2010
SCOOTER UPDATE
BY: KEVIN NOVAK PH.D.
I thought I would write this upto help newbie’s get at least someidea of what they are gettingthemselves into before they layany disposable wherewithal’sdown on a scooter. Here in myarea some dealers haven’t been inbusiness for more than a year andwithin a year will be out of thescooter business altogether. Asthey say; caveat emptor whenbuying anything from someonethat hasn’t a clue of what they’re selling. This happened to hundreds (maybe the numbersare higher than that) of scooterpatrons in 2008. People boughtscooters only to find out that theywere not the right kind of scooterfor their applications and nowthey sit in their garages.
To prevent this from happeningto others this review will givesome insight into this matterbefore you buy.
Thinking of buying a Vespa scooter?
NEW VESPA GTS 250 WITH RED ACCENT OVERTONES. VESPA - UNDERSTAND ELEGANCE.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. SUBSTANCE OVER STYLE. SIMPLICITY & EXCELLENCE THE GTS CLASS.
LOGO ON FENDER FRONT-END BLUE LIGHTS SS & CHROME HUBCAPS
Vespa 150 & 250 Scooter Review
In the seventies I rode Vespascooters trough the picturesquestreets of Europe that only touristpostcards portray and now have alifetime of memories. However,like all memories of the past,sometimes our minds eyedoes not give us totalrecall very accurately.
About two years ago Ibought my first shinnynew Vespa scooter a LX
150 in the US like theones I rode in Europe. Itlooks superior to otherscooters (retro-scooterlooking whys) that arepresently out there and
Vespa has an extensivereputation and trackrecord of 65-years to boot.
Some may even say that
Vespa's look sexy for ascooter; though the namemeans - Wasp, wasp arenot sexy. Although in Italythey call it the Swanbecause most Vespa’scame in white. I’m onlytelling what the Italians told me -swan not wasp!
The LX 150 is a good little spritescooter but after replacing it with anew 2009, Vespa GTS 250 i.e., thedifferences are like night and day.
MotoWorks Chicago Triumph &Vespa dealer
( this one sitting around withonly 6-miles on the odometer andgave me 1100-dollars off the pricein June of 2010. I saw used GTS250s going for more on theinternet. A deal like that was toohard to resist, I bought it in aheartbeat.
The truth-be-told the GTS250and 300 Vespa’s were made to appeal more to men in the scooter market place than women.
However, if you’re a womanthat’s bought one and find the seatis a little too high for you, you canget a low-profile seat made atPirate Upholstery,( theywill take your old seat in as atrade-in. Go to their website andtake a look-see at their customscooter seats, and roll bags. This isalso the same outfit that waswritten up in Scooter Worldmagazine( inthe June/July 2008 issue.
When I think about scooter ridingthe first thing that comes to mindis “safety first” though this is amisnomer when it comes tomotorcycles riding and/or scooterriding it still should be paramounton all buyers minds. The LX150to me is not the best choicescooter for suburbanite riding, citydwellers like Chicagoans yes, andit is also not as safe as the GTS250. I will explain the differencesthough all may not agree.
Thinking of buying a Vespa scooter?Adding innocuous Red accents, chrome screws and polished SS bolts helps turns
ordinary, into the unusual, without to much expenditure on the owners part.
Because of variations in thespeed limit in the suburbs callingfor 40 to 60 miles an hour, theLX150 is not stable enough ineven the slightest headwind for50 plus miles and hour or even at45 miles per hour for that matter.
Too many times I wanted to goout riding only to be foiled bythe Chicago suburban winds. It’snot called the windy city justbecause of our politicians alone.
It seems like every time there is abeautiful day to ride, the windkicks in and spoils it. Riding thescooter in the wind at acceleratedspeeds means; macro shaking ofthe bike and that can cause oneto lose their balance or make youfeel like you’re going to loose it.
This happen just a little too muchfor my comfort zone when ridingthe LX150. The LX150 doeshave its limitations and 20/20foresight is better than hindsightin buying of a scooter.
