Modern Vespa

Hi Folks. I am a mother of a 13 year old daughter. I decided to do some research on scooters and I stumbled onto this forum. I have thought on and off, of getting myself a scooter. I like fun and I like adventure and I like style and I like riding...anything. I have ridden horses in high level competition. Years back, I owned and rode a honda ruckus, CT 70, quads and tractors. In more recent years, I rode motorcycles, starting at the 250 and working my way up to the Harley Street Glide, Harley Tri-Glide Trike and BMW Dual Sport. Until I was hit by a car on the hwy riding the BMW. Now, I ride nothing. have lower back injury and sciatic nerve damage. I am also stressed about being on the hwy on a motorcycle. So, I have thought it might be fun to get a cool scooter to buzz around on in our ocean community and maybe take a passenger (my daughter) and/or my dog. trouble is, I don't know what to look for. I love that pistachio green or pale yellow, old style. I am also the type of person, that small doesn't cut it. I love performance, style, beauty. I am not interested in having to get insurance for my ride. I am looking for joy. I have lost it. I want that feeling, that pull of knowing that ride will make me feel awesome. I want to know I have the best scooter for me and once I make my decision and my purchase, that I will remain loyal and stick to it forever. I need grounding. If anybody has recommendations on what Vespa would be most suited to me and why, that would be awesome. Thank you!

Welcome to MV! Choice depends a lot on several factors. If you're just tooling around the neighborhood. a 150 could be fine if you and yours are relatively small. I've goofed around with my (big for her age) 13 y.o. on my LX 150. It's doable, but I'm 240# so it's a stretch.

Speed-wise, a 150 would take you and your daughter around town just fine.

You said "small doesn't cut it" which would push you into the GTS/GTV category. I've seen GTVs in a nice yellow....

Hi, and welcome! I ride a Vespa GTS 250, and love it. For long trips with hubby I ride my Honda Shadow 1100, and while I love my big bike for highways, I've discovered that the Vespa can't be beat for cruising the backroads and trips to town. When I ride the Vespa alongside my hubby riding his big motorcycle, I'm the one who gets all the ooos and ahhhs and all the comments
I got the biggest Vespa I could find at the time because I didn't want to limit where I could go - i.e., freeways needed to be an option just in case. I've had it on the freeway and it keeps right up with traffic with no trouble.
I'm not sure that, if I were you, I'd let myself get locked into that it "has to be forever." I wasn't sure about a Vespa, either, so I bought the best used one I could find, figuring I'd not be into it too much financially and I could sell it if I didn't like it. That way I didn't feel "trapped" in case the bike I bought wasn't just right. You might need to feel you need to try a few bikes until you find just the right one, not only the one on which you feel most comfortable but the one that "floats your boat." I got lucky - the first one I bought was my "dream" scooter!
Good luck in your search! Keep us posted!

Welcome!

My wife and I both bought new Vespas last summer. They have given us much joy riding back roads and around town. She has a red 150 Sprint, and I have a blue GTS Sport. Neither one of us is small, and both work very well for either of us.

Although the 150 does not go as fast as the 300, it weighs significantly less and is easier to move around the grounds while walking beside it. Plus, it goes nearly as fast, and it gets great gas mileage.

You should sit on both, though, to see which one fits you best. We had to get a new seat for my wife to really fit her Vespa.

Shalom and welcome from Israel.

Aloha and welcome to the forum from Hawaii. A LX 150 is the way to go. Altho they stopped making them a few years ago you might be able to find a good used one. Their lightweight,nimble and just peppy enough to get you where your going. I have really bad back problems but the LX doesn't require much effort to get it on the center stand. It's also lightweight so it doesn't hurt your back. Back in '07 they made a yellow one and the green one (portofino). I had always wanted the Portofino green one but when i saw the yellow and the plum one i had a hard decision. The Plum won out and here i am 9yrs later with almost 40,000 miles on him. Good luck and when you get one we want to see pics of it. Good luck BTW i think the LX model is better than the new Sprint and Primavera ones but that's just me.

