Hey up,

I was wondering whether anyone out there might be able to give me some advice as to whether or not it would be legally and practically viable to drive a 50cc Vespa from London to the South of France.

I realise they are not built for these kinds of journeys but do you think it would be possible?

Would there be enough places in France to get it fixed and get parts, if necessary? Am I allowed to drive it there on a provisional license? Do you have any routes to suggest that don't take in motorways?

Anything you could advise would be much appreciated.

Thanks all

Adam

I don't think you'd have any problems doing it and the idea of drifting slowly through a tree lined French back road in warm summer sunshine with a few baguettes strapped on the back does have the kind of "la dolce vita" appeal that got me into bike travel in the first place.
At a guess it would take you about 3 - 4 days each way if you didn't get distracted. Similarly I don't think bits will be a problem - the further south you go the closer you'll be to Italy where it was made.

The big problem is going to be your provisional licence. AFAIK you need a full licence to drive / ride outside the UK. That said no one is going to check your licence at the ports but if you do get stopped by the French police the charges are going to start with no licence, no insurance etc. I don't know your circumstances but it's probably worth slogging round a few car parks in the rain here to get through the test before heading south.

You may be in luck. I'm sure a local will advise the french law but I'm pretty sure you can ride a 50cc at 14, without a licence or insurance in France, they don't even have number plates and use the cycle paths. When in Rome... or should that be when in Rhone!

Cant see any reason why the Vespa wouldnt be up to it if taken steady, you may find this site useful,
Motorcycling in France; Cost of Fines from Bikes in the Fast Lane - Daily Motorcycle News

Good luck with it

When you say provisional licence? do you mean provisional bike licence but you have a full car licence, or is it just provisional all round?

If you've got a category B UK car licence and are riding your bike with L-plates on, then yes you can ride in France, I know plenty of Brits who are doing just that.

If it's a provisional bike licence and you have no car licence, then no you can't. Whilst in France you see 14 year olds on 50's with no licence, they do have to have a BVT, which is like a CBT.

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Thanks everyone for the info. I guess I am still a little undecided and needing a bit of encouragement!

My license status is that I only have a provisional license but I have taken my CBT. Will this be the stumbling block or will this be sufficient if I get stopped? I do have insurance and all the other legal documents and I have European Breakdown cover with my insurance policy.

Should I just contact my insurance company? Would they have the definitive answer?

Adam

Hmm, OK this one's a bit of a mystery to me. The relevant French legislation is:

Article R211-2 du code de la route

(Décret nº 2002-675 du 30 avril 2002 art. 1 Journal Officiel du 2 mai 2002)
(Décret nº 2004-795 du 29 juillet 2004 art. 1 Journal Officiel du 3 août 2004)

I. - Tout conducteur de cyclomoteur doit être âgé d'au moins quatorze ans.
II. - Tout conducteur de cyclomoteur doit être titulaire soit du brevet de sécurité routière ou d'un titre reconnu équivalent délivré par un Etat membre de l'Union européenne ou un autre Etat partie à l'accord sur l'Espace économique européen dont la liste est fixée par arrêté du ministre chargé des transports, soit du permis de conduire.
III. - Le fait de contrevenir aux dispositions des deux alinéas précédents est puni de l'amende prévue pour les contraventions de la 2e classe.
IV. - L'immobilisation du véhicule peut être prescrite dans les conditions prévues aux articles L. 325-1 à L. 325-3.
V. - Les dispositions du II ne sont applicables qu'aux personnes qui atteindront l'âge de seize ans à compter du 1er janvier 2004. Jusqu'à cette date, ces dispositions sont applicables aux personnes qui n'ont pas atteint l'âge de seize ans.