Stability:
Any scooter you buy shouldgive you the confidence you need when riding it and the GTS250 (the GTS300 Super is the same) does that in spades. The stability of this scooter compared to the LX150 is top shelf. The GTS250 will do 60-mph as smooth as the LX150 does 30- mph respectively. With over 100 lbs more in weight and the 12 inch wheels, this scooter will definitely make an impression on you and not only by its larger steel monocoque frame alone. It just feels heavier without sacrificing maneuverability or stability. You’re notfighting the scooter at all, you’re just riding it and having fun doing so. It has the getup and go that the LX150 just doesn’t muster. You can keep up with the big boys with no problems. It’s also less fatiguing when riding long distances. The seat of the LX150 is defiantly not as comfortable as the GTS250s’seat for long durations.
I felt at times that I was fighting for my life when wind at high speeds became my enemy on the 150.Overall the LX 150 vibrates a bit and this has been confirmed in other reviews. If you have to carry a rosary with you when you ride your scooter then the fun vanishes very quickly.
Thinking of buying a Vespa scooter?
One thing you don’t see much of if at all, a flag flying from ascooter like you do on motorcycles. All of my scooters flew anAmerican flag on them. I can’t understand why scooteristsstymie such: Do we not have pride in the countries we live in?
Braking - Disc Vs Drum:
Again the GTS 250 with its frontand rear hydraulically actuateddisc brakes seems to work inunison with each other whenstopping. Once you let off thethrottle the engines already beginsto slow the scooters inertia downbefore brakes are even applied.The LX150 with its front discbrake and rear drum does not giveyou the same confidence in emergency situations. The rear drum brake does not help enough in taking the inertia out of a panic stop unless you apply it harderthan the front brake. That thoughtof over-applying the front braketoo hard and flipping the scooterhead-over-heel is always on yourmind. Both brakes must be applied in unison with each other for best stoppage.
The confidents of the GTS250s’ braking system, once tried will make you a believer in its ability too slow orstop you when needed overshadowing that of the LX150 inadequacies.
Trust me on that one! I had aclose call once when a SportsUtility in front of me decided at40-mph, now was a good time toturn left without going into theturning lane. They had to stopshort because a car was alreadyturning in that lane. I thought theLX150 was never going to stop.
Visions of what my wife woulddo with the life insurance moneymade me mad enough that I could have stopped the scooter like Fred Flintstone with my feet faster. That was the day I decided that I needed a better scooter.
Whilst testing the scooter at the
DMV, I stopped the GTS250 @
25-mph within 61/2 feet withoutlockup. Another thing worthmentioning is the LX150 in hardbraking or earnestly appliedbraking will nose dive on you. Forsome this may not be a big deal,but for me it definitely was. I don’tneed no stink-in scooter to act likea Bucking Bronco on me when Ihave to make a hard stop. It musthave something to do with thefront spring or the suspensionmakeup.
So far the GTS250 is notshowing the same characteristicsand is quite stable in quick stopswithout throwing you forwardtowards the handlebars. Stopping abruptly at full throttle is part of the DMV’s motorcycle test here in Illinois (you must reach at lest 20-mph before applying brakes in one test). Even through I only had the scooter for threeweeks the DMV became my Betatesting site and allowed me to takethe motorcycle test so I could seehow the GTS250 performed; Imade 100%. This alone shows howfast one can get accustom to thisscooters characteristics. That littlecushion of confidents is worth theprice of admission alone.
Thinking of buying a Vespa scooter?
All front lights are Blue in coloration for better visibility by
oncoming traffic. [Photo above]
Cost:
Which raises the nettlesome issueof cost of a Vespa, figuring that itis not my intentions to decide whatis and isn’t an appropriate expenditure for someone else. All I can say is what is expensive for one person may be an insignificant amount ofchange for another. If you’re temerarious enough to take the plunge, then I surmise thatyou’ll find that a Vespa isn’t causefor buyer’s remorse but prolongedelation.
