Vespa Spotting: Sunday Sitti Ride
I almost missed this if not for Minggoy’s post in the Vespinoy forum. Turns out that yesterday’s ish of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine is all about motorcycles and the people who rides them.
Right on the cover is bossa nova singer, Sitti, wearing short shorts and boots while riding a Vespa! 
Vespa Nova, the cover story, was written by Eric Caruncho who’s himself a Vespa rider. Here’s an excerpt:
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Locally, the cult of the Vespa has experienced a growth spurt in recent years, fueled by the entry of the modern Vespas and the continued fetishization of the vintage ones. Local aficionados bond together through organized group rides, the annual Vespa Attack scooter rally, and through internet forums such as Vespinoy.com and Euroscoot.net. Last year, the Vespa Club of the Philippines was organized. It recently launched its own internet forum as well.
Vespa enthusiasts form a subset of the emerging Pinoy scooter culture. Spiralling fuel costs and worsening traffic congestion, together with the introduction of inexpensive “underbone” scooters available on installment have seen two-wheeled vehicle sales go through the roof (together with a corresponding increase in road accidents). Granted, Vespa aficionados tend to be older, better educated and financially better off than the typical underbone enthusiast (the modern Vespas costing many times more than the average Japanese or Chinese scoot). But for both, their rides signify the same things as the first Vespas did for their owners: a means of freedom, mobility, and self-expression.(read full article here)
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If you missed reading a copy, here’s a list of the other motorcycle-related articles in yesterday’s edition of SIM:
- Small but Terrible – tricycles fill in gaps in public transport and provide livelihood for our poor cousins.
- Confessions of a Motorcycle Rider – Prof. Randy David explains the touch of deviance and danger of riding.
- Big in Bite – a feature on what is probably the most biker-friendly Manila resto.
- Back on His Bike – Jolet Jao has stepped off the winner’s podium, but is determined to get back his superbike racing title.
- Surviving the Urban Jungle on Two Wheels – Ten riding tips from Nani Juarez aka Dr. Scoot.
- Easy Rider – DJ Crystal takes her road trip on the air.
- The Fast, the Furious and the Pinoy – High on speed, young cyclists flout the law and push the limits of safety in illegal drag racing.
I’ll read my copy now…
-o-
{▫}
J0HNRANA
john[dot]rana[at]gmail[dot]com
I think the article is descriminating to our fellow underbone riders. Choosing a bike is matter of choice. It is not based on age, educational background, or financial status. I have owned a Vespa and found it to be heavy, uncomfortable,and ackward to drive especially the gears and clutch all in one side. I also find the sitting position very stiff, like sitting on a monoblock chair. Try bringing your Vespa on long trips to Visayas or Mindanao and you will agree with me. Plus you can’t get the parts you will need in case you have a breakdown outside Manila. What a headache. Go ahead, love your Vespa its your choice of ride.
Dakar8080,
haters are losers, just like you! and i guess your just a poser too, moron!
peace tayo mga bro..
….. i just love my wasp
great articles also (sayang wala ako hard copy)
I crashed my friend’s vespa the first time out…bad news!
god I miss my old vespa!
I believe this is a marketing ploy by 2211 works, a vespa dealer, being left out in the cold by the brisk sales of underbones, borrowing a strategy long employed by Honda—Prestige. This is what I can say, The writer surely benefitted from this writeup one way or another. but this strategy won’t fly because Vespa lacks the proper network for aftersales support needed to back up that “Prestige” strategy and the advance, state of the art technology by the asian underbones manufacturers.
Hayz, faulty column writing …. i’d ike to think that most of our vespa brother’s doesn’t posses THAT kind of mentality, it’s as if they are portraying Vespa owners as the Elite class in the sub400 race, much more glorified and in as much a better being than the average underbone owner.
Just who died and made Vespa rider’s king’s of the road, according to the column that is.
hmmm…just too many pin holes in it!
khit anu pa sabihin nyan.
China made underbone pa rin hataw ngayon.
Gimik na lang kayo magaling pero wala kwenta vespa di nakakatulong sa economiya.
