Introducing Vita the Vespa.

This post is to introduce Vita the Vespa, but first, some context……

Sometimes, we sell things before they are worn out because either we just want a change or there’s no use for it anymore. Sometimes, there are things that we just use until they are worn out and never get to being sold. Sometimes (that’s three times I’ve used this word in 3 sentences), we look back back on something that we’ve sold and get that feeling of “I wish I’d never sold it”. Some might say it is regretful that it was sold, and some may just say that that they miss it. Either way, there’ll be some nostalgia to the thought.

All of the above sentences are very true with motorcycles, although it’s less unusual that a motorcycle is completely worn out and thrown away, because most of the time, it can be restored or customised. Current data shows that a motorcycle in the UK is kept by an owner 2 to 5 years before it is sold, and usually, the shorter the ownership, the reason to sell is ‘for a change’ or ‘to try another model’. Those that keep a motorcycle for a long time usually end up selling them because of a change in life interests or circumstances. The smaller engined motorcycles that we all learn to ride on tend to be owned for short periods like 12 to 18 months, because once a big bike licence is attained, the big bike is bought and the small, learner bike goes off to probably, another learner.

Sometimes (there’s that word again), a bike is sold, and then 30 years later, the owner starts looking for it and wants to find it and buy it back. This is wholly emotional and nostalgic, because that bike represents a part of life that was perceived as special in his/her memory.

All of this context above gets me (finally) to that question; Which bike did I sell that I wish I really hadn’t? Well, it was a 2010 white Vespa 125 Supersport. I bought it new in Switzerland after my first year working there and when I knew I would be staying longer. Vespas were everywhere in Switzerland and used by everyone. It is a cool, classless and great way to commute, get around town, and connect small villages via the tiny roads in the many vineyards in the region. At rush hour, men in suits or overalls and women in their business or professional outfits would be going to work on their Vespa. There were special scooter parking areas in the main streets in the towns and they would always be full of Vespas. I kept mine for seven years and then sold it to a friend who along with his kids, all used the Vespa, and they still have it and love it today, such is the ‘Vespa thing’. I used it to commute to work, ride the alpine roads and to get the bread at the weekend. It was just so great to jump on and go. No dressing up like a motorcyclist usually does. Just brilliant times! Anyway, I’ve always missed it and regretted selling it.

9 years later, I fix that missing feeling. I’ve bought a new Vespa from a local dealer, Teasdale Motorcycles (link below) located in the beautiful, North Yorkshire market town of Thirsk, and in the colour ‘Blu Eclettico’. It is more than twice the engine size of my previous white Vespa, as well as being much more technologically advanced, including heated grips and seat. I’m also using it in a different country to the white one and will be riding it on different adventures, so I’m not replicating a specific nostalgic memory just for the sake of it.

My new Vespa is registered as a ‘Vespa GTS 310 Supersport’. Nice full title huh? She comes from an iconic Italian family that celebrates its 80th year in 2026, and the name that I have given her is Vita, which means ‘life’ in Italian. My wife came up with the name and every time I look at Vita, the name fits perfectly.

The white Vespa wasn’t my first ever meeting with these scooters, because in 1964, when I was two years old, I was photographed on my Uncle’s Vespa (below), so 62 years after, here I am siting astride a new 21st century Vespa.

Vespas and red shoes! Same person, same Vespa brand and 62 years apart.

Apparently, there are nearly 25,000 Vespas currently registered in the UK, so it is a popular brand, although this is a small percentage of the near 20 million that have been made to date. Most Vespas will be city based commuters and the remaining will be in the hands of the scooter ‘Mods’ and collectors. In the UK, scooters are associated with the Mod culture, and several people have asked me if I’m defecting over to the Mod scene from the motorcycle scene. This isn’t the case and the Vespa is just another sort of motorcycle to me. I won’t be going to scooter rallies like I don’t go to motorcycle rallies. I’m just someone who loves being on two wheels. I have actually written a post about a previous connection with a Lambretta scooter and the link is at the end of this post.

Vita definitely has character and style, so in the coming year, I’ll find out more about her as we travel together. She even has her own Instagram page as well. Anyway, I can rest assured that my original Vespa is still being used and loved, and that Vita will take me on some great adventures, and continue that long thread of Vespa contact that I’ve had from the age of 2 to today.

And finally for this post, thanks to Gil at RetroDecals (link in sidebar) for creating the Vita logo and decals/stickers.