Modern Vespa

The KM over the MPH is a little obnoxious to me. First does the Digital Display show MPH? I have not messed with it enough and the wife has misplaced the manual. If not second option, I know that Mini Cooper people have made new faceplates ie Mod Targets / union jacks ect. Anyone doing this for the MP3?

Anyway now that I've stop trying to stop with my foot and shift with my left hand I really like the scoot. All though I still think I'm going to take Flat black spay paint to the burgandy sp. color.

Not only that, you'll find that the actual speed is not what the speedometer reads. If you are doing 50 on the meter, your actual speed would be about 45 or 46 MPH. Once you hook up a GPS you will know what I mean.

By the way, welcome to the gang.

The digital display will not show current speed. I wonder why they didn't include it? I had to mount a GPS for accurate and readable speed numbers.

A CVT bike speedo cannot show accurate speed.
Firstly, it is not allowed to be pessimistic about speed.
Secondly, it cannot know what tyres you have mounted, or how worn they are.
Thirdly, it cannot take into account lean angle (which can make a big difference).

Use a GPS to calibrate your own markings, far better.

Thats gotta be bull. How do the americans and japs manage to build bikes with speedos that approach accuracy? Any why is the speedo off a KNOWN 10% across its entire speed range? Do we have the wrong size tires on it from the factory?

I believe he answered that question before you asked it. CVT causes the inaccuracy, which means you won't have the problem on bikes with manual transmissions.

Even Police bikes - which have their speedos calibrated annually at a cost of over GBP200 a time - are only -0 to +2% accurate, and that's in a straight line with notional half-worn tyres.

Just leaning over by 10 degrees can make a +5% difference to the speedo reading, depending on tyre profile.

hmm I realy dont need a gps system. I will 99% ride in the city. I remember back in the days of $$$ for parts and some people would use speedo's from i think Bycycles. Hmm time to call some friends.

thanks for the info.

And here I thought "Speedo" was a skimpy looking men's, swim suits.

Why does everyone bitch about the speedometer? Such a typical American attitude, expecting the rest of the world to cater to a system which is so antiquated yet which we still cling to. If you're in the city, don't bump into the car in front of you, don't get run over by the one behind you. Problem solved.

Sorry, nothing personal, just one of my peeves....

I was traveling on a traverse road and didn't know exactly what speed I was going. Down the road on the right I noticed several cars parked on the grass which is normal around here, but as I got closer I saw that it was the Sheriff with a radar gun. The limit on that road was 40 and I looked down at my "speedo" and it read about 50. I didn't get pulled over so I guess I was doing the limit or slightly above it.
So I guess in this instant, you would want to know your speed.

I'd respond by saying that Piaggio has speedometers that read in MPH on other models so why not the MP-3's?

i still crack up when i see this. The, "gun" forum editing lol

i agree as well. it is important to know what speed you are doing - not so much in a city - just keep up with the flow of traffic.
The other way to do it is get a friend to drive down a two lane road at the same speed as you and have predetermined markers that they will look at their speed.

I know we all want to avoid tickets but c'mon. It's really not that hard to remember that 100kmh will get you roughly 60mph so there's your 55mph zone (62mph exactly but remember that this gauge is a bit "optimistic"). 80kmh gets you about 50mph for your 45 zone, and 60kmh ~ 37mph so there's your 35.

My pre-coffee popping-off on the keyboard was really more of a reflection on how we as a country have our collective head up our arse when it comes to the SI system than anything else. Remember how NASA screwed the pooch a few years ago b/c of a metric/English conversion and cost us how many billions by smashing a craft into the side of Mars...? Yeah, you'd think that would wake us the fuck up but we're too stubborn and complacent for that. WTF were they doing even messing around with an English measurement in the first damn place?! The SI system is the language of science. I'm not one of these folx who wake up looking for ways to criticize this country but man we've got it wrong on this one.

/endminirant.exe

<sigh> people complain about non-people things and then people complain about people. Some people don't get their own points of view. <sigh> However I do enjoy your posts.

It does make sense, doesn't it.

I haven't heard much bitching, but more legitimate desires for the product. I would hope that if a product is sold in a country that utilizes a certain measurement for speed that the product would be designed to represent that accurately.

I believe that this is not at all about which system of measurement the world should standardize on, but more a design choice that Piaggio made that people disagree with.

I'd also take this further and wish that the clock was not in 24hr mode and that I could switch it to show 6pm as 6:00 instead of 18:00.

+1 24 hour time/ 12 hour time

1. Because it is a huge safety issue.
2. No one is bitching about it because we want anyone to cater to anything, we want our speedometer to match our road signs, whatever system they may be in. I agree that the US should conform to the rest of the world, and should have a long time ago. But since they have not, we need speedometers, that match what our road signs say.

Unfortunately I think its going to take someone getting killed because of this, before Piaggio actually does something about it, which is actually very sad. It costs Piaggio NOTHING extra to have the correct speedometer on these, why they do not is beyond me.

Then bloody well mark your own speedo with markers that you understand. The US (and the UK, we are in the same position, I have a little sympathy) are very, very small beer to global sales to Piaggio.

The speedo is so inaccurate anyway - ignore the given markings, get creative! A 5-year-old could solve this problem with a bit of 'sticky-tape'. (And this one did.)

+1 re sticky tape, JimmyC. I just transferred your markings.

You are sooooooooooo hot.

Seldom...Will you put on some clothes already?

Clothes are superfluous when you're feeling hot - and the lack of them is not disconcerting for me these days, sadly, just appreciated.

(having worn full leathers for a track-day today, phew!)

So we are agreed that the next MP3 should have a built in GPS tied to the digital dash so we can get accurate speed readings without buying a lot of aftermarket stuff, right?

Its about safetyness (if this aint a word, I now copyright it! Take that Colbert!) I rather keep my eyes on the idiots who cant be bothered to use blinkers to change lanes or even turn. I think its a law that you must be talking on your Cell in KC to ffs. I would like to be able to glance at my dash and know how fast im going not refocus on the smaller numbers. I might go with the tape or even have the sign shop cut me some vinyl at work.

and #3 A scoot that costs over $7,000.00 should tell you what speed you are travelling at without having to figure it out. Those on scoots need to focus on avoiding those in cages trying to kill them.

but....I still want one.

You're correct. My little bitching-about-the-bitching was entirely not the point of the thread, which I apologized for and explained. Bullshit. It's a not-wanting-to-get-a-ticket issue. Safety=don't ride at speeds which are unsafe for you and your abilities and prevailing conditions. There are many roads that are marked 35 or 45 which under normal conditions are plenty safe (for me) at 70+. Jim or someone more experienced could prolly safely traverse these roads even faster. Safely. If you're trying to say that it becomes unsafe because your mind is preoccupied with trying to do a conversion that's still not directly related to the instrument but to the operator's proficiency with it. Not trying to be an ass, just saying...

+1

PLUS!!! It is waaaay cool to have an Italian scoot...ciao!



(I think the mph in km is pretty neat...even though I don't actually *have* an Italian scoot...)