Modern Vespa

There has been wild speculation in the German forum (https://vespaforum.de/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=62867) since yesterday:

Vespa will present a Vespa GTS with 310cc displacement this year!

These rumors from end of last year seem to be confirmed now. One user reports that his dealer has confirmed this and prices have already appeared on a Dutch motorcycle website.

What is still completely unclear:
-When is the presentation/availability?
-Will the 310cc engine also come with variable valve timing?
- How much HP/Torque?
-What top speed will be possible? After all, the current speedometer ends at 140kph... how much speed can the new chassis handle?)
-Will there be any design changes/new colors with the new engine?

Regarding the presentation/availability, some are hoping for a presentation at the Vespa Wold Days in Pontedera/Italy this month. However, I think it is more likely to be at the end of the year (factory holidays/EICMA). The new engine will meet the Euro 5+ emissions standard required for Europe (i.e. the 125cc variant will therefore also have to be modified).
The Dutch price list speaks of a difference of +200€ compared to the current GTS for GTS Classic, Super and SuperSport. The GTS 310 SuperTech and a GTV 310 are not mentioned there. (https://nieuwsmotor.nl/nieuws/prijzen/vespa-scooters-prijslijst-nederland-2024/)

Also claims they are still making Beibers.

Any gossip on abs front/rear equipped Primavera?

The new Primavera/Sprint MY24 is already available in Europe. No ABS on the rear wheel. Bieber, PicNic and MickeyMouse are last year's models and are currently on sale.
But not the topic here!

From the looks of the opening video, riding the new model Piaggio requires a Hazmat suit, or it's only for sale on other planets. Not very clear.

https://www.piaggio.com/it_IT/

This was in the dutch website

"Stalwart Piaggio Nuovo test riders head to their mounts for a day of grueling track work on the exciting new scooter"

Could we please stay on topic? Neither Primavera/Sprint nor Piaggio 1 is relevant here. Let's talk about the new 310cc engine, please...
Thank you!

Are we going to see a 310cc Bieber?

The only mentions I can find of the 310 are on the German forum and the Dutch price list. I haven't seen anything from Piaggio, or in any of the Italian forums. I will ask someone I know who makes performance parts for these motors. He might have heard something.

Jawohl. Du wirst die Bieber Vespa 310 haben, auch wenn du sie nicht willst. Der Besitz der Bieber Vespa 310 ist Pflicht.

First noted rumors was in last October before last EICMA by an Italian guy:
Vespa GTS with 310cc/30hp in 2024?

Now try to find anything else Antonio.difatta has ever posted online. It does look like that's where the rumor started, and the source appears to be, "trust me, bro."

I'm not saying it's not true, but the most compelling evidence so far appears to be that guy and everyone who ran with the rumor after reading what he wrote.

If Piaggio is giving the Dutch distributor prices for the new motor, they are likely giving tech sheets as well.

Look at how long Potajoe2, the latest source of this rumor, has been a member of the Deutsch Vespa Forum, and how much he has contributed.

There is no "external" distributor in the Netherlands. So Piaggio Vespa BV Breda a subsidiary of Piaggio & C. Spa is selling directly to the dealers. Potajoe2 is a new account, in the signature he explains that Potajoe is his original account (however, he only has 30 posts there between 2009 and 2021).

The price list on the Dutch motorcycle site is strikingly similar to the official price list on vespa.nl: https://wlassets.vespa.com/wlassets/vespa/nl/pricelist/2024/Price-list-Vespa_NL_20240219/original/Price+list+Vespa_NL_20240219.pdf?1708530448407

I send a e-mail tot the guys from nieuwsfoto's.nl , they also do a podcast

Which may or may not be true. And his source is, once again, "trust me, bro."

I think someone's having a bit of fun.

If it's 30 hp, and retains the classic GTS styling, I'll be early in line for one.

The 3000 mile belt service interval doesn't bother you

8 hp for 10 CC?

Don't think so

That's not the claim

.

The current GTS 300 HPE is 278cc's at 24 hp (23.9?).

So the 310 would be +6 hp for 32 CC's.

Still a stretch, but not impossible.

