Heads up! Piaggio dealers are starting to get the new Vespa S as well as the MP3 400 and MP3 500 (the rebadged Gilera Fuoco.) The Vespa S is hott, the only current model that really evokes the old days, and it’s amazingly priced below the equivalent LX models, which seems to be rare smart move for Piaggio. With the S and the exciting (but expensive) MP3 500 on the floor, Vespa dealers can expect some foot traffic this weekend.
6 thoughts on “Vespa S, new MP3s in shops”
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Square headlight, no glovebox, different and slightly lower seat and slightly differently-shaped plastic rims on the underside of the cowl = “really evokes the old days?” That’s all it takes?
I love my LX, but don’t see the S as significantly more classic. But I also like having a closing glovebox and round headlight.
Hey Eldorado, The ET4 was way too high off the ground. When it first came out, I remember seeing a short woman ride one around at rally. The whole weekend she wore tacky high heel tennis shoes so her feet would reach the ground. The LX improved this. I suspect the S’s lowered seat is a step towards further improvement. For me being low to the ground and nimble and quick are what scootering is all about. I’m looking forward to feeling how this bike rides.
I don’t know, sometimes a few small design changes are all that’s necessary to make a design click. The Vespa small frame is iconic and the S evokes it really well.
The loss of the glove box is a weird decision though.
Dave
I think the molded glovebox is one of the things that really wrecks the look of the newer vespas, of course it’s practial and modern, but the iconic Vespa design, for me, is all about the sheet-metal legshield and the cowls. The corsa seat is another big bonus, it just looks fantastic/original, and makes a big difference. The taillight completes it.
I don’t love the square headlight or nosepiece, but if you look at the old 50S, it makes sense, and that was a supremely popular model in Europe.
I just can’t even imagine why it would kill manufacturers to use real chrome, it’d add $10 to the cost of the scooter, but it would just make such a big difference.
Vespa S is so ugly, even LX starts to look good in compare…
On Modernvespa there is discussion that the S also doesn’t have a key/ignigiton immobilizer system. The PiaggioUSA MSRP is $200 less than the LX. So they’ve come up with a new design but cut features/expenses: glovebox, immobilizer, chrome. I bet they did the same sort of thing way back when the 50S first came out.
Nevertheless, as a primarily vintage Vespa enthusiast, this is the first Modern Vespa that has me sold on looks.
I wonder if the ignition might be mapped a little differently. This would cost the company nothing and help sell the S as a “sport” model.
I am the proud owner of one of the first Vespa S’s and I think that it is a great scoot from the styling to the handling. I have a 1974 Primavera for fun but the S will be my daily driver.
I have been ridding an ET4 for 3 years and the feel of the S is much better. I also love the look without the glovebox, heck it still has tons of storage why do you need a glovebox. The mirrors may be some of the best that they have ever had on new scooters.
This scooter Rocks!