Modern Vespa

Over the past three years I have owned the following:

2011 Honda Ruckus-sold (not enough bike)
1994 Honda Helix-sold (not quite enough bike)
2001 Harley Sportster-sold (too much bike)

I have been considering the following:

2014 Ural T: labor intensive and takes effort to ride
2014 Can Am expensive and too many complicated system to go wrong

So...would a Vespa 300 series be a twist and go option that my wife and I could travel two up, securely and to anywhere?

Opinions welcomed!

BSU attendee here. I would love to ride around Bemidji and the whole area on a Vespa 300. With the wife is a different story. My wife didn't care for riding on the back, but the Scarabeo 500 was a different story.

You don't have a local Vespa dealer, right? You can do most of the work with a few additional specialty tools.

No experience with the Ural, but it rhymes with mule. Are you a maxi scooter kind of guy?

The Vespa can go coast to coast without a whimper.

That's good to hear about the 'coast to coast' capability.

Closest dealers are in Mora and Minneapolis.

Thanks for your input.

I would steer away from the Vespa. I will likely be too fun, reliable and won't require much wrenching. Get the Ural

Welcome to MV!

I love sarcasm

Good points

Your scoot is waiting.

http://rmn.craigslist.org/mcy/4397837337.html

[topic126836]

THIS!

I am driving to Austin tomorrow for work, could this be serendipity?
Questions...
2007 EFI or carbed?
How fast is the 250?

Will it fit in a Co. Minivan???

The GTS 250 is fuel injected and has a top speed of seventysomething

Okay, that is decent.

Equally to the point, the top speed of the 250 and the 300 GTS Vespa are essentially the same. Some argue that the 250 is a smidge faster. In other words, you are not giving away much by going with a 250.

There are 6500 miles on this scooter, is this a good price?

My two cents, for what it's worth:

Great scooter, fabulous Vintage Red color, includes the windscreen, top case and other consumables and/or accessories. 6500 miles is low for a GTS. Should've just had a 6k service as well. Lots of riders on MV have several times that kind of mileage on their GTS scooters.

If it looks as good in the flesh as it does in the photos, $3500 seems fair. But that opinion is based on my local market prices. Your area may be different.

.....has tempted me for years. Have seen them do many long distance trips and like a Vespa require owner involvement. Passion.

The vintage red colour was unique to 2007, so it will make many other riders envious.

If you are into modding, the power can be increased considerably with a Malossi cylinder and head, and then a gear upgrade can increase the top speed, but all rather expensive.

Mike

GTS 250 Measurements

Doesn't look promising.

If I can offer a suggestion- get your wife to sit on the back of a Vespa GTS- The riding position is not the most optimal for a passenger due to the very wide body. The GTS is a WONDERFUL scooter, but not the first one I think of if passenger capability is first and foremost.

See if you can find a Piaggio BV350 at your local dealer (ours is selling new 2013s for $4,999). Piaggio, same company that makes Vespas; still Italian & sexy, and the next generation of engines from what is in the GTS- faster, more power, more comfortable. Might be worth it to at least take a look and if the GTS still seems the better option, then so much the better.

I'd be ringing Tom up if I was in the market for a newer machine.
Love the looks of it, and right down the road from me.

I have had my Ducati 1000SS for ten years, my wife hates riding with me on that machine. Since we bought the GTS300 in October, she always wants to hop on the back of the Vespa. We have found the GTS to be perfect for two up. We took it on the RV across country and had no issues riding all over SoCal. Probably 80% of our miles have been two up. Highly recommended. And welcome to the forum.

Not much difference between the 250 and 300. Tom's bike wasn't trashed and he's kept it up. Great deal IMHO. He'd be happy to keep it in "the family" i'd think. Great deal and plenty of extras.You can always get foot peg extenders if your wife's uncomfortable back there. Getting my feet into a position is always hard on the back of these scoots but with the extenders it would much more comfortable. Good luck

Looks like a great bike and you will love a Vespa. Quick, agile and fun as hell to ride. The Vespa is way more flexible that a Can Am or Ural. You can park it anywhere, jump on and off with ease and it's a lot nicer to look at!

