Modern Vespa

AV, somebody has to praise so more people will whine.

pretty quick cover story!

Can't take the New Yorker out of me , and i lived upstate, not in the city.

I spoke to the local Vespa dealer. He's not going to carry the 946 because the tires are way too rubbery for the price they want. What the hell was Piaggio thinking?

I asked our "dealer" about them. Was surprised they knew about them but didn't order any because they would have to sell it for over $15,000 to make any money.

$10,000 for a scooter? Who are they trying to kid. Maybe P.T. Barnum was right after all. Why spend $10,000 on a scooter when when you can get a top-of-the-line Harley-Davidson real motorcycle for only... Just a minute, let me check.

Harley-Davidson dealer? What do you get for your most expensive top-of-the-line motorcycle? No shit. Really? Crap.

Never mind.

Yeah its only 3 times the price of a pushbike.


And you don't have to pedal it.

IMO, Here in France 946 doesn't sell a lot, there are many ads with strong discount on french craiglist (leboncoin)

http://www.leboncoin.fr/motos/offres/ile_de_france/occasions/?f=a&th=1&q=946

The lowest price is 7399EUR approx 10160 USD for an offciciel price around 9 000EUR

http://www.leboncoin.fr/motos/offres/ile_de_france/occasions/?f=a&th=1&ccs=125&q=946

$10,000 for what? The scooter is meaningless without value...

I can by scooters of the same engine size and speed for less.

So where does it shine?

It is just fit and finish, the Aluminum body what is it?

This is the huge gamble Vespa is taking lays.

When Chrysler introduced the 300 I was in a restaurant on a Friday afternoon, the whole place was dead silent when the add ran. Everyone stopped talking and watched the television.

This 946 hasn't shown its magic.... time will tell

Checked one out and sat on one at the dealer's

It is not meant to be a commuter scooter
It was not meant for the "typical" scooterist
It was not built for performance, handling or comfort
It looks like it was built to be bagged and gassed in hopes that it will be worth one million dollars in the future



Personally I would rather rock my 67 GT rat over a 946

I really like them but I think the price is a bit steep for what it is. I don't like the fact that it has a complete digital dashboard. A vespa should have beautiful dials with Italian words on it such as "benzina" and "aqua".

With a 250 or 300 motor no problem

I spent more for a TI race exhaust on the D16RR

either you have the money or you dont...

GB

Ah, I must be missing something - "too rubbery"? Compared to what? (I hate those scooters with the wooden tires )

The 946 is certainly pretty but the Primavera is too for 1/2 the price. Even better is my 2014 Piaggio Fly 150 3v with the same technology for nearly 1/4 the price.

Wow! by the time this thread is over, the next generation Vespa will be on the floor. I don't understand what's going on here. Vespa has the talent and resources to produce anything it wants. Its about perception. They've created an upscale scooter that they know isn't for everyone. But for those who want somethig different, the 946 fits the bill. Chev makes the Impala which is affordable and a high end (100K) Corvette which is in a class of its own. Would you rather, see Piaggio make a crappy, $1500 scooter, slap a Vespa sticker on it and and market it on the internet? Probably not. Such a move would devalue what we own. I would also guess that a lot of the technology that went into the 946 will trickle down into the next generation of mid range 150's. We shouldn't be upset that Vespa happens to be going after a market that we may not be in. We should be glad their efforts are keeping them on the cutting edge in a very competitive business. Almost daily if not every few days, someone joins this forum and shares his or her joy over the purchase of a used LX or ET. New or used, everytime I read of a new purchase, I am thrilled for them. They are buying in to a way of life. The 946 enhances what has already worked so well for Vespa and all us as owners.

Victor1-

But you miss the point. If I don't like it, no one can like it, and thus I whinge.

Does anyone know if the limited edition run of these is totally sold now or not?

Don't know what you mean by "limited edition"? Piaggio made a set number of 2014 "model year" 946s for the US market, just as they make a set number of each of the other models offered for sale in the US. Whether there will be a 2015 US market run or not is a different issue.

946s remain available for sale in US dealerships. The model year is 2013 by the way. I thought they were to be labeled 2014, but no. The VIN, the title, the registration is all 2013. The manufacture of the US for my 946 was 3 September 2013. The one that was totaled before delivery had a build date of 2 September. I think Vyatka posted his certificate with an October build date.

My mistake. I stopped keeping up with "model years" 10 years ago. Point is, Piaggio must produce US market vehicles in discrete production runs specifically to US Spec. Thus, they make a batch, give it a model year and that's typically it for that model year. For the European market, they are basically in continuous production, and no "model year" is assigned. So, in some respects, all US market Vespas are "limited edition".

There were (are) 2 black 946s on the floor at San Jose Vespa the Saturday before Christmas - their last operating day until after New Year's... Safe to say, they're still there.

10k wouldn't be so bad if they actually came in yellow.

Take a white one and repaint it in any color you want.