Rey: with what you posted, I’ve got only two words: NICE LINK!
hayz…this vespa people..underestimating the beauty of the underbones.but watch out because there is a beast under its beauty…you might see yourself eating mud and garbage if you get passed by a group of underbone riders…..WE ARE MAD….SOMEONE WILL PAY…HEHEHE JUST KIDDING!!!!!dont discriminate us..we are just better riders than you vespa people…
knightraider @ know some vespa history first before making some remarks about the brand
lenin @ same as what i said to knightraider, read the history of vespa para alam nyo pinagsasabi nyo.
rey tan @ sayo na china scooter mo, durog na china scoot mo in a few years, bou pa vespa ko..saan ang value for money mo? and for your info everyday ride namin ito tulad ng underbone nyo
khen-jhal @ pare by just saying “we are just better riders than you vespa people..” ikaw ang nang didiscriminate..and hindi kami nakikipagkarera sa public road kung yun man ang akala mo
before you guys make a comment, read the history of the Vespa and Lambretta scoot, dahil this two brands are the gold standard of all scooter..dont butt in and make comments about our ride if you think your rides are better..now tell us who discriminates who? as i say again, haters are losers! And losers always have issues.
I am like looking cartoon the new person, comes to see your article today, can be the friend with me?
Who’s discriminating who?
“Granted, Vespa aficionados tend to be older, BETTER EDUCATED and financially better off than the typical underbone enthusiast”
Really, just who died and made vespa riders better educated than other motorcycle enthusiasts?
Pang ilan ba vespa sa top 10 motorcycle in the world? Pang 7 yata. I dont own a vespa. I currently own the top 3 and top 1. Nuff said. I dont go for anything below 3, sorry.
I take that back. I dont have anything againts Vespa’s, only the A**Holes that think they are kings of the road when riding them.
Lenin, Sorry to say that you have a very small mind….. VESPA is NOT a motorcycle it’s a S C O O T E R. And we don’t brag(SWANK). And most of us don’t care if you have top1, top2, top3. WHO CARES!!!!! You die anyway. SO HAVE FUN!
2 wheels, a motor, sheesh. ANyways, I gotta agree with you, We die anyways, so have fun! And dont mind me, i’m just ranting sorry guys!:) I forgot the golden rule in riding, as long as you can ride, whatever your ride is, that is whats important.
a**holes are the one who hates others people interest because they can’t understand, they cant appreciate and cant afford to have a vespa and most of all have a pea size brain!
lenin @ shove your top 3,2,1 or what ever up you A*S!
up for you GT911 hehehe easy lang bro.
daming haters! hahaha
nice blog mr. rana! hehe first topic i read, tapos maiinit na discussion pa
i don’t own any, but just referring to the article: it IS discriminating. what stupid writer would make the conclusion that Vespa owners are better-educated?? may editor bang nag-review ng article na yan bago nailabas? i own a 600cc, a scooter before and an underbone now — doesn’t in anyway make me better or ill-educated in any way whatsoever! i don’t know about all of you, but it is a very careless, prejudiced conclusion to make.
and yeah, any idiot would recognize that the appearance of Sitti to match with an article praising the Vespa and discriminating against ‘other types of two-wheelers’ as ‘not as educated’ is obviously a paid advertisement in a form of a ‘write-up’.
I just re-read the article again, and I personally don’t get why underbone riders are so pissed with the article and the writer.
I’m thinking that part of the last paragraph is what causing the unnecessary ruckus:
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from: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view_article.php?article_id=102967
“Granted, Vespa aficionados tend to be older, better educated and financially better off than the typical underbone enthusiast (the modern Vespas costing many times more than the average Japanese or Chinese scoot). But for both, their rides signify the same things as the first Vespas did for their owners: a means of freedom, mobility, and self-expression.”
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I think a keyword there that some readers failed to note is “tend” which means “to have a tendency or disposition to do/be”. If a person has a tendency to kill, it doesn’t mean he is already a killer. The article also said that Vespa riders tend to be older too, but we are not griping about it.
The last line proved that the article was NEVER about “Underbone vs. Vespa” like what others portray. In fact, it highlighted the profile similarities of the Vespa and underbone riders.
The motorcycle riding community is growing in numbers. Both sides should not make any divisive and derogatory comments that will just polarize the scene. We all belong in the same community. No matter what brand, make, displacement or wherever its made, our motorcycles is what makes a brothers.
Please dont mind GT911 becoz he always humps his vespa with his pea size weener…i almost forgot,”considering that the Vespa was originally intended as nothing more than a cheap, utilitarian mode of transport”.just like the crappy underbone they underestimating…i will assure you,dont ride your vepas bcoz you’ll just get kicked in the rear….