Modern Vespa

In truth I was hoping to get last year's 'yellow', but it's not until now I could afford one. Now there aren't any for sale in my country, new or otherwise.

So, I'm weighing up the GTS 300 Super Sport in Black Opaco vs Orange Tramonto.

Do you care to share any thoughts on these? Help me break my decision deadlock?

eg is the matte Black Opaco a chore to deal with? Has anyone swapped out the black trim for chrome on the Orange? How about visibility? eg Brighter coloured bikes may reduce probability of a crash/related injury. Do you wear fluorescent bat wings while riding your black on black Vespa?

I'm sure you'll be happy whatever color you go with After considering a long long time, I ended up with a yellow and have had a slow accumulation of chrome additions.

Purely anecdotal, but I love the "hi-vis" colors. I'd swear that I've had people notice me (with a clear doubletake) when pulling out because their brain forces them to see the 400lb wasp hurtling towards them. Maybe the lizard brain thinks I'm a mountain lion. It's also sooo easy to find your bike when parked on a street. And seeing that bright happy color on a rainy day...

If I was doing it over again today, I'd go orange without hesitation.

I would also go with the orange, just for visibility. Black looks beautiful but it is not very visible. I recently bought a beige 2023 model, and while I love its looks I am aware that it does not stand out enough. I have had a couple of close shaves since buying it, and I need to get a hi-vis helmet and/or jacket to improve my survival chances.

Thankyou both!

I gather the odds of a crash related injury are reduced by around 24% if wearing a white helmet compared to black, whereas the colour of the motorcycle might tweak the odds down around 6%. Mind you, if I've understood Wells et al. (2004).

Since looking out for motorcycle colours on the road, the black ones seem to disappear into the noise very quickly.

It's tough to find anything but a dark or black motorcycle jacket...


Wells, S., Mullin, B., Norton, R., Langley, J., Connor, J., Jackson, R., & Lay-Yee, R. (2004). Motorcycle rider conspicuity and crash related injury: case-control study. Bmj, 328(7444), 857.

Hi

You're obviously new here if you think this is an either or decision.

Welcome to MV.

Agreed. It kind of just depends on which one you think will look better beside the red one you'll get later.

Personally, I consider it the opposite. Black is one of the more noticeable colours during the day.

Blues and greens can get lost in comparison to the sky / greenery. Silver gets lost in any kind of wet weather / fog - but black is one of the strongest colours possible.

The only negative is during the night, but the modern Vespas have extremely bright LEDS all round that cannot be deactivated - so they still stand out a lot at night!

Edit: I don't know about stateside, but in the UK, the unmarked police often wear white helmets and yellow high viz jackets. Riders often try to recreate this look so people drive like saints around them. I would go for a helmet colour that doesn't match the bike - so you cover more bases.

I'd give our Prime Ministers right arm for a new Orange GTS300

A Black one is just a bit meh and would be practically invisible at a scooter meet

Just run your hi-beam headlight during the day and get a hi-vis vest (and helmet if possible). That being said I like bright and shiny colors as well. I have a gray scooter from a company that makes a bunch of color choices. I like my boring gray color but at the same time I regret not buying the orange one. Oh well, I'm out riding so that's really all that matters. I do feel this years Vespa colors are a bit drab.

No words needed.

The following photos show how some colourful Vespas can get lost in their surroundings, despite seeming like bright stand out colours. (images found from a Google search).

And this shows how a black Vespa can stand still out from its surroundings.

Personally, I don't think you'll go wrong with either black or the orange.

Go with your heart!

Wow, that reflector-free fairing looks sweet.

Bob

Here's an article about safety / danger of paint colors, at least as it applies to cars: https://www.autolist.com/guides/safest-car-color

The safest colors are white, yellow, orange, and gold. The most dangerous colors are black, gray, silver, blue, and red.

The article cites a fairly well-known study from Monash University's Accident Research Centre.

I'd go for the orange. It looks good, it is hi-viz, and it is a gloss finish. I am really not a fan of matte colors and matte black pretty much takes stealth to the extreme.

But if they're out to get you (we all know they're out to get us) stealth is best.

Both my older GTS and my new one are white. I think it lends itself to better visibility. Actually several of my motorcycles were white as well. Red was quite visible as well. If Scooterwest had an orange at the time I was shopping I would have bought that color. The white bike stood out to my eyes on the showroom floor.


