Vespa GT200

VESPAGT200.jpgVespa USA is having a launch party for the Granturismo 200
today in New York. The first US models will be available in February. This is probably the most exciting news since Vespa came back to the United States, the GT200 is a pretty cool-looking bike, a missing link between the Cosa and the ET4, and no one’s holding their breath for a DOT/EPA-legal GS-style 200.

25 thoughts on “Vespa GT200”

  1. Stevie: Where did you hear they were made in China? I hadn’t heard that before.

  2. This is as good as it gets peeps! A fair few on the road here in England and they eat up mileage like a Sunday afternoon ride out. Definitely the kit for your highways and blacktops. Regards the cowls not coming off easy, they dont need to, this Vespas more reliable than a P200e. pure four stoke technology. If you ride to the rally buy one! if you take your pride and joy in a truck…. well I would not bother, they are pricey! Stay safe dudes. Wulfrunian Scooter Club, England UK.

  3. I am very new to the Scooter scene and have just bought a PX200. I was considering the GT200 but in the end the price became a factor. Can anyone give me some advice or tips on what it is like owning a PX200. I am enjoying the ride so far…

  4. yep – you gotta pay good money for good stroopwafels! Just like scooters!

  5. Ana and I saw some this summer in Italy. I gotta say they looked and felt way more butch than the ET2/4. (Did I say butch out loud?) They seemed morphed from an old P and an ET – an ok design progression, it seems. Sure, it ain’t gonna be a ride like my Sprint, but it’s also 40 years younger. Hey, do you think they’ll come with heated seats?

  6. John VT: The missus and I want to know something: why are Siroopwaffeln so goddamn expensive in the states? Enjoy your GT!–watch out for bicyclists.

  7. It IS expensive. And the current Vespa line are no longer the best looking Vespa-designed bikes available in the States. But DENT is totally on the mark: I’ve said here time and again that most scooterists’ proclaimed good intentions actually mask a form of elitism. (Reminds me of how people accused The Clash of “selling out” when they released “Combat Rock.”) Vespa is at the vanguard of a scootering boom in the states. Through their extensive marketing and promo efforts–which came first: the costly marketing program, or the repositioning of Vespa as a ‘lifestyle accessory?’–Vespa get people interested in scooters. No other brand has that kind of clout. Many who are hooked by Vespa’s image marketing (and this whoring of their past is getting a little out of hand) soon discover that there are dozens of other scooters available in the US–to say nothing of a robust vintage scooter market. The result is that more people are buying scooters. Hard for me to see how this is a bad thing…. At the very least, the sheer numbers of scooter buyers will force states and local municipalities to better define the laws governing scooters. (Other side-effects of the scootering boom: synthetic 2-stroke oil is becoming much easier to find; I saw Ben Sherman Chukka Boots on sale in an outlet store.)

  8. No, its not! DAMMIT people, you’re being brainwashed. This is not a real vespa just like the ET2 and ET4 are not real vespas! How can you not see this? Has the VESPA LIFESTYLE finally got you all duped? SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!

  9. Will this thing cost $6,000 out the door? If so,
    too much for me

  10. Kinda missed the point, Beeb: The Clash sold out long before Combat Rock.

  11. Hmmmm. $4900 for the GT v. $2700 for the Stella. Tough choice.

    (looks mighty tough to remove the GT’s rear cowls.)

  12. yeah, the Clash really pulled it together when they shit-canned Mick Jones and released Cut The Crap. And Sandanista was a masterpiece…

    I’ll be listening to Combat Rock on my iPod as I cruise the highway on my new GT200.

  13. Still not about it.

    I’ll take a Stella anyday over this thing.

    If they would have made a GS styled TnG w/a 200cc motor then I would have been more about it.

    Sorry Vespa…you won’t be getting any of my non-existant $$$ for this thing.

    Bring over a DNA 200cc or a Gilera Runner 200cc (I mention these 4t motors since the 2t ones wouldn’t be EPA kosher) and I might consider parting w/some $$$.