Though the GTS250 is a biggerscooter altogether with liquidcooled engine for engine longevitypurposes and quietness than theair-cooled engine the LX150 has. Is it really going to be worth theprice of admission with a 2000-dollar difference? Though I willadmit that Vespa scooters are notthe cheapest scooters out there,they are in my opinion the bestthat money can buy at present in aretro-scooter style.
For some, 2000-dollars more for a scooter is a hefty sum and the justification for such needs to be defined to them. So ask yourself this onequestion: What is your life worth?I for one I’m glade I made themove over to the better scooterdenouncing its cost.
Still need more convincing:
Admit it. Everyone in their lifetime will have something that they wish they had ‘bought it when they had the chance too’.
People do not buy esoteric things like exotic sports cars, fine watches, vintage wine, art or Vespa’s, because they are making rational decisions. No, these are emotional decisions that we make.
“There’s no need to advertise or boast about something of good quality as people will always discover its merits”. Proverb
Conclusion:
In conclusion, if you already have a LX150 and are happy with the results it gives you then of course stay with what you have and please don’t think about what you’re missing.
However, if anything that you have just read leads you to believe that you must concur with me on its shortcomings, then do yourself a favor and at lest test drive a GTS for yourself. It will be an unforgettable moment, and then Vespa’s elixir will inebriate you with cupidity into buying one. Remember, the chief enemy of good is better!
Thinking of buying a Vespa scooter?
Red Vespa lettering on front and back chrome covers. Hated those luridreflectors `stuck out like chrome Gnome ears′. Replaced them with symmetricallydifferent sized polished SS Carriage bolts on front fender and back side panels togive the scooter a vintage look. It just didn’t look right filling the side reflector holeswith black plugs and losing that chrome look. Make sure you use Anti-Seize lubricanton all SS bolts.
The Piaggio Wings-1936 Logo
The Piaggio Wings-1936 logo design was inspired by the original Piaggio logo with wings on it used on one of their1945 prototype scooters the Paperino, meaning Donald Duck. The Art Deco style logo wings represent Piaggio when they made war planes.However, the style itself is from the 1936 silver train that sits at the entranceway of their factory museum in Pontedera, Italy. The Red looking lights on top, bottom and center of the logo are the headlights of the train and/or a Vespa for that matter. If you look closely at the logo you will see airplanes and cars along with a modern-day TV satellite bringing everything up to date. A train, Planes and Automobiles, Piaggio has made them all, throughout its historical sedge on the world and this logo represents the diversity of the company. The factory itself is on the logo along with the words Vespa in small print dedicated to their success in stylish mobility.
If anyone would like a copy of this logo for their Vespa, just e-mail me and I will send you a full-blown copy free, so you can get it reprinted for your scooter. It’s a JPEG 13,890 X 7,533, 3.3MB so it is not a small logo and with its geometric shape of the 1930s, architectural lines and strong colors, shows up great on Vespa’s. Any graphics sign business can reproduce this logo for you and it is quite cheep to do so.
There’s not a day that goes by when I’m parked at a coffeehouse that someone that see the scooter will remark: “What a nice-looking scooter that is, what kind is it?” I get more compliments about this GTS 250 than any scooter I’ve own. Sometimes more is less in decorating ones Vespa.
One Last Note...To Tell the Truth
After buying the GTS 250 and trading-in the LX-150 my wife finally told me the truth.She admitted that the LX 150 scooter was too small and that it just didn’t fit a six foot tall man very well- ‘It was too vertically and horizontally challenged.’-was her exact words. I felt abashed that she didn’t come clean with me before I expropriated the scooter from the dealer sooner. Of course this was the first time she had ever seen a Vespa scooter.
However, after seeing the larger GTS her outlooks defiantly change about scooters: She likes it and even sat on it herself to have photos taken. She even admitted if she knew how to keep her balance better she would ride with me if she could or even have her own GTS.
So, this brings me to the question: How many more men out there are buying these smaller Vespa scooters and thinking all is well with the spouse? This is thought provoking is it not?
Don’t misunderstand me, the LX150 is a fine scooter for its class and will outperform others in that class. However, with the GTS emotions take over: This time Piaggio got it right.[Ed]