Modern Vespa

Actually at my favorite scooter store, Sportique, in Denver, the showroom floor is outside. It bothers me that they sit out in the sun
all day. If you want to take a test-ride, the scooter seat is blistering hot
which makes for a very uncomfortable sit-down with sweaty jeans.
Sportique, god love em, lets people test-drive about whatever
scooter they want, unlike motorcycle stores who say none of their
scooters are "prepped". Some of the
new scooters have 50 or 60 miles on them.
Obviously the people test-driving the scoots are testing for torque,
and speed. So they aren't taking break-in procedures into account.
In the Honda dealership I visited there was a guy
bouncing on the seat of a new SH150i, playfully. It was the only one they had it stock.
I immediately decided I wouldn't buy that particular scooter. This just my OCD
personality where I don't want people messing my things.
When I buy something new I tend to pamper it for years.
Obviously I have issues.

It sounds like a lot of things bother you. You should try to lighten up a bit.

I like buying ex press-demo bikes that have been thoroughly thrashed. I think you want something to display, not to ride.

Retailers can't keep everyone happy. If you don't like it, then don't buy it, it's that simple.

Did you ask the dealers if you could wait for a fresh bike from the factory?

You have a soft heart TD you fall in love too easily, it's hard to get virgns these days, you might want to lower your expectations a little or you'll never get to ride...................

I understand what you are saying. I haven't seen abuse to new scoots as you've described but I have seen "tough guys" proding around the scooters in motorcycle shops as if they are toys- kicking the center panels, making motor sounds and generally joking as if scooters are not worthy of being there. Those things make me laugh- posers. I also wouldn't buy something that is being abused before you even purchase it. New is new, 60 miles is used. Sun faded seats and bird poop on 'em (I've seen that ) is just not showing respect to customers. I've only purchased two scoots so far and both were put together for me right out of the crate. Ask to your dealer to do the same. That way any abuse the scooter gets will be done by you- the person that paid for it- not some yahoo.

my two cents...

Good answer, thanks. Their SYM 200HD of which they only have one on the lot has 60 miles on it. If I decide to buy one I will ask for a newly
built bike.

I bought the last G200 available in Melbourne; as such, it was a showroom beauty. My GT wasn't riden as a test bike - on the showroom floor the entire time. So I thought it won't have any problems -WRONG!!

The indicator has always been stuffed. It's okay turning right, but when you press it to turn left you have to really squeeze and hold it, then check that it's come on. I assume this is because of all the people who have sat on my poor GT and fiddled with the switches...

I have twice taken it back to have the switch fixed - but no good. Next service they have promised me an entirely new indicator assembly!

Still I feel very lucky to have my GT - the best investment I've ever made!

Cheers in scootopia,
Mim

Thank goodness that stuff never happens to cars at a dealership, huh?

Just goes to show you....

I plan to buy my scooter, assuming I buy new, from Scooter regardless of the test butts on the seats. Giving people the chance to test drive scooters is a much appreciated policy. I would've never discovered
how fun a small-wheeled scooter could be otherwise. I naturally assumed I would buy a big wheeled scooter since I am 6'1. But the test drive changed everything.

Personaly it would bother me to see a vespa being left out in the sun all day - scoot dealers should have some respect for the scoots.


I have a bit of an emotional feeling for vespas, I don't like to see them being abused or mis-treated.

Why do vehicle manufacturers give break in instructions for engines and brakes in the owners manuals and yet most every saleperson who lets you test ride tells you to wring the crap out of the new vehicle to check the acceleration and braking? I really don't want a bike that has 60 hard demo miles on it. The dealer should have a broken in demo that he/she sells at a discount periodically with 2500 or so miles on it. Just my opinion.

I agree, I ordered my new 300 Super, came straight out of the crate the day before I picked it up, it had 2 kilometres on it.

I didn't want 100's of kids sitting on it in the show room flicking every switch and scratching all the paint work.

Other than the pre delivery checks, No one else had ridden it, I can run it in how I like.

@ Vader and Truck Driver - I agree with you

imo a virgin is worthless... unless it is a Vespa

Bought my GT with 200 demo miles. There were scuffs on the floorboard, a crack in the luggage rack, and it really needed some love.

Bought it off the floor for $500 under asking price, cleaned it up, slapped a Givi E370 on it to hide the flaw in the rack, added a leather seat. All is right with the world. With 1500 miles on it, she hasn't missed a beat.

I like to think of it as "previously enjoyed."

Yes....you have issues. They are vehicles not babies prone to sunburn, they are made to survive sun, rain, a bit more sun, a bit of snow, some light hail, some more sun, and then follow that up with some more sun. Sitting outside all day is not abuse.

I appreciate that some dealers will let their scooters be test driven. My local dealer won't.

I'd be interested if other dealers in Ontario let their Vespas be test driven.

I don't mind a few miles. I mind serious outward flaws.

You don't seriously expect it to be absolutely perfect from the onset do you? Unless it's never been on the floor, someone elses ass will have touched it at one point. Why bother caring.

If you are that sensitive about your bike, never park it on a city street because people will touch it and molest it.

General rule for test-rides in the UK is that the rider must have a full licence. Some dealers will allow experienced L-platers who they already know personally to try out another 125, but this would be rare. Others may also insist on a GBP300 or so authorised charge on a credit card to cover insurance excess - and may extend that to loan bikes too, especially if the loaner is a demo bike rather than some tatty older one.

