Questions & attention from motorists about your scooters

[LunaP]

It was as if my hand had fallen off due to leprosy, or I had tried to hand him an AMWAY brochure.

[amy]

My girlfriend calls it my bicycle.
The cook at my taqueria calls my helmet my "hat".

I dig being a scooter ambassador.

[whitepigeonhope]

I love talking to people at stop lights... Its a wonderful and strange experience for folks who are used to being sealed off from the world whenever they're going somewhere - and I like to share thhe happiness of what transportation CAN be, if only for a moment or two. (Boy, that sounds cheesier than I intended)



My response to the 'Vespa Question' is usually something like, "No, not a Vespa - its made by the Genuine Scooter Company. They're sort of the VW's of the scooter world; cheaper, more reliable, and just as fun!

The best (albeit initially nerve wracking) talk I've had was with a Police officer who pulled his patrol truck over to me at a gas station - I wondered if I was going to get a safety lecture about small vehicles, but he was really impressed with scooters and we had a laugh comparing the tax dollars he'd just spent filling up the full-size pickup the City had issued him to the $4-something my pump stopped at. He waves whenever I see him around now.

[JHScoot]

But yeah, Blackjacks tend to get respect, as far as scooters go. At a 4 way stopsign, there was some kinda big ass bike 1 car behind me, as I could hear it! So, I gunned it thru the stopsign (as much as you can at on a Blackjack) only to come up to a red light next. I can hear the "bluh bluh bluh bluh" of the big motorcycle getting louder, and then it pulls it next to me. It is not a lawyer's Harley or a $30,000 mid life crisis chopper, but a real harley chopper ridden by a guy with tattoos up to his jaw line! He looks over grinning and says "&^*!! that thing is loud, man!!!"
We bs'd til the light changed and he gave a wave and took off. I'm guessing the black, red & chrome look of Blackjacks (combined with the sound of the Prima) kinda seems to give it an edge with certain folks. No one has yet to tell me how 'cute' my Blackjack is

I ride one a few times a week, maybe an hour each time give or take. But while riding it does get a lot of looks. More then I realized before. And more then my Agility. When it's parked it's easily overlooked. But on the road I think it most likely stands out somewhat.

It's an interesting looking scooter to most, and many have probably never seen a scooter like it before. Take a closer look while sitting beside it in a car and you notice the performance parts, most likely. The shock from the rear and what not. I think the styling of the Buddy has something to do with it, too. It really is a perfect modern take on the "classic" style scooter. Or what some might call a "vespa" style scooter. Main difference I see is in the cowl. Vespa style scooters traditionally have ones draped over the engine, so to speak. They "droop" for lack of a better word atm.

But anyway, Buddy's cowls climb upward instead, giving the scooter a more aggressive look. This helps the theme of the BJ in particular, I think.

This is one my dealer has atm. Only 130m, and $3000. But make him an offer, someone. He hasn't met one he can refuse!!

[KABarash]

Maybe because the color of the St Tropez isn't the 'manliest' color, maybe because I had a bit of a 'bad day' yesterday, I sometimes think I get a 'ribbing' from some..... But yesterday it bothered me....
I was sitting in traffic and someone hollered out their car window, "HEY? How fast does that thing go?"
My typical response, "As fast as the law allows"
His next comment, "A f'in Moped??!"

I was 'steamed'

With higher gas prices these days I would think there's going more interest from people being serious with the questions asked of Scooterists about their rides, maybe not....

[JHScoot]

Doubt is was the color of your scoot, KAB. You can tie a bazooka to a scooter and people will still call it a moped. Especially with some dealers calling them
the same!

Don't let the haters get you down

[un_designer]

Maybe because the color of the St Tropez isn't the 'manliest' color, maybe because I had a bit of a 'bad day' yesterday, I sometimes think I get a 'ribbing' from some..... But yesterday it bothered me....
I was sitting in traffic and someone hollered out their car window, "HEY? How fast does that thing go?"
My typical response, "As fast as the law allows"
His next comment, "A f'in Moped??!"

I was 'steamed'

With higher gas prices these days I would think there's going more interest from people being serious with the questions asked of Scooterists about their rides, maybe not....

i find the st. tropez blues to be the best color of all the international series actually. i love my italia, but the green sometimes look kinda muted/dirty.

[Tam Tam]

I thought the St.Tropez were the coolest looking Inter. I was thiiiss close to buying one till I heard the Prima exhaust!

[un_designer]

So today I was on my scooter going to the grocery store, sitting in traffic, and these two kids in a camry in the lane next to me rolled down their window and the two kids kept looking at my scooter and smiling.

They must've been 8 or 9 years old. After looking for a while the boy yelled out "cool scooter!" as the lights changed. heh. I was actually kind of surprised that a kid that young would know the difference between a scooter vs. a motorcycle.

[Tam Tam]

finally, someone called my Blackjack cute - a white trash dude in a 1970's suburban being held together by rust. "aww how cute" he yelled, in a tone of voice that you usually hear on 'Cops' coming from a guy with three teeth, cut off shorts, and a rebel flag t-shirt as he describes how "...that sumbitch come over to mah trailer an' was talking crazy 'bout how I owe him five bucks!"

So...It would seem I've lost my street cred with the cut off/flip flop/no teeth set