Category: Vespa

More news from PiaggioUSA’s dealer meeting

Dan Kay of Old Towne Motocycle Shoppe has confirmed, as we reported Monday, that the U.S. version of the Piaggio MP3 three-wheeled scooter will feature Piaggio’s 250cc electronic-fuel-injected QUASAR engine, the same engine found in the Vespa GTS. Kay also confirmed that Piaggio was for some reason unable to use the name “MP3” in the U.S., and no name has been chosen yet: “Europe wants alpha-numeric, Americans would prefer a name.” The renamed MP3 will arrive at U.S. Vespa dealers in March or April 2007. Kay’s impression:

Very interesting! The integrated trunk with seat pass-through is a nice touch. The front suspension with the electronic stabilizer is trick, [and] the extra front wheel feels a lot less squirrely on grooved pavement and metal grates. Most people won’t steer as agressively to notice that a GTS is a bit more maneuverable.

In other news from the meeting:

  • Piaggio/Vespa MSRP price increases will take effect on November 1.
  • PiaggioUSA will soon announce the 60th anniversary models. Only 250 individually-numbered GT60s will be sold in the U.S. The bikes feature grey paint to match the original Vespa MP6 prototype, with a fender light and a leather seat. Other goodies include a wallet, key fob, book, and custom satin cover. The owner’s initials will be engraved on a silver plate mounted to the scooter. The 60th-anniversary GTV and LXV models will be a darker “Aveo Grey” with brown leather seats and retro-style speedometers. MSRP for the LXV is $5199, so we figure the GT60 is one of those things where, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.
  • Kay tells us Piaggio has more new models on the horizon, but he isn’t sharing, as “to not take attention away from the three-wheeler.” Fair enough.
  • Aprilia’s new big-wheeled Sportcity 250 features the same Quasar engine as the MP3 and the GTS. It’ll come to the U.S. halfway through 2007, in the “mid fours.” The Aprilia Mojito 150 will also return to the U.S, at a new lower price in the “mid-threes.”

Spring is here?

Dentsu's new Vespa Butterfly campaign

Dentsu’s new psychedelic butterfly Vespa ad for the Canadian market, with five accompanying posters: “Kustaa,” “Words,” “Rainbow,” “Metal,” “Iconic,” and “Black and White.” Beautiful, and totally in the spirit of the history of Vespa advertising, but, um, it’s not quite Spring yet, is it? (More info about the campaign.) Thanks to Vespinoy for the tipoff, they have some cool Vespinoy stickers for sale, for all you Filipino-American scooterists (and there are many of you).

Catching up

A few good news stories that got lost in the fog of the last week:

Vespa GTS250 safety alert?

burntgts.jpg
an uncredited-but-frightening photo, posted on ScooterScene

The UK Scooter-Scene forum is reporting a possible safety issue regarding a Vespa GTS250 exhaust gasket. According to the post, some GTS250 riders are reporting the gasket degrades over time and can fail, releasing excessive heat that can damage the rear brake hydraulic pipe, throttle cable, or gas line, causing a loss of brakes, locked-up throttle, or even the risk of a gas fire or explosion. Piaggio UK has been notified of the problem, and is looking into it. It’s unclear how common the problem is, or if it’s an issue with all GTS250s internationally. It could even be a hoax or a freak occurence, but until more information surfaces, GTS250 riders may want to keep an eye on their pipes and look for signs of damage (louder pipe, excessive heat), and also make sure they’re properly registered with your dealer in case there’s a recall. Thanks for the tip, Nitro.

Smoky two-strokes clobbered by SUV in emissions test

We overlooked this story from Portland, OR’s Williamette Week, assuming it was just another rehash of the “Vespanomics” story. But the Scooter Scoop read it and brought it back to our attention. Suspicious of all the pro-scooter hype out there, they did their own tests, comparing a “Piaggio-made” (ha) Stella, a 1968 Vespa, and a Subaru Tribeca. The results weren’t pretty for rotary-valve 2-strokes, but it should also be noted that the Tribeca is hardly the worst offender in the SUV kingdom. A 4-stroke Vespa LX or a Bajaj Chetak vs. a Ford Expedition or Hummer would have been an entirely different story, we demand a rematch!

Vespatude

Jonathan Pait’s blog, Vespatude, started about a year ago when he bought a Vespa on eBay. Surely he planned to write about his travels and adventures, but unfortunately he’s spent the year learning why you should never buy an Asian restoration on eBay. Currently, he’s trying to raise some money for a new engine (“Million Dollar Homepage”-style), if you’re in the market for a vintage scooter, throw a few bucks his way to thank him for saving you the trouble of finding out the hard way.

Vespa saturates Ohio

VespaUSA seems to be continuing their abandonment of the boutique, and minimizing their once-strict dealer requirements, as more and more Vespa shops appear in unlikely places. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that a Vespa dealership has opened within a print-shop in northern Kentucky, across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati. The new store currently has no dealer license, so sales and service are handled through an Ohio motorcycle dealer, Midwest Power Sports, in Batavia, an eastern suburb of Cincinnati.

Neither shop is listed on VespaUSA’s site, nor do they appear to be part of the Vespa Ohio franchise that includes Vespa Cincinnati (in Blue Ash, northeast of town), Vespa Cleveland, and Vespa Akron. The Kentucky and Batavia shops, as well as a new dealer in Medina (south of Cleveland) seem awfully close to Vespa Ohio’s turf. Vespa Cincinnati, less than 20 miles away, must be excited to read in the paper that, “There must be a need in the intercity area. There are only one or two scooter stores in town, and they only sell Japanese scooters.”

Elsewhere in Ohio, dealers can be found in Columbus and rural New Philadelphia. While this expansion trend is likely infuriating some dealers who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on real estate and advertising, it’s good to see PiaggioUSA finally treating the Vespa as a motor vehicle rather than jewelry.

Taming of the Shrewd

The Boston Phoenix’s review of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “Taming of the Shrew” succumbed to a Vespa marketing gimmick even as they acknowledged it:

Paul Farwell’s Baptista is a smooth old-country operator, and there is a spry, athletic turn by Antonio Edwards Suarez as Petruchio’s hyperactive manservant, Grumio, who arrives with his master on a leopard-skin-seated Vespa. (Nice product placement for corporate sponsor Herb Chambers Vespa.)

Oops, we fell for it too. Damn you, Herb Chambers and your wily marketing department!