Modern Vespa

Just took my first real ride...30 miles on a sunny Colorado day. My main take away is how much more comfortable and sophisticated the scoot is compared to motorcycles I have ridden; with the possible exception of an early Gold Wing. Gas gauge only went down one notch, which is a good sign. It was leisurely at 30-45 mph. I am hooked!

Looking forward to my commute next week...all week sunny in the mid-70's to low-80's.

Excellent.

I'm new to this scooter thing as well and am enjoying it.

Last time I rode one any amount was in the early 90's. I rented a 50 and then the next day a 125...don't remember the brand. I was just riding around St. Petersburg, FL and the 50 was way too slow; even in the residential areas I was rding. But they were fun.

Since then I have owned quite a few motorcycles. But, I got tired of tuning carburetors (dealing with ethanol gas) and, frankly, shifting. Maybe 'cause I am much older! I love the FI, TNG, and the quiet exhaust.

it's a fine all-around scooter..you can do many things with it and with a nice way..

One of piaggio's best sellers and not by luck..
Enjoy it!!

Then you have to try the new Piaggio BV 400 ... A real scooter - heavy cruiser, you can consider it as the other end of the Liberty.

Nice! You can't beat scooting - and many are better for long cruises through the country than people might assume

It is so.
It (the scooter) is sure, a reference ... later you will not be able to do without it.
He doesn't rain on it ... to say it's the point of arrival.
After (or alternatively) there is only the bicycle.

I had no scooter experience before my purchase. Been threatening to buy one for years. Sold my last motorcycle in Feb. I'm older too and totally understand what you mean.

Oh, yeah - that's how it starts: "I'm gonna use this for commuting..." and then, it takes you an extra 20 miles on your ride home.

Enjoy! Congrats and welcome to the Scoot Life.

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Oh, and after 46 years of riding motorcycles, the first scoots we got were a pair of 150s. They were all I needed for about 5 years, then felt the need to move up to a GTS. If I had room, I'd have both. And maybe another motorcycle.

I have a Liberty 150 also and really like it, it's my usual work ride as it's great on gas and easy to manage to roll back into a parking spot, and small enough to go sit in bicycle parking when the big guys beat me to the currently very limited motorcycle parking area we have. She's not the best for hauling freight but I have other rides and a car that do that job. And she's happy to run me down to St. Louis to play, and easy for me to install that disk brake lock that screams loudly if bike is jarred the least amount.

This thread sent me to the local Vespa web page. The liberty 150 is a nice looking scoot and wow that price is low. $2999. And I see they have many 2022 Vespas in house. Time flies! Congrats!

Glad your'e enjoying your new ride. Such a great feeling knowing you made a solid purchase. I'm just under 19,000 miles on my Liberty and still enjoy it. Keep up the services (when I'm not forgetting oil filters) and keep it super clean and spotless.

Great story for you. I always get compliments on my Liberty. It is a sophisticated looking scooter. I'm at Panda Express and a lovely older Asian lady in a newer Mercedes SUV comments on my Liberty. I tell her I like her SUV. We get to chatting a bit in the parking lot and I help her carry some stuff into Panda Express. I tell her I'll see her around and go to order my food. Two weeks later I go back to Panda for lunch (my work is located in a busy area with a bunch of food choices) and go to order my food. Go to pay for it and the register lady tells me its been comped, courtesy of Panda. I say thanks and think nothing of it. Turns out the SUV lady is the district manager of many Pandas in our area. The Panda at my work always hooks me up because they cant figure out how I know the district manager! I was told she runs an tight ship and doesn't play around. Hope your Liberty hooks you up as well!

Well, Attila - not every rider begins lusting for more HP.
As a matter of fact I sold a newish ("Real Scooter") Burgman 400 in order to purchase this new red 2018 Liberty150i S, in 2017. I have never regretted the downsizing.
Signed O.S., father of 6 children, who really enjoys this 155cc bigwheel.

Good choice! I've only had mine for a month and a half, and I LOVE it! Now my only regret it that I waited so long...

Too bad that Piaggio doesn't care about the new Medley 155 in U. S. A. ,i have it sold two last week. Enthusiastic customers who have moved from the Liberty to the Medley just to have the digital display instrumentation connected to their smartphone. But also disc brake at the rear.

I actually picked my Liberty over others because it didn't have a rear disc or liquid cooling. I wanted as simple as possible for my daily commuter, but I didn't want another carburetor.

I recently got a 2020 Liberty 150 and I adore it! My previous was a 2006 Fly 150; the Liberty blows the Fly right off the map. It's incredibly zippy and I have no problem getting to 65+mph on the odometer. It's super nimble and a real pleasure to ride. I also have a GTV300, but truth be told? I think for fun and ease, I prefer the Liberty to the GTV!

