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Hi Simon & Jo Can't do a direct comparison but we have a 50cc Yamaha off-road bike (which Chris uses but as only 20 all in John's name).  Insurance last year was €200.01, road tax was €21.63 and MOT, from memory as can't find paperwork, around €60.  Chris currently in UK (riding his 500cc Kawaksaki!) so will ask him when I next speak to him re MOT and let you know if I am way off. Incidentally we have a chap in Ripatransone that restores Vespa's and he does an amazing job if you are interested.  His workshop is next to the Panoramica Bar, opposite the API garage. Have fun and big hug to Bertie.

Just a thought, have you thought about fixing motor or electic thing to push bike...dont think you need to pay tax, insurance if you do....If wrong, sure someone will correct me....

Have you had a look at the gorgeous Gilera Runner?  They use the same engine as the Vespa GT250 and they go like stink. More to the point they have enough power to haul you and your shopping back up the hill.

Thanks Karen. Really useful information for us. Any more from Chris would be great. Hope Harry's OK. Bertie is moulting at the moment and every time he gives himself a shake he disappears behind clouds of wispy white hair which takes about a minute to subside!!!! Terrible. Thanks Dylano and Amaretto - buon viaggio Ciao, SimonandJo

Salve, I run an �������� scooter in Italy. I wouldn't be without it now.  I can park it everywhere, I ignore ZTL's & senso unico's & I can get anywhere that a pedestrian can in tiny little streets & alleys. The cost of re-registering my scooter from it's previous owner was about €200. Annual insurance is about €200 (150cc Honda Pantheon) & the bi-annual revisione is about €35.  The difficulty & cost of re-registering a UK bike would be much higher. I Would find out what your local shops service & sell & see if you can build a relationship with them, or buy something Japanese & you probably won't need to see them that often. I would also recommend you buy something with good underseat storage so you can fit in your shopping or a couple of helmets if you park at the station etc. If you insure with then you can start & stop your policy when you are away, or in the winter if the weather is too bad: "Sospensione e riattivazione del contratto online o con una semplice telefonata (la prima riattivazione è sempre gratuita)"   A good place to look for your scoot is can search by, price, engine size, make & region. I found my scooter nearby & the seller rode it over for me to see.   By the way, a 125cc. means that you will not be able to use it on the motorway. I already had a full u.k. bike licence so I wasn't limited to a "learner" capacity. You might want to do your test in England before you go!   It is always best to buy a scooter in the autumn or winter when they are a good 10% cheaper. Go by mileage & condition rather than age as ��������s like to have the latest of everything!   In bocca al lupo!  

We looked into these for our cycling business and there are a lot of rules about what constitutes an electric bike and when it becomes a scooter. If your electric bike does more than 20kmph then it is a scooter (even if it looks like a bike!) and requires tax, insurance etc. Electric bikes that would cope with the hills around here cost a LOT of money. Same price as a scooter basically although they don't need taxing & insuring. That is why we didn't buy any in the end. Just in case anyone had any crazy ideas!

Hi, an �������� friend told me that you can ride a scooter (sub 50cc) from 14years and it does not require a licence, Insurance or Tax ? My son is 14 this year and wants a scooter for when we spend the summer there. I'm going to buy one. Does anyone know if this is correct ? I can ask a neighbour but was just wondering if anyone knew anything off the top of their heads. Thanks,