It was way back in 1999 when my little brother got a black vespa 125 for his birthday,(a present much larger than i'd ever dared ask for).
I sort of recollect dad having bikes more a fix-em up type of deal than riding them but I guess it was in the blood all along
OK I admit, I was a litte put off by this... here I was the oldest and wasn't even offered any vehicle not even lessons for my birthdays.
So I did what any sane 18yo would do I sulked and decided that I would buy my own with the money earned working for agency's not only that but I came up with the bright idea of buying new as the Scooter Center had a deal that included riding kit (more on that later) CBT on your new Machine and your Gleaming Pride and joy......
And I chose a blinder a Kymco Cobra Cross 50cc (hindsight could have got the 125cc as my age would have allowed it) but this was enough to get me mobile.
It arrived at Marriots in the back of a van full of fuel and me full of beans and nervous as hell....this thing was huge built like a enduro or dual sport with its 10" knobbly tyres and its plastic domed headlamp protector this thing was mean. A few laps of the yard and the figure eights I was getting confident (no clutch here just throttle and brake control) and after a quick lunch to calm down and take it all in it was out onto the mean streets of the north end of Birkenhead and beyond being followed by as always able instructors.
Ok so the roads had so much more to deal with than fences and cones but i picked it up fairly quickly and was making the necessary shoulder checks and indications and riding in a safe manner that I passed 1st time once back at the yard and completion document signed for my new life had begun
At this stage I was just a commuter rider and that was all I could see for now...
Rode home nervous as hell, pulled upto the gate to a hearty congratulations from a nervous mother (she's an ex pillion so know the score), pulled off down the road to execute a U-Turn and totally misjudged it.... Luckily I was by a drop kerb and I ran it up onto the pavement intending to drop back off onto the road, unfortunately I didn't back off the throttle slow it may have been but it ended up side on into the neighbours front hedge.
Embarassing but a good save, I'll just pick it up and carry on no damage whatsoever....DON'T do what I did and pick it up with the throttle grip with the engine still chugging away, she missed the nearby lampost by mere inches and jumped off the kirb and ended up in the middle of the road on her side with a nice gouge down the right panel right over the Cobra sticker (Bugger how idiotic can one be?) Brand Spanking new only what 6hrs old....
Was this an Omen for things to come?????
