Modern Vespa

I'm in the market for a late model large frame Vespa and have looked at various GT 200 Granturismo and GTS 250ie scooters. It appears the only differences between the two models are the size of the engine and the carb on the GT200 vs. EFI on the GTS. Of course the GT200 is now discontinued and the GTS will probably be available in the USA next year in the form of the GTS 300ie.

What do you think about the value of a 2007 GTS 250ie with low mileage for $4,500 compared to a 2006 GT 200, also with low mileage, for $4,000? I've recently found examples of both for sale at these prices and wonder if the GTS is worth $500 more. Put another way, is there anything about the GT 200 that is better than the GTS, other than a lower price?

Well, the thought is (from what I have read) that the fuel injected 250 could give you more problems because it is the first fuel injected Vespa... that is part of the reason why I opted for the GT200. More junk to get broken I guess is the theory. I love my GT. I think if you are under 200lbs it is a perfect balance of power, fuel economy, size and fun. Plus, now that they are discontinuing the GT200 you'll have something no one else can get... new at least. I think that is cool. I was both bummed and excited when I heard the GT was no more. That makes mine that much more special!

The GTS is not Piaggio's first EFI model. There are few problems reported.

I've only got 5000 miles on mine, but (knock wood) trouble free. Bike starts easily in all weather, settles into a perfect idle and has perfect throttle response.

Now, all that said, the GT and GTS are not that different. You can do a lot worse than a nice, clean, local GT at a good price.

I compared the two models and purchased a new GTS, but I would never disparage a GT.

P.

Hm, I didn't know that. What other models have been EFI?

This question comes up quite often and there are clearly a number of good reasons to opt for one or the other. As both models are now well established and have been around pretty much since the start of this forum you may find some lengthy discussion via the search facility.
If you are looking 2nd hand you are likely to find a great bargain on an aging, but low mileage GT or GTs if you are prepared to be patient. My search took a few months but I found a 'minter' with only a few thousand Kms, full maintenance history and not a scratch in sight.
If and when the 300 arrives you will find a bunch of Vespists jumping to the new model - that's the time to swoop.

Good luck with your search.

At the risk of derailing my own thread, you are both correct. Topskanker referred to the GTS250ie as the first VESPA having EFI, and then Paul G. said the GTS is not Piaggio's first EFI model, possibly referring to a line other than Vespa, such as an Aprilia Scarabeo or a Piaggio BV scooter. Actually, even Moto Guzzi and Aprilia motorcycles would qualify as Piaggio EFI units.

Problems with the fuel injection are extremely rare. Carbs are guaranteed to give you a problem, sooner or later. I would always take a fuel injected engine over a carb engine for ease of starting, better gas mileage and less overall fuel delivery problems. (in a car or a scooter)
$4500 for a clean, low mileage 2007 GTS is a good price.

BTW: The GTS comes with a chrome, fold-down, rear rack that if bought separately, will cost you $350...................and the new 300 does not. Prices for all new Vespa's are likely to go up in the first quarter of 09 so the used ones aren't going to necessarily get any cheaper. Most of the members on this forum who have responded in several threads concerning buying the new 300 have indicated that they are NOT likely to do so. I don't think there's going to be a flood of nice used GTS' hitting the market anytime soon.

Good luck with your decision.

Don't know why people would still say carburettor setups are better than EFI in this day and age. It's kinda like saying "I'd rather use an abacus than a calculator because an integrated circuit might go bad". Simpler does not equal better in this case.

The ET4 I have is carburetted and I have to have it cleaned yearly because it starts to develop flat spots in the throttle.

A fuel injected bike might need some cleaner once in a while, but it's going to give consistent performance pretty much all the time. The failure of an EFI component is rare. I have a GTS250 and have about 6300 miles on it and it is such a joy to ride. Much more enjoyable than the ET4.

Ralph

Early european ET2's were fuel injected also. GTS's that I've seen are THE most trouble free model I've seen from Vespa

As a fellow Pennsyl-tucky resident and someone who is making the exact same deliberations...let me as my 2 cents:

If you have 2 scoots nearby - one a 2007 GTS the other a 2006 GT..... for $500 more the GTS is a better deal. One less year of depreiciation on the GTS plus the fuel injection - more torque around town! Plus the fuel injection copes with altitude and air changes much better (usually).

