Modern Vespa

Hello all

I live in the UK and whilst doing one of my many searches for scooter & bike trikes, I followed a link to this great site and in particular to a forum discussion about 'triking' an MP3, which I have to say really grabbed my attention!

To those of you that have 'triked' your MP3 scooter, how are you getting on? Any pros/cons you'd like to share? Also, how do you find backing-up/reversing the MP3 trike? - At barely 5'1" I would find it challenging, if not nigh-on impossible to get my feet on the ground to 'walk' something like this backwards, so I was wondering whether it would be possible to retro-fit a reverse gear?

Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you all and I hope you guys don't mind my first post being one chock full of questions.

Wotcha.

You can very successfully cut down the seat so paddling back isn't so difficult. However you soon learn to position yourself so that you can use engine assisted forward, footwork back works in your favour.

Hey, a fellow Brit. How's it going?

Thanks for the tips. Of course, I didn't think of cutting down the seat - d'oh! - it's often the simplest of solutions that prove to be the most effective.

Nice one, that's definately something to consider.

Slightly pissed, must go to bed...

You'll get used to my 'after midnight postings'.

lol! Fair play, mate. Sweet dreams.

Welcome. I am 5'7" woman. So I can get my feet to the ground on the MP3 but there are many times when I just don't have the strength to "walk" it backwards. This happens on a slope. So I just lock the suspension, get off (usually turn it off too) and push it back holding the handle bars and the grips that are on both sides of the saddle. It might look a little strange but I don't care. It works really well and then I just hop back on and off I go. It isn't hard.

Dale

Ladynix - I am slightly taller than you @ 5'4" and have to be honest with you that if I were any shorter, I would have to pass on purchasing my MP3 400 over a year ago. The innovative two front wheels & front suspension lock definitely grabbed my attention too, but I was surprised to find myself unable to plant both feet firmly to the ground when I first sat on the scoot. My first reaction was, "Damn, I love to own this thing, but I also have to consider about the safety issue as well." But to make a long decision short, I convinced myself that I could make it work by wearing a pair of shoes one size larger in wide width so that I could insert an extra 2" insole giving me a total of 3 extra inches. So now, when I ride, I am 5' 7". That said, unless you can think of a way to make yourself 5'7" like me or sacrificing the storage compartment underneath the saddle by modding it to make the seat lower for yourself, I would not entertain the thought of owning the MP3. By the way, the machine weighs over 500 lbs so you should definitely factor it into the equation as well.
Your other option would be to install the tow-pac [see link: http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=tow-pac&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_newu=1&_sop=1
To answer your inquiry about backing out of a parking space or reversing it out of your garage, that's not a problem. I always do it with the suspension lock engaged so it's pretty effortless, and very little muscle is required. Hope my feedback helps.

Hi fellow brit. I am 5'4" and find I can just manage the Fuoco 500 (same height as the MP3 400). I do have problems with U turns because of the shortness of leg especially when the road slopes away - hence dropping it last week.

Like the above comments I find if the road is flat I lock the the suspension and paddle back quite easy, if I am struggling I get off and push the bike back whilst locked.

At 5'1" you would have to think seriously of lowering the seat and maybe some deep soled boots - I wear Doc Martens because they give me that slightly extra height and good grip. I had an X8 lowered a couple of years back, he also narrowed the seat slightly which worked well.

Good luck.

Hey Dale, hope you're enjoying your Sunday and thanks for the welcome. Ah see, that's what I was concerned about, having the actual strength to 'walk' it backwards.
That's a great solution you've offered, thank you.

Hello DantheMan, how you doing?

Thanks so much for the tips, but no matter what I do, I'm never going to see 5'7", it's just not going to happen. lol Definately helps a lot, thanks. As far as 'triking' the MP3 is concerned, that is what led me to this message board in the first place. I followed a link to a discussion on 'triking' one and thought it was one of the most stunning things I'd seen.

I've already contacted the main company and one that is a supplier/dealer for this kit and asked them whether they ship to the UK. I'm currently just waiting to hear back from both of them.
I'll definately check out your ebay link as well. Thanks very much for that.