I am quite in agreement with those who choose maximum simplicity, especially those who do not have a nearby service center.
Regarding the carburetor, yes ... it seems an easier choice for DIY maintenance but if the injection system is of quality and well designed it is very reliable, and with less maintenance.

I have never understood why people have troubles with carburetors. A little Seafoam once in a while keeps it un-gunked and staying away from gas stations with a tanker filling the station tanks usually keeps everything on an even keel.

I told a group of fellow riders at Americade my philosophy on carburetors and they laughingly agreed. "Carburetors are like Poison Ivy. If you mess with it you'll get a rash."

It's not that I have problems with carburetors, I just got lazy and the less I have to get my hands on an engine the better ...

I have carburetors on all three of my Vespas.

While the first one on Rocket gave me trouble at around 50,000 miles, the new one and the other two have performed perfectly over the past several years.

They always start right up and run great.

I believe that the secret is to ride them. I never let mine sit for more than a couple of weeks.

When filling the tank, I usually look for Shell stations and always use their premium with all the additives.

It works.

Bill

I actually considered the BV. If my commute involved highway riding that is what I would have gone for...despite being nearly twice the cost and not getting nearly the MPG of the Liberty.

But, I am lucky to be close to work and able to take city streets. So, no need for the highway, which I hate to go on even with a car. I doubt I will ever need the 60 MPH that the Liberty can do, so a bigger scoot for my use would be a waste. It is nice to have some reserve throttle in town (vs a 50cc scoot)...when you are going 40 and need to accelerate out of trouble with a 4-wheeler rapidly approaching you from behind.

However, I can't say I won't ever get the traveling bug. If I do, then I would have to move up to the BV or the MP3 for long distances. But, at that point the Liberty will be paid off and I'd just keep it for town.

I would like to ride one of these models someday, if just for the experience. I will never forget riding an early 80's Goldwing. I traded the owner my CB125 for a day because he was taking a driving test and didn't want to do it on the Goldwing. It was 8 hours of fun cruising, with a bud on the back and the stereo blasting.

My previous rides were all carbureted motorcycles. I always used premium, but only ethanol blend is available in town. So, I treated with Seafoam and rode often (usually everyday). For a while I had 3 bikes, so I rotated which ones I rode. Never an issue.

I just got tired of even having to think about carbs (do I REALLY have it dialed in...not too rich, not too lean?) and tweaking jets and pilot screw for altitude and temperature changes.

I wanted this one to be sort of modern-car like in reliability and maintenance, and FI factors into that equation. Change the oil & filter, adjust the valves, follow the maintenance schedule, and that's it. Until it is out of warranty I am even going to have the dealer do the work. Maybe even after. I am wanting to be that lazy now.

Your simplicity model is also mine. I wanted air-cooled and fuel injected. For a scooter this size, and limited speed, a drum on the back is fine...especially with ABS on the front.

I eliminated the PCX because it has to be almost completely disassembled just to get to the valves for adjustment. I eliminated the SMAX for much the same reason. While less bodywork needs to be removed (than the PCX), if you follow the manual for adjusting the valves you have to remove the water pump to gain access to the timing marks. There are ways around this, but sort of hanky.

Water cooling is on both the PCX and SMAX...and I think it just complicates things. More to breakdown. Air cooling is why I drove VW's for years.

Fuel injection, while more complex by many factors than a carb, is finally at the point where it is very reliable. And, you get the optimum air-fuel ratio under changing conditions (altitude, temperature). If these systems were still like the FI on my 1968 VW Squareback (that I removed and replaced with dual carbs), then I would avoid them, but they have come a long way in 53 years.

In the end, I also chose a small Yamaha 155cc displacement, but technology has made me its slave and therefore my scooter is small but sophisticated. Then the roads in Italy are narrow, crowded and in my area there is only one highway that leads only to Rome (60 km).

I would seriously consider the TriCity Attila rides IF we ever got them in the USA. I like the idea of a leaning reverse 3 wheeler that isn't as large or a complex as a MP3.

Unfortunately the bad conditions of the roads in my area affect the purchase of the type of scooter, in fact you can see many high-wheeled scooters of various brands, the most popular is obviously the Beverly (BV from you) followed by Honda SH 125/150 / 300/350 and finally by the Kymko 125/150/300 (cheaper). Three wheels here in my area are almost non-existent, there are three small Tricities (we count on a dedicated forum), about twenty MP3s and a few others (Quadro, Peugeot). The Liberty is also highly appreciated and sold for the low price when new but also for the very low maintenance cost, especially appreciated for those who use it to go to work and because it is not stolen.

What draws me to the Liberty the most is that it's the same type of scoot my Aprilia Scarabeo 50 was. I wasn't aware of the LT until after I'd gotten the 'beo when they were both previously in the US. I haven't had the pleasure of riding either an LT or a Liberty, but I can't imagine they'd be terribly different from the 'beo, at least as far as handling and the overall ride.