Speaking of EICMA, Piaggio is expected to show the Piaggio GT 850. Crazy. Apparently it’s based on Piaggio’s 839.3 cc V-twin automatic engine, though we’re still not clear why Gilera calls it an “800” (GP800) and Piaggio (GT 850) and Aprilia (Mana 850) call it “850.”
7 thoughts on “Piaggio GT 850?”
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That’s a mighty unimpressive CAD drawing there…
better than
http://2strokebuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/FRESCO.jpg
Wonder what happened to the FRESCO? Hydrogen is so 2005
Bb.
I’ve noticed that as these super-maxi scoots get bigger and bigger, the tunnel necessary to contain wiring, gas tanks,etc. get much bigger too. As a result, the free space/open area for leg and foot placement that traditionally defined the motor scooter becomes smaller and smaller. At this point the rider has more of a motorcycle-like positioning for legs and feet (read: limited leg/foot adjustment capability)
These machines really blur the line between motor scooters and motorcycles. If I wanted to ride a motorcycle, I’d buy a proper motorcycle, not a scooter that feels more like a motorcycle. I’ll stick with my traditional scoot, thank you very much!
Yeah, I’m not a big fan of maxis, though I can thank the Mana for the good deal I got on a used Blur.
I like that the line is blurry, though. Why shouldn’t it be? It’s nice that there are a few automatic motorcycle-ish scooter options out there. Not my thing, but the more variety the better.
I think one shouldn’t get the impression that new power two-wheeled vehicles are designed with the pilot in mind. Clearly they are designed to look good in a photoshoot or being ridden in a Japanese cartoon. But certainly any new scooter should not be though of as sensible from a rider perspective. That goes against the history of most scooter design of the last 20 years.
I have to jump in here and disagree Brooke. My Fly 150 was actually pretty damn comfortable. I could do 3+ hours of continuous riding before I really started getting cramped up.
I’ll admit my GTS is even more comfortable for longer riding.
I was exaggerating, a bit. There are some fair examples, very few good examples. But every last one was designed around an empty space for storage of a gallon of mile, a pair of gloves, oil stained reciepts and 73 cents in spare change. Some companies made the effort to design something well on a few of their models. Most didn’t. I just have a hang up about form following primary function.