Modern Vespa

amateriat,

Looks like Vespa of Monmouth is all-in! Great to hear, I hope they do very well.

New dealer on Vancouver island in the city of Nanaimo. Luckily, they have other bikes because it's a rough and tumble little city where a lifted truck is still a pretty cool status symbol.

Lemme guess: high c/g, cinder-block aerodynamics, and an engine that would embarrass a NASCAR contender of a decade ago? Yep, got too many o' those here, too.

You nailed it.

There was a Vespa dealer in Enfield, Connecticut until last year. Like many of the motorcycle/scooter dealers in Connecticut, Vespa shared floor space with a number of other brands. The dealer had lots of leftover inventory from 2014 and 2015; eventually, the dealer stopped selling the Vespa line and closed that portion of the dealership. They won't even service Vespas there anymore. Vespa of New Haven, CT is still open... Again, they share floor space with many other brands, and, again, they have leftover inventory. In the U.S. (or maybe just CT), much of the problem is with perception of scooters as transportation of last resort (think 50cc models from China that cost less than $1000) or curiosities. Plus, Americans are tough guys... We like giant trucks (Ford F-350s) cheap gas (currently $2.70 per gallon), and Harleys (despite the high cost, they are ubiquitous here in CT). I bought my 300 GTS because it was an incredible deal ($4000) and I was a new rider (at age 40) with zero experience shifting/clutching, as I have driven automatic cars my entire life. I love my Vespa, but it is a pain to service and Vespas command a high premium over other brands. I think Piaggio/Vespa would do well to appeal to new riders given their bikes' safety features (automatic, ABS), but I don't see much future for scooters here in the U.S., especially with Honda releasing more DCT (automatic) motorcycles, including the new Goldwing.

Interesting links-I read the Lex., KY newspaper online daily and never heard of the scooter dealer. Whatever they're selling it's being kept inside as I never see scoots much there. I stand by my Chinese scoots statement as far as what I've observed for what I'll call generic brands. My BMW MC engine is a Chinese product and I kind of understand that notion too. It's all about labor same as the Mexican cars that come here, so on, and adinfinitum.

I was in the BMWMOA which holds a big annual rally that pays for much of what dues didn't pay. I not a joiner or a rally person much either but why should Kymco pay for a big city rally of/for Vespa folks?
Whats the drawing card for Amerivespa?
Lots of BMWMOA members don't go to the rallies as they have jobs, kids, rally location is alternating ends of the USA each year too.

Yamaha of Midland (45 miles from me) carried Vespa, then quit. When I was thinking about getting a scooter in 2016, I gave them a call (without realizing they'd stopped). The dude I talked to was rude and emphatic that they no longer carried Vespa nor did they service them.

Now it appears the dealer I ended up buying from, Denton Cycle Center (north of Ft. Worth, TX), has quit carrying Vespa/Piaggio.

I love my Vespa, but it's aggravating to have dealers dropping out.

Moto Europa sold me my LXV and has been awesome about service and caught the cracked intake manifold as soon as the mechanic pulled the pet carrier out.
This winter I bought a Mitsubishi Mirage, found it through Carfax.com, emails and phone call and trip west 140+ miles for a really great buy on an almost new car...then discovered the dealership in Springfield had vanished. So, the Mitsubishi website had the dealership in Peoria as my dealership...trip up for a key they told me would be 20 minutes, was over 2 hours, with my young not yet 2 grandchild and her parents, on a cold, wet winter day...
Yesterday that same car and I went down to St. Louis for service, and it was awesome! Great and fast service, far nicer and more pleasant to deal with, they will keep getting my business.
Moto Europa does a lot to keep customers, has bike night, open house, rides, and does remember many of our faces, which is why that's where I would send anyone around here to buy a bike. Any brand they carry...
That saying, my Vespa now gets parked in front of security, we gained 6-7 spaces in the USDA area for motorcycles!!! Now, no 1 moves my girl, sits on my ride and I'm 10 steps closer when I'm heading home!!!

Amerivespa is a scooter rally, any brand is welcome and Kymco has been a supporter for years.