OP
@gogogordy avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
Reprehensible Misinformant
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7573
Location: Winchester, California
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@gogogordy avatar
Reprehensible Misinformant
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7573
Location: Winchester, California
UTC quote
First of all, Happy Holidays to everyone in MV land, and beyond.

I just re-read Bryces reviews in Scooter World Magazine, and I have some questions about the scooter, er...Transportational Device we'll refer to as: the MP3.

Anyone that has evaluated (hands-on) the MP3, please clarify or offer your take on the following, as I'm more intrigued than ever with this unusual machine.

1) Is the suspension lock feature useful for anything but at the stoplight to avoid putting your italian loafers onto the pavement?

2) Bryce mentions scraped center stands aplenty on the test fleet. The propensity for this to happen seems a bit dodgy, is the center stand really a necessity on this machine? Does the susp. lock do the same thing with parking brake? Could the stand be removed without ill effect?

3) In one of the photos in the article, the lean angle looks steep enough that the rider appears to be over the CG. Could that unit still go over given the right set of circmstances? Or does the extra weight of the MP3 offset that?

4) Will my local shop be offering test rides? DR?

Ho, Ho, Ho ! Santa rides a RED GTS the other 364 days a year!
@jess avatar
UTC

Petty Tyrant
0:7 And counting
Joined: UTC
Posts: 36807
Location: Bay Area, California
 
Petty Tyrant
@jess avatar
0:7 And counting
Joined: UTC
Posts: 36807
Location: Bay Area, California
UTC quote
Re: MP3 questions....attn: Bryce-o-rama
mattgordon wrote:
1) Is the suspension lock feature useful for anything but at the stoplight to avoid putting your italian loafers onto the pavement?
Not really, except as a substitute for using the center stand. I played with it a bit, and there were a few times it seemed cool to lock and not put my feet down, but I wouldn't call this the most significant part of the technology. More useful for quick parking on-and-off stuff.
mattgordon wrote:
2) Bryce mentions scraped center stands aplenty on the test fleet. The propensity for this to happen seems a bit dodgy, is the center stand really a necessity on this machine? Does the susp. lock do the same thing with parking brake? Could the stand be removed without ill effect?
Yes, although I can imagine there are times you might want it for things like changing the rear wheel or other maintenance operations.

(I never got so far over that I scraped the stand).
mattgordon wrote:
3) In one of the photos in the article, the lean angle looks steep enough that the rider appears to be over the CG. Could that unit still go over given the right set of circmstances? Or does the extra weight of the MP3 offset that?
The bike can be dropped while standing still. The demo unit I was given had been dropped twice by someone who came to a stop and couldn't quite get the hang of the locking suspension mechanism. I think dropping it while riding is a very remote possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. It never ever felt even remotely close to sliding out from under me while I was riding it, even when leaning way over at low speed.
OP
@gogogordy avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
Reprehensible Misinformant
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7573
Location: Winchester, California
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@gogogordy avatar
Reprehensible Misinformant
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7573
Location: Winchester, California
UTC quote
Re: MP3 questions....attn: Bryce-o-rama
jess wrote:
mattgordon wrote:
1) Is the suspension lock feature useful for anything but at the stoplight to avoid putting your italian loafers onto the pavement?
Not really, except as a substitute for using the center stand. I played with it a bit, and there were a few times it seemed cool to lock and not put my feet down, but I wouldn't call this the most significant part of the technology. More useful for quick parking on-and-off stuff.
mattgordon wrote:
2) Bryce mentions scraped center stands aplenty on the test fleet. The propensity for this to happen seems a bit dodgy, is the center stand really a necessity on this machine? Does the susp. lock do the same thing with parking brake? Could the stand be removed without ill effect?
Yes, although I can imagine there are times you might want it for things like changing the rear wheel or other maintenance operations.

(I never got so far over that I scraped the stand).
mattgordon wrote:
3) In one of the photos in the article, the lean angle looks steep enough that the rider appears to be over the CG. Could that unit still go over given the right set of circmstances? Or does the extra weight of the MP3 offset that?
The bike can be dropped while standing still. The demo unit I was given had been dropped twice by someone who came to a stop and couldn't quite get the hang of the locking suspension mechanism. I think dropping it while riding is a very remote possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. It never ever felt even remotely close to sliding out from under me while I was riding it, even when leaning way over at low speed.
I'm blushing, I think I'll re-read your review now too!
@bryce-o-rama avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
Peugeot Looxor
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3220
Location: KCMO
 
