Modern Vespa

I'm going to be a new Vespa owner... as soon as I can make up my mind between models.

My original plan was to get a 300 model but after reflecting on what kind of riding I'll really be doing I've thrown the Sprint 150 into the consideration mix. Obviously there are significant savings if I go with the Sprint.

90% of the time I poke around town or on county roads with speed limits typically 25-55. Highway riding MIGHT make up 1% of my riding. I'll be riding solo 90-95% of the time.

I've got plenty of motorcycle experience but not trying to recreate motorcycle riding. In fact my motorcycle friends have already been good-naturedly mocking me for considering a "girly" Vespa - but I don't give a darn what they say or think.

Final possibly relevant details - I live in SoCal and I'm an average size guy.

All to say would welcome your input.

[size=18]I just purchased the Primavera 150 last month after being torn with the same decision. I'm not going on the freeway. Mosly puttering around touwn and want to use it for local transportation when we travel with the RV. So, being able to loadin back of truck was a consideration. The 300 also has a more intenmsive maintenance schedule.
Been ordering mods from Scooter Est down your way.[/size]

Howdy, TheMayor and welcome to MV. We're neighbors

Pop in at Vespa Motorsport and take a test ride around the block on both of them. You may find that one fits you / your riding style better than the other.

FWIW, my first scooter was an LX150. I was just going to ride around town and run short errands. As it turns out, I find longer rides are much more satisfying and having a bit more power comes in handy.

In fact stopped in at Vespa Motorsports a day or two ago - when I was still set on GTS (which I test rode elsewhere.) But your suggestion is solid - riding back to back. You might just see me tomorrow.

Try riding in and out of Mission Valley. Many years ago I had a Honda 125 and rode from National City to Clairmont and could barely get up the hill. I usually rode from South end of Chula Vista to work on 8th Street in National City.

Dear Mayor,

I just love this dilemma. I’m replying to make sure I see what you decide to do.

I bought a Sprint 150 about 3 weeks ago and just love it. It’s beautiful and way more powerful than the primavera 50 I have and still love.

I’m open to the idea that I may decide to get the GTS 300 eventually. Maybe I’ll decide to experience them all. I’m interested in having a vintage Vespa as well.

I’m not rich, but swapping between these rides is not horribly expensive.

My usual strategy has been to buy a very low mileage used one. That almost totally takes the sting out of switching between engine sizes.

So I say flip a coin. Buy a good used one and have fun.

Given enough time, the folks at Modern Vespa will overwhelmingly suggest the 300 I’ll bet. There’s a bigger engine bias here which is totally fine. Eventually they will convince me!

Pick one and have fun!

Thanks BillRush

Not a whole lot of quality late model used in SoCal that I've found - don't mind buying new. I'll keep you posted. And BTW the folks at Modern Vespa have been most helpful. Having owned many motorcycles but never owned a scooter they and others have been patient and kind.

It does come down to where and how you ride. You mention around town and on County roads. I have a 125 Buddy Kick and a GTS 300. I ride the Buddy around town and on local errands. I used to ride an LX 150 in the same way. I like the light weight and quick steering. I ride the GTS on County roads and rural 2-lane highways. I do not ride a 125/150 in that way as they top out at around 55 mph (GPS) on the level and 5 - 15 mph lower going uphill. This is in situations where most other traffic is at 50-60 mph. The weight of the GTS also makes it feel much more stable at higher speeds.

Thanks Dooglas but I'm puzzled. Most everything I've read and videos I've watched have the 2021 Sprint 150 topping out just under 70. Will need to dig for more info on that. Appreciate the input.

Well, prepare to expand your circle of rinding pals. The crowd you’re with may be a little too insecure to hang with ya!
Then again, you may convert some if you let them experience what a lightweight scooter ride is all about.

Ride ‘em back to back if you can. Shopping is half the fun!

I have/had both.

Riding around me, there are lots of 40-55mph roads.
150 was adequate.
I just enjoy the 300 so much more at those speeds.
And compared to my old motorcycles, the 300 is PLENTY nimble.

