Category: Manufacturers

Ryan rides the Adly Lambretta

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.

Adly Lambretta photo

It looks like Lambretta International is re-doing their site and letting us watch. They’ve got their new logo on there, and that’s the Due50 (aka Adly Panther) in the foreground and the Uno150 (aka Adly Noble) in the background. Check quickly, they might pull it down if they see hits coming, and I can’t legally republish the photo here. I don’t know what Julie Christie is doing there, she must be lost. (FPO, by the way, means “For Position Only,” a designer term meaning that the image is just a placeholder for the final image). Here’s more info if you haven’t heard the story of the “New” “Lambretta.”

Piaggio MP3 400 ie

17 Mp3 400ie.jpg

On Monday, Piaggio officially announced their MP3 400 ie three-wheeled scooter. Coincidentally, on Saturday, I finally got to ride an MP3 250, so finally, I can write about the MP3 with a bit of first-hand experience.

Piaggio claims 150,000 MP3s were sold in the last nine months. It appears only a small fraction of those sales were in the U.S., where a $7,000 (MSRP) 250cc scooter is a hard sell, especially with a well-publicized 400cc version on the horizon. Even a tech-junkie with a fat wallet would be happy to settle for a Vespa GTS until the MP3 400 ie arrives. Sadly, Piaggio’s 4-stroke, 4-valve Master engine (with liquid cooling and electronic injection) is not currently available in any U.S. models, so it’s unclear if and when we can expect the 34 HP 400cc version here (though we can still be thankful we’re not stuck with the seemingly-pointless 125cc version).

The 400cc model appears to utilize the same frame as the smaller models. The Gilera Fuoco, a 500cc version with a sportier body, is also in the works — but even less likely to be sold in the U.S.

I had the opportunity to ride the 250cc version this weekend, and I was suitably impressed. It’s certainly an attention-getter, even in Henry Ford Black, Corporate Fleet Silver, and Executive Maroon, the less-than-a-rainbow of colors provided for the U.S. market. While riding along with Phil from Pride of Cleveland Scooters, dozens of drivers and pedestrians asked about the extra wheel, and many more rubbernecked as we passed. At the Lake Erie Loop campground, it was the center of attention despite the wide range oddities present.

After a brief lap of a parking lot, I had the chance to take the MP3 250 for a spin. As a vintage scooter lover recently introduced to the marvels of modern scooters via the Genuine Blur, I’m a fan of smaller bikes in the 150-250cc range. The MP3 felt large and heavy compared to other 250s I’ve ridden, such as the Kymco Bet and Win 250 (which is no longer made). Ergonomically, it was well-designed, and it had a huge storage area that ran from under the seat and out the trunk. This area could store a three-year-old and perhaps some lumber, but surprisingly not a flip-up full-face helmet.

Once on the road, I rode conservatively, not wanting to drop a $7000 scooter, but it did seem to hug the road admirably. In the “unlocked” mode, it handled like a scooter, which is what it’s supposed to do. It’s easy to believe that the extra wheel gives you more grip and allows you to push the envelope a bit, but in most situations, it doesn’t feel different. That’s a plus, I guess, but a little hard to justify the price. As I’ve stated over and over since the MP3 was unveiled, it’s not a trike, and it can be dropped on it’s side just about as easily as a regular scooter if you aren’t properly trained and experienced. In an earlier story, I described the “locked” and “unlocked” hydraulic modes, but I now realize they were described to me a bit wrong. The “locked” mode does not automatically level the bike and lock the suspension as you slow down, the button must be pressed as you slow down to do so. This action, and watching for the warning light to tell you to press the button, sort of seemed like unnecessary extra steps to someone accustomed to putting his feet down. Still, it’s a neat feature.

On the highway, the bike was much faster, and infinitely more stable than my Blur, but I’d imagine most 250cc bikes would be. Still, I think the extra wheel and weight contributed some piece of mind. It did not feel underpowered at all, considering the size and weight of the scooter. Interestingly, I noticed that at higher speeds, the usually-subconscious act of countersteering was suddenly hyper-conscious, the only way to get it to turn was to push the opposing handlebar, firmly. Braking and suspension felt great, it was a clean ride with tight stops when needed. Controls and mirrors were well-placed.

The extra wheel is a welcome novelty and could accurately be described as a “benefit,” but is that benefit equal to the cost, weight, and technical complication? I’d think most people would be happier saving their cash and looking at other options in the same displacement range. While Piaggio marketing suggests that beginners could benefit from the locking feature, I’d think beginners would do best to learn on a standard bike and perhaps choose a more disposable bike as their first (can you imagine the cost of a front-end collision repair?). I see the target market of this scooter as tech-savvy well-capitalized types (already being a scooter fanatic couldn’t hurt) who must have the latest and greatest (and the attention that comes with it.) It’s a comfortable bike that would make a good commuter, or weekend tourer, but the price seems too high for most people, with many more-or-less comparable bikes priced much lower. The locking feature could be a big selling point for older riders or riders with leg-strength issues, but even they will find they still need to put a foot down now and then. Time will tell if the MP3 is ahead of its time, or just an expensive gimmick.

