A to Z Blog Challenge: Memories
A History of Marina on Less-than-4 Wheels
I remember a red tricycle with white handles: it was metal and had stickers on the handle representing various dashboard buttons; I constantly pushed them, not sure what I was hoping for….
My first bike was small, of course, and not very attractive. But I regularly washed it on Saturdays in the summer, as I loved to use the water hose and get wet. I took good care of that first bike.
A few years later the small-wheel bikes became very popular, particularly one named “Graziella”.
Of course, I wanted one, but I ended up with a similar bike, called Lola, which, in the end, I preferred over Graziella.
I think I spent every single day in the summers riding, and riding, and riding, I rode everywhere, but especially to a playground near the Cappuccini (=friars) Church. There, a speed skating track was perfect for riding bikes without worrying about street traffic, even when skaters were there!
I also rode on the roads that were not too busy with traffic. This meant going uphill and downhill; lots of hills in my Italian hometown located at the foot of the Alps.
I think it was then that I began daydreaming about having a small engine that could relieve my huffing and puffing while pedaling uphill.
And one day, while riding with friends, we encountered the sister of one of the girls in our group, on her moped, a Velosolex.
Everybody wanted a turn in riding the moped to the end of the road and back. And I had a turn, too. When I finally released the handles that controlled the accelerator, I began smiling…… Right then, nothing was better than being able to move from here to there without effort. WOW! I had to have one. I was 13, then.
Technically, the Solex is a powered bicycle, not a moped. It was invented in 1946 in France, as a low-cost, reliable transport. And it was so cute with the little engine in the front! I wanted one badly!
This was happening around the time when different motorcycle factories were beginning to offer new products targeting the very young. In Italy, you may ride a 50cc motorcycle without holding a driver’s license at the age of 14. And so my campaign for getting a moped began: it lasted a whole year. My birthday is conveniently in June, right after the school year ends. My wonderful dad gave me a Ciao Piaggio: I was in 7th HEAVEN!!!!!!
Mine looked just like this one, even the color. I loved my Ciao: to start it, you just had to pedal for few seconds and then…vroooom!
Two or three years later, it was stolen from me :-(, and my super great dad who spoiled his little girl, bought me a Vespa Piaggio. What a great dad!
It was just like this one, but silver. I had so much fun riding this scooter.
Only the driver can ride on it, but my friends and I, when needed, did not follow this rule…
My friends and I used to take long rides along the lake in the summer, and, even in the winter, I used to ride it to school (in the rain, snow, or sunshine: yeah! That’s how much I liked it).
Some of my friends had different types of motorcycles and sometimes allowed me to ride theirs.
These are a couple I drove:
Antonello’s GILERA 5V TRIAL 50cc
Iserita’s MOTO GUZZI TROTTER 50cc
As the age number grew, the cc’s also grew. Here are few more bikes I had fun driving, but did not own:
Paolo’s SWM 125cc (I had an accident on this one, nothing major, though)
and Aldo’s Ducati Pantha 500cc; I drove this on the autostrada at 200km/hr!!!!!!
After this, i went to 4 wheels, but that’s no fun at all.
A is for Ada
E is for Elementary
I is for ID
M is for Motorcycle
Q is for Quintilio
U is for Umbrella Holder
Y is for Yummy
B is for Braids
F is for floor
J is for Jimi
N is for Nonni
R is for River…
V is for Vittorio
Z is for Zia Piera
Milepebbles 
The only time I rode, on the back, of a motorcycle I was a teenager. It was my much older brother’s motorcycle and he liked to show off, like when turning corners and expecting me to lean way over. He did the same with a little racing type boat. I did like his mini bike though! I rode that alone. 
I used to like the leaning over when turning!!!! I was a little crazy! (And you can’t turn fast you don’t lean đŸ˜„)
I loved riding on the back of motorcycles. I came from a family of riders. When my husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, he convinced me to learn to ride. I finall y quit in 2015, poor balance and vision.
I had two memorable rides: 42 states, 27k miles solo as a 58 y/o widow and all of Rt 66 with my current husband (Tn to IL to CA to TN).
Here is my ride history:
Yes, I miss it….
https://dbmcnicol.com/a-afterthought/
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Wow–what gorgeous bikes! I am envious. And you could ride them at such a young age! So much fun. You were riding that Ciao Piaggio at age 14, when here in the U.S. those electric bikes are just becoming a thing now, at exhorbitant prices, and being ridden by older people around my age who need that extra oomph on the uphills.
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