Prices in the UK will vary from dealer to dealer, as depending on the discounts and incentives they get they may have between 10% and 25% of the sticker price to play with. It's invariably worth asking for the first service to be thrown in 'for free', and to ask for other goodies to be included.

Some shops make a profit on sales alone, and the servicing side chugs along breaking even. Others split the profit-making more evenly. As long as the good reliable shops are making a profit and stay in business I'm a happy bunny.

No kidding. Are you planning to keep it in the garage and only ride at night?

I'm happy with the fact mine came with 2km on the dial, and apart from a bit of slapdash Piaggio assembly, it was an undamaged virgin I'm also perfectly happy to leave it outside 90% of the time, it's not made of barley sugar and with basic regular maintenance, will still look good in many years time. Patina is not a crime

I can understand wanting a brand new unit without wondering who put those demo miles on.

Almost every one of the cars and trucks I have owned was ordered to my exact preferences. I don't like to buy off the lot. My Vespa was one of several that were assembled and stored in the dealer warehouse. I had my choice of 4 Daring Plum scooters and chose the one I did because it had less than a mile on it.

I hate to admit that I am the guy who will open a package in a store to see what an item is all about and then buy an unopened one. I don't even want one that I have touched.

Before anyone goes off on that, I have met many people who do the same thing.

It is rather awkward with something like a 52 inch flat screen TV.

@ NightWing - Me too

Not generally from what I've seen. The only times I've been able to take a test ride have been on one of the scooters that one of the owners owns.

At sportique you can ride pretty much anything for a test ride (there are exceptions like the strange russian shiftys, and a black and silver rally) but you have to show proof of license and sign a waiver that say if you crash it they'll fix it and charge you normal shop rates ect.....

WOW! I don't think they'd get many sales with that sort of approach around here. There's no way I'd buy a scoot without being able to take a test ride. No way at all. I'd think the dealer was taking the pi$$.

And if I was offered the chance to buy one which was had been on the lot a while, and/or used for giving test rides, I'd think about it, BUT only on the condition that I got a decent discount. Otherwise, I'd pay full price and buy an untouched, new-out-of-the-crate one.

I can top that story. A dealer in California wanted $4,800 (which is about $1,000 off the original sticker price) for a 2006 GTS, which he was selling as "new." But it had 900 miles of "test drive" miles on it, which I told him was a lot of demo miles or someone has been taking it home on nights and weekends. Would anyone have bought this scoot???

Yeah, but nobody admits to it!

Absolutely anyone would of bought it and check back with them, I am sure somebody did !!

900 miles is what some peeps did this weekend just going to Amerivespa.

SDG

Another option would be for the dealer to have a few demo bikes. Our dealer here had some used bikes that they allow people to test ride. The depreciation on a used bike if someone adds 1000 miles to it over a year is less than a brand new bike with 1000 miles put on it.

Answer 2 yes you do
Answer 1 surely the bike the lad was bouncing on was not yours as you hadn't bought it?

900 miles is about right for a demo bike, and about the time it would then be sold at a discount, with 'running-in' performed for you and the first service done. If it was otherwise mint it would have been a good buy, certainly in the UK.

You have never been in business for yourself have you? I think that it is BS to do that.

Wayne B

As a matter of fact, I owned and operated a business for 21 years. It was manufacturing, not retail sales. Yes, it is bullshit, but I am far from alone.

Here on the Sunshine Coast it gets hot and sunny with sub-tropical rain. The local Vespa dealer has the new scoots outside.
It's only 1km to the sea.
Look around them and they often have rust coming out and corrosion on the aluminium cases.
I walked away....

I bought two brand new Vespas out of 14 and I doubt I would ever buy another new one. I like them a couple years old with up to 5,000km, huge savings, a lot of them around, they are easy to find and often accessorised. It is hard to damage these things, other then noticeble things like scratches. Even if you hadn't changed the gear oil or engine oil and tried to ride them hard, jumped up and down made loud brrrmmm noises or even farted on them, very little could hurt them. With synthetic oil and rev limiters what harm could come to it?

You should see the drivers for Ford here in Chicago leaving the assembly plant headed 1 mile down the street to where the new cars are loaded on trains. They do 80 mph and race each other. Its amazing how much they beat on those brand new cars. When you get your new Taurus at the dealer with 2 miles on it and think its new it is the most beaten 2 miles EVER!

There are plenty of people who don't clean up after their dogs either, but the numbers don't change who and what they are. Someone has to come beyond them and clean up their mess - or eat the cost of having to put an opened item in clearance.

Wow! An outdoor showroom for Vespa? Every unit is a demonstrator? Pass on that in my world.

A member of the family laid down one of my GT's at low speed and scratched the left side at every point where it made contact with the pavement. I actually had more than one person tell me that they wouldn't bother with the body work because dents and scratches were part of the building character of a scooter. What?

Yeah, I'd ask for a "fresh" one. . .

In a heartbeat.

It's been broken in, and it's still under warranty. The worst of the potential mechanical flaws have already been exposed. Now, I'd have pushed for a bigger discount, but yes, I would have bought it.

In fact, though my Kymco was new, my BV500 was not, it had 600 miles on it from dealer demos and a weekend long demo ride to a buyer that ultimately bought a GTS. I took the discount, and the 600 mile service that I didn't have to deal with and smiled ever since