Nah, I'll be pretty handy at belt swaps by the time the new bike gets here...if it really does.

Plus possibly variable valve timing or something

No news whatsoever over here.

Euro 5+ is not so much about the engine itself, more around it - diagnostics, catalyzer etc....so hard to see pressure from that side for any major changes of the ~300cc unit.

In the very possible likelihood that a 310cc, 30 hp, GTS style bike turns out to be Unicorn piss, I'm still just fine with my current 2020 GTS.

Depends on your point of reference. Enfield make air cooled 400's with 24 bhp, however this year they upped the cc to 450 (an increase of 39cc's ) and power to 45 bhp. My outgoing KTM (Bajaj manufactured)was 378 cc 44 hp.

It would require Vespa engineers to depart from their evolution approach and embrace revolution, primarily nearly doubling the compression ratio and upping the rpm by 1000

My 2023 Royal Enfield 350 air-cooled single made 20.2 hp, weighed about 430 pounds with a full tank of gas.

It already belongs to someone else.

It's the same company that does the aprillia tuono V4 , 175 hp 1077 cc

There's some hope then.

We're both spoiled for choice. My Royal Enfield (Interceptor) couldn't last a year with the rest of my bikes either. We all make mistakes lol

I do kind of regret selling my Interceptor classic though, but it is what it is.

The one fairly recent bike I had that I wish was still in the garage was my blue W800, I truly miss that beautiful slug....oh, and my CB1100EX, can't forget that one either. Good lord! what a gorgeous machine that one was.

10 years ago, the BV350 had a 330cc engine that produces about 30hp.

Is it so hard to believe that, 10 years later, they could produce a 310cc engine that produces 30hp?

I think this is wishful thinking, but it's not outside the realm of being legit. The Downtown 300i produces 30hp from 299cc.

The real question is: why is the Vespa 279cc engine so wimpy, and use so much fuel?

I don't consider the 278cc Vespa motor as particularly "wimpy", and in fact, I seldom ride it without thinking to myself "how did they make this little bugger perform as well as it does?"

I agree that it's not quite as economical on fuel consumption as I would have liked it to be, returning 62-65 mpg (US), but it IS over four times better on fuel consumption than our Ford F-150 is, and a LOT more fun to drive to boot.

If I liked how a new, 30 hp GTS looked, I would almost certainly 'bite' on one, but would not
necessarily sacrifice my current 300 for it.

I have a long-standing tendency to own multiple and varied machines, and right now my normal 'inventory' is at a low ebb, so I could very easily own two Vespas if a couple more planets would align.

I received an answer from the journalist of the website where the price list was listed with the mention of the 310 GTS and who said that they received the list from the Dutch importer in this way.

There's a company in Bologna, Italy that makes performance parts for Vespa and other scooters. One of the people I know there, who's last name is the same as the name of the company, has not heard anything about this. I think someone in Gerrmany got hold of a very strong batch of Hopium and decided to share it with his Dutch cousins.

Soooo, a 300 is actually a 278 CC, does that make a 310 actually a 288 CC or thereabouts? It still means 10 CC adds 6 hp, which I maintain is not likely...

I think it's probably premature to estimate the actual displacement of an imaginary engine, let alone the power it may (or may not) imaginarily produce.

But if you want one, Antonio Difatta knows someone in Pontedera, and is taking deposits now.

Musing a bit more, piaggio's variable valve timing (which some people seem to have overlooked) is something that i would hesitate to be the first to buy

My guess is that the Scooter Cannonball Run will now be flooded with requests to raise the 300cc limit to 310cc.

"10 years ago, the BV350 had a 330cc engine that produces about 30hp."
About 10 years ago I suggested Piaggo offer the Bv350 engine in the Vespa as an option, to see how much interest it would generate. It created some interest all right, all of it negative. Comments like "not needed", to "if they did that it would no longer be a Vespa". Even the guy who was selling his 250 and buying a new 300 shot down the idea. This surprised me, I was sure many would be interested, and it seems now they are. I think we are making progress!
Bring on the new and more powerful Vespa!!!
Tony in Tn
07 GTS 250 with 50k still runs strong, but using oil