Going to rent a Vespa in Rome in a few days... am I going to die?

[EuroMetetron]

Title says it. What are the odds that someone who has never driven one or a motorcycle will kill himself? Any tips for things to see or places to rent from? I think it is going to be about 30-40 euros for the day. What must I go see that isn't as easy to access via public transit?

Bonus Question: If I had to go to one megaclub in Rome, what should it be and why?

[JOEL_]

When in Rome..........

Odds are you won't die but odds are you won't forget the experience.

[WhoIam]

Make sure to get an automatic. You have enough [censored] to worry about on the roads without having to think about switching gears. Not to scare you, but it took me a few weeks of regular motorbike riding before I really felt comfortable with it.

[NewTeaBag]

[ QUOTE ]
Make sure to get an automatic. You have enough [censored] to worry about on the roads without having to think about switching gears. Not to scare you, but it took me a few weeks of regular motorbike riding before I really felt comfortable with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL

This reminds me of WHOIAM and my 1st motorbike ride on a mb taxi when we 1st got to Phuket. As we loaded up on separate mb taxis he immediately said what I was thinking "Trip report: Becoming a paraphlegic!"

Of course nowadays, I have been riding them for 5 mos now and it's 2nd nature.
I think some people just have aptitude for it and some just DON'T. Others fall in the middle.

I pretty much took to it quite comfortably.
WhoIam took a few weeks to get comfortable (as he said above).
My friend, who visited for 2 weeks, wiped out within his 1st minute of riding on an isolated road and clearly had ZERO aptitude for EVER riding one.

I guess, you'll never know until you try. Best plan is to always wear the helmet so in most minor accidents you could get into you suffer scrapes, abrasions, and bruises and at worst a broken limb but your melon will be protected.

[cbloom]

Riding a moped in Pucket isn't quite the same as doing it in Rome!! I dunno if it's worth it to try in Rome if you've never done it before. I've ridden moped many times and not sure I would try it in Rome, those people are NUTS.

[MicroBob]

If you've never done it before be really freaking cautious.
I had a friend who got one of the moped things when he was in the Bahamas or Bermuda or somewhere Caribbean.
Actually, it might have just been Key West.

Anyway, he rented it and after about 30 seconds got flustered between the accelator and the brake or something silly and promptly wiped-out, went sliding across the pavement, and tore up his arm and shoulder and was extremely fortunate it wasn't much worse.

[Luckyspikes]

[ QUOTE ]
When in Rome..........

Odds are you won't die but odds are you won't forget the experience.

[/ QUOTE ]

+1

try to rent a tank