Modern Vespa

May was the final month for Honda's holding the leading unit sales slot in Italy. Jun, Jul & Aug say the Beverly 300 Tour take and hold number one.

Also note that the Liberty 125 and GTS 300 Super also are holding their own in the top 10 as is Kymco's Agility 125.

Year to date sales for the top 100 scooters in Italy look like this:


2009 sales of scooters in Italy have been up versus 2008 every month except Jan and Feb.

Al

Good for Piaggio, I'd say that their 278 cc engine is quite the success for them allowing them to be competitive with other scooter makes.

I could only dream of that kind of market & competition this side of the Atlantic. I wish I had a more a enlightened or sophisticated addition to the conversation, but in the end, all I can come up with is this:

The North American scooter/motorcycle market flat out sucks.



Back on topic, the Beverly 300 is definitely cool and better looking (IMO) than the SH.

I quite like the BV 500 and have ridden them in the past. I would consider buying one if I wanted a larger scooter. However, a qualm I have with it is the lack of foot space, you really don't have much in the way of options for positioning your feet when riding that scooter.

Which is why I laugh when people expect Piaggio to bend over backwards for the US market. For all intents and purposes, their presence in NA is a courtesy to those who wish to own a Piaggio product. In the first 8 months of 2009, the top three Piaggio models in Italy sold 29,000 units. Probably better than the entire Piaggio lineup for a full year in the US. The annual over 50cc sales of scooters in Italy is over 250,000 units.

BTW, in 2008, Piaggio sold 65,000 over 50cc scooters as compared to Honda's 59,000. Where people get the idea that Piaggio "lost" the Italian market escapes me.

Not trying to say one country is better than the other. Just comparing markets.

Al

I think the sentiment is more that Vespa lost Italy, not Piaggio. I realize that's not a useful distinction from a corporate / business perspective, but I think it says something that the Japanese manufacturers forced Piaggio to compete on their terms in Italy, not Piaggio's.

It's really more of a philosophical observation about Italians moving away from their metal-bodied Vespa heritage. That was my interpretation, anyway.

That's exactly the same with my SH300. As you can see from the figures, it is one of the most popular Italian scooters, and yes, it is Italian built. It's still ugly as sin, but won the best scooter in the Scooter Review, with good reason.

Scooter of the year

I tend to agree,

A lot as Aviator said is around engine size for popularity/common use shows that 50cc is still super important and may subsidise the GTS.

Just had a scarey thought where is the 250GTS engine going????? Some markets have a 250learner requirement but maybe not enough to save that engine.

To me, these numbers are somewhat of an, "If you build it, they will come," demonstration. People prefer the Piaggio offering to the Honda, but at the end of the day, SH300 > BV250. Slap a 300 in the BV, and voila! Sales.

Unfortunately the Honda 300 engine has 25% more power and torque than the equivalent Piaggio engine. The Piaggio engine is frankly a little bit of a let down. The Honda engine is a stunner. Smooth and almost equals the 400cc Piaggio one in terms of performance. It certainly trumps it in terms of economy. Add into the mix the Honda's slim form factor, which is essential in Europe's very narrow city streets, where lane-splitting is de-facto, and you have a sure-fire winner. Honda USA need to get with the game. Especially in CA, where this is allowed.

As someone who has had both, I know which feels better. Add in funcitonal combined-ABS (which really works, with no downsides) and there is no contest. Somehow the Italians seem to be a lot more savvy than us. That includes both sides of the pond.

Re the Honda's engine or engineering or brakes Dougl. Whats left Ha Ha

But it is a moped and not a scooter in looks - just my take.

AND its not a Vespa! Thats what this forum is about the loooove (baby) of the Vespa.

Not really as biased as that statement may initially seem, this is about a cult object!!!

The Italians may be wandering from the Faith but the Vespa is still a national icon they just wont pay for the "full metal jacket".

Agree It behaves more like a motorcycle, actually. Why do you think I have an ET4 that gets loved to bits. No attention given to the Honda ever. Agree The Hondas are more expensive, so that doesn't wash. They want reliability and longevity, which the current build quality of the piaggio offerings does not offer. Sadly. My GTS Super 300 had BAD rust underneath within SIX months. That is why I got rid. Lovely machine otherwise.

I'm really hoping that Vespa has improved on the 300 Super's quality. So far one thing that hasn't happened with my Super is that the chromed stripes on the horncast are still stuck on! Is that a sign of improved quality, I hope so. Our winters here are pretty bad with salt, my old GTS doesn't have any rust on it despite our winters. I sure hope that my current GTS Super will be as good.

I believe the quality has improved recently. Or so the GTS Forum on this side of the pond recognises. Both Kate and I have had problems. She perservered, I did not. My ET4 is really a joy with no corrosion and five salt-laden winters. Hence my attention.

If you ever get the SH300 over there it is really a beast worth testing. (The Italians even gave it a style award; how that ever got out of the starting box is beyond me.)

I know this has been asked to death, but will Honda ever get the 300 to the US? and would it really be a good urban bike? It seems to have a BV500 look to it

The GTS300 is doing well in the top ten, but the poor old GTS250 is way down at 55! Below all the other Vespa models!

I guess it's days are numbered.

Mike

Dougl re build quality of Hondas. Plastic is fantastic when faced with salty roads etc.

I even agree re underneath GTS( how boring-eh?) I have a theory that battery vapour may encourage that rust. The latest evidently have sealed batteries this could support that theory?

Having said that I think the seam welding could be better? I have rubber paint undersealed (American product) so it had better be good! mine under footboards as a precaution re the seam welding.

Again, as a cult object, my ownership is not logical to have to consider doing this, its just the looove thing .

If your rust was that excessive you should have approached Piaggio- did you?
As you say you liked the scoot, I am surprised that a competent panel/spray painter wasn't given the task.

+1 It is now pretty obvious now that Vespa is the luxury "niche" scooter world wide. It has always been the Mercedes and now it is being priced and marketed as such world wide. Piaggio is no dummy, they know what they have in the Vespa brand, and they also know they have to compete in the "plastic" marketplace.

Same goes for Honda, they know they have to make their 300 a lot better to make it compete with Vespa.

All of these companies know what they are doing. We as consumers just need to pick our product intelligently. IMAGE, SEX, HERITAGE? VESPA. Transportation from point A TO B - Plastic.

Definitely Doug, after riding the SH 150 I have an idea that the SH is a pretty darn good scooter. I look forward to the day that Honda brings the SH 300 over here. I will definitely want to test ride that scooter, it has been on my radar for sometime.