Modern Vespa

Happy Thanksgiving! I just got back from a 1 hour backroad blast on my new 2020 GTS HPE Yacht Club (to be exact) and thought I should write my initial impressions down before I forget how my "new" scooter felt.

I'm not entirely new to scooters. My first scooter was was a 2006 Piaggio BV500. I rode it locally in Northern California on backroads and commuting from the coastal town of Pacifica to downtown San Francisco for 2 years. It held its own on the highway when needed. I sold it because it was big, ponderous, and I had a couple of issues that left me stranded. I bought it used in 2008 and sold it and sold it 5 years later.

I live in Sonoma County, California. I bought my 2020 GTS last month with 1,500 miles in Reno from a woman who was graduating to a motorcycle. It's semi-registered now and I've been riding it on my weekends.

Modifications. It's completely stock, but I made a couple of mods, namely fixing/adjusting the rear view mirrors, adding one level of preload to the rear shocks, and added a Vespa low windscreen.

Perfect fueling. From a standstill, from full throttle to feathering, decelerating, etc. The throttle is a masterpiece. I've never experienced a smoother throttle response. Vespa has this model dialed.

Wide Open Throttle (WOT). I recently rode a friend's 150 with a 180cc Malossi kit and numerous other mods. I had to ride it WOT nearly all the time. It wouldn't make it up hills very well and ran out of steam on regular roads where I ride. The 300 HPE engine has plenty of power for a scooter. It flies up hills and launches out of corners fairly well and I find myself rarely WOT.

Suspension. The suspension is very refined for a small wheeled, limited travel with primitive shocks, scooter.

Speed. On backroads, I usually find myself at 55mph, indicated. It's the perfect speed and the suspension and motor seem to thrive at this speed. I do find the top speed limiting on the highway, though I tend to avoid these, unlike when riding my BV500 or past motorcycles. I plan to upgrade the ABS ring to get a few more mph out it the scoot at WOT. It hits the rev limiter at an indicated 75mph, which is not fast enough on the highway for me.

Brakes. Terrible, wooden, not much power. I may work to improve these.

Power. It's fine, nothing spectacular, but plenty. I don't pass cars as much as I would on a motorcycle because it doesn't have the grunt from 40-60 like my BMW or Aprilia. It's actually calming because I get "stuck" and don't stress about it. People do still pull over for me, but I'm less inclined to pass them because I don't have the power. Otherwise, it's surprisingly quick off the line.

Silence. I feel like I'm riding an electric scooter. I hear no engine noise, and the engine is so smooth that my only indication of an engine being there is the tug on the bars as it lunges forward with big throttle inputs. I always wear ear plugs, but I've never ridden anything as quiet as my Vespa.

Turning. I ride twisty roads and this HPE does amazingly in turns. Mid-corner corrections are incredibly easy, as I need to avoid potholes and branches on occasion. It is truly confidence-inspiring. I did need to hammer my side stand up because it was scraping on the ground on left turns, and I'm running the OE Michelin Citigrips. I plan to replace them with the Pirelli Angel scooter tires.

CVT transmission. I'm a little weird about automatics in general because I only drive manual transmissions and generally don't trust automatics to know what I want when driving. I know Vespa/Piaggio has been producing CVTs for decades and it shows. No driveline lash, no hunting for clutch traction. It pulls from a dead stop effortlessly. It's off-throttle response is amazing with decent engine braking. The Vespa 150 I've ridden feels like you're applying the rear brake hard when decelerating, unlike the 300 HPE.

LED Headlight. I'm smitten with the LED headlight. I think it's a great safety feature. I do plan to add the OE European front turn signals from Scooter West to add LED running lights.

Overall, I'm super happy with my purchase. I'm not crazy about the color ... but I feel like it's the right tool for the job. Riding a scooter instead of a motorcycle has its charms. I'm more patient with people in general. A funny scooter thing that happens to me now ... the car/truck I come upon realizes I'm on a white, foofy scooter and tries to drive faster to lose me, only to get frustrated and finally pull over to let me by, lol. It's a super capable machine and I'm happy with the HPE.

Hi Kevin, thanks for your detailed description. After almost 4000 kms with my racing sixties, couldn't agree more with everything you feel and wrote. Especially still owning the former gts 300.
Only thing I really miss is what you describe as Silence or electrical scooter. I hate it. I have a remus exhaust on my Gts 300 2017, and I love mechanical noises. Can't explain why. Maybe I am too old and not ready for electrical engines on 2 wheels!

Kevin, nice review, nice bike. Thanks for posting!

