Modern Vespa

My wife wants one . She is not too keen on riding a motorcycle. I've never ridden a scooter and know nothing about them. Most of what I find online is trying to sell you something. Are these scooters chain drive / belt drive / shaft driven? All automatic trans? When did they stop making them carburated ( so maybe I can work on it, I don't normally do fuel-injected). Does anybody here ride bikes too, I'd really like to hear feedback about pro's and con's of both.

Thanks foor any responses. Any info given will be more than I already have.

Hello! Scooters have a lot going for them. They a peppy, easy to ride, and handle like a dream, Particularly good for local/city riding, but some large scooters are as capable tourers as you could want. Mileage tends to be 60-80mpg depending on how you ride, so that is a big plus as well (though some of us only get 50-55 with how we ride ).

Modern vespas have belt-driven CV transmissions. Makes them super easy to use and quick off the line. Vintage vespas are almost exclusively manual except for a few strange transition models.

Most vespas have carburetors. The GTS line is fuel injected, and I BELIEVE LX and S models will become injected soon. But at the moment I think any Vespa besides a GTS is carbureted (GT200, LX50/150, S50/150, ET2/ET4).

I have been a hard core motorcyclist for years now (street, track, dirt). I have also owned a 50cc two stroke scooter for the last four years. I used it for quick trips down to the local restaurant and to the store. Excellent for that use.

I just recently traded the 50c scooter in for a 300cc Vespa (GTS 300) and I absolutely love it. I use it to commute across town (San Francisco) to work and for local jaunts to the store and restaurants. My wife loves it. Easy to park. Plenty of power. Fun to ride.

I haven't commuted on my KTM 950 SE (a 950cc carburated street/dirt bike) since I got the Vespa.

I still love riding my bikes, but I'm riding the scooter more often than my motorcycle by a factor of 10 to 1. The scooter is pretty close to the perfect urban transport device.

Even though scooters are fun, they can be dangerous. Experience is everything. It is important that anyone considering taking up riding a motorized two wheel vehicle, be it a scooter or a motorcycle, learns how to ride well. The MSF course is a good start, but just the beginning.

I came to Vespas after many years of motorcycle riding. The new ones are super reliable and pretty low maintenance. (If you're used to motorcycles, you'll find everything about as simple, except for removing the rear wheel, which is a royal pain.)

My wife decided to get a Vespa after years of listening to me yammer on about how great bikes are. She took the MSF class with her sister and they both bought scooters. She's very happy with the Vespa and has no interest in shifting or owning a vintage bike, so for her it was the perfect purchase.

Oh, and a funny thing happened when she got her scooter - I ended up borrowing it so much for runs to the store and general errands that she sweetly suggested I get my own, which I did, and love it every bit as much as my other bikes.

Well, I'm a newbie--so limited experience--but like your wife, I wasn't interested in motorcycles, just scooters. Since I only ride around a college town, I didn't want to be troubled with shifting a motorcycle. Scooters are nice and peppy and easy for frequent stop-and-go.

I took the MSF course on a motorcycle, but still didn't want one. I should note it was an excellent course--I thought it would be overkill since I only wanted to ride a scooter but it was super. I learned so much, a lot of which I use every time I ride.

How do you like the Streetfighter?

I've owned something like 25 street and dirt bikes over the past 5 years and I've been thinking about getting another street hot rod. The Streetfighter looks pretty darned tempting. I've owned a couple of Aprilia Tuonos and currently have a KTM 950SE with street wheels and I think that style of bike is just about the best there is for street riding. The current best of breed seem to be the Streetfighter and the KTM 990SMR, but the KTM isn't currently available in the States.

It's hard to compare scooters and bikes, since each style covers a wide range of form, size, and technology.  That said...

Scooters with smaller wheels and short wheelbases are generally pretty nimble compared to full-size bikes, whereas larger wheels are better for highway stability and rolling smoothly over potholes.  Scooters tend to have lower centers of gravity, making them easier to maneuver and more accessible to beginners and smaller riders, but there are exceptions.

In general, scooters 250cc and up are readily highway capable.  People have taken scoots as small as 150cc on to highways, but that's a bit more adventurous.

Aside from shifting, scoots require all the same skills as motorcycles, so starting with an MSF course is a really good idea.

Piaggio is the parent company to Vespa and a few other brands.  The Piaggio mp3 models are all fuel injected, as are some other non-Vespa models.

What kind of riding does your wife see herself doing?  Commuting?  Local weekend rides?  Touring?  Some mix?  Knowing that would help us give better focused answers.

Edit: Yeesh!  There was only one other answer when I started typing!

