Scooters on the Brain

Dave on Lambretta.
Those who know David well know that he is on the quiet side. While the rest of us are talking or playing games, He is usually reclining with his laptop or iphone in hand. He isn't trying to ignore us on purpose, it's just who he is. He is always reading and absorbing something. I kid him that his brain is a cesspool of trivia because he knows too much. He can retain and retrieve information on demand. Maybe that is why he is so quiet...he just has so much up there to keep him busy.

But there is one thing that can draw him out and that's scooters. When it comes to vintage Vespas and any other scooter, for that matter, he is an expert. He's owed his business for the last 6 years, but it all started 15 years ago when his little brother Tom got a P-series Vespa in high school and needed Dave's help. Dave is a self-taught mechanic. His expertise in all things mechanical came naturally. As a kid he used to take things apart and put them together because he was curious. Dave lovingly makes old things run again. Dave and Tom got to work and somehow that strange wasp-shaped scooter ensnared him from then on. Dave and I jokingly blame Tom for getting us this deep into the scooter business, but it is a niche that David has created. Dave is the center of his shop. Everyone wants him to answer their questions and they want him to work on their scooter and they want to talk to him on the phone. My dad stopped by the shop on Dave's day off and asked the manager how everything was going. He said everything was going well except for the fact that everyone only wants to talk to Dave.

We have gone to several scooter rallies and rides over the past 6 years and it is interesting for me to watch him transform. People literally surround him to talk scooters. He becomes so animated and funny. Not only that, he usually ends up saving the day by fixing some random person's broken scooter using MacGyver techniques. Of course, I am all but forgotten. I need to remember to bring a friend to talk to since everyone always monopolizes Dave. When we go out on a date, I give him the evil eye every time someone calls to talk scooters, which is all the time. Not only do I compete with the phone, but he knows people no matter where we go around town and they clamor around him to talk about...you got it ...scooters.

Dave's obsession is rubbing off on me though. I graduated a couple years ago from straddling Dave on his scooter to getting my own. David bought me a 1963 GL Vespa. It isn't restored yet, but it is very straight and runs well. It is a lot cooler to drive than my minivan. How long will this obsession last? Well, I don't see the end in sight and seeing David, the way he is around his customers and friends and the way they look at him like he's genius, I don't want an end.

Me on Dave's Stella.


Dave's Stella and my Vespa.