  14. Matt, MSRP is a little under $5K, which is a little surprising, that’s close to reasonable, most current 200cc scooters are in that range.
    Chad, Vespas were way overdue for a change in 1996. I have no problem with the look of the ET series or the GT, I think the GT is subtly better at evoking the look of the classic bikes, but both are worthy designs, and worthy of the Vespa name. I personally think the P-series was a bigger design compromise than the ET series, sure it looked more like a 60s scooter, but it was boxy, heavy, overcomplicated, and had plastic parts. The GT is definitely no Vespa GS, but neither is a PX200E. Stellas and Bajajes are nice, but they’re not a GS either. There will never be another GS made, even if Piaggio makes one, it’s gonna have turn signals and plastic parts and seven hundred wires running through it and we’re all gonna hate it. My problem with Piaggio/Vespa is that they’re using their old bikes to sell the new bikes (which backfired on the Today Show), and they’ve totally forgotten that the Vespa was meant to be an inexpensive utilitarian, simple, elegant form of transportation. It bums me out that they market them them as luxury lifestyle toys at upscale boutiques, but the design is pretty solid. I wish they’d sell them on their own strengths rather than by using images that are 50 years old.

  15. This page at least implies they have production facilities in Asia. Piaggio shares technology and production facilities with companies in many countries, and many asian scooters share common engines with italian scooters, so I would expect that most components of Piaggio and Vespa scooters are not fabricated in Italy. Probably their scooters are assembled and tested in Italy, though I’ve heard rumors that the later P-series scooters were assembled in India.

  16. Hey! I like Sandinista! Well, 3/4ths of it… I don’t think I’ve even ever heard Cut the Crap.

  17. Bb: educating the world. tear down those walls of American/european superiority and show us what it’s all about!! LONG LIVE THE CLASSIC VESPA: THE VBb!

  18. what’s all the whining about. If you dont like it – then dont buy one. I get mine middle of next week in Amsterdam. I have 5 scoots – a GS 160, 2 lammies (DL & TV175) & a tigress & now a GT200. For rideability & commuting a GT is much better than the others. I know everyone will be shocked when I say that the GS150 is rubbish. I just sold one 3 months ago and it should now be shipped to portland. Sure it looked nice but its sooo slow and the engine is terrible.

  19. Not real, plastic, made in China, too expensive, boohoo….we are no longer living in the post war industrial age and THINGS CHANGE. How can anyone compair a P series to this GT. It is a completly different bike. People have compained for years about not being able to buy new bikes in the states and now that you can, it is not good enough. Are scooterists all weenies nowday’s? Dont cry!
    Freakin SLAGS!

  20. Plastic?-The GT200 is targeted to flabby ass, affluent baby boomers who remember the good ol’ days (blue smoke aside)and now with selective memory they get a chance to recapture their youth and get back on two wheels. I can not see how this is a bad thing? More importantly, those same affluent buyers of the GT200 will have a positive attitude towards the die hard purists, minimalists and post war afficianodos who made Vespa what it is today; a company able to survive by having the ability to see progress for what it really is.

  21. But then I heard that Piaggio is developing the new GS, and it might be smaller and lighter, more of a sport ride than a grand tourer. I might like that better, depending on how it looks. I like the 200cc.

  22. BB-

    Remember that the MSRP of under 5K means out the door price well over 6K. An et2 msrp’s for $2999 but costs $3800 ut the door.

    Also- who fuckin’ cares. Piaggio USA sucks !

    Daniel

  23. From Australia – all good comments guys but…those of you who want to cling to old designs etc etc should have a good look. These bikes are fantastic. Like all motoring that has progressed the GT200 is a wonderful step. We all need better reliability, better performance and safety these days. Dont winge about any parting from the old days, this IS as good as any motoring styling (apart from porsche) gets to design retention, enjoy it ! I am one of those flabby baby boomers who nearly ended six feet under in my youth. I am more than happy to enjoy my riding these days and have the money to afford an excellent and reliable scooter. I hope everyone else progesses in life with the same opporunity.
    Tim

Comments are closed.