I have had the same thought...and not just any yellow - that yellow. It appears slightly metallic or pearlescent, and I find that far more pleasing than the canary yellow which appeared back on LX and GTS in 2007.

Couldn't agree more! This is the kind of bike for someone who would not dare actually ride it to a rally, but carry it there in a fully-appointed Mercedes Sprinter van while keeping it parked in the best Hilton's secure garage. This is a scooter for people who actually know who Jimmy Cho is, who actually care that the newest of the new iDevice now comes in "Champange" tint and who actually pay the price for Bose speakers because the ad says they're the best "pro" audio.

In short: Vespa made it clear where they want to go, and they don't want some of us. Even when we've spent the same on our scoots already. It's not the price that is the problem, it's the pricing *model*. I still lust after a GTV. It has a TON for the money compared to the 946. The 946's accessories are even more ridiculous than average Vespa accessories, which are insane to start with. But, you get NOTHING with the 946. The GTV? It's made to be the end-all-be-all of GT scooters with all the kit ready to rock. To me, that is a good place Vespa can be and STILL ask a ton of cash.

The 946 who treat Vespas as accessories. Sort of like the new Indian motorcycles

I agree, this is kind of a BS reason. Everyone knows that the stock rubber on ANY bike sucks! Don't care how much you pay for it... they never put the best fitting tires on the bike from the factory.

Actually the new BMW R1200RT is shipping with PR4 tires. LINK But your right that the examples are far and few between.

You are killing me Al on this thread.

Our local dealer is not carrying them because the mirrors are too close for a scooter in this price range. He doesn't think that anyone would pay that kind of cash if they can only see their own shoulders in the mirrors.

Oh, people are still whining about the price Despite the fact many of MV members voiced they opinions, all possible opinions, there are still a lot of whiners. And those whiners keep this thread alive:) Long live whiners and whingers!
$10000 is a low price for two wheeler, right? $10000 is $10000 whether you spend it on 946 or Ducati.
Ok, here is my example: I like Vespa. I don't want a motorcycle, a don't like speed, don't have time and desire for long rides. The roads I use have speed Ilimit of 35, maximum 50. A ride to parks, pharmacy, friends, sometimes to work. PX does the job. I never had modern automatic Vespa. I never said never but never seen one which created WOW effect on me until I saw 946. Now I own 946- it does the job, it takes me places, it handles great, it stable, gorgeous, it works perfect for the environment I use it in. It sooth my ego i am the only owner in my state and three neighboring states. It fits me:That's the thing. Adequate performance for my needs, pleasure in the saddle, pleasure when I look at it, pleasure in having exclusive thing.
I am not saying expensive. Piaggio marketing dudes made it "expensive". Every Harley on the road is more expensive (except upcoming controversial liquid cooled Street).
See the difference now? If I need reliability, adequate performance and value for the similar use I would get Fly. But I don't want to have cheap not Vespa scooter for my purposes. (Even if it has similar engine).

Funny how so many are not getting it.

And funny how this thread is still alive.

Total BS, Lev Davydovich, can't disagree more. Who the F is Jimmy Cho? And what is iDevice? I have no clue.
ScooterRaton- hahaha:
Why not commute on 946?
"It wasn't meant for typical scooterist" I am typical scooterist with two shifters and permanently dirty fingers ( permanent like revolution, Lev Neo Trotsky) I do all maintenance and repairs myself. ( unlike typical GT/GTS owner)
"It was not built for performance, handling or comfort"- while it is not a racer, it performs adequately in the environment it was built for; handling is exceptional, comfort is top. Why don't you ride it first then make such statements?
Trotsky cries about accessories : there are not many of them for 946. Btw, 946 helmet is cheaper than GTS helmet. What else? Computer? $400. To me is useless, I don't have a smartphone. Chrome rack for $200? I paid waaaaay more for chrome parts for PX. What else? If you pay $7000 for GTV and add $2000 in accessories will you look like proletariat compare to bourgeoisie fat cat like me? Your comrades would find new Mercador for you.

Funny - "haha", or funny - "peculiar"?

----Major General John Hay Beith, CBE, 1936

I just don't understand all the hype about the 946. Why does anyone want one? The Primavera has the same engine, is far more attractive, has some storage space, and is much cheaper.

Can anyone name just one advantage the 946 has over the Primavera?

Mike

Nope, can't pin it down it to just one.

Sticky-

I am willing to bet that similar insight underlies your dealer's mirror issue and my dealer's too rubbery tires issue. If dealers spot things like this........ well, it's worth wondering.

Once again... another nail hit on the head.

I have even mentioned elsewhere on this forum that, if I had known the Primavera was coming out I would of seriously considered delaying my purchase of my GTS.

Aside from the "Look at me, I'm richer than YOU" attitude, the 946 has zero advantage, except for perhaps a little less plastic. And, at the end of the day that is the reason people consider any negative opinions towards Piaggio's marketing decisions as "whining": The rich want to feel richer than others, even in a hobby like scootering.

The official MV filibuster thread!