i’ve had my vespa for close to 7 years. having it has changed my life. and like most of the vespa owners and riders i know, i’ve named mine – max (short for maxine; i consider her female). but truth to tell, it’s only in the last couple of years that i’ve really felt her influence on my daily life. (well, maybe closer to 4 years.)
when i first acquired max, i was a total newbie to riding, so it took a while to get used to riding in manila’s roads, which, as we all know, are already a bitch, whether on 2 wheels or 4. so i wasn’t a daily rider at first. add the fact that i didn’t know anyone else who rode a vespa, except for the guy whose vespa i saw that led to buying my own. and i didn’t see him too often. so i thought that i would just be a weekend rider, pam-pasyal nalang ang vespa ko.
then i met the guys who would form the first membership of euroscoot, and other vespa riders, and the rest, as they say, is history. i started to go on long rides out of town. i got caught up in the excitement and pleasure of being on the open road with a bunch of like-minded maniacs, exploring the countryside on a scooter that was originally manufactured to do just that. i even got turned on to running max out on an honest-to-goodness racetrack, just to know what it felt like to have the road all to myself while going (what in my mind felt like) flat-out and not worrying that some oncoming idiot (other vehicle, tricycle, pedicab, pedestrian, take your pick) was gonna spoil my fun.
because that’s what being on the vespa is – having fun. whether you’re on the nice highway to mount samat, the challenging twisties to quezon, or doing the daily commute in manila. the ride is still fun in spite of the crap you have to take daily – the bad roads, the bad drivers & riders, the bad traffic. and since i no longer have a car, i’ve come to depend on my vespa to (kind of) save my ass in situations where it counts. along the way, i’ve gotten in all sorts of road situations – near-misses, actual (minor, thank God) accidents & spills, balls-in-your-throat instances – but always, you learn (first-hand) that what doesn’t kill you (hopefully) makes you a better rider.
besides, nothing does compare to riding this venerable icon of design and function. (well, maybe sex. but that’s a totally different kind of riding. alam nyo namang lahat yun e, kunwari pa kayo) and with all the 2-wheelers out there now, you know you’re on a different plane. i’m not being elitist or anything here, i’m just appreciating the fact that other riders (those in the know, anyway) appreciate the beauty and value of the wasp. just today, at the intersection of ayala and makati avenue, an underbone rider asked me how much a vespa cost now. i told him. he said, “ang mahal pala. pero ang ganda kasi.” what else can you do but smile (and leave his ass behind when the light goes green)?
Article by Pal Punla
Originally posted in TheVespaLife.Com
September 27, 2005
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