Nice review.

I actually like how silent it is especially compared to my PX which gives me a headache if I ride for a long time.

The acceleration is amazing it seems to be at the perfect point where it is safe to WOT at the lights without fear of popping a wheelie. I really like being able to overtake cars who pull out from a side road in front when they see a scooter then crawl in front of you.

The bike feels very stable and grounded for a scooter. When I get on the PX after riding the GTS it takes a bit of time to adjust to how twitchy and light that it is.

It is pretty much the perfect urban vehicle IMO it is just a shame I have to be careful where I go with it or where I park it because it is equally admired by the gangs.

I've added aftermarket exhausts to some of my bikes, but only when it actually enhanced performance. They usually lost several pounds over the stock pipe and picked up some HP. With the Vespa, I think it only has 23 HP and I doubt the performance would improve ... so I leave it. I do want to improve the brakes, however, because they could only improve.

Thanks for a great review Kevin. For those of us in the market for a new GTS I'm sure it will be very helpful.

You mentioned in your review that in general you considered the brakes to be pretty poor. I'd be interested to know your opinion on how effective the ABS and the ASR Traction control were?

Well done Kevin! I am going to have to test drive one.

I haven't used the ABS, though the traction control has kicked in on a few occasions. I plan to replace the front brake pads with something more aggressive, but I haven't done any research yet. The brakes are my only complaint with the new Vespa. They feel wooden, have no bite, and are overall not very effective. I have to plan ahead to slow down, which is not intuitive to me.

You might want to give the brakes time to wear in. Thanks for a great review, I am probably going to spring for one in the near future, and will watch for this condition...

Just purchased a new 2021 HPE today, but have not yet taken delivery. Found out there is a recall on the brake pipe that has a negative impact on braking. You can find it on-line by searching for 2021 vespa gts recall. It applies to 2020 scooters as well, but my search for 2021 brought the full details for both years and indicates which vin numbers. Enjoy the ride, Vespas are fantastic...

On the brake feeling, I replaced the levers with adjustable ones, and now it feels prefect !

If you come from the world of motorcycle you are used to better brake lever response.
The brakes are fine, the levers are wooden

Suspensions have always been a weak point of Vespas, ancient and modern, especially the front one ...The brakes ... well ... they brake and it depends on how you use the vehicle.
But they are also a distinguishing feature, if you start to radically modify a Vespa it will no longer be.
If you want a different scooter it will not be a Vespa, there are many and certainly better and more efficient but they are not Vespa, those who buy Vespa buy something that also distinguishes those who own it. The "real" Vespa customer knows this and doesn't care about anything else. If you try to brake with a Tricity the levers are hard as iron ... after a while there are the fingers as Popeye.

Nice review! I traded a 2009 GTS 250 on a 2020 GTS 300 HPE in October and find my experience on the bike to be similar. I've heard several people describe the brakes as "wooden," and I have to say there was more "feel" on my 2009... but the stopping power on this new scoot is stronger. I had occasion to clamp down hard right after getting this bike, and the ABS felt solid and functional.

The smooth, quiet power is my favorite part. While not the torque of electric, it feels almost linear as it scampers up to highway speed. The handling is more fun than the older model, and the ride seems more solid, without feeling harsh (for a scooter).

I've been riding for over 50 years; mostly bigger road bikes (Harley, Goldwing, BMWs). It may be the age talking, but I have been having more fun with the ease and comfort of scooters for the past 7 years.

My wife has a Yamaha Xmax 300 - it out performs my GTS, but the Vespa is a better fit for me. We are each happy with our choice - a good situation to be in.

I think the Yacht Club is sharp looking... but the deep blue I chose grabbed me by the eyeballs immediately.



I'm recuperating from a medical thing right now, so the riding has to be put off for a while... but, it is thought of some good riding ahead that keeps me focused. Enjoy that new Vespa!

Are you aware of the recall on these bikes because of a brake issue. Don't know if it will fix your issue, but worth checking on. Just google recall of 2021 Vespa GTS HPE for details. I am waiting on delivery of my 2021 because of this and can't wait for that first ride...

Good review. I don't have mine yet, plus I just bought it and winter is just starting. duh. Guess I was worried there wouldn't be any come Spring! Re WOT on the Vespa, it's a help for me to remember that because after all it is a scooter. So, I won't expect it to be like a motorcycle. That will offset any possible disappointment! My 883 Sportster was scary. It took me a long time to realize the problem! There was just NO power! I rode that thing 10 yrs/66,000 miles. When I got married and rode with my husband, I couldn't keep up, much less pass in order to keep up! So my next bike was a Triumph America. If I ever come across an America LT, I will be hard pressed not to buy it! I don't have much motorcycle time but I'll get a lot of scooter time easily by trips around town. 8)

Are the 2020's ok? I didn't get mine from the dealer yet. I could call. I will google it, too.

