Category: Manufacturers

Aprilia and Derbi at EICMA 2006

Despite our promise to tackle Piaggio’s Milan show offerings next, it proved too daunting a task for one night, so we’ll finish that up over the weekend. In the meantime, we present Derbi and Aprilia’s new products from the EICMA. It’s clear from just the press releases that Derbi and Aprilia are still not fully integrated into the Piaggio machine. The text is organized differently, less details are given, and the English translation is even more awkward (In Derbi’s case, perhaps a result of translating from Spanish to Italian to English).

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Derbi

Derbi scooters are still unavailable in the U.S, but for what it’s worth, their Atlantis and Senda models will be offered in new colors. The GP 125 and 250i have been modestly updated, note that the 250 has been given electronic fuel injection. The only all-new model is the Boulevard S (pictured above), a nice-looking big-wheeler offered in 125 and 250cc displacements.

Aprilia

Aprilia hyped some new motorcycles in Milan, but didn’t have too much to show as far as scooters, not deeming any of them important enough to include a photo with Piaggio’s press kit.

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Four variations of the Scarabeo line have changed. The 2-stroke Scarabeo 50 Street has been given some minor cosmetic changes, including new wheels and a new front fairing. The Scarabeo 125 Street and 200 Street have been given “a lighter design and form make for perfect access to the Scarabeo range,” whatever that means, and are now available in “Blue Couture,” “Shot Grey,” and “Shine Red.” The 250 has a new fuel-injected engine. No mention is made of the 4-stroke 50, 100, 400, or 500cc models, which are presumably unchanged from 2006. It’s also unclear why the world needs eight versions of the Scarabeo.

The Atlantic 400 boasts a new top-end design, a watercooled one-cylinder with a higher-flow valve that meets A2 licensing and Euro 3 emissions standards. The Atlantic 125, 250, and 500 presumably remain unchanged.

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The venerable SR 50 has been given new replica graphics based on Jorge Lorenzo’s World Championship winning “Spain’s No. 1” Aprilia RSW 250 .

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The range also includes the Sonic 50, Mojito Custom (pictured above, and rumored to be returning the the U.S. at a lower price in 2007), and the Sportcity 125, 200, and 250.

More photos in EICMA06 Gallery.

Cheer up, Peter Reid…

This one’s for M5, complaining about the recent lack of football news on 2sb: Sunderland’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, Ben Alnwick, hit a teenage girl on a Piaggio scooter with his Range Rover yesterday morning. Alnwick was questioned and released, the girl went to the hospital on a stretcher. Amazingly, among the witnesses was Graham Poll, who presented the scooterist with a yellow card for her blatant dive.

Vespa at EICMA 2006

In part two of our rundown of Piaggio’s offerings at the EICMA show, we look at Vespa’s new products. Not quite so exciting as Gilera’s, but some interesting variations (and yellow paint!) on some models, and a couple big surprises. As always, keep in mind that Piaggio themselves probably don’t know if these bikes will end up stateside, so your dealer will, as usual, know less than you do when you call. All aboard…

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GTV 125, GTV 250

After presenting some one-off 60th-Anniversary retro concept Vespas at last year’s EICMA show, Vespa suprised the world this April, announcing that the three models would actually go into production. All three were basically retro-cosmetic upgrades of existing models. The first, the GTS-based GT60, is shipping now to dealers in a very limited edition that’s probably already sold out. The next two will see a wider release, and are apparently coming very soon. The first of these, the GTV, is a GTS remodeled to emulate Vespa’s exposed-handlebar fenderlight bikes of the early Fifties. It’s been talked-about for a year now, so the only surprise is that it will be available in both 125 and 250cc displacements, and in a traditional green color called “Portofino” in addition to the promised “Avio Grey.” Our prediction is that a 125 cc four-stroke engine in a GTS body will give the rider the true experience of a fifties Vespa — speedwise, anyway (see GTS 125, below).

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LXV 125, LXV 50

The other Anniversary model promised in April was the LXV, which brings the glamour of the Sixties Vespa to the LX range of modern Vespas. Again, the only fresh news to report is that it will be available in both LX displacements (the LX50 features the new 2-stroke Hi-Per2 motor), and like all early Vespas (and the new GTVs), it will be sold in your choice of leftover battleship grey, or leftover tank green.

