Modern Vespa

Have lurked for some time and enjoyed every bit of it

I currently own a scarabeo gts 500 GT (2006). Commute and do weekend rides to Santa Cruz from san jose on it... however i have been wanting a vespa gts 250, although the scarabeo satisfies every practical need, except lust

I bought the scarabeo for higway riding and the 16" wheels.

I have a 20 mile commute on I 280. Any SF bay area riders can comment on how the GTS will handle that?

Secondly how will the 12" wheel handles the pot holes and other road scars of fun roads like tunitas creek and mount hamilton?

Thanks a lot...Ride safe..

I ride a GTV not GTS, but basically same thing... My commute is 14 miles RT on 880, no sweat, I could easily double or triple that. The 12" wheels can be a bear with potholes and speedbumps, but got used to that pretty quickly. Admittedly though, not a big fan of Mt. Hamilton, more due to the excess gravel on the lower segments (below the restaurant). Seems every turn has some on the hill side of the road (mostly downhill). Avoiding that can be a bear and nothing to do with the size of my wheels. Otherwise - spend a good part of every weekend cruising the hills, often two-up, and have a blast. You could do a lot worse.

The GTS is an incredibly capable machine that will be able to handle 280 in stride. It won't be quite as fast as your 500, but it will feel probably feel lighter, smaller and more nimble. See if you can take one for a test ride, if you haven't already. The 12" wheels are not as good at handling really rough roads (like off-road... I learned this the hard way on the Cannonball), but for everyday use, even on bad pavement, it's adequate at the very least.

I've ridden mine on Tunitas Creek, and although it's not the most pleasant ride (other than the scenery), the GTS was stable, it was just really bumpy. Mt. Hamilton is a much nicer ride, and while challending, it is much more of a pleasure on the GTS. Just be sure to watch the road, avoid the hazards and make every turn safely.

One advantage the GTS does give you though is extra maneuverability, which will help you avoid potholes more easily in the first place. However, if it feels too nimble for your taste, you can always install oversize tires (130/70 front and 140/70 rear), which give it more stability, at the cost of a little maneuverability. Anyway, I hope this helps!

I have put well over 10,000 miles on my GTS, both on back roads, including Mt. Hamilton, and cross country on freeways and wholeheartedly support Bagel's words. The GTS is all I need for any ride, anywhere!

Cheers,

Bob

~ 23K on mine - bay area mostly, Mt. Hamilton several times (included in VCLG's Three Peaks Challenge - be sure to check that out). The GTS is great fun in the twisties - as well as freeway lane splitting. Just don't ride with oopsclunkthud or Glasseye.

I partly agree with the previous posts, and have driven my 250gts on 280, and 101 multiple times travelling from San Jose to San Fran. I am always surprised how capable it is, but after 2000 miles on my GTS, I still do not feel comfortable using it for interstate travel. The short wheel base, small tires, and small overall size makes for a bumpy ride at 70+ mph, and my 80-85mph top speed is sometimes still not enough. It is not bad for the first 5 miles, or possibly longer if I keep my speed below 65, but the small size of the bike at times can be slightly uncomfortable when traffic is heavy. I also ride a BMW 1150rt, a fairly large touring bike, so my comparison is obviously somewhat biased, but in my opinion, the 250 is a fantastic bike for the city, and a delight to drive in the city, but on the interstate it feels underpowered and small when surrounded by large SUV's and trucks travelling 80mph.