other brands of scooters?..
Right now I've got two Vespas in the garage, and love them. A PX150 and a GTS250. The rumour mill suggests a new PX type scoot (manual twist shift gears) is meant to show up next year. If it does, I'm in.
I've held off on the Vespa 300 because there are a few things that , to be honest, infuriate me. The lack of a tripmeter with the dodgy fuel gauge is the main one. Yeah some 'hardcore' types will chime in and claim that there is no need for a tripmeter while scribbling notes at each gas stop to see how far they've gone... But it bugs the heck out of me, especially seeing that my 250 has one. As well as the rev counter and temp gauge that now is missing on the 300.
Come to think of it, every freakin' bike that I've owned in the last 20 years have had tripmeters! Why Piaggio, why?..
So like I mentioned, I'm a bike slut. If it has 2 wheels I'm interested. I've owned everything from Harleys to Moto Guzzis to Hondas to Kawasakis to Ducatis etc etc.
But now a Taiwanese bike has caught my eye. The Kymco Downtown 300i. First off, what a crap name but it looks like those stickers can be easily removed. The rest of the bike? Hmmm. 300cc FI liquid cooled motor. A real 300cc (298.9). 32hp. That's almost 50% more than the Vespa 300. 2 full size helmets can fit under the seat. It has a built in tyre pressure monitoring system. Adjustable brake levers. 12V power socket in the glove box. Push button adjustable windshield. Adjustable back rest. 3.3 gallon gas tank. 2 year warranty. $5699.
This thing will never replace the Vespas in my garage. But maybe it will slide in next to them?...
I think I'll have to call Father Guido Sarducci and ask for his advice..
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