A ride back in time - Vespa tours

The 3 directors and founders of Borneo Vespa Adventures

There is a new tour “Borneo Vespa Adventures that is being offered to visitors who like to visit the sights of Sabah on their own. Whooping Gibbon Travel Sdn Bhd, a travel agency and tour operator registered here in Kota Kinabalu operates it.

These are specially created tours on self-driven Vespa scooters. It is like a ride back in time as you ride the stylish Vespas around town. An Italian named Enrico Piaggio in Italy first invented the scooter in 1946. But it was redesigned for Piaggio by a Corradino D’Ascanio who thought Motorbikes were very cumbersome and uncomfortable so he redesigned it to make it more comfortable and easier to  fix  if any mishaps should fall  to the scooter. The intention being that it should be a cleaner, more compact version of the motorbike. The Vespa design came from the Cushman scooter that was made in the USA and pre-dated World War II. The Cushman scooters were only provided in green, and they were brought into Italy for the use of the marines. D’Ascanio designed the Vespa idea based on the American Cushman scooter but he made it suitable to be used by both women and men by giving the scooter enough legroom for long skirts. The Vespa was clean and neat and the mechanics of the Vespa were hidden well within the body of the scooter. The engine casing was placed towards the back of the scooter that made it quite comfortable to ride. In April 1946, Enrico Piaggio started to manufacture his vespas as a low cost alternative to the automobile in war-ravaged Europe – it was designed as transport for the masses and it caught on so quickly that it became one of the great transport phenomena to sweep the world in the 20th century. The Vespa (which means “wasp” in Italian) was the result of Enrico Piaggio’s determination to create a viable alternative to the automobile for the masses.

Whooping Gibbon Travel clients are mainly from Europe currently and the Vespa scooters are included in the package “Borneo Vespa Adventures”. Should you wish to do a tour on one of theses vespas, you will basically need to have an international motorbike license. (Or a valid Malaysian motorbike license if you’re Malaysian.) 

Itineraries can be either for a day or a few days. This can be just a trip to the Kinabalu parks or even some sightseeing around the city.  But they also do have tours that last about a week and include a trip to see the wildlife along the east coast in Sukau. The excursions and tours are guided and include all the accommodation for the overnights. For packages with durations of more then 2 nights a support vehicle for carrying the luggage, spare Vespa, and all necessary in case of an emergency is provided.

If bikers get tired or wish, they have the choice of being a pillion rider or taking a seat in the support vehicle. A trip by riding a Vespa is just not about riding a bike but includes various other elements such as the culture, cuisine, and places of interest and wildlife that make up the uniqueness of these packages.

Getting to know and understand the various cultures and people of Sabah, depending on the area your passing thru is what adds to the specialty of the tour, By riding scooters, you have a first hand experience of getting to know the inhabitations as compered to seating in an air-conditioned coach. You also have the chance to stop almost anywhere you like. Of course it would be best if the weather was on you side and so it is better to come during the drier months.

 Cost for hiring a vespa  150 cc for the day is  Rm90.00 a day and includes , insurance ,rain coats and helmets.

For future information contact: Mr. Luca of Whooping Gibbon Travel Sdn Bhd. Email : info@whoopinggibbon.travel