Any Vespa or Other Scooter riders out there?

[Bohemianne]

My sweetie is considering selling his car and getting a Moped, and we very well may be looking to buy used. (He would most likely be carrying his Medium Cafe Bag, by the way, but we'll let you know if that proves unacceptable.) Any suggestions on what to watch out for when shopping?

[h2c911sc]

Back in 2001, Vespa made it's return to the U.S. market with it's introduction of the ET2 and ET4 scooters after leaving the U.S. market in the mid 70's.

I considered restoring a vintage scooter but when I added up all of the cost and ability to get various body parts, I opted for a current production model.

So my order was placed for a silver ET4 after struggling with the decision to which model would better suit my needs. The four stroke ET4 at the time was $1000.00 more than the 2 stroke ET2. The four stroke didn't require buying and adding oil to the fuel system. Some of the hills here would be a strain on a ET2 and would be even worse riding with a passenger. The ET4 has good acceleration and can race up just about any grade even from a standing start.

The scooter has been a pretty good investment so far. Having logged almost 4,000 miles, I have saved on parking and gas normally associated when going places in the car. On the state ferries, two-wheel transportation, bicycles and motorbikes are first to load and first to unload, so commuting on two-wheels has it's privileges.

four years later now with gas prices reaching all time highs and our state on the verge of raising the gas tax, the decision to purchase the scooter has been a very good thing. The expressions I get when I fill the tank every other week, next to the guy filling his Escalade are priceless.

My recent purchase of the Super Ego bag allows me to take everything including my laptop to and from my office in a well made, well organized bag.

Any other scooter or motorcycle owners out there running around with Tom's bags?