Here's what it says (but I'm not a certified translator so this has no legal standing):

Article R211-2 of the highway code

(Decree nº 2002-675 of the 30 April 2002 art. 1 Official Journal of the 2 May 2002)
(Decree nº 2004-795 of the 29 July 2004 art. 1 Official Journal of the 3 August 2004)

I. - All moped/scooter/solex (less than 50cc) riders should be at least 14 years old.
II. - All moped/scooter/solex (less than 50cc) riders should be in possession of either a valid brevet de sécurité routière (similar to British CBT) or equivalent delivered by a member state of the European Union or another State party to the accord on the European Economic Area the list of which is fixed by the Minister of Transport, or a driving licence.
III. - Contrevention of the two preceding clauses is punishable by fine decreed for 2nd class contraventions.
IV. - The vehicle may be immobilised subject to conditions found in articles L. 325-1 à L. 325-3.
V. - Clause II is only applicable to persons who reach the age of sixteen as from the 1st January 2004. Up to that date, these clauses are applicable to persons under 16 years of age.

So it would seem to suggest that as a citizen of a member state of the European Union, if you have the relevant documents to allow you to ride in that member state you can also ride in any other member state.

Also it would appear that if you turned 16 before the 1st of January 2004, which would mean you're 21 or older now, then you don't need any of these things at all and can ride with nothing.

But, that's only my interpretation of the relevant French article, and doesn't guarantee I'm right. But it would appear to be hopeful. Also I googled a few 50cc scooter hire companies in France and none of them seem to require you to produce any kind of driving licence, there's even one which advertises as the solution for those who've lost their licence.

I've got a friend who is a lawyer, so I'll ask him what his interpretation of the same article is. Out of interest, how old are you, as that seems to make a difference?

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Thanks so much for that info, that's brilliant. If your friend could give a legal opinion as well that would be much appreciated.

Oh, and I'm 29 so well above that age barrier.

Thanks again

A x

No worries us 50cc scooterists have to stick together, I've just bought a Zoomer, so I'm loving the idea of 50cc touring. Now I just have to work out if I can ride it in the UK on a French category A1 licence (I think I can, but who knows?)

He read it the same way as I did, which is something, I was slightly worried that maybe not being a native French speaker I was missing something.

I'd check with your insurance company too that they'll insure you, and I'd copy and paste and then print out Article 211-2 to carry with you in case you meet a dodgy Gendarme.

Don't forget that in France there's no such thing as an L-plate so whip them off as soon as you get on the ferry/in the tunnel, so that les flics in the port don't see them at all.

I reckon though, given your age, and the fact that you could hire a scooter over here with the documents you've got you should be just fine (but if they fine you, don't hold me to it).

Now all you have to do is learn the French Highway Code so you don't ride down the wrong roads and do give way to the right (sometimes).

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Just do it! We just rode with 125 cc through Argentina and Chile - great experience! I highly recommend the book "Vroom with a view" about a trip with a Vespa around Italy, it is in English, I think the authors name is Peter Moore...not sure.

Have Fun!

Come and stay with us at the 2nd HU Meeting Germany,
in May close to Heidelberg, Germany.

El Aleman - Jens

as someone else on this site said, if someone can ride around the world on a bicycle then doing it on a 50cc bike should be possible, certainly through france.

There was an article in a New Zealand motorcycle magazine a couple of years ago about a young Kiwi who rode his 50cc Yamaha Jog from Portugal to the Arctic Circle in Norway. It took him three weeks because that's how long he had to do it!
I often 50cc tour here in NZ.

Regards

Nigel in NZ

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The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with . -- 2200 BC Egyptian inscription

The guys above have said it all. Just do it, don't worry, have fun. Taking your time is the real way to go. If you did have a hassle with the French cops, I've found them very reasonable. But that won't happen. Enjoy!

Last January I was riding to Senegal and came across two Germans on their way from Hamburg to the Gambia riding 50cc scooters, each of which was towing a trailer. Spare fuel and water were suspended from a wooden plank across the pillion seat!



They had left Hamburg on 6 December and by then it was 12 January. It had rained on them all the way through Germany, France and Spain but they were having a great time.

Some useful links
[ Vespa club de France ] - www.vespaclubfrance.com
Vespa Official Web Site

Tim

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

We drove from the UK to Nordkapp last year and thought we'd achieved something.

There we were, standing below the obelisk proudly taking pictures of each other, when up rides this really old guy clad all in yellow waterproofs, with a yellow helmet and yellow gloves on an ancient yellow Lambretta (?) Turns out he'd ridden all the way from Cape Town.

Mind you, he did say it'd taken him 12 years - he'd got distracted en route!

Jojo

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