Modern Vespa

I own a Piaggio Fly 50 and thinking of making the leap to the MP3. Wondering if anyone has done it. Thanks

I owned an Mp3 250. If there are specific questions you have, or reasons you're considering an mp3 specifically, I can try to speak to your points.

Why an Mp3 for your next scoot?

I like the stability of it on these crap Jersey roads.

I have an MP3 500 that I have ridden over 50,000 miles, so keep in mind I really like it.

On those crap Jersey roads, one thing to consider is you now have three times the wheel track width and about half the maneuverability of a smaller 2-wheel scooter. So while the MP3 is more stable, it is also rather like a barge in terms of trying to avoid obstacles. And, there is an odd reaction when only one front wheel hits something that takes some getting used to.

Thanks for the replies.

Also to consider, if you're not aware, the MP3 will flop over and fall just like any other scooter at a full stop, unless you lock the suspension with the button. It's not like the Can Am trikes in that regard.

When I sold mine, I had several disabled lookers who thought the wheels were always fixed.

I did like the extra traction the extra wheel afforded on leaves and sand when cornering, but it'll still slip sideways.

Good luck.

I also owned an MP3 250 for several years. The technology is interesting and the scooter has some unusual capabilities such as 1) being self-supporting when stopped, 2) being self-supporting when rolled around parking spaces, 3) having 3 contact patches on the ground providing better traction. The 250 had the problem of being fairly underpowered for its weight. I've noticed some riders are drawn toward the MP3 thinking it has the same stability as a trike or sidecar scooter. It is important to note that while it has the ability to lean through turns unlike many other 3-wheelers, it falls down pretty much like a 2-wheeler when underway. If you can't, or are afraid to ride a 2-wheeler, then an MP3 is not for you.

I've owned two MP3s (a 250 and a 500) and liked them both, with caveats. The MP3 is heavy. Really freaking heavy. It's not obvious when you're tooling along on the freeway, but you definitely feel it when you're in stop-and-go traffic or when you are moving the bike around.

They're also much more complex than most scooters, with some notable issues around the front suspension and steering.

On the plus side, they're magnificent for riding in inclement weather, as you're much less likely to lose grip on the front end. And if you do lose grip, the bike doesn't instantly collapse the way a 2-wheeler does.

Ultimately, the weight and complexity were too much for me, and I re-homed both my MP3s.

I agree with Sully.

With only 2 wheels all we need is a few inches wide of smooth road, there are many lines/lanes within one car lane for our nibble little bikes.

Plus if you live in a splitting traffic state, there is nothing like going to or towards the front of long lines of completely stopped or slow moving cars.

With 12 inch wheels and good tires you can still absolutely rail, iffy canyon and city roads or just have a calm keep up with traffic easy ride.

It wasn't as good in the snow as I hoped but a lot better than a two wheeler would've been.

Back in the day, my Fuoco (early Gilera branded MP3 500) was my favourite bike out of my stable of 7 scooters at the time. On UK winter roads it was a much more reassuring ride than just two wheels.

Being able to come to a stop without putting one's feet down was also a huge plus in London traffic, as was being able to park with confidence on uneven and sloping ground.

BUT unless you're happy with getting to understand the complexities of the front suspension and doing routine maintenance on it, then perhaps best avoided.

Curiosity got the better of me a few years ago and I bought a very low mileage MP3 400. As others have said, considering the fact that it's a scooter it is HEAVY, and carries some of that weight higher up than you might expect. I never dropped it and I didn't fall in love with it either. The seating position put my hip angle tighter than I was comfortable with. And speaking of seating, the factory seat sucked after about an hour. Between the cost of a new seat and a windshield, combined with hip discomfort I decided it wasn't a keeper and gave it to a good friend. He has enjoyed it but has dropped it twice.

Having owned an MP3 since 2007 (250, 400, 500) I am quite used to the feel of it, including the weight. While it may not be obvious I do feel the weight on the freeway - and it's a good thing.

Since the widest part of just about any PTW is the handlebars, the MP3 can split lanes just like any other bike.

Canyons are fun. I don't "carve" them, but at rational speeds my MP3s have felt very secure and quite nimble.

There's a lot more to splitting lanes than just does your handlebar fit though. Sometimes when things get really tight, the widest part isn't the handlebar, it's having to be able to put my legs out on either side without them being crushed when a car doesn't something unpredictable (or out of spite). Width of the bike's floorboard and body behind the handlebars also plays a role.

This is a true statement, but the devil is in the details. For the record, I have split lanes extensively on an MP3. I've also split lanes with full BMW side cases.

There are two problems with the handlebar-as-widest-point argument:

A) Cars are not uniform vertical slabs. They are thickest around the top of the wheel wells (except for the mirrors), and start sloping away from the rider at about the window line. Handlebars generally sit above the window line and the mirrors (though not always) and thus often have more clearance than other parts of the bike.

B) Handlebars are quite a bit more flexible than the rest of the bike. You can do a handlebar dance to get your handlebars past the protruding mirrors. The rest of the bike is quite a bit harder to maneuver.

There's another problem with lane splitting on an MP3, though it might be primarily a California problem: bots dots. The raised reflectors found throughout California freeways are hell on an MP3 while lane splitting. On a two-wheel vehicle, you can generally ride to one side or the other. If you hit them occasionally, it's not a big deal. On an MP3, while lane splitting, they're really hard to avoid, and they are much more unpleasant.

The biggest issue I see with the MP3 is that there isn't a dealer who sells enough of them to generate the service business necessary to invest in training a technician on that particular system. So the scooter stuff is not an issue, but if you have a problem that is related to the part of it that is MP3 exclusive, you might have a problem tracking someone down who can diagnose your issue and get you back on the road in a timely manner.
I had a Guzzi with a single throttle body fuel injection system that was only used on that model, and there was one guy in SoCal and one guy in Houston who knew how to correctly adjust the fuel injection system. Over the life of the bike, both of them saw it, but one was because I worked in LA at the time, and the other one was because Houston was between where I lived and Tierra Del Fuego, where I was headed. There were a lot of people who never got their bikes to run right because of that. There's a bit of that with the MP3 as well, though not to quite that degree.
If you find a dealership where someone in the back took the time to learn the system, for whatever reason, you will have a much better ownership experience than if you take it to a place where they work on them because they have to.

On the other hand, if you're handy, you can do it yourself.
Seriously, it's not so horribly complicated, and parts lists and manuals (along with fine online references such as MV) are available. So yeah, DIY.

The MP3 forum here has some very clued-in engineers lurking. I know of at least one dealer in the UK who has used MV as a resource to help customers.

This is true. I really hate those things.

BTW, they're "Botts' Dots", named after their inventor, Elbert Botts.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/botts-dots/

Also, see "SigAlert".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sig_Alert

(Also, BTW, the inventor of the flush toilet was NOT Thomas Crapper, nor was the inventor of the brassiere named Otto Titzling.)

The UK equivalent to Bott's dots are Cat's Eyes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%27s_eye_(road)

Motorcyclist's hate them.

Good to know! No surprise there.