Modern Vespa

On Tuesday I picked up my new excaliber grey MP3 in San Antonio and rode 278 miles to my home in Brownsville. I tried to moderate this ride-it-like-you-stole-it break-in by staying off of the Interstate, and varying my speed. This also made for a very pleasant ride through fields of wild flowers and hundreds of monarch butterflies. Though many of the pretty yellow butterflys splattered themselves on my sparking new windscreen.

Coming from five years on an ET4 here are some first impressions.

Smooth, stable, quiet, effortless really. It's like driving a Cadillac STS after years behind the wheel of a Ford Focus or oher economy car.

The instrument panel is very easy to read, and placed where you can see it without taking your full attention off the road ahead.

Storage space is great, but I was suprised to find that my size medium, Nolan 102 modular helmet just barely fit (through the aft opening) with not a millimeter to spare.

I was pleasantly suprised to find that the tiny windscreen does a very decent job of deflecting wind away from your body even at 70 mph. Piaggio also makes airplanes, so they know their aerodynamics.

I am 6 ft. tall, and have long legs. I did not find the feet placement a problem, but I am bothered by the floor board to seat height. It feels like my knees are higher than my hip bones when seated. Could be that I will get used to this. If not, I could get foam put in to make the front of the seat as high as the back. But then there is the potential problem of the mysterious "Driver Presence Sensor" situated somewhere under the seat.

Jess and others have covered the MP3s amazing cornering ability, so I will not add to that. What I am really happy about is no longer having to be on constant lookout for every little pothole on the road (and there are plenty here in the Brownsville area). This vehicle just jogs right over them with hardly a jolt.

For the places I go, Rio Grande Valley freeways and city streets, the MP3 is the best thing since the oreo cookie.

Thank for the review. It's sounds like such a cool scoot.

Give my regards to Los Fresnos and San Benito. My Grandmother and her family were from there. Don't blink or you might miss them.

Congrats on the MP3! The more I read the better I like! Maybe by the time I can afford it, they will have the 400 here, Beale.

I forgot to mention that inside the aft storage compartment of the MP3 is a warning sticker that says, NO PETS, with the symbol of a crossed over kitten.

Is this a joke that my dealer added, or do all Piaggio scooters come with this sticker?

Is this the origin of the "pet carrier" nickname?

Curious minds have to know.

OK OK OK so if you are going to post something like that we need to see a picture of it. Crossed out kittens I have to see!!!!

All Piaggio products in North America have that sticker, and yes, that's the origin of the Pet Carrier joke. Actually, I prefer the term "underseat pet warmer".

One note about the helmet trunk: on EuroSpec models, my XXL Shoei TZ-1 helmet fit perfectly in there. On the US model, the same helmet doesn't fit. Why? They decided to stick an extra lump in there (covered by a removable piece of plastic). Most likely, it's the frickin' evaporations cannister.

Of all the places to put the cannister, that wouldn't have been my first choice. They've now effectively ruined the helmet trunk.

Killo wrote: Los Fresnos is booming now. My son is in the Los Fresnos School District, and they are having trouble building new schools fast enough for all the new families moving here

Hmmm, not sure about that one, Twinkies, maybe, but Oreo's?

bendcyclist wrote: Didn't believe me did you?

Thanks jmd,
I have an ET4 and want to upgrade to an MP3, GT or BV250 mostly for 2-up comfort, capacity & performance/safety.
The spendy MP3 has similar seating to the BV and I love the design but concerned about the weight. I read 450lbs.! Yikes. That is the weight of my old air cooled Beemer. How do you feel about that weight and the scoot's maneuverability? Any chance you will go two up and offer your opinion?

[quote="jmd"]I forgot to mention that inside the aft storage compartment of the MP3 is a warning sticker that says, NO PETS, with the symbol of a crossed over kitten.

Is this a joke that my dealer added, or do all Piaggio scooters come with this sticker?

Is this the origin of the "pet carrier" nickname?

Curious minds have to know.[/quote]

I just looked at my mp3 and the same sticker is there. I recall the dealer pointing it out but, having no pets, I didn't think too much about it. I do like cats, however, so I won't let the cat I don't have ride back there.