Of course, the right answer is get both. But I’d get the 300 first then the 150. Which is what I plan to do.

I am glad I have the 300. However, when loading it in the truck or on the work stand 100 lb less weight would be appreciated.

I've owned a Harley Davidson or two, and a lot of Vespas, and, as Stromtrooper often says, when you see the difference between what you can pull on a Vespa compared to what you can pull on a HD, no matter what floats your boat, you will wish you had been riding a Vespa since you were 16.

Speedo is about 10% optimistic.
I did a flat out run yesterday. Flat road, not much wind, tucked in. GPS speed
66MPH out, 63 back.

The Primavera is pretty strong up to 55MPH and will happily sit there all day, but it's working hard to get to 60 and beyond.

Get the 150

If you feel frisky down the line upgrades await you.

My own experience is that stock Piaggio/Vespa 150s top out under 60 mph on the level - and I have owned 3. You might want to communicate directly with some riders who have the Sprint.

I like my 300. I couldn’t make a 150 work in Connecticut. Perhaps traffic abides the speed limit in SoCal, but in Connecticut, speed limits are mostly ignored suggestions. Around here, people get annoyed when someone on a 150cc Vespa is going 50 mph when the speed limit is 40 mph. It’s pretty hilly, too. I feel like I need the GTS…. SoCal, though - idk how people drive there.

Having gone through many scooters - I started with a deregulated gray market 50cc Peugeot Vivacity, then a 150cc TGB Laser (my wife at the time had a 200cc Vespa GT as well which I rode a bit), then a 220cc Genuine Blur SS and now a 330cc Piaggio BV350 - I can tell you having more power is almost always a better bet. You mentioned the top speed above. What I would stress about this is, yes, it may get a top end of 65 or so, but this is the absolute top speed of the scooter, Do you run at top speed in your car for extended periods? Probably not. And for a tiny 150cc motor, it isn't great for longevity either if you do many top speed runs. A 300 will give you a lot more headroom. It is so nice to have the ability to do ~80-90mph if needed. The big advantage of the smaller motors is weight (or rather the lack thereof). In my mind the ultimate scooter would be the motor out of my BV in a much smaller frame, but I suspect this makes for other issues so this is why you don't see them.

For lower speeds, relatively flat surroundings and genuily modest weight rider , I would take a 150cc any time.

I'm a small, light guy - even the Euro 125 cc version took me off from traffic lights much faster than your average car rider managed.

If there was a hill to climb, that did not go as smoothly...it managed, but the acceleration suffered clearly.

I've also ridden various motorcycles, at the moment a mid-weight bike with 460 lbs. I found the small wheels & low weight & agility of the Sprint simply hilarious within modest speeds.

We tend to have a bit rough road pavement here, so my personal comfort limit with the Sprint for speed was ~45-50 mph. After this it felt a bit too light-footed, not planted, to my taste. Not insecure as such, just a bit 'light'.

I've only test ridden a 300cc GTS, but that felt more secure on high speeds - and more bulky and heavy at low. Agile at low speeds compared to large wheel motorcycles, but not compared to a Sprint

Too bad we cannot rent a 150 or 300 for a week or longer. Or is there a way?

What I love about the GTS 300 is when you filter to the front at traffic lights and full throttle away. Nothing is going to beat you. It is about the maximum power without the front wheel leaving the ground.

Why choose?

Split the money for a new 300 in half, and buy one of each used.

'Cause sometimes you feel like 150cc and sometimes like 300cc

Rdhood,

The best answer yet! BOTH!

get the Primavera and ride, next year get the 300 and ride faster and farther. It's why I have a few Vespas, I always have one for the task at hand.

Not that I’m already “considering” having a 300 in the stable, but how big does a 300 seem compared to a 150? It’s roughly 100 pounds heavier. I need to ride a 300 soon.

A BV 300?

A GTS. The BV 300 is not available in the US.

