Modern Vespa

Hello, All - Would like the benefit of your experience if I may.

The scoot evolutionary time-line has been very rapid for us: my wife got interested back in late May and in early June, we bought a Genuine 150, though the dealer warned us that we'd grow unhappy with the power for two up. And so it happened.

Genuines are in short supply, and a local lady was happy to get ours. We immediately turned around and re-invested in a GTS 250ie, which is fantatsic. Wife also got an '06 Vino just for her, a Learner's Permit, and is signed up to take the MSF course.

We are interested in doing some very long x-country touring, and I have been doing 150-200 mile days several times a week (i'm retired) to get accustomed to distance riding. The GTS is just terrific - however:

- I find that the power is almost-but-not-quite-there for the high-speed Interstates. Solo, I can hold my own at an indicated 80+, and feel safe and comfortable. It would be nice to have a bit more left in the throttle;

- though our planned trips will mostly be taken on state highways and county roads, this is a country of Interstates and it wil be necessary to do some superhighway time between the destinations for more leasurely touring;

- my wife has fibromyalgia and is subject to becoming easily fatigued from time-to-time. A comfortable riding positon for her is critical.

After looking around, we like the looks and stability of the MP3, and I had my dealer put me on his list for a 500 (MP3s are just not to be had around these parts just now, with no re-supply in sight).

My question is for those who have used the 500 two-up to tour: what's the comfort factor for the passenger like? Is 500cc necessary for some Interstate riding, or will 400 satisfy?

Any input you may provide will be much appreciated. I don't really want to trade-in the GTS, btw; I'm thinking of selling-off an '08 Honda Fit to get into the MP3.

Thanks for your consideration.

Part of the 400 vs. 500 question is how much weight the two of you and your gear will make on the bike.

When I was shopping, I was told that at my weight (160lbs) and the weight of most prospective partners (say 140lbs) a 400 would be adequate for two-up. Naturally a 500 will give you more get-up-and-go than a 400 no matter what the weight of the passengers. YMMV.

Well, figuring on about 375 pounds, travel gear included. That seems to settle the power issue.

I have a 500 and a VERY pregnant wife right now. She also gets uncomfortable very easily as you can imagine. Luckily the 500 has a rather large rear seat that she loves. She also finds the rock solid stability of the bike itself helps her relax more and get fatigued less. I'll have to agree with that too. The ride really makes a huge difference.

Her only complaint for longer journeys (10+ miles) was her back. So I bought her the Givi Passenger Backrest (link below) and now she's very happy on the back. Of course her belly is now pushing me forward a bit too much

We recently drove the scooter around Lake Tahoe. It was a pleasure. Plenty of power for the steep hills and low oxygen. And the solid ride, even in turns, allows us to just relax and enjoy things more.

Good luck with yours and we hope to see pics of you both on it soon!

http://www.scootertrap.com/MP3500.htm

Thank you, Schlagle - that's exactly what I needed to know. And thank you also for the link to the Givi backrest - that'll be a blessing.

regards,
dT

My pleasure.

Be aware that the backrest cannot be used with any of the Givi rear cases. If you plan on installing a rear case then you should buy the backrest that attaches to the case. You can get both the case and the attachable backrest on that site.

Another word of caution, a lot of this stuff is on back order. Very popular products.

I have the Givi backrest too. My girlfriend really likes it. She can relax and enjoy the ride more instead of just hanging on. We took the 500 on a 50 mile trip and had no problems. We went through some mid-sized mountains - nothing huge - and it handled fine.

Thanks, Gents - passenger comfort and a little more oomph are paramount. I'll be going solo to Omaha from the East Coast, picking her up there, and then it's two-up to Denver & Taos.

Think that the box w/backrest will be the way to go.

I have a 250 and ride two up on weekends when my wife is off. I find it sufficient and I weigh close to 200 so with her 130, well, you do the math, but then again, in Florida, there aren't too many hills. I do sometimes wish I had gone for the 400 for the extra ooomph.

I just picked up a 400 after trading in my 250. In the 400 miles I have on the 400 I agree completely with what I've read here. The 250 is great for town and a "bit" of highway, the 400 is good for town and "great" for highway.

I took a 100 mile ride into the mountains where I live for breakfast last Thursday. I went from about 700 feet elevation to 4000 feet in about 10 miles. It was uphill all the way. The 400 performed beautifully. I had plenty of power. I was riding by myself and throwing another 140-150 lbs. on the back would have made a difference for sure, but I'm sure the scooter would have performed well.

I went with the 400 over the 500 simply for storage. 6 horsepower and 6 lbs of torque just didn't seem like a lot, but then, I've not ridden the 500 so I can't say for sure.

One thing I can say is that today as I was fueling up a friend pulled up on his Harley, ( a beautiful one to be sure ) and chatted me up about the scooter. He's coming by for a ride next week. I bet he ends up owning one.

Bob

Who can resist that gnarly look?