Maybe you’ve seen the video making the rounds this week on youtube.com and local scooter site 2strokebuzz.com. It’s a clip from a few years back showing Ch. 7 meterologist Tracy Butler taking a break from forecasting duties to test ride a Vespa, the legendary Italian-made scooter that ’60s Brit mod culture turned into one of the most enduring icons of hipness.
“I may go to the lake,” Butler joked. “I don’t know, I may take this in the lake!”
Wishful thinking, Butler. She rode the thing for about two seconds before wiping out on a State Street curb. She was fine, but ouch! A word of advice, sweetie: Stick to your Doppler, and leave the vroom- vrooming to cool kids like us.
It took me, after all, a full 36 hours before I ate some curb. On a recent extended test drive, a sneaky garden hose looped around the kickstand as I wheeled it from its parking space, yanking the bike from under me when I accelerated. OK, so my fantasies of Brit mod cool quickly devolved into Benny Hill slapstick.
But don’t let my clumsiness stop you. If you want to find out what the allure to these sporty scenester cycles is, you’d better do it now. Chicago’s short cycling season means there’s not a minute to waste. Gas prices are still climbing, and so are summer temps. Plus, a major scooter rally’s slated to hit town. You still have time to mod yourself up (see “It’s a mod, mod, mod world” at right).
Rent before you buy
Vespa and other scooter makers are going though a bit of renaissance. Piaggio USA, the American arm of the Italian manufacturer, for instance, expects to sell 12,500 Vespas in the U.S. this year, a 25 percent increase over last year.
Before you shell out the $3,100 bucks for the Vespa LX-50–the popular, sleek, entry-level model–you may want to give one a try. Windy City Scooter and Bicycle Rental (2151 W. Division St. 773-594-1360), which is slated to open a storefront location this weekend, rents that model for $35 for a two-hour spin. A 24-hour rental is $85; longer rentals are $75 per 24-hour period.
For that, you get a cute little helmet, a sturdy bike lock and a quickie instructional session that covers accelerating, braking, deploying the kickstand and parking in the city. You supply your own sunglasses (eye protection is a must), a valid driver’s license (you don’t need a motorcycle license for the LX-50), and your signature on various waivers and agreements.
Signal approval
I spent a weekend tooling about town, and while my eventual wipeout was a bummer–and entirely my fault–going up and down inner Lake Shore Drive was a blast. (Forget the Drive itself; with a top speed of 42 mph, the LX-50 would be a hazard). My first drive through rush-hour River North was nerve-wracking, and even with temps in the 60s, it can get mighty chilly.
I soon found the perks: I hit the gym more often than usual because I got there and back faster. Even quick grocery runs were a go; there’s a hook under the seat for hanging a small bag.
Parking was a breeze; I took to “lane splitting,” the insider’s term for parking between parallel cars. Later, though, I found that lane splitting still is a matter of debate among enthusiasts; it can result in knocked-over bikes and ticketed scooters. Bottom line: There’s ambiguity regarding parking these puppies in the city; proceed with caution and common sense. Cute won’t spare you from a zealous parking enforcement officer.
The lamest part of my Vespa weekend: The LX-50’s turn signal doesn’t automatically shut off. My errant blinker made me look like a doddering idiot–and angry, honking cabbies made sure I knew it.
In the end, despite a bruised ego (and ribs) from my fall, I logged 21 miles in two days–with the bike and myself still in one piece. Sure, I wasn’t destined to be a cool mod rocker or suave, espresso-sipping Roman gadabout. But it only cost me a quarter-tank of gas to figure it out.
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It’s a mod, mod, mod world
So what exactly is “mod”? Imagine: The Who, The Kinks, The Jam, Twiggy and prefrozen Austin Powers all riding Vespas around Carnaby Street, maybe listening to a little ska, while Morrissey and the Kaiser Chiefs watch from a great distance. Sound fun? Next week, ModChicago presents its fifth annual Our Way of Thinking, a celebration of all things mod (June 1-3; various locations). In conjunction, Chicago’s May Day Scooter Club hosts Il est interdit d’interdire, a program of all-day rides and evening parties (June 1-4; various locations). For more information, visit metromix.com or modchicago.com/scooterist.
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clamorte@tribune.com
