Modern Vespa

Everybody wants to get into the act.

https://www.rideapart.com/news/570259/aprilia-srgt200-scooter-launch-japan/

Looks crazy-sharp (because Aprilia), but the lack of "stepthroughability"(yes, I just made that name up, and I'm sticking with it) still sticks in my craw in the same way someone points to an e-push scooter and calls it a "scooter." But if it entices more folks to give scoots a go, I say have at it.

I'm guessing you can fill the gas tank from the outside, and it has plenty of underseat storage, which are both nice features. Not winning any beauty contests, but plastic sport scooters rarely do.

Doesn't look like there's much room for a bag between your knees. I wonder why there's so much bulk there. Is the engine more forward than e.g. on a Beverly?

Bit misleading calling it a 200. It's not even a 180cc.

Shhhh. The Vespa 300 is 278cc. But then again my Kawasaki W650 was 675cc.

I like it. It's like a taller Runner or Nexus. First unboxing in Greece…

https://youtu.be/BfuPK4lgIao

I agree that plastic scooters are pretty ugly, especially after a couple of years when the plastic fades and pits but with the big wheels and light weight they're great fun to ride. You can throw them around all over the place. I also like the newer scoots having the fuel tank in the floor, lowering the centre of gravity.

I like this move towards ADV style scooters. It might motivate Navi owners to climb aboard bigger scooters instead of a larger motorcycle.

I like that quite a lot. 17.4 hp from 174cc is quite nice power.

The video showed decent under seat storage and the gas filler and tank are low between your legs/feet. Should be a very good handling scoot.

I don't think Aprilia is importing any scooters to the US, but would love it if they chose to bring this one.

The reason for the tunnel is that to engineer a flat floor scooter that has the same strength requires a whole lot more steel and weight. You can step through, compared to a motorcycle, but not compared to a flat floor scooter.

Good review here. I'm liking the look of this scoot more and more. If we get the 200 in Australia I'll definitely take one for a test ride. Might be time for an upgrade.

I wonder where the 174cc, 17.4 hp, liquid cooled engine came from? Might Piaggio use this engine in other models?

I wish they would leave off the auto start/stop stuff. The one time in 50yrs that a car hit me was a rear-ender while I was front of the line at a red light. I saw the #$%@! wasn't going to stop and punched throttle and then brake basically hopping three feet which minimized damage greatly. If I had run the light, cross traffic would likely have killed me.

I have paid great attention to my rear view while stopped since. I would have been cooked if the engine had auto shut down.

not a fan of vehicles that shut off at lights

There's a switch to turn it off and it stays off unlike my Subaru that I have to switch off every time I start the car.

Took the 125 for a test ride today. Here are my thoughts. The sport versions look amazing. The standard versions just look like a scooter. All finishes are great. Super comfortable. Lots of leg room. Suspension and brakes are excellent. The combined braking takes some getting used to. You pull the rear brake lever and the front really dives. Handling is superb. It's as zippy and nimble as my Aprilia SR MT 125 even though it's quite a bit bigger and heavier. The centre tunnel could be a problem for shorter riders when getting off the scooter. I think you'd have to put the side stand down as insurance before climbing off. The dash is really nice - same display as Piaggio Medley. I'll wait for the 200 to be released in Australia next year before I jump in. I want the extra power and ABS to justify the upgrade.

Definite Gilera Runner vibes from that. It would be nice to see some mid sized engines though. More power than a GTS without going full T-Max

It's this engine

https://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/Vespa/Vespa_gts125_17.htm
with a cylinder kit on it.

Will the dealer toss in a heat gun with purchase so I can remove that lowercase 'a' badge?

There was this beater car blog (which I believe is long defunct) that would review random cars found in parking lots, and it's mantra was:

Stickers = Performance
Yellow = Performance

It's a pretty sharp scooter minus some color blocking and decal choices.

That's just silly. Everyone knows that red is the fastest colour.