Modern Vespa

http://www.chinamotorworld.com/viewnews.asp?id=1308

Anyone fancy one of these???

hell no

hmmmm - I wonder how reliable they will be... interesting saddle as well.

can you cut it down or is it plastic

no thanks.

"It reflects the professionalism and excellence of the

design of Jialing products"

the design is not original-it's obviously designed after the Vespa

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
and NO .. i wouldn't buy one.

has anyone said hell no yet, how come the fly isnt mentioned

The Piaggio Fly may be made in China (as is the S I believe), but is designed and quality controlled by Piaggio.

The Chinese can copy pretty much anything except for the quality. It's a little mind bending to think about it really that they can spend so much resources on the looks but if they just do the same on the engineering side then they may be quite a force to reckon with.

It's not that I don't think they don't have the engineering know how... they do. They're more than capable of making quality products. I just think that they don't think it's worth the value. It may be a cultural thing... I should know since I'm a quarter Chinese and although I'm pretty much Americanized, I can still see these tendencies especially when visiting relatives and what not. If I were to explain the mentality, it would be that the appearance of quality (whether through aesthetics or whatever) is better than actual quality itself given a finite pool of resources. It's kind of like, if you're not really rich, at least try to look rich or something.

BTW, I may get a lot of crap for that last post but take it with a grain of salt... just my own personal observations from own small universe in the 35 years I've been alive.

There is nothing wrong with your point of view

As a longtime ad agency copywriter, I am speechless with admiration. I especially like the "eternal power" part.

most workshops in london refuse to work on chinese bikes.

Quoted by one of the mechanics at work - "They're Shit"

Give 'em time, say in a 10 or 15 years. Those of us in our latter 50's will remember when Japanese toys were considered "junk", "cheap", and were unsafe with all the sharp edges on the metal. Their automobiles were viewed in the same vein. They figured it out eventually, the Chinese will do so also.

Oh, this knock-off Vespa ... hell no.

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edited to add:

Got a hoot out of this line in their on-line writeup.

"The JL 125T-12A, a scooter suitable for running on urban or town roads, is mainly designed to provide cheap and efficient transport service for European women."

So ... how many European women are there in China?

I totally agree with you here. They'll eventually figure this out and then we all better get ready to learn Chinese.

If you really want something like this (in the US), go look at the new 4T Stella. It is the best Stella yet (IMO) and is supported by a reliable US company so warranty and parts access actually mean something.

我 是 约 翰

What he said.

LOL... you guys crack me up!

I still think it looks nice from a distance. Not keen on the indicators - front or back - but I'm sure I could live with them. I'd also be keen to see how performance compares to our 125s.

I've read the link, but can't see anything on construction, transmission, or price. I'd guess it'd be a plastic twist n go.

I actually like the look. I'm probably in a minority of one here, but if Vespa brought out a true steel bodied retro scoot in that style, but with CVT and all other modern running gear, I'd buy it.

I agree - this scooter is probably a piece of crap, BUT I do think if Vespa released on model which looked more strictly vintage like this among the more modern-styled models, it would probably sell like nobody's business.

Well said, Phuoc! I'd say those are quite accurate statements about the Chinese perspective and philosophy on manufacturing.

I've seen the LaVita up close and its... umm... interesting. It's certainly better looking than most other Chinese scooters, and the quality seems relatively good (key word: relatively) for a Chinese scooter, but to true Vespisti, it still looks like a mutant bastard of a VBB. I was impressed by the fact that it has EFI though, and disk brakes front and rear. It runs on a standard GY6-based motor, which has been cloned by the Chinese ad infinitum, so parts should be easily obtainable. It is mostly plastic though, despite its resemblance to a metal-bodied vintage Vespa. I don't think I'd buy one myself, but it is certainly an unusually curious product from China.

For your enjoyment, here are some higher res pictures that I took:

For a plastic scoot it looks good compared to others but I don't care much for plastic scoots (with the exception of modern vespas which are mostly metal) unless it's a peg perego for my boys.

I see this as an opportunity for somebody who knows TQM (ala W. Edwards Deming), and is fluent in Chinese, to go over there, sell the idea of quality, and make a fortune.

From the pictures of the Jialing bike on the link it looks like the same bike as the LaVita. Possibly even the exact same bike if the LaVita is a Jialing is rebadged with the LaVita badge.

Jialing is one of the better Chinese manufacturers, so, given the chance I would buy one.

I have had a Jialing bike before, a copy of the 50cc Honda Cub, and it was a nice little bike. It did however have some common Chinese bike problems, screws coming off, bolts breaking etc. All things that are annoyances but easy enough to fix, and if you know these problems beforehand can be fixed by replacing some bolts and using lock tight.

I hired a carb'd Jialing scoot in Barbados, did 200+ miles on it, not bad on an island 14 miles by 22. It performed just great, peppy with good brakes, and coped with some of the awful roads that abound there with ease.

Parts supply would be the thing I'd be concerned about though.

Kevin, I'm nearly 100% sure that Jialing swapped the 125 motor for a 150 and rebadged it as the "LaVita" for the US market, to give it more sexy Italian appeal. As I mentioned, the quality does seem to be relatively good by Chinese standards, but I wouldn't be surprised if it suffers from the typical quality pitfalls seen with most Chinese products. I haven't ridden it myself, but I'd be curious to give it a try sometime, just to see what it's like.

It's not made by Piaggio, it's Chinese and it's plastic ... three big deal-breakers for many on this forum. If it were a real Vespa, made in Italy, with all-steel bodywork, it would probably be a $6,000 slug, unless they upped the displacement to 200-250cc. As it is, it will probably sell very well and perform in a satisfactory manner for those not concerned with the purity of the breed.

I think you lot are being a bit unfair, that the rest of the world has not yet mastered "vacuum" tyres yet, and the Chinese have, shows just how far behind we in the west are!

一大堆的狗屎！

Bagel - how'd you encounter one..?

I'd take one. If it was free or very close to free.

I happen to know somebody who works for this magazine that gets lots of shiny new bikes to test...

It must be nice to be connected!

我必須說 ....我覺得這是一個塑料盒狗屎！

lmao...

you forgot to mention about the "Scientific gear ratio" hahahaha

I love the excessive use of adjectives when asians use English. I have lived in asia over seven years and it still amuses me...

I think it fantastic that they have developed a fuel management system that "impels" the engine to run efficiently.

I wonder what happens if the fuel declines to do so - Off to a "retraining" camp?

My housemate just bought one of those really cheap no-brand chinese scooters. It was delivered with a bit of the front panel broken off, the top box lock was broken. There are 5 keys in total - ignition, glove box, fuel cap, top box, a strange lock in side panel and then you'll need a key for a chain lock as well, so make it 6. Six keys from just a scooter

What I found interesting is that manual says "CHANGE engine oil and rear hub oil every 3,000km." That is a lot of oil changing I'd say. Other service intervals are very short too. I wonder if it is the same with the Chinese Vespa.

Confucius say: A vespa cant stand on its own because its two-tired