I have to agree with Karl. I rode a Vespa in Rome for a little while and did not like it at all. It handled like crap on the cobblestones and all you are paying for is retro styling. Also when I lived in Rome, one of the scooter mechanics at the Porta Portese told me that they had a lot of problems with Vespas, also with Piaggio. He recommended that I should buy either a Honda or Kymco because of their 1)durability, 2) easy to get replacement parts, and 3) that they can take a beating without breaking down. I have to admit that the Aprilia that I owned was also a piece of junk. Had it for less than a year and traded it in. My 2 Hondas and so far my 2 Kymcos have been great bikes. Its just that here in the US, there is not a lot of experience with the different models of scooters are there are in Europe and Asia.