military and scooters

[chippyzip]

Hi,

I've been scootering since the early 80's when I bought my first Vespa- a Vespa 100 way back in 1982, and since then been riding scooters since then, from V125's Sprints, Lambretta's and my X10. But what has puzzled me and has for a long time, what's the connection between scooters ( or rather their riders) and the Military? I mean, a lot of the VCB events are military based, like a rideout to a army museum, or event, and even local scooter clubs lean towards these kind of events!

No disrespect to scooter riders as a whole, but I've never been interested in these events, and so duck out of a lot of these trips, but it does make me wonder why? Do scooters as a whole have a military history? after all, early scooters were dropped behind enemy lines! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa_150_TAP  or did they start, as I thought, as a cheap means of transport?

Graham   

[Dave Milnes]

Age probably more than machine. Scooter riders, or more precisely maxi scooter riders are of an age that just missed the last war but has a fascination for it. Also the engineering behind the machinery of war is interesting. I'm a bit like you, I'm not overly interested in military museums and such, but if they are free I'll give them an hour or so.

[roadster]

It is something of a bitter pill to swallow but the fact is that most of the technological innovation of the last century has been funded or promoted by military requirements. So those of us that are interested in technology and engineering can't help but gravitate to those kinds of events or museums. I tend to think of those who recreate militaria and play with tanks, jeeps, gun carriages etc., not to mention civil war and wild west reenactors, with benign indifference. After all it keeps them out of trouble much as tinkering with two wheelers does for us.

[Sancho]

https://www.google.com/search?q=vespa+museum+milano&prmd=misvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjF7sONwf_fAhWMSBUIHbj5CEAQ_AUoAnoECA4QAg&biw=960&bih=600#imgrc=pFV1-oG2TXccbM