Ossessionato
@bryce-o-rama avatar
Peugeot Looxor
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3220
Location: KCMO
UTC quote
Re: MP3 questions....attn: Bryce-o-rama
mattgordon wrote:
I just re-read Bryces reviews in Scooter World Magazine, and I have some questions about the scooter, er...Transportational Device we'll refer to as: the MP3.
Jess covered the bases pretty, well, but since you asked me I'll throw in my 2 cents.
mattgordon wrote:
1) Is the suspension lock feature useful for anything but at the stoplight to avoid putting your italian loafers onto the pavement?
If you practice with it, you could use it often when coming to a stop. For a short person, this would be pretty useful. That said, you could enjoy the MP3 for years without ever trying the suspension lock while moving.
mattgordon wrote:
2) Bryce mentions scraped center stands aplenty on the test fleet. The propensity for this to happen seems a bit dodgy, is the center stand really a necessity on this machine? Does the susp. lock do the same thing with parking brake? Could the stand be removed without ill effect?
I've scraped the stand on several of the scooters I've ridden. On some it's much easier to do because of the placement of the stand and the ease of leaning. Others are much harder. It's not something I try to do because I don't really want to damage any of the bikes. We want to keep working relationships with all manufacturers so we can continue to bring our readers reviews of their products. Crashing bikes wouldn't help us much.

The center stand does seem to be a bit redundant considering the suspension lock and the parking brake. However, there might be a few cases where that redundancy would be useful. If I had one in my garage, I certainly would give some thought to unbolting the center stand.
mattgordon wrote:
3) In one of the photos in the article, the lean angle looks steep enough that the rider appears to be over the CG. Could that unit still go over given the right set of circmstances? Or does the extra weight of the MP3 offset that?
It absolutely could go over under the right circumstances. It can even fall at a stop. However, it is less likely to fall when in motion than a two wheeler. That is how I could scrape the center stand at parking lot speeds. I was able induce significant lean angles at ridiculously low speeds.

At high speeds when leaning deeply I realized I was going into a turn a bit too fast. I ended up going wide, but I had plenty of room so it wasn't a serious issue. It was strange though, because on 2 wheels I would have felt like a low side crash was awaiting me if I did anything wrong at all. On the MP3, it was more like a car. Had I done anything really wrong I feel like I would have understeered and slid off the edge of the road long before the bike fell over.

That's the interesting thing about the MP3, I think the design does a lot to reduce the risk of a low side incident. I would guess it probably has a lowered risk of high siding as well, but I don't have a gauge on that. I didn't encounter any situation where I felt like that was even a remote possibility. From my own experience, I think a tip over accident would probably be caused by something "tripping" the vehicle, which is how the majority of automotive roll overs occur.
mattgordon wrote:
4) Will my local shop be offering test rides? DR?
That all depends on their test ride practices. If they allow test rides, I imagine they will on the 3 wheeler according to their current policy on test rides. The 3 wheeler is not any harder to ride than a conventional two wheeler of similar displacement. In fact, it would be easier to ride than a two wheeler of similar bulk.
@ramrezz425 avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1139
Location: Whittier, CA
 
Molto Verboso
@ramrezz425 avatar
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1139
Location: Whittier, CA
UTC quote
3 WHEEL TEST RIDES
I WILL BE USING ONE 3 WHEELER FOR TEST RIDES. MATT, LEN, PAT, JOHNNY AND POSSIBLY NYLE ARE ON THE SHORT LIST. ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO TEST RIDE IS WELCOME.
I JUST GOTTA MAKE SURE NYLE DONT WHEELIE IT! Razz emoticon
DR
@jess avatar
UTC

Petty Tyrant
0:7 And counting
Joined: UTC
Posts: 36807
Location: Bay Area, California
 
Petty Tyrant
@jess avatar
0:7 And counting
Joined: UTC
Posts: 36807
Location: Bay Area, California
UTC quote
Re: 3 WHEEL TEST RIDES
ramrezz425 wrote:
I JUST GOTTA MAKE SURE NYLE DONT WHEELIE IT! Razz emoticon
Boy, I'd like to see that. Not even sure it's possible. A stoppy is much more likely (hint hint).

Actually, all I could get the MP3 to do in my stoppy attempts was to squat down low.

/miserable failure
@quasi-moto avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
SawStop
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5391
Location: Puyallup, WA
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@quasi-moto avatar
SawStop
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5391
Location: Puyallup, WA
UTC quote
Re: 3 WHEEL TEST RIDES
ramrezz425 wrote:
I WILL BE USING ONE 3 WHEELER FOR TEST RIDES. MATT, LEN, PAT, JOHNNY AND POSSIBLY NYLE ARE ON THE SHORT LIST. ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO TEST RIDE IS WELCOME.
I JUST GOTTA MAKE SURE NYLE DONT WHEELIE IT! Razz emoticon
DR
Woohoo! Where and when?

DoubleGood Design banner

Modern Vespa is the premier site for modern Vespa and Piaggio scooters. Vespa GTS300, GTS250, GTV, GT200, LX150, LXS, ET4, ET2, MP3, Fuoco, Elettrica and more.

Buy Me A Coffee
 

Shop on Amazon with Modern Vespa

Modern Vespa is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com


All Content Copyright 2005-2024 by Modern Vespa.
All Rights Reserved.


[ Time: 0.0561s ][ Queries: 10 (0.0258s) ][ Debug on ][ 313 ][ Thing One ]