Modern Vespa

Finally, having time to ride the 2023 GTS has been just my total happiness. My new heated jacket (in vibrant yellow) came in today and it is so comfy, perfect for a cooler morning.

Onto this particular color, Verde Amabile is just stunning. It feels so vintage and it is very much a relaxing color. So far, it gets more compliments than any color other than the Giallo Lime color I once had.

The 2023 is quite different from the prior model year GTS models. The new suspension in the front is quite a bit better, it handles bumps and pot holes so much better than the 22 models. It feels more stable on the road.

The seat feels higher up than on the prior year GTS models, I am a small guy and there's more leaning to one side or the other when stopped for stability. That said, I do like the seat, it's just different from the last model year we have.

I love love love the Keyless design. The key itself looks like the cowl of a Vespa which is a sweet touch, all in the details.... I like being able to use the seat release without the switch having to be on (just the key in your pocket).

I do miss the Outside Temperature display (which our SuperTech and Primavera 150S have). This was a feature of my prior 2008-09 model GTS's had so I think it's cheap to leave that off the new model. I actually like to see the temp outside, even though it's not really necessary.

The GTS base model does not have the phone/bluetooth function active. You have to purchase an accessory kit to enable bluetooth connectivity, which I don't really enjoy on the SuperTech models. So not a miss for me. I don't much like having phone calls show up in the display, I think it is distracting, but the music function will be missed unless I upgrade to the bluetooth accessory module (those are supposed to be standard on the Super Sport and new SuperTech)

The brakes are better but not to me much different than before.

The overall look is enhanced, the rear apron and license plate area are cleaner, more refined. The banding trim around the glovebox, sides of the scooter are much cleaner and classier looking.

The bezel around the front light is much better secured to the headset. The light seems to be more useful at night too, due to the refinements inside the light.

LOVE the new handlebars. Grips feel nice, the turn signal is just plain better, exactly like the one on the Primavera. I think the kill switch and high beans switches look cheap, but they work just fine. I would make the trade-off for the better turn signal since you use that all the time.

This new Vespa GTS 300 is overall a total breath of fresh air, I don't mind paying more to get something better and for me, it just plain is better.

I spend time on all of our Vespas and I love the new GTS!

Love the new GTS enough to order one in white, orange, red, and both of the new SuperTech models which I can't wait to be lucky enough to have delivered.

If the dealer in Texas is correct and the Beige Travolgente (sp?) and the Matte dark Blue SuperTech become available later in the year, I would snap them up in a heartbeat! My goal is to have the ultimate Vespa collection, eventually with a couple of Vintage Vespas, though I really love how the GTS rides and having a water-cooled Vespa in Palm Springs California is just about a necessity due to how hot it gets in the summer. I ride all year round and weather performance matters.

Anyhow, anyone considering the new GTS should go all-in, it's a great product, well thought out, well executed and beautiful as ever!

The seat height has remained absolutely identical at 79cm or 31.10 inches. In a press article Piaggio speaks of a new shape, which should benefit people with shorter legs (as well as a better space for the pillion).

My daughter is also a bit shorter and I measured the distance between heel and floor (on both sides) on the pre-facelift and on the facelift: no difference, maybe a minimal improvement on the facelift.

So I can understand the advertising statement of Piaggio only limited and would assume at most a slight improvement.

I love the pastel green color of your '23 GTS (Verde Amabile). As you comment, very retro and a thing of beauty.

They do look exactly the same to me, but I can tell you that owning both model years, it feels different and lands different at the stop sign. Still good though 😎

From what I've read, the saddle is narrower in the front, so if you are sitting forward your feet should reach the road easier. If you like to sit in the middle of the saddle, like me, then it will make no difference.

But even with my 2015 and 2018 models, I slide forward at a stop so I can get my feet flat on the ground.

I'm thinking very seriously about getting the 2023 model, as I'm sure it will be the last petrol driven Vespa. All future models will be electric. And it seems to come with all my mods as standard, so I wouldn't start modding it as soon as I got it home.

Which model and color are you going to go with?

It's an incredible vehicle 🛵🛵🛵 !

Rob are the seats interchangeable?

They are 😜😎😜

Not sure. Have to see them first. I like the red one and the orange with the chrome blacked out. Pity there isn't a red one with black fittings too. Won't be much better than my current very modded models, except for the new front suspension, but I think it will be a classic, like the GS150 and Rally200. Opening the saddle without a key will be nice - don't like that feature on my 2018 GTS.