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S 50, S 125

Luckily, Piaggio kept one Anniversary model a secret until last week. Seeing the first photos of the Vespa S, we accurately noted it’s stylistic nod to the Vespa 50 Special, but mistook it for a superficially retrofitted LX. On closer inspection, while the general dimensions and displacements (50 and 125) match the LX, there are some rather significant design differences. Most obvious is the legshield, which discards the plastic insert of the LX, returning to a more traditional shape and contour than any scooter since the PK series. The Corsa-style seat looks as magically uncomfortable as the original. Details like the fender and tailight add to the impression that the Vespa smallframe is back, although for some reason, of all the great smallframe models to choose from, they gave it the horncasting and square headlight of a Vespa 50 Special. (Apparently, every European teenager in the 1970s lost their virginity on the 50 Special, so we’ll let that decision slide) It’s impossible to look at this bike and not want to add a dummy tank and spare tire behind the legshield. It evokes the spirit of the original without being superficial or corny, and that’s more than can be said about the bigger and more expensive 60th Anniversary models. The 50 features the 2-stroke Hi-Per, the 125 has the 4-stroke LEADER. Hello, Neue Primavera.

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GTS 250, GTS 125

Differences may be eluding me, but I see nothing new about the GTS 250. It seems like every GTS I’ve ever seen was green, so perhaps “Midnight Blue, Lime Yellow, Excalibur Grey, Shiny Black and Dragon Red.” are new colors, but perhaps not. (Are the optional anti-lock brakes new? Does anyone actually want ABS on a motorcycle?) The new GTS 125 is targeted towards European teenagers with a A1 license or older riders who don’t want to go through motorcycle testing. It features the 125 LEADER engine, which as noted above, doesn’t seem like much displacement for a heavy GTS frame, though the same engine will power the even heavier US-market MP3 (or whatever they decide to call it here).

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LX series

As with the GTS, the only changes from 2006 in the LX range appear to be displacement and paint. Four engine choices are available: a 50cc 2 stroke Hi-Per2, a 50cc 4-stroke Hi-Per4, and 125cc or 150cc 4-stroke LEADERs. Colors for 2007 are Tibet, Sky Blue, Lime Yellow, Excalibur Grey, Graphite Black and Dragon Red for the 50s, Portofino, Midnight Blue, Lime Yellow, Excalibur Grey, Graphite Black and Dragon Red for the 125 and 150.

Check out our ever-expanding 2006 EICMA Gallery for more photos. Still to come: Derbi, Piaggio, and Aprilia’s EICMA offerings, plus anything else we can scrape up about the non-Piaggio-made scooters on display.

India proposes “spares law”

As anyone who’s bought an Italjet or Malaguti in the last ten years can tell you, it’s frustrating to spend a few grand on a motor vehicle, then find out a month later that a $5 component you need to replace will never be available again at any price. The Indian government is taking steps to require vehicle manufacturers to provide parts and service for five years after a model is discontinued or (handy for LML owners) if the company shuts its doors or changes hands. The Indian Business Standard reports that a new car model is launched in India every month. Meanwhile, Daewoo Motors Ltd., Premier Automobiles Ltd., Hero Puch Ltd., and LML, have all shut down. These closures and remaining manufacturers’ haphazard product lines are leaving millions of customers helpless to maintain and repair their cars, mopeds and scooters.

The article cites “similar laws in the US and the UK,” begging two questions: First, where do American Italjet and Malaguti owners get the proper forms; second, how can a government force a defunct importer of a defunct manufacturer (or worse, a fly-by-night importer dumping Chinese scooters on the market) to provide parts and service?

Piaggio sales up 60% in the U.S.

Piaggio reported yesterday that first-9-months profits were up 20.4% over 2005 and sales were up 60% in the U.S. (compared to 2005) Is that increase a result of Piaggio’s marketing genius, or expensive gas? 2SB reader jrldg has re-sparked an old discussion and points out Piaggio’s stock has risen over €3 per share. Piaggio’s showing at the EICMA is impressive, and maybe they are starting to get their act together in America, but I’ll stand by my argument that it’s mostly lucky timing.

