Modern Vespa

This may seem stupid, but I'm really close to going for an MP3 250. I was reading about how it can lean up to 40 degrees. Is this alot, or is it possible to actually lean this far and have it not lean anymore, or will other parts of the bike hit before the lean angle is maxed?

Yes, you can lean that far BUT being a 3 wheeler once you hit the limit you run the risk of running wide

Unlike a real motorcycle there are no peg scrapers to warn you

Forget the peg scraping riding on an Mp3 just enjoy it for what it is a nice comfy 3 wheel scooter, stay within the limits of safety and smiles will be plenty, if you want to push it a bit in the twisties is ok, but as Sbaert said above be careful of going wide.

90% or more riders of the MP3's don't ever get to the 40 degree lean .

you have to be a aggressive rider in the mountains and twisties.

The centre stand is the limiting factor!

I have scraped the center stand and got close to scraping the exhaust pipe (right side) long before reaching any danger zones. I did not go wide either having practiced hard cornering on twisty roads. I was actually faster on the twisty roads on the Mp3 than my current 2 wheel CTX700 because the MP3 triangle (2 front 1 rear) was so planted and confident on hard corners.

In short, don't worry about the lean angle, your own personal skill set, practice, and road conditions will be a bigger factor than technical specifications on a product website.

Also... Get the bigger 500 or 530 motors if you can. The 250cc is fun and good enough for towns along with being significantly lighter than the bigger bikes. However the 250 does not have the power for longer trips or routine highway cruising where you need to keep up with highway traffic or climb long slopes.

I disagree with not using the 250 for longer trips, that scooter has actually won the scootercannonball twice now. so it's more than capable. yeah it doesn't boast the power like the 500's have to climb serious elevations at 60 mph but like most 250's can maintain decent climbing speeds. There are alot of vespa 250 and 300 riders who do do very long cross country rides, the MP3 250 has a better advantage IMO than the vespa's for the alone. The cockpit rider area is better protected for weather than the vespa. The 2 front wheels are better handling in all conditions. I like the comfort of the mp3 versus the vespa.

Granted, mine is the 530, but on my recent 1300 mile trip, it gave me better weather protection that any bike I'd ever had except for the Goldwing.