Modern Vespa

Iv had my MP3 400 for about 6 weeks now. I Had a "leo Vince" exhaust installed and the Variator Weights changed. Is their anything else I can do to give it a performance boost . . .. particularly interested in the torque at the bottom end?

All comments welcome

Hi,
on my MP3 400, I changed the original tyres, which on my opinions are crap (actually, dangerous). The rear is a Pirelly Diablo (super) and the front are Pirelli GTS.

Also, in a couple of weeks I will change rear shock absorbers, with that you can really push on your 3 wheels. It means that the stand has to be removed!

Why do you suppose Piaggio does not make these modifications if it results in more power?

Piaggio like every manufacturer makes a product built to to the following criteria: Safety, reliability, enconomy, government imposed environmental restrictions and price.

Piaggio cannot afford to have a product break or lessen its usefull life by programing/ imposing a state of tune that would lessen either the reliability or usefull life of the said product.

However as a person who has raced cars and modified vehicles acordingly im interested in a vehicle that is reliable to a point but will give further performance. I know that by modifying the product im lessening the life of the motor or possibly inducing extra wear on parts etc.

My aim is to improve bottom end power and improve handling . . . .

If piaggio added a "decent" exhaust system it would not be production compliant to meet government restrictions. It may also be outside the required DBA limit and piaggio manufacture a product to suit the masses . . . not everyone likes a loud exhaust. Also changing the weights on the variator the vehicle has a quicker reaction time which may scare potential customers. Performance mods are usually expensive . . . . production cannot afford this (especially with all of our economy's going down the chute).

Pull off a Leo Vince muffler because you lost some low end torque by adding that.

Wayne B

Personally I don't believe that Leovinci gives you more power.
What instead we agree, at least here in Italy, is that the rear tyre and shock absorber are definitelly dangerous and we can't understand how it could pass the test drive.
Does any one of you ever felt like the rear swerves?
To be completely honest I think that Piaggio had overpriced the vehicle, leaving the door opened to competitors.

Anyway, more power without a good control of the vehicle doesn't worth.

I have found the opposite. I think the mp3 has great control. You said that it feels like it doesn't have 'good control', but compared to what? I think it out handles any scooter on the market and most motorcycles. I've taken mine on 'The Dragon' a large, multi curved mountainous road here in the states with hundred of twisties and my mp3 500 just ate them alive with a smile. No wobbles, or problems from the rear tire. This is backed up by several magazines which put the mp3 above many higher priced vehicles, such as the Can Am Spyder and even the $65k models by BMW. Anyways, that brings me to the pricing...I say if someone can make a scooter or motorcycle that can do what my 500 does, both in performance and looks and utility, then I say go for it! I'll buy it. That's the beauty of capitalism. I'm actually surprised that the scooter was this reasonable seiing that it has no real competition to drive lower pricing. If I told you that I had invented an 8 wheeled car that got great gas mileage and out handled EVERY OTHER car out there...would you expect the price to be closer to a Ford Focus or a Ferrari? Competition drives pricing, not just the wallets of the consumers.

+1000 - What he said!

If you have not seen it, read the review that my friend Rusty, Jr. did after running my MP3-500 on the track at No Problem Raceway. You can find it here:

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic36391?highlight=problem+raceway

I agree completely - and I thought I was the only one that felt like the rear end misbehaves under power in a turn - squirrelly is how I put it - seems like it flexes or something but the rear end definitely feels like it's not doing the expected thing - especially over cobblestones in a turn. I had a shop owner tell me yesterday "Piaggio makes a good product - it's just not a good value". This from a guy that loves Vespa and has quite a few classics.

...but the rear end definitely feels like it's not doing the expected thing - especially over cobblestones in a turn....

My Solution...Don't drive anywhere where there's cobblestone streets that curve

lutherhuss, not sure you should be talking about how the rear end handles with that picture in your avatar.

Actually, I think that makes me an expert. . Just be glad I'm not talking about the 'smooth lines' of the body....

You better stay outta downtown 'Nooga then. I have no choice...

next you will be talking about how you mount her.

Every scooter with the engine and transmission part of the unsprung weight (with the possible exception of the Nexus) suffers from this. It's more noticeable on the MP3s because of the extra grip at the front. This means you 'attack' things like cobblestones much more than you tippy-toe around them with just a single wheel up front.

I'll give that a shot Jim. My natural inclination is to slow a bit when misbehaving. I should have guessed spanking it was another option

I drove the MP3 500 for over two hundred miles the last two days here in Indiana....through hills and twisties, wind etc. Have to say it's a very easy handling bike but I did feel the "wobble" in turns, hard to explain but did make me feel a bit uneasy. Not sure if this was part of the windy conditions but certainly kept my speeds in check

I`m not saying the MP3 is crap, actually I love it. What instead I believe (after an year) is for that price I didn't expect to have low quality tyres and shock absorber.
I now changed Michelin with Pirelli Diablo and GTS and believe me, now I really start to apreciate the three weels.

I have worn out 3 rear tires on my 250. The last 25% of each tire's life I would frequently feel some wobble in the rear end. As the tire gets squared off the there is a bit of a ridge or corner to get over when laying the bike over for a turn. Depending on the lean you can be riding on this ridge. Not sure how much was this wear pattern and other issues with tire wear. Some experienced riders on this forum report replacing tires when squared off which can be well before the tread is gone, especially with lots of highway driving.

BTW the ridge was very obvious when the tire was removed. Less obvoius but still there when still on the rim. When you have a tire replace take a look at the old one after removed from the rim. My Zippy 1 actually had a concave shape in the wear area. The vast majority of my miles are 60 mph on highway.