Modern vs Vintage or No One Wins in a Stupid Argument

YOU call me Pu$$Y like that is a bad thing

A week or so ago, I was directed to this thread via the Modern Vespa Forum:

"why Modern Scooters Suck Thread".

I won't repeat the link to the other forum, or name it, but it isn't MV. It is a different forum. because you can find it yourself by googling "Why Modern Scooters Suck" My Blog is not going to be the porthole to that spewing maw of Fear and Loathing they call a Forum over there.

Very interesting Evidently populated by many people who can't seem to tolerate anyone thinking or acting differently from themselves.

Which I really don't mind. God must love imperious a$$wholes because he made so many of them. So I love them too. Hugs!

But what was interesting within this thread, were some of the goods arguments people made for and against modern scooters. I love a good debate/argument as long as it doesn't get personal or offensive. I am repeating one of my favorites gleaned from the thread. With respects to "Scooterguy" enjoy the tasty goodness.

Scooterguy:

I love my vintage scooter... and all vintage scooters. But, the whole debate about modern scooters is nuts. There are times that it's just a better choice for me to jump on one of my modern scooters. I'm a fan of top-ten lists, so here's my ten reasons why modern scooters don't"suck."

1) They keep scootering alive. Were it not for all the Kymcos and SYMs out there who would bother opening scooter shops? Would there be as many folks out there selling parts? The few scooter related magazines out there would be reduced to maybe one or two based on the limited market. How many scooterists do you know that started on a modern scooter and eventually worked their way into the vintage hobby? Do you really think it would be more fun to do a Sunday ride with two fellow vintage enthusiasts versus two guys on vintage bikes and five more on modern stuff? It's hard enough to find people interested in joining my own club when it's open to everyone. I can't imagine how boring it would be to limit it to the scooterists who just dig vintage stuff (in my part of the country, that would add up to.... nobody).

2) Less maintenance and no bother with 2T oil. Not everyone is really capable of performing basic work on a vehicle. Wouldn't you rather have them buying Metropolitans, versus bodging some vintage scooter that you might want to buy in years to come?

3) They keep the miles off your vintage scooters.

4) They perform better. It's nice to have an option somewhere between a 50 mph vintage scooter and a mini van. The new 16" wheels make them handle better, and they're capable of trips that might involve interstate travel or longer distances.

5) Don't be a hater. Do you really want to be like those ass-hats in the motorcycle world who look down their noses at fuel injection and disk brakes for no other reason than because it's advanced technology? "My bike requires an hour of work for every hour I ride... so I'm better than you" is really silly. My sixth grader uses better logic than that.

6) Who cares what is made out of plastic? Metal rusts. Plastic cleans easily and looks fantastic with a thick coat of wax. Metal dents. Plastic is somewhat resilient to damage. Metal is heavy. Plastic is light. Paint comes off of metal. Plastic can be molded in color.

7) More storage space. I can carry a bunch of boxes to the post office, groceries, kids with soccer balls, beer, luggage for a rally, or all sorts of other things on the modern scooters. They nearly match the utility of a car, and i often use mine that way.

8) Parts availability. Sure, there are places out there on the web selling some parts for vintage scooters; but a Burgman rider can find everything he needs by riding five miles over to the local Suzuki dealership.

9) If you could transport a Genuine Buddy back in time, do you really think a British Scooter Boy from the early 1980s would have looked at it and said "no mate, I'll stick to me P200." Would a Rocker from the 1960s look at a GSX-R750 and refuse to trade his BSA for it? Some would, but you'd be wrong to assume that scooters and bikers from the early days didn't want the newest and fastest. They were doing the best they could in their era, not worshiping some long ago technology. Many might even think we're absolutely crazy to prefer a forty year old scooter over a new one.

10) They're disposable. I don't mean this in a bad way. But if some old drunk granny turns left in front of me on my GTS 300 Super and I plow into her, I can go buy another one exactly like it.... after the insurance company settles with me and I get out of the full body cast. On a vintage scooter you might have to stalk eBay for two years, re-kit the engine, and try to contact that guy in Kalamazoo who does the cool Who Tribute paint job to replace what you lost.

Thank's Scooterguy, awesome job.

BTW all you Plastic Scooter Haters–

I WOULD ride a UNICORN if I could. Because I am THAT AWESOME!

But for now, I will take my BV500.