I grew up a kid to a Lutheran minister who as part of his education was a chaplain at a busy Des Moines hospital. His duties included many things and he spent days and nights in the hospital on-call at times, but one of his more notable duties was to counsel family members of deceased patients after motor vehicle accidents. He didn’t talk about it much as I was a young boy and probably didn’t need to know the details of what he encountered.
In central Iowa, we were lucky enough to have plenty of fields around us on which I was able to enjoy playing with several dirt bikes we owned when I was around 10 years old. When I got older and finally got my driver’s license, I thought perhaps a motorcycle would be in my future. I’ll never forget him telling me that I could get a motorcycle as long as I spent several nights in the hospital with him to experience firsthand the patients brought in after a motorcycle accident. I never had the courage to take him up on his offer and essentially decided that motored two-wheel transportation wasn’t going to be in my future. This life position was even more solidified as I spent countless hours in a level 1 trauma unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where I finally DID experience firsthand the trauma inflicted on the human body when thrown from a cycle at 60 plus miles an hour. I had NO desire whatsoever to entertain that sort of possibility in my life. My two-wheel adventures would be on a road bicycle only, despite the inherent dangers one can encounter while peddling.
Despite my past reservations, however, I have always been intrigued with motorcycles. Some of the classic looks and sounds associated with them are difficult to ignore. Back in the day, I even went to an auction at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center here in Sheboygan where the final auction item was an absolutely beautiful brand new Harley Davidson Roadster, and with several glasses of wine ingested, I found myself in a bidding war with one other person as high bidders on the bike. Back and forth it went with thousands of dollars on the line and I was determined to win the bike! Common sense somehow got the best of me at the last minute, however, when I realized that my only end game with that particular bike would be to park it in front of my house as a decorative lawn ornament only to admire from time to time. I definitely wasn’t going to ride it.
I backed out of the bidding and the other guy ended up with the motorcycle. I don’t know if I was disappointed or relieved at the outcome, but the thoughts of a motorcycle being a part of my life faded away as I went back to work and frequently saw the trauma that they could create. I even told my kids the same thing my dad told me so many years ago, that they could only get a motorcycle if they went with me to see the carnage inflicted on the human body after a motorcycle accident. It worked! To date, none of them, all adults, have even considered this as an option.
Well, that all has changed recently as I have now been enjoying life in a small, but bustling city partaking in the urban lifestyle more than I ever thought I would after leaving my country home. I’ve spent some time in Italy and was always attracted to the Vespa scooters and their traditional iconic looks…… and here I am writing that I decided to buy not one, but two Vespa GTS 300 scooters. WHAT AM I THINKING????!!!
Yeah……. They’re no Harley Davidson Roadsters, but they are very capable for what I am looking for. The other one is a gift for Natalie (my way of justifying my own purchase as she really wasn’t that incredibly interested in becoming a scooterist). Her gift may not have been the most responsible one I’ve ever given her, knowing her questionable driving techniques and past encounters with the law regarding her limited understanding of the difference between YIELD and STOP signs and her uncanny and downright frightening choices of texting while driving as I reluctantly brace for the worst in the passenger seat. Add to this her recent head trauma and subsequent concussions that occurred last year causing our 2020 COVID year to spiral out of control. Yes, that’s plural in the word “concussions”….. as in twice…….
The plan is that they will be used primarily around town getting from place to place and just enjoying the experience while on two wheels. While I enjoy my road biking life, there are times I just don’t feel like pedaling. I consider myself very safety conscious, thanks in part to my profession and I plan to protect myself from unnecessary trauma as much as I possibly can.
Natalie, on the other hand, is going to be a work in progress, requiring a lot of subtle coaching and careful guidance on my part and I’m honestly a little worried about my abilities with that endeavor. We’ve already discussed the differences between, and pros and cons of full face and open face helmets and I’m certain you can already guess each of our individual preferences. I am hoping that I can somehow convince her to get two helmets. A stylish color-coordinated open-face helmet for the short-distance, low-speed excursions around town and a full-face helmet for the longer trips in between towns (if we decided to venture into that realm). These particular scooters can go up to 85 MPH and are certified for highway travel (although you won’t see me on any highways) and require motorcycle licenses to drive. People actually tour across the US on these things!
So our future date nights will be focused on studying for our motorcycle license written exam and planning a weekend away at a certified motorcycle school in order to get through the practical on-road exam. I am sure there will be more to write once we get the Vespas. Until then. We are about to be scooterists! Ride on! Oh and to my kids, if they actually read this, DON’T EVER DO THIS!!!!!
