Modern Vespa

We have a 2009 LX150 and we love it but its a bit heavy and tall for my wife so she is not using it as much as she'd like. And the scooter was really her thing so we are considering other options. I can tell you she is not a fan of the Buddy front styling or the modern/space age looking Kymcos. She loves the Vespa style. What are our options ?
Is the LX50 substantially shorter and lighter than LX150 ?
Please advise.
Thanks.

Liberty?

Find a Buddy 125 and give it a good honest try. I avoided them for years, but now It's one of my favorite scooters of all time. Dollar for dollar, it's tough to beat the B125. If seat height is an issue, you can drop it by 3" with a low-down seat and 255mm rear shock. Have you checked out the Buddy Kick?

Also check out the new SYM Fiddle III or new Kymco Like 150i ABS.

This.

Thanks for your quick responses!
Dry weight of LX150 is ~240lbs. Buddy Kick and others mentioned here are actually same or more weight so we didnt consider those.

I forgot to mention she is completely ok with scooters that dont require a motorcyle license, if that helps meet the height and weight requirements.
Thanks.

If a 50cc would suit your needs 2011 and newer Yamaha Vino Classic would be worth a look. 175 pounds, fuel injected, liquid cooled and 3 valve. It's basically the same engine that was in the C3 and in the 2011 and newer Zuma 50F. Easily tuned to hit 45mph and will last for 60,000 miles.

And thus, in California would require registration, license, and insurance. If your wife wants a scoot that's light, short, and doesn't need a license, I'd think her choice would be electric kick scoot.

The LX 50 and 150 frames are virtually identical, same seat height, different engine with slightly different electronics. Weight is nearly the same. I think the Vino is a good choice along with the Buddy. Or get the Vespa and learn to rest at a stop with the left foot down. It can be lowered some of course, but I have no experience with that, so can't advise.

Maybe a Honda Metropolitan.

As mentioned above, this is a non-starter in California for gas powered scooters. They are all legally classed as motorcycles or motor-driven cycles, and all of them require some kind of endorsement on your California drivers license. There isn't a license-free 50cc threshold like there is in other states.

Electric bicycles, however, seem to be completely unregulated.

^^^ This. It is a gateway drug…

Chris from CLE

Thats right, thanks for mentioning that. I had M2 mixed up with "moped with pedals under 30mph" category.
What makes it quite confusing is that M2 is much restrictive than M1 yet it has the same testing requirements (road test) as M1. Unless I have misunderstood that as well!

Try a lowering bracket first, before considering a different bike.

This will not only make it easier to flat foot, but it will also bring the centre of gravity lower - so the weight will feel different.

I had actually considered that before but never pursued it seriously. Perhaps I will give it another try. I will look it up but If you have any more specific info like parts and instructions please do share. Thanks!

I know if there was it would have been suggested by now but thought I'd ask anyway - Is there a shorter rear shock absorber that fits well in this scooter ?

There might be some rear shocks that are height adjustable.

On Instagram, there seems to be lots of tuned Vespa's in South East Asia that you can see are running lower Vespas. Most of the riders in the videos seem quite small in stature.

Edit: I can see quite a few front shocks that are height adjustable, but not the rear.