Modern Vespa

Hello everyone!

First of all, it is so nice to see any kind of forum still being so active!
Anyway, I am in Europe and just recently bought my first Vespa.
I was saving for a Primavera 125 but a GTS HPE 300 2022 popped up for about 25-30% than its regular price. I guessed that its was probably that it is because its new but made in 2022.
I was happy to buy it as the seller is a reputable motorcycle shop, but I was a little bit disappointed that it was made in Vietnam, and not Italy.
And the seller had about 20 of them discounted.

Should I be worried about its quality?
It is a original Vespa bike, I checked the chassis number, but just wondering.
If this is me just being paranoid, feel free to give me best advice as a new Vespa rider.

Thank you!

How did you find out it was assembled in Vietnam?

All depends on the quality controls that are in place.

Apple makes some extremely high quality products and I believe all of them are produced in Asia.

I think the Pontedera factory is mostly reserved for special editions, or lower number production runs; Vespa Elettrica, Vespa 946 etc.

As for the price reduction, Vespa dealers are forced to buy in so many brand new Vespas per year including all special editions etc. Sometimes a dealer ends up with lots of excess stock, but still must keep buying more Vespas to keep their licence as a main dealer, and to be able to run their servicing department.

I bought my Vespa for £1000 off list price with 6 miles / 10km on it. The dealer was making a loss, but had a completely stocked showroom and needed to clear some out.

Piaggio have a huge factory in Vietnam - no reason to be worried!

Well, by the big stickers that say MADE IN VIETNAM
Also, country of import of goods is cited as Vietnam.

Check how many complaints new LIBERTY150i owners have posted here - about the build quality and reliability of their Vietnamese built Piaggios.

As an old Vietnam war Army medic - I certainly have no great love for that country - but I'm thoroughly pleased with my Liberty.


O.S.

Nope!

ALL Vespa and the most Piaggio Scooters (Except Liberty and ZIP) for Europe (and as far as I know North America) are made/assembled in Pontedera, Italy.

Please post a photo.

Sure, will do that tomorrow - although I have no idea what difference does the picture make, as even the chassis number indicates so (starts with RP8MD..)

Why do you doubt this? Often dealers will have grey imports available - not all are wise purchases of course! The Vietnam one should be AOK. Some parts availability may be tricky though.

Most of our Vespas in New Zealand are now sourced from Vietnam I believe and the build quality is the same, the paint may actually be better as they have the same issues with depleted ozone in the atmosphere as we and Australia et al do affecting how the sun affects the paint.

Bought mine in 2024, and it is made in Vietnam. Main difference is that it is Euro 4 compliant, not Euro 5. It doesn't have the extra catalyzer in the exhaust down-pipe and it has a paper air filter.

Viet vespas are fine. Tell racists to go away

Photos of Piaggio factory in Vietnam show what appears to be 125 or 150 Vespas on assembly lines.

O.S.

I'd be more concerned if they were made in the US

Workers in Italy have wine with lunch 😉. My Viet built Liberty has had zero problems.

OFG

So? I always had beer with my lunch in the UK. Then I only had an hour for lunch, unlike some other Europeans who have between 2 and 4 hours.

I understand some US workers have lunch at their desks - how on earth is that even legal?

I wouldn't have an issue with any Vietnamese built anything. All the other things I wanna say here are not allowed to be said.

They build gts 300 bikes there but the engine is shipped from Italy.

There is nothing wrong with Vietnam.

My last ktm was built by Bajaj in India. I hoped that a brand like Ktm wouldnt put out a lemon.

On delivery I checked the tightness on every visual bolt or fastener I could see. Not a single one required tightening. I spotted numerous check marks and sharpy pen signatures that indicated final checking.

I sold it after two years to buy my Vespa during that time nothing broke fell off or malfunctioned.

When major player set up these plants they do so with automotive technology, electronic torque drivers that only allow assembly in a defined order time and value. Quality is built in whilst waste is reduced to ensure the line is cost effective.

They're making the 300 motors in China now. Including the HPE. The GTS 125 with the radiator hanging on the right side of the engine has an engine that Piaggio bought from a Chinese company. It wasn't developed by Piaggio at all. OTOH, the BMW 400 scooter is a Chinese scooter that BMW just rebadged. No changes to the bike whatsoever.

It is 50 years ago the war ended and US had nothing to do there. Unnecessary comment about liking todays vietnamese or not!

Here it is.

In the construction field I was a part of, we had a half hour for lunch and we did not get paid for that time.

Thank you!

Can you tell us which country you come from?

To be honest, I'm still a bit confused. Vespa states on various European websites that ALL Vespas destined for the European market come from Pontedera.

You must have received a CoC, is a European dealer named in the top right-hand corner?

European market or EU market? Subtle difference!

And no vehicle purchased in the UK, even while the UK was still in the EU, would have a CoC issued to the purchaser. You'd have to apply separately to the manufacturer and pay them for one.

"Mehr denn je ist die Vespa ein Teil unserer globalen Welt geworden. Sie wird heute an drei internationalen Produktionsstandorten hergestellt: In Pontedera / Italien, wo die Produktion für Europa, Amerika und alle westlichen Märkte stattfindet. In Vinh Phuc / Vietnam, von wo aus der lokale Markt und Fernost beliefert werden, sowie im hochmodernen Werk in Baramati / Indien, das im April 2012 eröffnet wurde und den indischen Markt beliefert."
Source: https://www.vespa.com/de_DE/geschichte/

Translation:
"More than ever, the Vespa has become a part of our global world. Today, it is manufactured at three international production sites: In Pontedera / Italy, where production takes place for Europe, America and all Western markets. In Vinh Phuc / Vietnam, from where the local market and the Far East are supplied, and in the ultra-modern plant in Baramati / India, which was opened in April 2012 and supplies the Indian market."

I understand that to mean that Piaggio supplies their dealers in Europe etc from Italy.

That doesn't stop another business buying from Vietnam or India, and selling them on.

I'm already aware of that. Just accept that I'm interested in the story behind it, no more no less.

The import, registration and registration of vehicles in the EU is generally complex (especially without a CoC), partly due to emissions regulations. Hence the question about the OP's country of origin.

If your Vespa isn't coming from the usual supply chains you should know about it and understand the implications.
Vietnamese Vespas are pretty much same same but the Indian ones are not.

Australia is generally considered western yet ours come from Viet. Piaggio's choice of terms are suspect in current times. Probably was true several years ago. Here in Aus think we switched to Viet around 2015(?) for the GTS

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

Curious, since when?

certainly in 2020 they still came from Italy. see custom documents such as https://www.vietnamtrades.com/vietnam-import-data/piaggio/hs-code-84073320.html

nope

Y'all are western from hereabouts.

Yep, there were good days and bad days, just like for everyone else. I was always paid by the hour I worked, never salary, except for a very short time. And it was horrible as I worked an average of 51 hours a week for the equivalent of 40 hours pay over a six moth period. I finally quit, the company then lost too much money on their next three jobs I wasn't involved with and folded within a year.

Just about everything is west of you, right? From a certain point of view, I'm sure.

Why would having lunch at your desk not be legal? I had lunch at my desk for at least 20 years.

If you don't need to lie down for 30 minutes in the middle of the day you aren't working hard enough.

My BMW is from South Carolina and my Kia is from Georgia. Country of origin has changed a lot but in general I think it is the engineering and quality control standards they drive overall product. My Piaggio is from Vietnam and has been great with nice quality fit and finish.

Half an hour unpaid lunch time plus another 15 minutes when you stay more than 8 hours is the norm here.
As an apprentice, I was required to leave the workshop during lunch.