My Scooter Wish List

All of us probably have that scooter or piece of gear we would buy if money were no object. With this in mind I thought, just for fun, I would do a quick list of the top 5 items I have my eye on. I know a lot of you are always scanning Craigslist or Scooter blogs for gear you want as well. I encourage you to post links to scooters or gear you wish you had in the comments!

1. VESPA GTS 250. If I could afford it I would really like to get a modern Vespa for commuting. A vintage would be nice, but I’m not mechanically inclined. Since the point is to be able to ride as much as possible, it would be more than a little self-defeating. I wish this scooter came in Orange like the S 150, but I would settle for black or cortina gray. The two things I like most about this scooter are that it goes 76 mph and that it is an automatic. I also like that it is big and that it comes with a standard luggage rack. I would love to someday own this model. List price is $5,999 though, which is about $4k more than I paid for my current scooter.

2. ARMADILLO CAMOVISION PARKA. There are only a few companies making protective clothing geared toward scooter enthusiasts. Corazzo comes to mind. But Armadillo is based in the UK where scootering is a much more popular activity than stateside. I love the Camovision Parka. It has an MP3 pocket, velcro cuffs, detachable hood, 3M reflective piping and a number of other cool features (including D30 impact protection). Very cool, but at $295.00 (US) it’s definitely outside my budget. I bought a cordura jacket online for $77. It will do for now, but maybe someday I can get a slick parka from Armadillo.

3. RESTORED PIAGGIO VINTAGE SCOOTER WITH SIDECAR. Having a good reliable commuter bike is one thing, but sometimes you just have an itch for something fun. Really any one of these would be amazing to own, but I love me some orange! I can see my wife and I cruising down Natchez Trace in style. So beautiful! These restorations really are incredible! Not sure about the price on these, but I can’t imagine it’s cheap! I noticed that Scooterworks sells sidecars as well by themselves that run $1,899.

4. RUBY CUSTOM DESIGNER HELMET. I am not a fashionable person. The punk inside of me really wants to hate an overpriced helmet made by a french designer, but these helmets are awesome. The finishing details in the emblem, embossed leather, etc. are great. You can pick your own color and customization (see A-LA-CARTE) from their existing designs or you can even have them design a one-of-a-kind custom helmet. But, $965 for a helmet definitely is not in my price range. You can check out some photos here (under “images”) to give you an idea of just how nice these are.

5. AIRSTREAM PANAMERICA. When you first look at the outside picture of this Airstream Motorhome you might think I’ve drifted off topic. But what differentiates this from other trailers on wheels is that the front of it is a garage for “two motorcycles, ATVs or other action/adventure gear, up to 2,500 pounds worth” and has a ramp! I know they didn’t necessarily intend it for scooters, but obviously it would work! How would you like to cruise to the next out-of-state rally with this bad boy? I know I would. Maybe I could even get my dream car (1957 Chevy Bel Air) to tow the thing! here’s a video! This 34 foot version is supposed to retail for $80,000 which makes it the most expensive item by far on my list. But smaller versions (25 and 30ft) are possibly in the works.

Finally, on the list of things I’m NOT looking into getting. Here’s a test video of a rider airbag.