I am looking at 2 $3900 GTs right now on my side of the state... I recently passed up a $4500 GTS with a topcase and am kicking myself for it. Big time. Do any of the bikes have accessories (cases, chrome, etc)...that may influence the "deal" factor? If the bikes are equipped the same way, again I think that the GTS is the better deal. Which one do you LIKE more? Which one has the better color?

Will there be better deals this winter? who knows?

Thanks for the input. I too passed up on that black 2007 GTS250ie with topcase in Conshohocken for $4,500. It was on Craigslist a couple of times, then on eBay and back on Craigslist. If it hadn't been 90 minutes away I'd have it by now but I waited too long and it was gone. What's your excuse?

But there will be more.

Dude, I wish I knew, I wish I knew...temporarily insane? That bike was literally 5 minutes from my office and I let it go. S T U P I D!!!!

I have an 05 Gt200 and my wife rides an 06 250GTS after she had a 150. Personally, I like my 200 better just because it feels more like a scooter. It runs with a bit more vibration... the 250 just seems too smooth to me... the ride the motor. One of thing that the 250 does better is how easy it is to put up on the center stand compared to the 200. I always thought that I would get the 300 GTS when it's available, before the market meltdown anyway, but like I said, the 250 just seems too smooth and expect that the 300 would be, too. However, my wife would not trade her 250 for anything.

Wow. I'm still too dumbfounded to know how to respond to that.

Ralph

I'll add my two cents since I just bought a used GTS as an upgrade to my ET-4. I know exactly what sbrider means...my ET-4 is sorta pokey and makes a noticeable putt-putt sound...I ride it rather non-agressively...more like a car, then a motorcycle...no lane splitting...no jumping off the line at lights, yknow, defensively. The GTS on the other hand is a totally different animal...it has pretty good acceleration and gets up to speed without hesitation. In only a day or so I find that I've been riding more agressively, mostly because I can...in short, it's more like a motorcycle then it is like my ET-4 scooter. Mind you I'm not unhappy but I recognize that I'm no longer riding around on a relatively sedate, and thus, safer scooter.

250 steers differently. Slightly different rake geometry, makes a fairly noticable difference.

250 is generally faster off the line.

Can't really go wrong with either.

So what I am getting from all this is that is depends on the individual's preferences and not really the scooters abilities which model is best. I hate to sound dumb but I am really in a pickle. I presently own a 2004 GT 200 and share it with my husband. He compalins that it doesn't have enough get up and go but I do not have the same issues. My Husband is about 6'2" and 225# and I on the other hand am about 130 and 5'6". My husband wants to sell the Vespa and get a Suzuki scooter with 400cc. I really love our Vespa and have no complaints. Have any suggestions?

Slap a Polini Variator on it and and watch it fly! It really helped my GTS and I am sure would help a GT.

Smilin: Why don't you keep the GT for yourself and let your husband buy a larger scooter for himself? My wife is 5'8"/130 lbs and has her own GTS. I also have a GTS and am 6'1"/225 lbs but I can't pull the larger hills as well as her when we're doing 50+ mph. If I rode enough in areas where this was a regular problem for me, I would buy a 400cc or larger scooter but I don't so it's not a big problem for me. We almost always ride together and she constantly gets four to five mpg better than me due to the difference in our weight so the GTS is definitely working harder due to his size (but certainly isn't being overworked).
But, if he wants more power, send him down to your nearest dealer to pick out a bigger scooter for himself.

Ralph, ride the 250 and a 200 and compare and then you won't be so "dumbfounded". The 250 start with no problem, idles perfectly and rides, well, smooth and quiet. The 250 is a great bike with plenty of smooth power. Personally, I like the subtle differences that the 200 has.
I'm sure someone that rides a vintage Vespa would get on a 200 and say that the 200 was way too smooth...

How does a Polini Variator work? Where can I find more about it?

Thanks I will gently introduce this idea. I thought about that myself but I thought I may have been overreacting.

regarding that Suzuki 400 Burgman for your 6'2" husband: i'm 6' and think it has less legroom than my GT200.

200 v 250: make sure you like the 250 seat (i did not; 200 gave me more usable seat).

XLR8-

Thanks for your feedback.

