vespa buzz has been gaining momentum in the United States. On the practical side, the shiny little motor scooters don’t need much gas, you don’t get your clothes dirty on them, their compact size makes them easy to park and automatic transmissions make them easy to drive. The new models are environmentally friendly and relatively inexpensive with a price range of $2000 to $6,000.

But what we drive is not always just about the practical. If a person is judged by their ride, the constantly evolving American culture jury has recently reached a verdict: It’s cool again to own a Vespa. Like a laptop, cell phone or iPod, the less-is-more philosophy definitely applies to the iconic Italian motor scooter and other scooters as well.

With gas prices averaging $3 a gallon, giant SUVs are looking like dinosaurs. And motorcycles, once the symbol of rebellion, are now associated with an aging biker-Boomer aesthetic. These days it’s hip to be a geek, and there’s nothing geekier than a motor scooter.

From Fascism to Fashion

That necessity is the mother of invention certainly holds true for the Vespa. In 1946 Italy, both the economy and the roads had been ruined by World War II. The Piaggio company, which had once manufactured airplanes, set out to make a mode of transportation that was cheap, comfortable to drive for both sexes, and could carry a passenger. With the Vespa – the Italian word for wasp – Piaggio ended up revolutionizing the two-wheel industry. Nearly every motor scooter made since has been based on the aerodynamic and elegant Vespa.

Over the last 60 years the global Vespa market has had periods of wild acceleration, but has also hit some bumps. One of the motor scooter’s first spikes in sales came in 1953 after the Audrey Hepburn-Gregory Peck movie Roman Holiday. The enduring classic, about a princess who runs off with a reporter on his Vespa, introduced many Americans to Italian style and tragic romance.

The U.S. love affair with Piaggio’s motor scooter puttered steadily along until the 1980s, when it got crushed under the wheels of an Asian invasion and American pollution laws. Competition from Japanese brands and new U.S. emissions standards caused the Italians to withdraw the Vespa from sales in America.

Personal Mobility

But interest in motorcycles goes in, well, cycles. The Vespa re-entered the North American market in 2001 with cleaner, faster models. Locally, European Motorcycles of Pittsburgh in Wexford, is the boutique for the Vespa brand. Doug Davidson, who owns the web-hosting and software company CityNet, decided to check out the scooters there and quickly became a Vespa owner.

“At that time I was doing a lot of driving from my home in Sewickley to my business on the South Side. It was boring,” he said. “So I did some online research and decided to look at a Vespa. My goal was to find something fuel-efficient and as environmentally sound as possible – but still fun.” He ended up buying a Vespa LX-150 from European Motorcycles and he recommends both the model and the dealership.

“I learned from my research that a four-stroke engine is much cleaner-burning than the two-stroke engine found in some motor scooters. I’m happy with my ‘scoot’ because it’s good for the environment and I get around 66 miles to the gallon,” he said. A recent traffic model study in New York demonstrated that carbon dioxide emissions could be significantly reduced by incorporating more motor scooters into the commuting vehicle mix.

Davidson was initially concerned about how he would get his new two-wheeler home because he wasn’t an experienced motor scooter driver. “European Motorcycles was great,” he said. “They just put it on a trailer and delivered it to my house. I started by taking the Vespa around the block to build up my confidence. Now I go as fast as anyone in the city.” Davidson reported that the “sweet spot” for his Vespa is about 50 miles per hour but he can push it up to 65.

If you're in the market or own a vintage scooter, Vespas or other Italian brands, check out Iron City Scooters which services and restores vintage scooters and sometimes sells them.  

A Scooter’s Cuter

Carla Miller, age 19 and a student at Carnegie Mellon University, was already familiar with motor scooters because her father had many. In September, she became the owner of a used Vespa, which she found on Craig’s List. “The key to buying a motor scooter is to look in the fall and winter because then people don’t seem so keen on them,” she said.

But weather aside, both she and Davidson concurred that two-wheel vehicles have many advantages. “I can park in half spots that no one else can fit into,” Miller said. “Parking is huge,” Davidson agreed. “In the Strip District I can park immediately,” he said.

Miller also finds her Vespa to be relaxing: “You don’t have to get into a hot, sticky car in the summer,” she said. While Miller said using her vintage Vespa in the winter is more like “going snowmobiling,” Davidson rides his motor scooter in any temperature.

“You just have to gear up for weather conditions,” he said. “I have electric gloves and ear plugs for the wind noise. It takes longer to get ready and you have to take it seriously, but I drive the Vespa even when it’s 30 degrees. Rain is fine, but I rode through a thunderstorm once and that wasn’t a good idea. Lightning could be a problem.”

The main disadvantage Miller has with her Vespa is that it can’t accommodate her dog, but as for carrying other stuff, Davidson reported no problems. “It has a grocery hook you can just hang your food bags on. I can get like seven or eight bags on there,” said this father of three. “I also have a decent-size duffle bag for books that also can be tied to the grocery hook. And I strap my laptop on my back. It’s amazing how much you can bring along with you!”

Both Miller and Davidson agreed that Vespas are pretty amazing. “All my friends are like ‘You have a Vespa. That’s so cute!’” Miller said. “Where I bought my scooter also sells all these fancy, high-end motorcycles,” Davidson said, “but while I was there, three people came in just to see the cute Vespas.”