Rome

[Jon]

Having spent another great week in Rome...

A juxtaposition of dramatic historical architecture and manic modern European city, Rome is full on.

Crammed with tourists mingling with elegant Roman residents (easy to tell apart as the Romans were usually slender, poised and elegantly dressed whereas the tourists were usually fat and spoke with American accents) the defining feature once away from the architecture was the traffic. Despite appearing to be 'out of control manic' the Italians are remarkable drivers, without exception using a sliding scale of vulnerability where pedestrians are accorded absolute priority, followed by two wheeled vehicles and then four wheeled vehicles according to size. Drivers would frequently not just pull slightly over to allow a traffic splitting scooter to slip through, but even reverse or move forward to make a gap big enough. The only caveat to keeping one's sanity was that as a rider of a scooter, you had to be fast, aiming for the smallest gaps and negotiating traffic snarl-ups with confidence. If you didn't, a horde of scooter-borne locals would thrash past on either side, looking for the front of the queue to get away from the lights first. If you've been a dispatch rider, you'll love it, if not you'll be overwhelmed, but fear not, the Italians will take care of even the most inept as long as you remember not to swerve about as you go in case an overtaking bike clips you from behind.
This is my third stay in Rome and fourth time I've used two wheels in Italy and the awareness and care afforded to other road users is universal. Drivers seem to be very chilled. I think because one can ride a 125cc scooter on a car license there so car drivers HAVE a choice of whether drive or ride, and those that use a car expect the traffic jams and do not resent two wheeled riders.

Most common bikes are variations of the Honda SH125 scooter and Chinese stuff with a fair smattering of larger scooters like Majesties and Burghmans. There were a few bigger bikes, and a surprising number of older restored machines. I saw two mint 400/4's, a CB 500/4, a Morini 2/12, and a couple of achingly desirable old '70's Guzzis, both basic road bikes with wide-ish upright bars, Termignoli megas on, gorgeous paint jobs, (One Italian racing red and one white with the classic Italian stripes on the tank) There were a few KTM supermotos too...Oh, and one Mesh 250 retro, which looked well useful actually.

Not one single cub, incidentally, I think the gears were a no-no...If you want a step thru, get an auto....

Oh, one more thing, the black square cobbled roads around the old part ore horrible on a scooter, pummelling the rider and bike like a MIRA proving track. ironically because the concept originated there, the fact that most scooters have terrible rear suspension as the engine and gearbox moves with the wheel seems strange, so the only reason they are so universally popular as far as I can tell is that they are automatic with conventional bicycle type braking ergonomics. A fully automatic step-thru motorcycle with decent well sorted suspension and scooter style brakes would be the ultimate Rome vehicle....

[knapdog]

Very well written, Jon.
I could read your reports all day long. You should think of contributing to one of the bike mags. Very interesting. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[Jon]

Very well written, Jon.
I could read your reports all day long. You should think of contributing to one of the bike mags. Very interesting. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Cheers...Thought I'd get it out of my head before the inevitable memory fail kicked in!

[horobags]

Very well written, Jon.
I could read your reports all day long. You should think of contributing to one of the bike mags. Very interesting. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

+1

[Newtsalad]

Very well written, Jon.
I could read your reports all day long. You should think of contributing to one of the bike mags. Very interesting. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

+1

+1