Ryan The Rhino, (who I don’t know, but he shares my birthday, likes TSOL, and knows Orin, so he’s probably OK, ha) got a chance to test ride the new Adly Lambretta (I still can’t bring myself to call it a “Lambretta” without qualification). Here are his comments from the original post (punctuation edited):
OK, I finally got to test ride [the Lambretta Due 150] last week after some scheduling (and laziness on my part) and I have to say that I really liked it.
The seat height is a lot taller than any of my scooters, and that took a little bit to get used to, but since it is taller you can lean a lot farther into turns without dragging the kick stand (which i do a lot on my scooters) and i did not get too crazy because it only had 21 miles on it when i started. (got it to 50 on a side street behind the new Lambretta office)… I did notice a lot more power than I expected (its a GY6 with a 4 valve head)
I don’t have any complaints (well, the kilometers are the primary numbers on the speedo but that is not that big of a deal…). The paint looks fantastic (I rode a red one) and I like the fact they did not go overboard with stripes or lettering, just one simple “Lambretta� on it they did spend a few extra bucks for some upgrades (michelin tires, improved battery, upgrated wheels, better-quality paint, etc). The underseat storage would not quite fit my helmet but I have a big melon and wore my huge helmet (it does not fit any scooter i have been on).
I did not test drive the 50 because, well, its a 50 (just a personal thing)… but the one with the funny front end looks pretty cool i have to say
As for the price, that was the deciding factor for me, $2699 for the 150 (and I think about two grand for the 50). So the price is great, the scooter rides great, it looks great… So i have no complaints.
Now Ryan may be on Khurana payroll, or he may be insane, but the scariest part is that he may be right. What if it’s a reasonably-decent-quality Taiwanese scooter upgraded and rebadged for the US market a la Genuine’s PGO models? What if it’s very competitively priced vs. comparable but less-distinctive scooters? I have to admit I’m amazed they haven’t doubled the price to accomodate the Lambretta name. This still says nothing about the Khuranas’ (and Adly’s) dealer support (that’s definitely a wait-and-see, though they seem to do well in other markets) and it still, to a small but vocal army of Lambretta loyalists, is really going to hurt to see the Lambretta name on Adly scooters. But maybe that doesn’t matter to the people who are selling and buying them. I’m at a loss for words, maybe seeing one in person at Amerivespa (and hopefully meeting Ryan and Orin) will enlighten me.