Ok, so I may have ridden it around the block a few times but the vast majority of my time on Puppa has been on the back as a pillion passenger. As the bitch on the back I’ve discovered that the foot pegs are virtually useless. On the old ET4 they had these nice chrome pegs that folded out when needed but on this one they are just some black mounds at the back of the footwell. To put your feet on them you sort of have to spread your legs out wide around the cowls then bring them in close at the bottom to touch the pegs. What this means is that you have to have someone with hips the size of an Olsen twin driving and legs as long as Gumby if you want to be comfortable. Since Pauline and I are neither of those things my legs end up just hanging either side of the bike for some of the trip. Very Naughty. I suspect that one of the first accessories that come out for the LX will be some pillion peg replacement – not that I know how they will do it as it is sort of built in.

The pillion pegs are my only complaint about the bike, other than that it is brilliant. I just love being able to smell the restaurants as we drive past them and feel the wind in my face even if it is chilly. It’s almost becoming a home time ritual to take it for a spin to wind down from the day and get the juices flowing – just an exhilerating moment even going around the block. For those interested in the costings here is a breakdown:

Vespa LX 150: $7300 including all on road costs.
THH 312 Helmet: $100 each
NRMA Comprehensive Insurance: $276.19 a year
Joe Rocket gloves: $120
Target Leather Jacket: $110
Petrol: First time fill up was about $5 but it wasn’t empty. The tank can hold 9 litres and it will take a while to run in so I won’t know it’s running costs for a while.

There are cheaper Vespas and cheaper scooters but I wanted to have that extra power in case I needed to go on the freeway or get myself up a hill. Like a BMW or Apple you do pay for the name, but the reason they got the name in the first place is because they are quality. My manager Keith says that the reason these companies are so popular is because they spend a lot of time emphasising the fact that you made a good purchase and they care about you. That’s why you get letters from the company, books about the product, clubs that worship them and t-shirts, accessories and trinkets to show you that lots of people love the company and it’s product. It even happened when I rang the insurance company and the lady told me she was jealous about my purchase and that she used to in the Lambretta club years ago. Another confirmation that what I had done was a good thing. I admit I am a complete sucker for this marketing but I don’t care cause this scoot is so cool man. The whole of Italy can’t be wrong.

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