(NBR) Homework help: modern versus classic definitions

Quo Vadimus · Post by **Quo Vadimus** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:02 am

Hey folks,

How do you make the distinction? I know you can 'just tell,' but what truly defines a classic or modern scooter? Just the plastic/metal body? A certain date after which any scooter is modern? Wide leg shields? Only Vespas produced during the reign of Augustus?

Eazy · Post by **Eazy** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:22 am

I think there's a ton of definitions and everyone's going to have an opinion.

Check out the "just gotta scoot" podcast from 9/8/08

They have a round table discussion about vintage vs. retro vs. modern

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:20 am

I only made it through half of the podcast then I remembered why I do not listen to it.

To be a member of the scooter club I belong to, The Vulcan Scooter Secte, you must have a running "vintage" or "classic" scooter.

We define vintage or classic as any scooter that qualifies for historical tags (at least 25 years old). The generally accepted rule of thumb here in the United States is that a scooter 1981 or older is considered "classic" or "vintage". 1981 is the magic year as that is when Piaggio pulled out of the states.

esk · Post by **esk** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:45 am

there was a thread around here recently where i was hoping eric would post some examples of what he considers to be "retro" vs. "classic" design...eric, you still thinking about it?

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:22 am

esk wrote:there was a thread around here recently where i was hoping eric would post some examples of what he considers to be "retro" vs. "classic" design...eric, you still thinking about it?

Yup, just haven't gotten around to rounding it all up.

As far as scooters, there are a few distinctions people make and I'll even use "modern" to mean different things depending on context. For vintage-only scooter clubs, it's usually a date that separates vintage from modern. Most use 1981, when Vespa withdrew from the US market for 20 years. When I casually say "modern scooter," I often just mean a category of scooter with newer features such as a CVT and electronic ignition (which some vintage scooters have as well). When I refer to "modern styled" scooters, I usually mean those like the Blur and most maxiscooters which have neither retro nor classic foundations for their designs.

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:08 am

ericalm wrote:Most use 1981, when Vespa withdrew from the US market for 20 years.

I did not know this.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:42 am

ScooterDave wrote:
ericalm wrote:Most use 1981, when Vespa withdrew from the US market for 20 years.
I did not know this.

Yes, I realize I was reiterating what was in your post; I actually must have skimmed over the last line there… Some of the clubs out here use that year as well for the same reason.