Hey, another Brit! Hey Joyce, great to 'meet' you. Oh gosh, hope you're alright? Yeah, I think that's definately going to be the way to do it. Lowering the seat is certainly a solution and it's something I had done to a bike years ago and it worked a treat. However I'm very loathed to go that route again cos that would mean a sacrifice in padding/comfort.
I'll be 'triking' the MP3 anyway, so I probably won't have to do anything to the seat. But thanks muchly for the suggestion.

As far as the boots are concerned, I wear New Rocks and they've got a good 2" platform sole, so that's going to give me a bit of a boost. Ta.

Hey Nix. Another Brit here I am not a small lady, though - rather a 5'9" rotund man.

I occasionally have had trouble paddling around - at a petite 5'1" I would say you could have difficulties, BUT it wouldn't be impossible at all and practice makes perfect.

When you have time to think, the fact that you can lock the suspension means it is actually pretty easy to then push around - in either direction.

When you don't have time to think, like when you start that slow corner and have to brake suddenly and then topple, I would say try and be used to using one leg as a kick stand. Trying to get both down would be tough, but if you are used to using one, you will flick it out on auto and it will be stable enough for long enough to lock it. Then, even if it's too much of an angle to stay up on its own, it's easier to hold it while getting your balance and wits together

One word of warning - don't think the MP3 locking suspension can be RELIABLY used to stop without putting feet down. It took only a couple of times nearly being tipped over to find this out You slow nearly to a stop - lock the suspension (which takes a second or so) and THEN the scoot hits a pothole. Now you're scoot tips over into the hole and you find yourself scrabbling for footing in a manner way more difficult than the ordinary stop you were trying to avoid! Doh!

Hey elementalist, good to see. Gosh, us Brits are everywhere. Great tip, thanks muchly. Ah right, cheers for the heads up. Feet down no matter what. Good to know.

Hello Ladynix, another Brit here signing in what!

How yoouuu doin? (Joey voice)

Recommend turning it off as it is not unknown to nudge the unlock, I have and it was very embarrassing.

I love and use this site a lot, but there is also a similar site that is UK based and has a lot more detail about things like good bad and indifferent dealers for instance. The British do not seem as ready to modify things, there is for instance no mention of the triking thingy on the Brit site.

The trundleness of the scoot is a big help, considering it's size, it is very big, but you wanna carry a lot of stuff, you gotta have a big scooter!

fondest
Fay 5'7" and holding, I think.

Soeley wrote: Sweet! lol Joey's a larf.
I'm 'doin' okay. Mostly chillin.
"How you doin?"

Hey Fay, nice to meet you. Can you post a link by any chance?

http://mp3scooterclub.co.uk

Lower traffic, but some good input.

^^ Fabulous. Thanks muchly.

I'm 5'7", but my rt. foot is still awfully weak from a break last year. I can get my foot on the ground with my Doc Martens on, but can't get the strength to lever it backwards, esp. uphill. I too opt for the get off, turn it off, push it backward. However, it doesn't work in my abysmally rough, semi-paved, oddly cambered driveway :) . I don't know your riding history, but I have found in the last year of riding that as I get more comfortable with slinging the bike around the backing up is becoming less of an issue. Good Luck!

Hey GeorgiaGirl,

My biking history is minimal, to say the least. It's been about 20 years since I was last on a bike and that was for a very short length of time.
I'm looking to return to biking though, in particular I'm wanting to get some form of a Trike, so I'm not going to have the 'slinging about' ability that you enjoy. I think if a reverse gear is out of the question, I agree with you and others that the getting off and pushing is going to probably become a habit.

>I think if a reverse gear is out of the question

I am suprised that nobody has mentioned to our new friend that she does not have to install a reverse gear, she can simply buy an MP3 with reverse already installed. Has Piaggio set a date for putting the MP3 hybrid, reportedly already available in Spain and Italy, on sale in the UK yet? Turn the throttle in the opposite direction, and backwards it silently rolls.