Whether you pick a 150 or a 300, I'm afraid insurance is part of the deal for riding on public roads. My 2 cents worth is that an LX150 or Primavera would be fine for around town. A 300 GTS would give you more power and speed if you wanted to ride up the highway between towns.

Yep according to https://www.kanetix.ca/mandatory-coverages-for-motorcycle-insurance is mandatory in Canada except in Newfoundland although in Quebec it is provided by the government.

If speed is important then with a Vespa you are limited to a GTS/GTV 250?300. FWIW, my 250 Sport City, same engine as in my GTS 250 caught up and passed Leigh riding her GTS 300 on the cannonball going uphill. So there isn't much difference between the 250 and 300 engines.

For bebopping around town and island roads assuming they are like the ones off Washington state a 150 will do fine but I wouldn't go below 125. The advantage of the 150 size is light weight versatility. Narrow body makes it easier for passengers especially if they are vertically challenged. The advantage of the 250/300 is that for long rides it is more comfortable being the "touring", heavier but that makes it better above 60mph. Its fat ass makes it harder for a passenger to reach the footpegs comfortably. There are several extender options available to address this problem. Longer seat makes it better for two up especially with a top case a passenger backrest and a place to store helmets. None of the Vespas will fit more than a half helmet under the seat unless you wear a very small helmet then a 3/4 will fit in some models.

I've got an LXV 150 and it's perfect for riding around our small town. I go to the library, hardware store, etc. on it most every day.

I've also got a GTV that I ride on the highway but the 150 is my main transport.

The last time I rode the GTV was a year ago.

Welcome aboard. I LOVE Vancouver Island. Such a beautiful place.

I ride an LX150ie and I can tell you it's more than enough horsepower. You can buzz around town easily and it will achieve highways speeds. 100 Kmph isn't out of the question at all and I have easily hit 120 Kmph on the flat. In other words, it suitable for an around town or the highway if needed. I just put over 160 Km in a single day without issue.

It's a nimble and light bike which should be comfortable enough for you to ride with your back issues. More important, you can easily take a passenger on the back. I do suggest foot pegs and a sissy bar for their comfort but it easily handles my 18 and 20 year old girls and my lovely wife who rides with me most weekends.

Welcome to the forum!

Just wanted to welcome you to MV.

Welcome from a former Islander. Nanaimo 1999 to 2004.

Not too sure of Piaggio dealers on the island, but there are several Honda and Suzuki shops.
The Honda Forza is a great machine, and the Suzuki Burgman 400 is also a fabulous ride.
But if you're a Piaggio/Vespa purist, there are some great choices out there as well.
Service and availability should be of greatest concern for you.

Take care and enjoy MV.

Welcome to a great forum.

I also had motorcycles in the past, but for so much of my riding a scooter is great. I had a GTS 250 until a few years ago. I did a ride from Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay, did the low roads from Nanaimo to the Malahat, then on the highway back to Swartz Bay, and then Tswwassen home. It was a bit of a push up the Mal, but it worked.

I think the GTS is a great bike, and I would certainly recommend the 300. But SG Power in Victoria has a used LX150, so that may be worth a look as well.

BTW, Now I have a BV 350 which I've taken to Courtenay; no fun on the Island Hwy, but pure bliss on the seaside route.

Hi from central IL, I am new to owning a Vespa, the scooter I traded in was the Honda Metro, and you want something bigger than that. I also own and ride a Honda Rebel but find my new Vespa a much smoother ride.
I was in a nasty car accident over 6 years ago and lost the ability to ride bicycles, wear high heels and roller skate, but was glad to find I can still ride and enjoy smaller motorcycles and scooters. I have a LXV 150ie, and love it. I chose it because the footboard area is about 1/2 inch wider on each side which gives my damaged leg/foot a bit more room. And I can pick it up if it is laid down all by myself. Plus that model came with the tiny fly screen and both front and back racks factory installed. I am still breaking in the engine, have about 400 miles on it right now, but it has gotten over 60 miles an hour, just for a minute or to, but I know it can go that fast. And I get over 70 mpg so that makes an affordable ride for me.