Modern Vespa

So first the quick back story. My Friend bought a MP3250 and has now got me hooked on wanting to get a scooter also. I love the ride and I want to make it my Normal Vechical. I live in San Diego so Weather is not a Problem. I am looking at the 500cc or higher engines

The modals I have looked at and liked are

Piaggio MP3500
Piaggio BV500
Honda Silverwing ABS

My Questions are such

1)I'm a Bigger guy(6'4" 320LBS) and I am wondering how long theses engines will last. Is this something that is only gonna live for 10K miles before I have to replace it or is this

2)I'm gonna be doing some Highway Driving on this thing is it gonna be a problem on these bikes(I know speed wise it is not but once again looking for Lonjevity)

Thats all I can think of right this second but any other things you guys could think of or recommend(like another build for example) would be helpful

You can't go wrong with any of those scooters. All of the engines will probably last 50k+ miles as long as you keep up the scheduled maintenance. IMHO, the Silver Wing would probably be the cheapest to operate (maintenance wise) and have the most power. I also think it would be the most comfortable for a big guy your size.
You can't go wrong with any of them.

My biggest probelm with the Honda Silverwing ABS is It looks similar to the X9 from Piaggio and I didn't like that when I rode it. Just the feel was different.


Is there another company besides Piaggio and Honda that I should look into or another Modal in anyone's opinion.

I hear you Jeff. I didn't like the look of the Silver Wing or the Suzuki Burgman 650 either but those are the choices. Personally, I love the classic look of the Vespa.
As I said before, you will probably be more comfortable on the Silver Wing, especially if you're going to get on the freeways but that's for you to decide. Good luck with your decision.

Consider the Burgman. Haven't heard anything negative about them. Plenty of power, inexpensive to operate, but ugly as sin, (compared to the "classic" scooter look).

I had one more question I thought about last night.


How smooth is the ride of these Scooters once your up over then 65MPH Range. Because I have been told the wheels are too small and will cause a really rough ride.


I haven't been able to test over 45MPH other then the X9 I was able to borrow and that didn't feel too bad. But I'm just looking for some experience

A Superscooter offers more wind protection due to the fairing and windshield built in to the front. They are also heavier because of all that plastic. The MP3 is similar in that respect. As far as smoothness on the highway, all of the big scoots do great. My BV500 is very stable at any speed you want to go. The superscoots do get blown around a bit more because of the large surface area in a cross wind. This would not be a deal breaker for me however.

BTW thanks for the help thusfar guys. As of now the BV500 is the one I really like but I have to do some more looking at the silverwing

Just an FYI, the Burgman 400 is offered with ABS for '09, so that may be an option you want to explore in addition to the 650 if you want to save a few $$$.

I'd look at the Yamaha TMAX and Burgman 650 as well. I have the TMAX and love it. I'm 5'11" and have plenty of room (and power) to spare.