Welcome Ladynix. Welcome to the forum. MySkyMizer has a thread on here about getting boots elevated. That and a seat adjustment might do the trick. Good luck.

rjeffb wrote: Brilliant. Problem solved. Thanks for the heads-up.

--------------------

stickyfrog wrote: Hello and thanks for the welcome...and the heads-up about the thread. I'll have to go and check that out. Cheers.

Here in the U.S., the intense ardor for the Hybrid cooled quite abruptly when it was learned that the production model would only be 150cc (with the additional electric motor, about equivalent to a 250cc gas scooter but with the advantage of faster acceleration and the disadvantage of less long-range continuous top speed, both due to the hybrid arrangement). Even a 250 is bare minimum for American freeways, with people clamoring for an engine even larger than the 500. But for a petite driver who wants power reverse and doesn't need to drive at a continuous 80mph, the hybrid might be the dream machine. The claimed 70 kilometers per liter doesn't hurt, either.

Note that the hybrid will do U.S. highway speeds, and reportedly will also do 80mph but only in spurts. Americans don't want to just merely speed, we insist on doing it all day. I think it was one of those grievances against George III listed in the Declaration of Independence.

Thanks for the info on the hybrid, rjeffb.
It's good to know about the reverse, that's promising, however as I am planning on triking whatever I get, I suspect that with this being equivalent to a 250cc gas powered scooter, this may be underpowered due to the additional weight of a trike kit.

I looking more towards the 400cc and upwards end of the market.

>I am planning on triking whatever I get, I suspect that with this being equivalent to a 250cc gas powered scooter, this may be underpowered due to the additional weight of a trike kit.

???

There may be a mix-up in our respective national terminologies here. The MP3 hybrid is indeed a trike, and requires no trike kit to make it so. I presume you are refering to an add-on wheel set that turns a carving or leaning vehicle like the MP3 (or any two-wheeled motorcycle) into a vehicle with a wide stance that does not lean while turning, such as the Tow-Pac (which jodeg and smrf swear by - the Smurfmobile is something of a legend here). In that case, the current (150cc) hybrid would almost certainly be underpowered. Most of us would consider even a 250 as underpowered for that, but since the "250cc equivalent" performance of the hybrid is only good for as long as the battery charge lasts, that would seem a bad combination.

But again, the hybrid IS a trike, and you sacrifice a lot by changing it to a non-leaning vehicle. Not trying to start an off-topic flame war here, but I personally fail to see the point of attaching an MP3 to a Tow-Pac. Why not just get a less expensive, lighter, and likely more comfortable, two-wheeled scooter in the first place? The features that make the MP3 so unique - and expensive - are largely negated by the kit. Yes, you'll still have two wheels in front, but the undisputable advantage in traction and manuverability provided by a leaning MP3, whose centrifigal loading is pressing the side of two round tires harder into the pavement, may or may not translate into superior handling with a trike kit. I'm not saying it won't, just that I have seen no objective reviews of that; while accounts of a leaning MP3's sure-footedness are legion. I will concede that an MP3 is likely to stop faster than any other "triked" combination, though.

At the very least, I would ask smrf if the hydraulic lock feature provides any benefit when connected to a trike kit, as I understand that in Europe it is possible to purchase an MP3 without that feature for considerably less money.

Would seem like a pretty good reason to me to add a "trike" kit to an mp3. I mean if you are gonna "trike" anything at all why not "trike" something that will stop you the fastest? I would though probably only consider it on a 400 or a 500. Good point. No sense in paying for the hydraulic lock when it will never be used.

Probably a slight crossed-wires situation here...I view trikes as non-leaning, rigid scooters/bikes with 3 wheels, with the exception of a 'triked' MP3 which will have 5 wheels...shall we call it a 'Quike' from on?.

For whatever reason I myself can't even fathom, I've never viewed the MP3 as a trike. When I see one going down the road I don't say "oh, there goes one of those trikes"...I say "oh, there goes one of those really cool scooters". I know it's got 3 wheels and that technically makes it a trike, but I've just never viewed them as such. Weird I know. That's exactly what I'm thinking of doing to a scooter/bike and what I've been talking about in earlier posts.
I'm ideas gathering at the moment...seeing what's out there and what is workable for a trike conversion (the addition of 2 more wheels). I couldn't agree more. ...

