Sep 14 2009

From 8 cylinders to 1

Vespa GTS 300For the last 13 months I’ve been driving my 346 ci V8 Pontiac Trans Am and in contrast I’ve been riding the 1  cylinder Vespa GTS 300 Super to and from work for the last week. West Los Angeles traffic is very hectic at times. Case in point: I live 7.2 miles from work and on a good day it takes me at minimum 22 minutes and approximately 1/2 gallon of gas each direction (but it’s fun doing it).

In contrast, while on the Vespa I probably only shave 3-5 minutes off my commute to work but am able to save at least 10-15 minutes on my way home due to the fact that I can “cut” in between traffic. Doing all of this while only consuming a fraction of the gas of my Pontiac yet fun in its own right. Cutting traffic is a very scary thing to do while on a scooter but those saved minutes, for whatever reason, mean a lot. Even with all of the storage of the GTS 300, I still find the need to pack a very large backpack each day.

The GTS has plenty of power and one could very easily find themselves traveling quite fast (by scooter standards) without even noticing. At one point I found myself traveling 60 MPH without even noticing. I do have to admit that I didn’t feel very comfortable going this speed on such a small machine however. The Vespa GTS 300 isn’t your average scooter and is a very reliable and fun means of transportation. For my taste, it’s something I would have around for those trips that are further than a bicycle ride, yet not far enough for a car. In my opinion it’s perfect for city riding as long as one is constantly aware of their surroundings, especially in a city as busy as Los Angeles. The only thing I request is a more comfortable seat.