If you're coming from a motorcycling background, you might also know that Piaggio (the manufacturer of Vespas) also owns Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and Laverda.

I'll PM you so as to avoid the threadjack.

About 2 months ago I got the scooter bug. My husband wanted me to take the MSF course on a motorcycle - but I didn't think I could pass with only 12 hours on a bike so he bought me a Buell Blast to learn on. After passing the MSF course, I was sure that scooters are the best choice for me (at least for a while - I may move up after a couple years). I didn't want to be spending so much effort on shifting, clutch, etc. - I wanted to concentrate on the traffic and road conditions so that I could be safer. Taking the MSF course on a motorcycle made me appreciate scooters even more.

I gave serious consideration to what I would be using the scooter for when looking. I had "Vespa Lust" and wanted a Vespa more than anything. But once I thought about it - I realized a Vespa wasn't for me as a first/primary scooter. (I hope to add one down the road if I ever start accumulating scooters) I needed something that could get on the highways if I ever want to take my scooter to work (35 mi each way). Even though I can go backroads most of the way, I need to be able to get on the highway for a short stretch. After being on a motorcycle I liked how the larger tires felt more stable on these New England weather-beaten roads - so another criteria was bigger wheels than 12". I didn't want a Chinese or Asian branded scoot.....that lead me to look at Aprilia Scarabeo's and Piaggio BV's.

If your wife is just going to buzz around town and not get on highways - then almost any Vespa is perfect. If she will be on highways - then go for a 250/300 cc Vespa or a Scarabeo/BV if you want larger wheels.

My 2006 Scarabeo 250 is carburated - and that's a great first scoot if you can find one used. It handles 2-up very well if you ever want to ride together.

FWIW, for my wife & sister-in-law's MSF class, they were able to take the class on scooters (provided by the school).

Scooters are capable of Iron Butt status. Plenty of stories of 800+ mile journeys (BTDTGTTS), and Huskyteer of this parish has completed the UK Iron Butt of over 1000 miles in 24 hours.

Smaller scooters are just great city bikes. Larger ones can tour. The biggest can seriously piss-off sports bikes in everything but a straight line. I've track-day tales to prove it.

On the subject of carb vs injection: don't get too wrapped up on that point, or let it dictate the terms of your purchase. The fuel injection system is much, much, much more reliable than a carb, and as straightforward as they come. I can count on one finger the number of injector failures I've seen here, and one more finger for the number of failed fuel pumps. It's a very, very good system, and doesn't require any adjustment.

I'd hate to see someone forego an otherwise good bike just because they were more familiar with carbs.

I love my scooter, but ......

I don't think my GTS300 (or any other scooter regardless of size) could hold a candle to my KTM950SE in the twisties and it would definitely be a tiny dot in the (figurative) rear view mirror of my Suzuki GSXR1000 (165hp/375 lbs) on the track, curves as well straight.

As they say, there's no replacement for displacement. Not to mention ground clearance, suspension, torque, manual transmission, contact patch size, etc.

But I understand where you're coming from. 9 times out of 10, it's the rider, not the bike.

Fuel injection has come a long way since the mechanical systems of the '70s. You basically don't have to work on them. Unlike even the best carbs, there are no sticky float needles, no leaks, no unreliable idle. Failures on Piaggio EFI is very rare (I've never heard of one, but of course it must have happened to somebody). It's really nice not to have to smell gas when using your bike. 40 years on bikes, I have owned Honda, Yamaha, BSA, Triumph and BMW motorcycles. Nowadays I prefer my Vespa. In the real world it is a better vehicle. Although a motorcycle has the potential for better performance, most of the time you can't use it. I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to decide between lugging 3rd (or 4th) or racing 2nd (or 3rd) to get down the road with other traffic. The scooter is right in its performance/handling wheelhouse at real speeds and road conditions.

I may get another motorcycle someday, but I'm in no hurry.

P.

I have had scooters and motorbikes. I tend never to use my motorbike these days as I tend to find the scoot is more fun and, in London traffic, quicker. They are easier to ride than motorbikes, they're reliable, economic and they also come with a built in pannier which helps when shopping. All two wheeled transport is inherently more dangerous than cars but (in my experience) I'd say scooters are safer as they keep your legs protected and aren't so prone to sliding under hard braking.

But try it on am MP3 500? May not keep up but WILL surprise you The tighter the turns, the closer the MP3 will stay.

Wayne B

Or Jim's GP800... THAT will piss them off!

I'm sure that there are some pretty amusing/surprising scooters out there and it would be fun to take them out and put them through their paces.

But when all is said and done, you don't take a knife to a gunfight, eh? : )