My big crash of 08 was aboard a black Ninja 650. The driver of the car said she didn't see me.

I was going to make a comment that ninjas wear black for a reason, but then I remembered the 80s...

It is a question better to avoid.

The Romans, 2000 years ago, already concluded that: "de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum", or "do not discuss tastes and colors". That is because we will never agree.

I owned a 2009 black GTS and decided never again.

Interesting! I wonder where pink falls on that. I got a couple of fairly bright pink riding jackets (with some reflective bits) because 1, I figured it would be nicely visible due to being an uncommon color out on the roads, and 2, pink jackets go on sale often.

Some people would remember the pink of my jacket and their brain would record it as "this is the person with the pink scooter," which I thought was odd. I just figured hey, they remember the bright pink, and they didn't hit me with their car, so I consider that a win.

If you don't buy the orange Vespa, get a white Vespa.

"More noticeable?" You can't fool us, we follow you on insta, we know your roads are just as ours are lol. Black on black does not more noticeable make, ask anyone with low vision

For those that don't follow JakeM, check out his travels and his high-viz black Vespa: https://www.instagram.com/p/CxliUVbN4W2/

I gotta agree with this right here:

Just a guess: is it because the grey hides spray and stuff from the off-pavement riding much better?

that's true Another reason is heat. When I'd parking in the sun while having lunch and stick my helmet on the topbox I would be unable to put it back on as it would be too hot.

There may be an underlying theme here: Any Vespa is better than no Vespa...

That is a valuable and objective point you make. And certainly when you live in a more hot area.

I have a Nero Opaco 23 GTS, my previous black Nero Obisso super sport didn't attract the dust and dirt like this newer Matt one does. The bike still looks and rides good despite the dust.

The orange one looks good but won't go faster than the black one.

When I got mine, everyone seemed to want to swap the chrome trim out for black. Now the '23 only comes with black trim, and some are looking for chrome. I guess it's a never ending cycle

I have some orange parts on my Vespa, not for visibility but just to annoy people

Which is why I remove mine. I prefer reflective pin striping.

I went for white when I was debating between the orange vs white 2023 Super Sport. FWIW and that is ver little a black Vespa just doesn't appeal to me.

That's not annoying, that's beautiful to my eyes!

At Scooterwest they had a 23 red Super with the trim from a super sport in black added: mirrors, leg shield trim, passenger pegs, rail behind seat, headlight and speedo trim.

It was spectacular. It was fun to see it next to an orange SS

So far, I'm apparently 0-for-2 regarding visibility: As the record (and previous posts) will tell, just a hair over a year ago, in spite of my headlight, bright-colored helmet, and simply having legal right-of-way, a dude in a Jeep Wrangler decided Stop signs were mere suggestions and roundhouse-kicked me and Thelonica (aka Vespa #2) hard into a curb, resulting in multiple broken bones and totaling the bike. This bike came with a satin/matte-black finish, which wile kinda-sorta cool looking left me with lingering thoughts in the back of my mind, especially since a few months before someone backed into her while parked in Brooklyn - foreshadowing, perhaps?

Melody, Vespa #1, was at least a gloss black, making it somewhat more prominent, but not prominent-enough to keep from getting hit at night the year before, which knocked me out cold but somehow resulted in surprisingly minor injury. The upshot here is that my next GTS will be Some Brighter Color, otherwise Le Wife, who's already antsy about my getting on or in anything with an engine (she'seven antsy about my takinga bicycle on the roadin these parts), won't be happy, especially since she's had a few near-scrapes while piloting Harriet (her Honda CR-V…yes, we're fond of nicknames around here). Being Seen has never been a joke for me, but it's even more serious now.

Jess, I read the statistics/study you posted . Study shows red as one of the more dangerous colors (% of vehicles ) so maybe because more hot-rodders choose that color, maybe more red vehicles are involved in accidents. So thinking this as a numbers & colors game. You'd think red would stand out the most IMO. What are your thoughts ?.

Flat black blends in very well on asphalt. Orange much better to be seen as well as light colored/white helmet & high vis jacket.

OFG

BF, do yourself a favour and have those brake and clutch levers gloss black to match the rest of the black attachments. It makes a world of difference !

(I actually had about 27 parts blacked or colour-matched on my yellow 2022 GTS. It also has Sprint wheels)

Don't have an opinion on color, but I really like the no chrome look,

That's funny because I like the chrome! Tomato, toe matto...