I started with an Elettrica, which is perfect for riding around town. I’m so glad I got the 300 HPE. It isn’t for the highway driving, but the facy that I can keep up with traffic on the larger roads in town and on those many country roads where the traffic tends to keep above 55 or 60.

A 300 is also easier for bringing home groceries and shopping.

Are you buying new or used? If used the 300 will cost you about twice what the 150 will. 300 is an awesome bike. Power to get after it on the freeway, and will stil fit through a 36" garage side door. Maintenance is cheaper on the 150. Both are great scooters. If a 150 fits the bill 99% of the time, why not get it? Not really the American way though.

Likely buying new - just not many compelling used offerings in SoCal. New, roughly a $1500 price differential which is significant... but worry a bit about "limitation" regrets if I go the 150 route.

A few have mentioned cheaper maintenance on the 150. Best I can tell based on searching the web the maintenance schedules are the same. Can you explain further? Thx

Greetings from Escondido.
I'd get a used Vespa, since there are so many fine ones for sale in SD.
I recently bought a cheap and cheerful ET4 150 to replace a pre-unit RH shift Royal Enfield 500 that I considered my last bike after 50 years of motorcycling. I usually ride the two-lane roads through Rancho Santa Fe and so on. The Vespa differs from the MC by being lighter and quicker and is always in the right gear. I was surprised how half the power could move so well. I may someday succumb to a 300 but still enjoying my nimbler scoot.
My point (and I may have one) is that Vespas are so different from MCs that whatever you get will likely be a pleasure.

Please point me to the fine used Vespas in San Diego. I’m mostly running into high mileage high priced ones. Thx!!

Point well taken!
I looked at today's CL and the pickings were slimmer than they were when I was shopping just last month.

If you are likely to ride on two-lane roads up in the hills, then the 150 will struggle and may even prove to be dangerously slow. Just a thought...

i like the 150 sprint and the 300 GTS so much i bought both .I love everything about both . They are different in their own ways and are perfect for what they do in their own ways .However i do think the Sprint is a better looking scoot with its wasp like lines and the lightness of it

Love your answer Scooter Jones. That’s what I may do. Because the the model years and the order of your scooter listing, I at first assumed that your 300 came first to your home followed by the 150. I was really curious if that was so and why. I thought that perhaps everyone worked their way UP in engine size as I am doing. But if you had the 300 first, I’m interested in what brought on the 150. Cheers!

I now have experience watching my wife behind me on her new 150 Primavera. There are plenty of back roads here in our new home of upstate New York. But the state speed limit on the main two lane roads is 55, and nobody wants to avoid those. There are hills, and mountains, and plenty of times you want to be able to go 60 (at least on flat ground) to keep up with traffic.
My wife will never admit it, and she says she loves her new small frame, but she still has her 250 GTS that she has owned for 12 years, and I am coming around to believe that the 150 is marginal, at best, outside of city riding.
I am surprised. My 175cc Kymco is fine on primary two lane roads, even with my 270 lbs on it. It has no problem running at 60 and holding close to 50 uphill. But with only 150 lbs on it, her new Primavera hasn’t yet made it to an accurate 60 mph.
We used to live in New York City, and our 125 Vinos were more than adequate. The 150 Vespa would be perfect there. But the reality is that when we are planning to ride on longer runs, my wife chooses to take her 15 year old GTS over the brand new 150.
So, this is my typically long winded way of saying go with the big frame; you will never regret it.

Kayemtee,

Interesting. How fast is a 250 GTS for your wife? Is it water cooled?

Top speed is ~80 mph, it is water-cooled. Some prefer it to the 300 that superseded it.

You can always ride a 300 slower, but you can't ride a 150 faster. Plus, the 300 gives you reserve acceleration if you need it (to merge, for example), much better power for a passenger or hills, and the freedom to choose whether or not to get on the highway if you need to.

Can a 150 do it all? Yes, (and some Cannonballers rode 150cc bikes this year), but it (and you) won't be happy with its limitations.

Go for the 300.