Piaggio bombs?

More good PR for Piaggio: A recent study exposed a 1942 plan hatched by the Fascists and Piaggio test pilot Niccolò Lama to bomb New York City from a Piaggio P-23R airplane flying from France. (Thirty-five years later, their dreams would be realized when the P-series Vespa arrived on American soil.)

Decepticons?

More PR about the Vespa/”Transformers” promo tie-ins. “Scheduled for theatrical release July 3rd, “Transformers” is already generating buzz as a hot summer blockbuster.” It is? I thought the buzz was that “Transformers” was yet another expensive plotless Michael Bay nostalgia vehicle that, if the producers are lucky, will be popular with a handful of repressed action-figure collectors. His future projects include a remake of “THE BIRDS” (seriously!) and like six sequels of movies based on video games. Please, make him stop.

2007 Italjet pricing

We’ve been begging DiamoUSA for Italjet details for months, but apparently Guzman has a better connection. He’s got all the pricing for the 2007 models, and says the Torpedo may be available already. (Is it? I wish the Diamo site had a dealer list.) The pricing is interesting, the water-cooled Torpedo 150, at $2995, is $300 less than the air-cooled but otherwise comparable Kymco People 150. The 50cc 2-stroke (and restricted-to-30mph) Roller Craft is the same price, which seems a few hundred bucks high for a restricted 50cc, though still a couple hundred bucks cheaper than a Vespa LX50 and $500 cheaper than the $3495 Dragster 50.

The flagship, the 250cc Dragster 250, is MSRP’ed (is that a verb?) at a whopping $5795, less than a Vespa GTS250, but more than most other 250cc scooters on the market. Like the Vespa, the Dragster is a legendary and stylish machine that (in principle) is a cut above the rest, and demand is certainly high, but this new incarnation (of the Dragster and of Italjet, and to a lesser degree, their importer and dealer network) is unproven. If it can provide anything close to the style and riding experience of the fin-de millenium 2-stroke 180cc Dragster with equal or better quality and better dealer/parts support, it’s probably worth the cash. We’ll see.

Do the Khuranas own the Lambretta name?

In my post about Khurana’s “new” Lambrettas last week, I said:

The Khuranas are selling bikes from a slightly-lower-tier maker, using one of the most beloved names in scooterdom. They almost certainly have no global rights to the Lambretta name, and even the American rights are questionable. (Note the logo on the bikes and the Lambretta USA site reads “Lambretta International,� and the site reads “Official Factory Web Site of Lambretta,� which seems to be tempting international legal doom).

Even though I mentioned the promise of a future bike from Scooters India Limited (SIL), it never occurred to me that the Khurana family may have actually struck a deal for the name with SIL (who apparently DO own the international trademark). According to a few sources, that is indeed the case. With that news, the picture becomes a little clearer, if not any happier.

So it appears that the Khuranas, after abandoning the CMSI/PM Tuning project because of doubts about the name, decided that a good name was worth more than a good product, and set off to work out a deal with SIL, who is still in business producing “Vikram”-branded three-wheelers, but no longer producing Lambretta scooters. Presumably, the Khuranas got SIL excited about the U.S. scooter boom and convinced them that getting a Lambretta scooter back on the market (even one not produced by SIL) would pave the way for the rebirth of the SIL Lambretta (I imagine a reasonable amount of money changed hands as well, and/or a large percentage of Adly sales profits were promised.)

This would explain the boast “Official Factory Web Site of Lambretta,â€? and also explain the promise(again, we’ll believe it when we see it) of an Indian-built ‘real’ Lambretta down the road. While there may still be a battle over the name, it appears they have a pretty legitimate claim and would be likely to come out on top. While Lambretta Clothing and Denny Kunman (if he’s still around) seem to own the name in England, they appear to be licensing the name from SIL as well, meaning any complaints they have with the Khuranas’ use of the name are already settled, or would have to be taken up with SIL.

The name is, sadly, very likely being used legally, though that still doesn’t resolve the fact that they’re using it to sell a rebadged, unimpressive scooter that’s already available on the market. Not illegal, but still depressing. Even if the best-case scenario comes true (SIL starts making high-quality, GP-styled, mustard-colored, tastefully-striped, metal-bodied Lambrettas, dare to dream that they’re 2-strokes with manual transmissions), they’re going to sit on showroom floors with plastic twist-and-gos bearing the same name. Even Piaggio knows better than to call their entry-level discount 50cc scooters “Vespas.” It’s still bad news for the Lambretta name, and as many have pointed out, it’s unclear who’s going to pay a premium (no pricing info has been released, but why use the name “Lambretta” if you’re selling it cheap?) for a Lambretta-badged Taiwanese/Chinese scooter in a market full of better-designed and more reasonably-priced Taiwanese scooters.