On Two Wheels Part 3: Tackling the commute

It was raining and not just spitting either - this was proper, in your face, down the back of your collar, clinging, greasy precipitation.

Great. Not only would I have to contend with a slice of impatient, hurried rushing traffic, but I'd have to do it while getting soaked on the back of a machine I'd never ridden in anything approaching even mildly moist conditions.

I assumed it was going to be a nightmare of slipping, sliding and restricted visibility.

I abandoned my suit trousers for a pair of old jeans and my shoes for a pair of solid boots, cramming everything work related into the Vespa's top box and under-seat compartment.

I'd also been provided with a "winter kit" for the scooter which comprised a black rug affair with powerful magnets to clip it to the front of the vehicle.

So I dried off the seat, slipped one leg under the flashy granny blanket and set off.

My journey was damp, certainly, but actually it was far better than I was expecting.

I had assumed, much like in a car, that without windscreen wipers on my helmet I'd be effectively blind in seconds without wiping the irritating droplets away.

But this anticipated difficulty failed to materialise - yes, visibility was worse than normal, but still pretty good, aside from the fact I had chosen to navigate using the Gherkin when riding down the A10 on my ironically named "dry run" to the Wharf the Saturday before, which had to be aborted due to time constraints.

This huge clue as to my route was completely invisible, as were large sections of the Wharf itself when I finally got there.

Finding your way on a scooter is somewhat different to navigating when safely wrapped in the steel armour of a car.

Where drivers have the luxury of grabbing a quick glance at the map when sat at traffic lights, periods of inactivity are limited for those on two wheels as red lights tend to mean an opportunity to filter through the traffic to continue on your way.

It's perhaps no surprise then that not being quite sure of the end part of the route I went the wrong way, cutting down towards Wapping when I should have been heading down Commercial Road.

But this turned out to be a shortcut rather than a grave error and also offered a comforting dry spell in the Limehouse Link.

I was pleased to find the estate well sign-posted and easy to navigate if a little over-blessed with slippery metal drain covers.

I'd bothered to call ahead to find out what the parking arrangements are for scooters (£2 per day in the estate's car parks), but confess to being a little confused when I tried to take a ticket at the gate and none was forthcoming.

I may have missed the sign saying "ride round the barrier and pay for a tag" but it certainly wasn't obvious - fortunately a biker behind me did just that so I learnt by copying.

Since getting the Vespa two weeks ago this lack of information has been a recurrent theme. Actually the Wharf is pretty good in this regard as the information is there if you look for it.

But elsewhere most places seem to prefer to leave scooters and motorbikes guessing. Maybe they really do hate us all and would rather we didn't stop.

- Column in association with Vespa. Go to uk.vespa.com