I’ve been a scooter owner for about 2 years now. I bought a small 50cc bike last year, and this year I won a 125cc Vespa from SONiC 102.9.
When you ride a scooter, you tend to attract attention.
In many ways, scooter riders get more attention than owners of any other vehicle. It’s not a big motorcycle, but a lot of people still think scooters are really cool. They will stop to talk to you when you’re in a parking lot or at a red light.
These conversations are always enjoyable.
There are also negative comments. A guy in a Hummer once called me a “fag” as I rode past him on 99 Avenue.
And then there are the comments that I’m not sure how to take. Is the person insulting me, or just having fun? Like the guy who called out to me at a red light today.
He pulls up beside me in his smallish SUV and yells, “Hey!”
I turn to look at him.
“Does that thing have a Hemi?” he laughs.
I decide to play along with the joke, “Of course!”
He laughs. I laugh. His friend in the passenger seat laughs. And then we all return our attention to the traffic light, waiting for it to turn green.
Before the light changed, I heard him say to his friend, “I just had to. I couldn’t resist.” And I think he said, in reference to me, “He laughed. He thought it was funny.”
So, was he just fucking around with me? I don’t mind lighthearted teasing. As long as it’s not mean-spirited, I’m cool with being teased (and with teasing others).
And while the guy’s comment didn’t offend me, it left me wondering: what was his intention? Was he trying to be insulting? He didn’t seem like an asshole, so I don’t think he was. But, I’ll never know for sure.
I have been in vehicles when people are talking about guys driving scooters and their intentions are mostly to laugh with their buddies, even if it is mean or not. But some people don’t care if their being mean to you or not and are just evil people. Someone shouldn’t be burning you for driving a scooter. It is mean either way. I would have probably done the same thing you did just to avoid conflict, but indeed it would have bothered me. Enjoy your scooter and ride on.
Thanks for the comment, butters.
As much as insulting comments can get under my skin, I try to take them in stride. If someone thinks less of me because of the type of vehicle I drive then I probably shouldn’t hold their opinion too highly. It’s such a petty thing upon which to judge a person.
Besides, the vast majority of comments people make about my scooter are positive. Even people who you might expect to laugh often think that Vespas and other scooters are cool.
I once had a guy pull up beside me in a huge, jacked-up pickup truck and start asking me all kinds of questions about how much power the bike has, how much gas it uses, and where to buy one of his own. I tend to stereotype guys who drive rig rockets as dumb, frat boy types (and mock them accordingly, which, I admit, makes me a hypocrite), but this guy wasn’t like that at all.
oooohhh this kinda stuff really makes me angry…can’t stand people who go out of their way to insult someone. it’s good of you to laugh it off… i would have lashed back for sure. you are fine upstanding gentleman snider.