Gilera at EICMA 2006

Our reports on the Piaggio Group’s presence at EICMA start with the models we’re least likely to ever see. We’ve never heard a single squeak about Gilera coming to America, a damn shame because the Runner and Nexus were perfectly good reasons to covet a Gilera dealer, and the Milan show just gave us a few more:

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GP 800

One of the biggest stories at EICMA, scooters or otherwise, is Gilera’s new 75hp, 850cc GP 800 (Gilera might be the first manufacturer to ever round down cc’s for a model name). The GP features a V-twin 8-valve liquid-cooled engine in a Runner-like body (reports this summer predicted it’d be called a “Runner”) outfitted with a CVT automatic transmission, a horizontal single rear shock, and twin front discs. The only way to describe it is “Automatic Sportbike.” Whether the performance is comparable to an 800cc sportbike remains to be seen, but it’s going to outpace just about any other scooter. And the price will surely reflect the displacement.

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Fuoco 500

We’ve already talked about this a bit, but we now have some new photos in the gallery. As reported, it’s a MASTER 492cc engine in a sporty frame with tilting dual front wheels borrowed from the Piaggio MP3.

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Nexus 125

The rest of the lineup is a bit less exciting. The Nexus 125 is Gilera’s sporty Nexus 250 scooter with a downsized engine for 16-year-olds with a Euro A1 license. It’s a fairly large bike, and presumably not as peppy with the smaller engine, but the high-end features are retained from the bigger models, so at least it’s still flashy and luxurious. Adorably, the underseat compartment has been redesigned to hold a fullface helmet AND a half-shell for unexpected guests.

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Stalker 50

The Stalker 50, Gilera’s version of the Piaggio Typhoon, now comes with a 2-stroke Hi-PER2 PRO engine previously found in the Gilera DNA and Piaggio NRG. Dig those “Urban Graffiti” graphics. It’s Christmas morning in Bari, and little Gio has just turned 16. He’s been begging his parents for two months for the new Gilera Nexus 125, but the butcher shop hasn’t been doing so well, and when they lead them to the garage and uncover his eyes, he sees a blaring “Stalker” decal glaring back at him. He’s polite, and it’s still a brand-new scooter after all, a good brand, better than most of his friends’, and out of his parent’s budget. And thank God it’s not the white one. But it’s still not easy to hide his disappointment. By mid-January, all the kids at school are calling him “Il Stalker” and Annabella has dumped him for an 18-year-old with a ten-year-old Runner 180. Gio and his friend Mario save up enough money to buy a 133 kit and a sports exhaust from a kid that crashed his Typhoon. They peel off the “Stalker” decal and put a big Inter Milan sticker on it, and decide it’s not such a bad bike after all.

See more photos in our EICMA 2006 gallery.

More: Gilera Fuoco 500

As expected, Gilera’s new 500cc three-wheeler was officially unveiled in Milan. We got it right that it was based on the MP3 platform (no-brainer) but we (and others) mistakenly machine-translated the name to “Fire,” when it is in fact named, in Italian, “Fuoco.” The Fuoco will feature the same engine found in the Gilera Nexus 500. Motorcycle News has a few more details and a photo of the back-end. Surprisingly, it will be available for sale (in Italy, anyway) in a few weeks. We expect more details and photos of the Fuoco and Vespa S soon.

Burgmania spreads

Suzuki’s doing something right, their Burgman continues to rack up glowing news stories nationwide. Interestingly, the bike also seems to be expanding beyond touring scooters’ usual market (the elderly, and wives of touring motorcyclists) in almost every direction. Here are a few news reports we’ve seen lately:

Is the “Lambretta” name alive in Sri Lanka?

Following worldwide scooter news, I’ve occasionally seen stories from Sri Lanka, usually in business news or stock reports, mentioning “Lambretta (Ceylon) Ltd.” or “Lambretta Motors.” From what I can tell, Lambretta (Ceylon) Ltd. once manufactured Lambretta scooters in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), but was acquired in 2000 by a dairy company. It appears that company was renamed “Kotmale Holdings Ltd” in 2005, but I still see financial reports referring to “Lambretta Motors.” Surely there’s not an assembly line in Colombo secretly churning out SX200s, but I’d appreciate any information regarding Lambretta (Ceylon) Ltd and/or Lambretta Motors, if only because I’m curious about the name, whether they’re the same company or two separate companies, and what they’re doing these days.