Scooter fans love "rebellious" vintage Vespa

By Agnieszka Flak

LONDON (Reuters) - They can be pink, metallic-white or decorated with flags: the Vespa scooters outside Yasir Al-Turaihi's shop look fresh and hip - even though some are already 60 years old.

It was five years ago that the Iraqi-born mechanic and his brother invested in Londinivm Scooters, a Piaggio dealership in central London. Today overwhelmed by customers and another branch they opened a few months back, he feels that specialising in Vespas was the right choice.

"It's such an ageless classic," Al-Turaihi says. "People get excited about it, regardless of age and sex."

London scooter sales have risen 16-fold to 8,000 in 2005 from 500 in 1993, especially after the introduction of the congestion charge in 2003 from which two-wheelers are exempt.

In 2006, three of the Vespa models were listed among the top five favourites of the 133,077 scooters and mopeds registered, the British Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) said.

More than 16 million Vespa scooters have been sold worldwide and selling a scooter valued at 2,500 pounds has been easy, Al-Turaihi says. Five to eight leave his shop every week.

In the winter scooter sales go down, but customers return for everything else from the Vespa brand.

"The good thing about the Vespa is that it comes with all sorts of accessories," Al-Turaihi says. "People come to ask about gloves, masks or windshields - really, you name it."