I am envious that you have been able to put over 200 miles on your scooter already. I mentioned this in another discussion but it hasn't gotten any better. I picked my scooter up on a 70 degree day, rode it until a non-scooter obligation came up and then the bottom dropped out of the weather. Currently, we're looking at 35 degrees and 8 inches of snow on the ground, resulting in a whopping 65 miles on the scooter. Frustrating. Things are supposed to improve this weekend so I'm hoping to get out a bit then.

Did I mention the no pet sticker......? I kind of got off on a tangent there.

My wife is afraid to ride on anything with less than four wheels. I weigh 160 lbs. So, for me, the performance is fine. But if you are going to do a lot of two-up then the BV250 may be a better choice.

Thanks for the info, Jess. I've removed the cover which gives me maybe a centemeter of extra width. Now my helmet slides in much easier.

JMD - I really like your avatar - my, how stylish a cowboy boot can look on the MP3 footrest. I never thought about that !
But here in Canada, snow shoes might be more appropriate ..... or "gumboots" on the rainy West Coast.

I continue to enjoy the first impressions of new MP3 owners. I've come to the conclusion that my weight (130lbs) + MP3 weight = perfectly matched to the 250 cc engine and my riding style. Once upon a time I found the Scarabeo 500 too heavy and too much bike for me but the MP3 is the
perfect compromise.

So I have spent most of my time with a Euro spec model - I wonder if the extra emissions gear interferes with performance in any way?
If that was the case - the demo rides would be most sought after eh ?

Ms D

Not as far as I can tell. If anything, my US-spec MP3 is faster than the Euro-spec demo model I rode. I think that has more to do with me doing the hard break-in on my own MP3, though.

In any case, there's precious few changes between the two, besides the evap cannister. The stupid speedo on US-spec bikes even favors Km/h, with MPH specified in small, unreadable red letters inside the speedo ring.

If and when mine ever gets here I think I will also ride mine home. It is a little over 30 miles for me and I willn't have to load and unload it out of my truck. It is nice to see someone enjoying theirs, it has been real cold and rainy here until today. I've thought of several " errands" to do today just so I could ride the ET4. Good Luck and I am happy for you.

more photos are always nice

g

I'm sorry to hear that a 6' tall MP3 rider sits with his knees higher than his hips.... this is a lower back NO NO and by itself can often serverely aggravate lower back problems: anyone with any lower back experience knows this.

Chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons, etc: they love it.

I'm hopeful we can all grow the big scooter market to the point where one day Piaggio et al make big scooters that truly fit larger riders.

{insert here all the responses from large riders saying they have no lower back problems riding their big scooter.}

I actually found that if I lean forward a bit, my arms are long enough that I can sit way back on the passenger hump, still with me legs on the floorboards. It feels a lot like riding standing up, though, and the center of gravity goes all wicky-wacky.

I'm 5'8", btw.

Packa, thanks for the warning. I am going to take the scooter to an upholstery place next week, and have them put in foam to raise the front of the seat to the same level as the back. I was already thinking the Excaliber Grey color would look great with a burgundy leather seat cover.

I found the mysterious DRIVER PRESENCE SENSOR. It is in the forward underside of the seat attached by one phillips head screw. Does anyone know who can tell me if it is kosher to unscrew this little black box so the seat can be taken off?

I know my dealer would not have a clue.

The screw is dabbed with yellow paint, but the paint missed the slot where a screw driver head makes contact, if you know what I mean.

There's more to it than that. There's a strip of some kind right under the seat cover. It's visible through two holes in the foam.

I've found if I stand next to the MP3 and press down where my butt would otherwise be sitting, I can defeat the butt sensor. Beware, though, this is a good way to drop your scooter if you're not careful.

butt sensor???

what in gods name have you guys purchased?!?

the parts manual has it listed as a "probe"

Hmmm. That must be the Eurospec model.

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we dont get no stickers, no reflectors. no warnings or anyting on our scoots over here. my dealer shook my hand and said "shes abit more powerful than your old 50" and that was it.