Awesome, the Impulsive Orange is awesome, very 70s looking. Really fun. Dragon Red is always in style too. I can't wait until ours are home.

Cool Vespa, great review
With all the Vespas, I hope you have a good Vespa Mechanic in Palm Springs

Another enjoyable day riding around Palm Springs. Now that I've got a few hours in, I LOVE the new seat, it's really not very different than the other seat. So many people love the Verde Amabile color, folks comment on it out in the wild, all the time!

I am very seriously considering the red GTS300 super. With my previous vintage red and blue sooters I have had the wheels painted to match. How do you think the 2023 red model would look with painted wheels? Not certain about this one.

I dig the look! Also, the red body with black wheels, in my OP would look fantastic. 2 Tones, Black and Red. Black Seat and Wheels, Red Body. Hot

My SuperTech in Matte Black has the gloss black wheels, easy to clean and they look awesome!

Man that's disappointing that the brakes are night and day improved.

Beautiful Vespa! Thanks for the comparison review. Please write another when you've had even more time on the 2023.

They are not, the OP says they are not much different.

Correct, both the 2022 and the 2023 stop without any issues. The new 23 model has Nissin front which from my understanding is similar to the Honda motorcycles. To be clear, they both stop wonderfully!!

The primary difference is the front suspension, anyone who has an earlier GTS will notice the ride quality upgrade right away.

I drive a BV, and it is clear that for Piaggio the Vespa is a way more important product that gets much more attention. Available in all sorts of colors and finish.

I think the BV is a more evolved type of scooter, but one cannot deny Piaggio offers such nice Vespa's. As this one in Verde Amabile, as the name says: lovely green.

But then the Beverly got keyless before the Vespa and all the other improvements that came along with that. Vespas still don't have wet clutches when those have been available on a Beverly for several years.

With respect to technics the BV has an advantage, that is true, but with respect to style and variation the offer is limited. Although what is offered is not bad at all. My favorites are the Arancio Sunset and the Blu Oxygen.

Piaggio makes the following statements about the braking distance for the GTS:

Vehicle stop from 40km/h (front break):
8.5 meters (9.2 meters Pre-Facelift) = -7.61%

Vehicle stop from 80km/h (front brake):
32.9 meters (35 meters Pre-Facelift) = -6%

2.1m difference (6.89 feet) is more than vehicle length (1.98m)!

In case of need, 2.1m (or at least the achieved higher delay) can be decisive...

Any improvement that makes a scooter safer is very welcome. I believe Vespa is in need of major changes soon, such as larger displacement and wheels with perhaps a slightly longer wheelbase to fit a 350 cc or larger (actual not just close) motor all three changes would make it safer on highways so the machine does not have to be near full out to keep up with modern traffic speeds. Till such improvements become reality I do not see myself putting out the $$$ that a new Vespa entails and will stay with low mileage used Vespa's as my rides of choice.

that blue colour is just amazing!

I don't believe this will ever happen. I'm sure any future development will be in electric Vespas. This 2023 model will likely be the last petrol-driven Vespa.

I still have hope…

To 01.09.23 applies in Europe a new (stricter) emissions standard than current Euro 5 for all motorcycles.

Euro 5 will be introduced in two stages, the first stage applies from 01.01.20 (for new type approvals or from 01.01.21 for each new registration), the second from 2023/2024. An official name has the second stage now not yet (For cars, the second stage is called 5b, so we keep it here now analog).

From September 2023, all motorcycle manufacturers (selling in EU) will have to undergo new type approvals and associated approval procedures, and newly registered motorcycles from September 2024 onwards have to comply with the new Euro 5b emissions standard. These type approvals (homologations / approval procedures) are complex and expensive. In the course of this, it would be possible to change the technical data at the same time without any problems (more displacement, adjustments to control units/SW, injection, etc.) without having to go through an extra approval process.

Note: the new GTS 2023 still has the same EU type approval as the pre-facelift because no changes were made to the engine.

So if a manufacturer plans changes (or has to make mandatory changes to comply with 5b), then exactly at the introduction of Euro 5b...

We will see in summer 2024 what happens...

2024 will be the year of clean burning 600cc motorbikes with 23 horse power

The electric grids through out the world can barely, and often do not, keep up with the demand that is asked of them. My belief is that outlawing petrol driven vehicles on public roads will not happen world wide for a long time if ever as long as petrol is still available. Most of my working life was in the field of electricity use and generation. Alternate energy vehicles are available now but the infrastructure to support them for use by the majority of people might never become a reality.