Got a good buddy who bought a Ural and it sat in the drive for months because of constant technical issues, sold it, bought a Royal Enfield and it also sits in the drive because of constant issues. He loved the idea of the side car but both bikes had loads of issues.

He has since bought a Yamaha Majesty while he is paying for the Enfield to get repaired and then is going to sell both and buy a GTV250 when he finds one! He loves the light down low.

Thank you for all the input and suggestions; Tom's vespa looks mint and he has been more than accommodating with my questions; I am considering it, yet admittedly am more taken by white, black, blue or espresso finishes in that order....my wife enjoys red...so we shall see what happens. I have a couple grand socked away and may want to take a couple months and save cash and buy early June. The GTS 300 IE SUPER looks like its name.

Here's another option:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/mcy/4421609134.html

39 horsepower. Yissss......vroom..vroom....

It is NOT a two up scoot as far as, The Lovely a 5'9" 117 lb Swede pillion is concerned.

But who can't love a Vintage Red. Fresh oil and filter maintenance no less than once a year, never more than 2000 miles on an oil change. The manual calls for a yearly change for low use and storage. It's been run regularly and often enough and maintained meticulously. However I am merciless and it has been pushed around a small garage along side gardening equipment and a snowblower. It has scratches and stories. It is a complete package for someone that wants to maintain their own scoot. Adding up the add ons and their cost is an exercise in depression. But it was a riot. My ET2 2T WILL be vintage red. No doubt. Maybe the Ebike too VR and dark browns move me. Cork handgrips would be amazing.

Some things to think about when comparing the Vespa 250's and the 300's:
The actual difference in engine displacement is 2 cubic inches.
The difference in HP and top speed is too small to mention.

I don't know about the Big Frame Vespa, but I did rent a SYM RV200 in Kaua'i. My pillion is a 6'2" Valkyrie (not stupid enough to ask her weight) and only started complaining after 100 miles.

Planning to drive down to Scooterville in Minneapolis in two weeks and test ride a Vespa...


Hopefully a GTS 300 Super Sport SE...the satin black is sick!

Bemidji is a real place? I saw "Fargo" the other night, and I thought they just made it up. Anyway, go with the 300 Super. I have a '09 250 Super, bought new in Feb of that year. The miles are low, the price seems reasonable, especially with the accessories. My wife won't ride, but I go all over the place on my Vespa, and c'e la merda!

Yes, Bemidji is real; although the town depicted in the show is not really Bemidji-filmed in Canada and a shot or two in Grand Rapids

A few imperfections and $3500 left in your pocket. I'll throw in Tucano Urbano Thermoscud. A heated grips kit and two windscreens to round it out. No charge for the pimples. AND a comb.

See you Friday!!

Interesting that you had a Honda Ruckus, because I actually had a Honda Ruckus before buying a GTS300SS. I loved my Ruckus, it was a fun little machine that was both easy and fun to work on. I tuned the variators on mines and was able to get a good balance of acceleration and top speed (about 45-47mph GPS conf.) Eventually I wanted more power and the ability to easily jump on the freeway, so I ended up selling my Ruckus after owning it for 2 years and I ended up with my GTS.

Now the ruckus is very light and super nimble, but the GTS also surprised me when I found that despite its size and weight, it was also a very nimble machine too. Good luck with your purchase!

you came to a vespa site to ask vespa idiots about whether its a good idea to get a vespa .... try a slightly reworded one on a honda/yamaha/harley/suzuki/_____ site n see what happens

^^^This!

With that package you oughta throw in a tube of little dab'll do ya'

Sat Apr 19, 2014 3:19 pm That's NEXT Friday. The 2nd!


The pressure is on....see gimp run, watch gimp cry.

I am super excited for Friday and am appreciative for the kindness and good information received; although we are driving a LONG way to get the scoot, Tom has been nothing but accommodating in making things "go".

The combination of Minnesota Nice and Modern Vespa community is so much win.

No Scooterville; Friday 25 will be a trip to tomjasz's garage for an epic win!

Everything, is a long way from Bemidji! Except winter. The price one pays for fabulous fishing.