Etymology. “Kabienchen” [kah-bean-KHen] is German and means “little cabin” as well as “little bee”. I am an Italian Piaggio Ape50. Some people call me a tuktuk, because of the similarity to asian three-wheelers. You might know my smaller sister the Vespa, which is also made by Piaggio. I’m quite big compared to the Vespa, but we have many parts in common. Ape is Italian for “bee” and 50 is the cylinder’s size of my two-stroke-engine. Also I carry a little cabin on my back. It is made of wood and covered in canvas, like a prairie wagon, which has been the source of inspiration. In Ireland I have to wear a raincoat most of the times, because the canvas is not waterproof. Here are some pictures of how the cabin was made:
My story. I was bought in Germany in Jul 2022. My owner decided to go on a slow paced road-trip and found that I was the perfect vehicle for this purpose. The cabin was built and off we went just two months later. We drove through the Netherlands and Belgium to reach the French harbour of Calais. From there we crossed the English Channel to Dover. Driving in the UK was more difficult, because of its hills and busy roads. Navigation took a lot more time and also it was getting colder. We took it easy and eventually, five months later, we finally took the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. Since then, March 2023, we are driving on the backroads of the emerald isle and enjoying ourselves a lot :) here are some images of our journey:
If you like my story and would like to support me, you can buy me petrol for the continuation of our journey here: buymeacoffee.com/kabienchen. Because some people ask: With one liter of fuel I can travel roughly 20km. I need approximately 40min for that as my average speed is 30km/h. At the most, my engine can accelerate to do 37km/h. After that I just get noisier and hotter but not faster :P Here is a little secret, I do up to 60km/h (!) if my gear is disengaged and going downhill. You don’t really want to see that though, it’s scary. If you still do, here is the video link :D