Touring Europe on a PX 125

[gavold]

Hi, I have a 2001 Vespa PX125, and I'm hoping to ride it from Milton Keynes (50miles north of London) to Verona, Italy. I have 2 weeks holiday and reckon it'll take around 4 days to get there, and the same back with a little fun time in the middle! - it's around 1000miles each way. Of course, being a 125 means I can't use motorways. Have never made a trip anything like this far on a scooter before, so I was wondering if anyone has any advice? Things like what spares should I take, breakdown cover, whether or not I'm even covered to ride in Europe as a CBT holding L plate wearer? Am I harbouring an unrealistic fantasy here, or is it do-able? Indeed, has anyone here done anything similar?

Would be very grateful for any advice at all.

Thanks

Gavold

[Spence]

Hello Gavold, welcome to vespa.org.uk

It's not the size of your engine that stops you going on the motorway, it's your L plates. 125s are ok as long as you've passed your test. But to be frank, even if you had passed, I wouldn't recommend using continental motorways on a 125 anyway, because the traffic is generally much faster than it is in the UK.

When I lived in Germany a mate of mine's dad came out to visit on an old BMW motorbike and said the autobahn was terrifying because the HGVs kept cutting him up.

Anyway, why waste your time driving in a straight line with nothing to see, when you can twist and turn about on minor roads and take in the scenery?

I know people from Liverpool SC have just got back from riding all the way to Austria for Euro Lambretta, I can ask them for tips. Or better still, why not visit the Armed Forces SC website via our links page, many of their members are based in Germany, Holland, Belgium etc.

As for your insurance company, you'll have to ring them up and see what they say. It may be just a case of getting a green card issued to cover you for the period you're abroad, but I don't know if that's possible for Learners. What I would recommend though is think about European recovery in case you break down, and get lots of medical insurance.

Happy trails, and if you found anything out that might help other scooterists, let us know.