Modern Buddy

Sorry if this is somewhat off-topic, but I happened to click on the "Modern Vespa" link at the bottom of the Buddy page, just to take a look. My eyes were immediately drawn to the thread about the Denver accident that killed a scooter rider. The thread reported that the scooter was stolen by the guy who was killed and that news touched off a pretty interesting dialogue. Bottom line, whatever sympathy there was for the rider pretty much disappeared.

I'm here to tell a different story. I don't know if my story is true and I don't know if the story about the scooter being stolen is false, but here's what I heard, first hand. I was gassing up my Ducati at a downtown Denver gas station, just after a nice ride through the foothills. There's a guy at the pump next to me gassing up a small SUV and he's eyeing me. I chalk this up to the Duc because it gets a lot of looks. As I finish pumping he walks over and asks about the bike. Then he asks me if I heard about the guy killed riding the Vespa and I said yes, not just because I had heard but also because at least two strangers had previously approached me on my scooter and told me to be careful because they had heard about it too. This guy goes on to tell me that the kid who was killed was his nephew and that the nephew had flown into Denver from CA for his grandma's funeral. He said the scooter, which was not a Vespa, was borrowed from a family friend. He went on and gave me excruciating details of the accident (actually a hit and run crime) and then told me to be careful and that he'd be praying for me. Said it was the toughest week of his life.

I didn't want to register with Modern Vespa just to tell this story and, honestly, I don't know which one is true. Maybe neither is, but I believed the uncle because he believed what he was saying. The moral for me is don't judge anyone based on what you hear in the news or online. And, on a trivial note, don't get bent out of shape when non-scooterists refer to every scooter as a Vespa.

I'm not familiar with the story, and I haven't read the thread at MV, but I have a couple comments. Since I am a new rider and have been reading a lot of state motorcyle operators manuals and laws and internet info and started with the MSF Basic Rider course last night, all this safety stuff is right at the front for me at the moment...

Two things come to mind right away. This is more for us to think about than specifically pertaining to what happened in Denver.

1. When I am on a motorcyle or scooter, my safety is ultimately my own responsibility regardless of the actions of other people.

2. Lending a motorcycle or scooter to someone else is a really bad idea. Especially if they are not experienced riders, don't know the bike, or don't know the area they'll be riding in. The person riding the borrowed bike is likely to be a hazard to themselves, the bike, and those around them.

I know that some things can't be avoided, and my heart goes out to the family and friends of the person who was killed whether it was his own fault or not.

--
Kevin

Here's the MV thread on the incident:
http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6210

Borrowed or not, the scooter (a TNG) had reportedly been hotwired. So someone had stolen it. But I'm pretty suspicious of rumor so will search for news reports of the accident to verify what's been posted.
Still, an interesting twist/addition to the story. gt1000, do you mind if I post it to MV (and credit you for the story)?

The MV thread is a pretty good example of how the members there respectfully handle differing opinions and sensitive topics. Though I think I may be a little more of a bleeding heart than some of those who have posted.

And, slightly OT, ModernBuddyers should check out ModernVespa. Because it's been around longer and has so many more users it's a great source for all kinds of info and discussion on general scootering topics. And i you want to register, they're very Buddy-friendly and won't chase you away.

Still, an interesting twist/addition to the story. gt1000, do you mind if I post it to MV (and credit you for the story)?

Nope, I don't mind at all. Like I said, I have no idea what the real truth is, but my encounter with the uncle had me pretty convinced.

And while I do check Modern Vespa regularly, maybe I will register next time I'm there.