Anybody here well versed in motorbikes/scooters?

I had a Vespa px250 and loved her. I kept her well maintained which is easy and the only problem I ever had was when the clutch cable snapped, which was easy to replace even for an imbecile like me. Get something above 50cc and you will be able to drive on motorways if you have to. A bigger engine capacity will also enable you to get avoid/get out of dangerous situations.

I drove mine from Dublin to Paris over the course of 11 days and never had a problem with comfort in relation to seating position. I also did Paris > Brussels in one day so touring over a long distance is not a problem.

I've always liked the look of vespas

Vespas are cool here's my homage to Vespas and the film Roman holiday - you're not going to get that quality of cool driving a 'rice burner' or a 'sneaker on wheels'.
There's also loads of add-ons that you can get for Vespas to customise them, mirrors, luggage carriers etc.

  • Helmet: get a full face and the best you can afford. If you drop it or it gets a bang replace it as the integrity will have been compromised.
  • Jacket: get one with armoured shoulder and back panels.
  • Overtrousers: get a pair of insulated overtrousers for the Winter and a pair of regular overtrousers for the Summer and keep them stashed on your scooter. There's nothing like getting caught in the rain with no proper raingear. Thank you Irish weather in July while driving down to Rosslare to get the ferry to France for teaching me that particular lesson in absolute fucking misery.
  • Gloves: again get the best rainproof pair you can afford.
  • Visibility: wear hi-viz and reflective always. Keep your headlight turned on always. Always assume that car drivers haven't seen you and act accordingly and drive defensively.

Check out www.scooterisland.com (shitty website but the owner is a really nice guy and races Vespas and also does customised paintjobs)

Also: check out /r/vespa

/r/ireland Thread