If you say so. If the MP3 is the scooter I decide to turn into a trike then that's a price I'm willing to pay. That's your opinion and that's absolutely fine with me.
I on the other hand think the MP3 COULD make a stunning 5 wheel vehicle. The MP3 is just one of the scooters and bikes I'm considering adding 2 extra wheels to.

Here's my list (in no order whatsoever):
Suzuki Burgman Exec.
Aprilia Mana
Honda Silverwing
MP3
I'm even looking at Vespas, but they might be a little on the small side to add 2 additional wheels to. Yeah, but it would look cool! That's a chance you take when you trike any scooter/bike. It may handle like a dream after the conversion or it may handle like a complete donkey! That's why I'm here, to try and talk to folk who have actually added these tow-pac kits to their MP3s and see what they're like.
I've still yet to hear from these 5-wheeled MP3 owners, so I continue to remain none-the-wiser at present. (That's not a 'dig' by the way. I appreciate folk lead busy lives, but until I can speak with these owners, all this will remain pure guesswork on everyone's part, including mine). Thank you, that's a good tip.

<http://burgmanriders.com/burgman-product-reviews/875/guest-product-review-tow-pac-mini-trike-conversion-kit/>

Legally, in the EU (including the UK), it is a trike (more accurately a quadricycle with three wheels) as the front wheels are (just) further apart than the magic 460mm. Much as the non-LT (normal) version of the MP3 is legally a bicycle as the two fronts wheels are (slightly) less than that magic number apart.

It has to have a locking handbrake (ratchet has been 'interpreted') and a foot-brake that works on both brakes. That foot-brake is the deal-killer for me - having ridden an LT (not the hybrid yet) it prevents size 11 boots from finding a comfy spot on the footboards.

Yes, a leaning trike that can be legally ridden without a helmet...

Boys, boys, boys, I know the MP3 is technically and legally a Trike. It's just my personal perception that has me seeing them as scooters.

You've not quite got it - most MP3s so far sold are NOT legally trikes. Just the new LT and hybrid varieties.

rjeffb,

Ta for the link, mate!
That's definately in my top 4.

Yeah, okay, thanks, jimc.

Bravo!!!

Welcome ladynix!
I'm just shy of 5'5", I lowered my seat at a local shop (I posted pics of it on forum), and raised my boot soles and heels (as stickyfrog mentioned above. Pics of them on forum too) at an online shop...... http://www.resole.com Oh, and here's another drive yourself crazy link to lots of boots (and they will Customize them too...maybe even ones you own?) http://www.motorcowboy.com
Hey girl, if You want to tow-pac your "maybe purchase MP3"....you go girl! It's your ride! To each his/her own...same for opinions.
Smrf IS the one to ask any and all questions about the tow-pac on the MP3. Jodeg had a towpac on her MP3, then sold it for a CanAm Spyder...last I heard, she loves it.
Good luck with purchase...whatever you choose

>Jodeg had a towpac on her MP3, then sold it for a CanAm Spyder

She traded her towpac for a CanAm? That's not the right way to "trike" an MP3! My God, do you realize how DANGEROUS that is?

Great pics of both rides rjeffb!
I will correct and reword:
....then sold her MP3 and bought a CanAm Spyder." Better?
Off Topic...do you still have your 600 shadow?

[quote="MySkyMizer"]Great pics of both rides rjeffb!
I will correct and reword:
....then sold her MP3 and bought a CanAm Spyder." Better?
Off Topic...do you still have your 600 shadow?[/quote]

Great, sweetie.

Sort of...I "sold" it to my G/F's son for his graduation on a payment plan (complete with signed contract) and if he keeps a job and pays rent for a year, he gets the money back. So it's still in the family, but then he discovered that driving a motorcycle actually requires effort and he's more likely to be watching a TV show about bikes than actually driving one. Of course, I still have the windshield (heavily modified) on the MP3...