Comments on: Secret of French Military Prowess: Armed Vespa! http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/ The Neat Side of the Web Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:40:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ruckweiler http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/comment-page-1/#comment-1918198 Ruckweiler Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:57:49 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/#comment-1918198 Another early attempt at Airborne mobility and weapons use/delivery. In the '50s-'60s, there were many attempts to advance this concept. Fascinating vehicle. Firing the recoilless rifle on this tiny platform must have been interesting, to say the least. Another early attempt at Airborne mobility and weapons use/delivery. In the ’50s-’60s, there were many attempts to advance this concept. Fascinating vehicle. Firing the recoilless rifle on this tiny platform must have been interesting, to say the least.

]]> By: Trond Oscar http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/comment-page-1/#comment-1843360 Trond Oscar Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:39:28 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/#comment-1843360 CaptJosh: Your correction is slightly incorrect =) Yes, this is a scooter. Scooters may or may not be mopeds. My -96 Vespa PK50XL2 is in fact both a scooter and a moped, but has no pedals. Pedals are not required for a motorbike to be a moped, though the source of the term is "motor-pedal". Nowadays (that is, the last 30 years or so...) the term moped simply implies that the speed is restricted to approximately 50 km/h form an engine of no larger displacement than 50 cubic centimeters. In the European Union that is 45 km/h, and the power output has to be >5hp. Some mopeds are scooters, some look like speedway bikes, others like enduro/cross motorbikes, classic "naked" motorbikes or even choppers. Vespa even made a very small three-wheel cargovan called Ape wich, in the 50cc version, is actually a moped. This scooter, however, is unlikely to be a moped. It may be a smallframe Vespa, but i gather that, with the load it is meant to carry, it would be based on a 125cc model. It may be a largeframe, I can´t tell from the picture since I am not very familiar with Vespas before 1990, and if so it may have a 125, 150, 160 180 or 200 cc engine. Or, it could have been custom built for the army with any old engine setup. Either way it is one of the craziest Scooters I´ve seen, and I´d love to do a replica - all though I very much doubt that I could get it road legal here in Norway... CaptJosh: Your correction is slightly incorrect =) Yes, this is a scooter. Scooters may or may not be mopeds. My -96 Vespa PK50XL2 is in fact both a scooter and a moped, but has no pedals. Pedals are not required for a motorbike to be a moped, though the source of the term is “motor-pedal”. Nowadays (that is, the last 30 years or so…) the term moped simply implies that the speed is restricted to approximately 50 km/h form an engine of no larger displacement than 50 cubic centimeters. In the European Union that is 45 km/h, and the power output has to be >5hp. Some mopeds are scooters, some look like speedway bikes, others like enduro/cross motorbikes, classic “naked” motorbikes or even choppers. Vespa even made a very small three-wheel cargovan called Ape wich, in the 50cc version, is actually a moped.

This scooter, however, is unlikely to be a moped. It may be a smallframe Vespa, but i gather that, with the load it is meant to carry, it would be based on a 125cc model. It may be a largeframe, I can´t tell from the picture since I am not very familiar with Vespas before 1990, and if so it may have a 125, 150, 160 180 or 200 cc engine. Or, it could have been custom built for the army with any old engine setup.

Either way it is one of the craziest Scooters I´ve seen, and I´d love to do a replica – all though I very much doubt that I could get it road legal here in Norway…

]]> By: CaptJosh http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/comment-page-1/#comment-1397394 CaptJosh Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:13:28 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/#comment-1397394 Gah, when will people get things right? That is NOT a moped. It is a scooter, yes, but a moped actually has pedals, like a bicycle, which, among other things, start the engine. Gah, when will people get things right? That is NOT a moped. It is a scooter, yes, but a moped actually has pedals, like a bicycle, which, among other things, start the engine.

]]> By: seekshelter http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/comment-page-1/#comment-1211742 seekshelter Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:01:00 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/#comment-1211742 i so want one of these.... i so want one of these….

]]> By: Hot Carl To Go http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/comment-page-1/#comment-678779 Hot Carl To Go Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:21:00 +0000 http://www.neatorama.com/2006/12/16/secret-of-french-military-prowess-armed-vespa/#comment-678779 Where does the white flag go? Where does the white flag go?

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