According to my local Vespa dealer, there are two variations of the 2009 GTS, the standard GTS 250ie model with the included rear rack and the GTS 250ie Super without the rear rack, but with some other features unique to the Super such as an all black seat with white piping, black wheels and vents in the right side engine cover. Perhaps the GTS 300 will come to the US in similar variations.

sbrider, as I stated, I have a 190cc ET4 (since 2001) and a GTS, so I'm very familiar with the differences between the carburetted and fuel injected Vespas. I was dumbfounded you preferred the GT because it has more vibration and was therefore more scooter-like, to paraphrase you.

Do you prefer VHS to DVD? Still wishing that music was distributed on cassette tapes? Longing for the good old days of bias ply tires and drum brakes all around?

Ralph

Go with the GTS! $4,500 for a low mileage GTS is a steal! Go for it - IMHO, it IS worth the extra $500!

Fuel injection is far superior to a carb.

Ok the debate is settled this way....

2 members who live close to each other, one who has a GT200, the other having a GTS 250...
meet up on a good flat, straight, lightly used road and

DRAG RACE! Like on PINKS. On the Speed Channel.

decision made....???

I have a 09 Souper... ha ha .... the seat is slightly different cut than the regular 250 seat seems flatter.. kinda.

I love my GT, my wife loves her GTS. She dusts me on take off but we are pretty even with top end speed. I like my GT for the color,analog speedo, euro taillight, & seat. But the GTS is smoother,quicker, & quieter.
You can probably find a pre-owned GT for around 4K or less and a GTS for under 5K is a pretty good deal. As has been stated it depends what accessories, if any, either bike comes with, will also affect price.
Good luck and let us know what happens.

Ralph, I was going to say that maybe your "dumbfounded" because you're from Texas, but I wanted to be nice...
Your post said nothing of you riding an ET4. The 200 and the 250 have a slight difference in the way they ride. The 250, to me, rides more like a motorcycle, the 200, to me, rides more like a scooter. If I personally didn't know the differences, I would probably buy the 250 just because of the larger engine. I know most of the members in my club have sold their smaller CC bikes and bought the 250 and many others are waiting for the introduction of the 300 before upgrading. I plan on keeping my 200 and maybe expanding my Vespa collection with some type of vintage scooter.
And to answer your questions, I very much like the Blue Ray over the DVD, 8 tracks were fun but I like CD'd, disk brakes are far superior over drum brakes, (I'm not sure why my 2 Nissan's have rear drums??) and I like radial tires, indoor plumbing, electricty, jet airplanes and Epoxy boards over foam boards.

If all goes well I'm about to take ownership of a green 5 year old gt200 this weekend with only 950 miles on the clock and yes it's geniune.
I'm very excited.
Regards Billy-no-scoot

WTG! Vintage Green may not be the fastest, but it's certainly the coolest 8)

I drove them both... price was NOT a factor. I bought the GT200 and haven't regretted it one bit.

The GTS has greater displacement good for a few more MPH, and EFI, generally easier starting... But, I still chose the GT200. It (GT200) still out-accelerates most cars, perfect for my needs.

A glance at the 'trouble' threads here seem to indicate more issues with the GTS than the GT200.

+ generally on the GT you 'fix' things (carbs don't scare me one bit) and on the GTS you replace them. Is the GTS a 'better' machine?... It depends on your perspective - better in some ways, inferior in others.

I only wish the GT came in 250/300 cc's.

The Vespa dealer in New Haven, CT listed a new leftover 2007 GT200 on eBay and I was the successful bidder Friday night at $4,250. Seemed like a fair price considering that new 2008 models sold for $5,299. The seller described it as Saturn Black, but I could not find any information about 2007 colors. Does that sound right? Is that a metallic black?

I'm hoping to pick it up this coming Saturday. Thanks to everyone who offered his or her insight and opinions on this GT vs. GTS.

Ned

I have a black 2007 GT200 but I've never heard it called Saturn Black. Here is a pic...is this the color of your new scoot?

Thanks for posting the photos. Yes, that's the color. It appears that it should be called graphite black, not saturn black.

My GT200 is an '07 Graphite Black too. Love the color...hate the fact that you can't buy touch-up paint for it - only color you can't so far as I can tell.

I'm happy with the GT200 and just wish the weather would cooperate a little so I could ride it some more before we get into the dead of winter. So far I've installed a rear folding rack, a power socket in the left front knee cover, a side stand and the Euro tail light. What a difference the Euro tail light makes in appearance and improved visibility.