Recall 20V-617 affects 2020 and 2021 Piaggio Vespa GTS and GTV 300s produced between May 5, 2020 and September 23, 2020. Affected VINs range from ZAPMA39M3L5100671 to ZAPMA39M3M5201582, and are non-sequential.

great. I've misplaced my title paperwork already! I was going to check the VIN

great. I've misplaced my title paperwork already! I was going to check the VIN[/quote]

Get the VIN from the scooter, but find that title. Also, dealers check for recalls prior to scooter going out the door, but, to be safe, just ask...

Find that title...

Found the title and the title app in the dealer's packet. Left it in the truck. Will call the dealer, too. Now I should start looking for the trickle charger and old motorcycle license plate holder. Already cleaned up my helmet and trunk rack. Just need the bike and warm weather now. I am cutting and pasting all the informative comments from here about oil changing, etc, so I can have 1 Word doc for reference in the future. I think I sold my HD Dyna 2-3 years ago, but at my age, time sort of escapes me! Something said to keep hold of my old stuff!

I checked my VIN with my local dealer and my 2020 VIN is not affected by the recall. I understand the recall issue is with mushy brakes but mine are just ineffective. I'm going to upgrade the front brake pads to EBC Sintered HH pads to see if it adds some bite.

Just get those 4,500 miles and its all good.

Great review and I like the tasteful blue and white combination.

You might just want to re-bleed them first. My front brake was softer after the recall work than it was originally. But I've not had any problems stopping as long as the ABS doesn't get in my way.

RECALL CAMPAIGNS
http://static.piaggio.com/recall/form-piaggio.html

For registering an out of state vehicle without CA emissions compliance, I believe it's 7,500 miles. Thankfully, all Piaggio products sold in the US are CA compliant.

I'm meh on the paint scheme, so thanks for the vote of approval.

Having ridden a blue 2019 hpe Super sport for a while now, that has 5000km under the belt so to say, i must say i am shocked by the low fuel range, since changing the abs wheel the reality is 160km before the fuel light comes on, how do people tour on these? The actual fuel consumption is pretty much 4 liters per 100km then. Now i am not hitting the rev limiter anymore, but it is pretty depressing to see the top speed being around 110kmh or 70mph, without crouching down, and yes i checked the speed with gps, the speedo is now spot on accurate. It eats some oil, but one would think it has been broken in by now, not getting much better performance or fuel consumption wise. This is my first gts, and i do like all the storage space and rack options available, and the ride is surprisingly good.

I have a floor rack that a petrol container can be strapped to and it works well enough .

For really long rides I have other options. You can tour with a Vespa but touring is not what it is built for. For that I have other options.

I normally get around 32km/l when touring. The most I've got from a tank is 270km. I normally consider 220-240km to be a safe number without fear. The fuel light comes on *way* before the tank is near empty.

And the speed limit for me is 120kph gps.

Both the speed and the efficiency is better with a windscreen

I see you got that faco twin screen, tried one but the wind noise got so bad i could not do any distance without plugs, the top position was almost fine, but when it's hot it can not be used.

Yeah i am sure the touring mode gets the economy up, i do launch pretty hard from lights as well, i assume you have the stock abs wheel, and those numbers are from the odometer? I got about 20km more out of the tank before the disc update, imaginary kilometres
I will be ordering a flyscreen next and hope the wind noise is decent.

For me it's not the best windscreen ever but it does the job and I very rarely put it up. I considered a shaved down OEM screen but prefer the look of the Faco. Of course it also comes down to the riders height and helmet choice. I have a Shoei Neotech II and it's pretty quiet with the visor closed. Even on my GSA I usually have the screen down and only roll it up on the freeway or rain.

No, real numbers..


Also, replacing the ring makes the speedo correct but it makes the odometer etc and trip info wrong.

I use a hjc ismax2, being a modular helmet it is going to be loudish anyway, but the noise was unbearable with the screen down, as well as wind pressure since it is dumping everything straight into the helmet, i'm 180cm with a tall back, on the up position the screen does not reach eyelevel.

OK, that was a surprise, one would think they go hand in hand, well it was still worth changing the ring, hitting the limiter was not nice, also i always like a speedo that tells the truth.