Category: Piaggio

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Ryan’s manicured finger demonstrates the override switch.

Seeing the Piaggio MP3 in person, and a short demonstration from a Piaggio representative, answered a lot of questions about the scooter, and warranted a separate post.

Since the first leaked footage of the MP3, I’ve been pointing out that the machine does not, in fact, balance on three wheels like a tricycle, eliminating the need to put your feet down at lights. If the dual front wheels tilt, I assumed, then (unless the parking brake was activated), the machine could easily fall over on its side. Technically, I was right, and the Piaggio representative pointed out a few marks where it had been dropped a couple times at the Minneapolis show.

But what I did not know, nor had I ever seen explained, is that the MP3 is actually designed to lock the wheel-tilting mechanism at low speeds and stops. You actually, in most cases, can leave your feet on the floorboards! As you accelerate, the tilt mechanism unlocks, so that once you hit about 15-20mph, the wheels are free to tilt. As you come to a stop, they once again lock into place. A manual override button (photo above) will lock or unlock the wheels when necessary, for instance when parking on a hill, the wheels can be tilted for stability. The centerstand, the representative said, is nearly unnecessary other than for long-term storage.

This was a real revelation, many times I’ve questioned the hype that the MP3 would be a good choice for beginners, because I had no idea the wheel tilt was tied to the speed. I was wrong, it probably would make a beginner feel quite at ease.

That said, under the right conditions, it can still be dropped, at speed or at rest, and it is one giant, heavy machine. The thought of even more electric sensors and gizmos in what already seemed like a ridiculously complicated suspension make me shudder when I think of the expensive repairs for a very minor front-end collision. Electrical failure or a dead battery would seemingly pose some interesting new problems. Looking at the MP3 really drove it home that modern scooters have very little in common with the simple two-stroke Vespas I’m used to, and home maintenance is a thing of the past. The MP3 is just as complicated as a modern car, though–unlike a car–there will be a very small pool of qualified technicians capable of maintaining and repairing it.

On the other hand, it is attractive, well-designed and -built, and it felt amazingly comfortable, so even with its high price tag, it might be a big seller. I am still entirely unqualified to comment on its handling and agility, having never ridden it, but I suspect that will be another revelation. Hopefully, that revelation will come soon.

POCPhil found the Piaggio MP3 promo film on YouTube. It’s pretty low quality (possibly re-filmed off a TV screen), so I hunted down another, clearer version with different (better) music,including David Bowie’s “Cat People” and Joey Ramone’s version of “What a Wonderful World.” Whether this was an official Piaggio trade-show edit, or something some maniac on the web put together is unclear. In any case, it’s cheesy, but the fact that Piaggio could be arsed to promote one of their vehicles is hope for the future. There’s a lot more MP3 video on YouTube, including a funny MP3 clip from British TV show Fifth Gear featuring some difficult lane-splitting and an MP3 time trial versus a Vespa P200. If that’s not boring you yet, check out this MP3-400 footage from EIMCA, a MP3 test ride in Cy’s hometown, and more.

Maybe brokers think this is a laugh riot, but I think it’s way funnier that they’re throwing money away buying Piaggio stock.

Just as I was about to post a contest to unofficially name the Piaggio MP3 for the American market, POC Phil posted a comment to the last post that shed some light on the MP3 marketing story:

We received our packet on the MP3 yesterday.
UP – They include a 2 minute DVD
Down – They visually compare the MP3 to several wild animals, Guh-hay.
UP – They actually show it doing a respectable stoppie.
Down – They are OFFICIALLY calling it the MP3.
Up – They’re putting a lot of energy into this launch.
Down – They won’t be available at your local dealership until mid/late March.
Up – They originally told us $7299 – They’ve dropped it to $6999
Down – The few MP3’s already here are being loaned around to press gigs, motorcycle shows etc. Not scooter rallies…yet.
Up – I am personally buying one and I will be riding it to everything.
Down – 3 times the chance of picking up a nail.
Up – Givi already makes a windshield for it…can the saddlebags and trailer be far behind?

So it will be called the MP3, a sorta-cruddy name, but at least consistent worldwide. The news that it will be less expensive than originally thought is certainly good, and perhaps the marketing campaign will be substantial and impressive. Good news, Phil, thanks. Phil (in another thread) also reiterates our argument that the extra wheel is there for better handling, not for balance:

Regarding the Mp3 article….�the scooter that won’t topple over�… I LOVE IT… it’s exactly these type of ads that will keep me in the clover fixing damaged MP3s. Yes, it will topple over, quite easily in fact. Just forget to press the yellow button and your ass is going down, and it’s a lot harder/heavier to deal with.

Exactly. It’s less likely to fishtail or flip at speed, but that extra wheel isn’t going to help you balance the bike or stop at a light without putting your feet down. I guess parking would be easier (locking the wheels while it’s upright, rather than pushing it onto a centerstand), but it’s not a tricycle. Which is a good thing.

Marketing trade magazine MediaPost writes about Piaggio’s marketing plan for the MP3 in the U.S.:

Paolo Timoni, president and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, … said the bike/trike targets urban and suburban commuters worried about global warming, gasoline prices and gridlock.
The approach isn’t new to Piaggio sibling Vespa, which has for the past two years been trumpeting its scooters as green machines in urban centers through mass transit poster ads promoting the iconic two-wheelers as gasoline and time savers in U.S. cities.
Timoni said that the company ran a study prior to launching MP3, based on a hypothetical situation in which 20% of car volume in New York City was replaced by scooters. “We learned that each of those drivers would save ten days a year,” he said.
Marketing for the vehicle will launch this spring when Piaggio runs a national road show taking the three-wheeled vehicle to cities, and a national open house at dealerships, talking up the environmental friendliness, savings and practicality of the vehicle. “We will run a traditional print push later in the year,” Timoni said.

So basically nothing new, he’s rehashing the Vespanomics/Vespetition screed. It’s a reasonable tactic on one hand, but there are very good arguments both for and against scooters in those regards. In any case, gas prices appear to be coming down, and the fickle American public will (sadly) soon hop off the environmental bandwagon, so their economy-based message may turn out to be just as futile as their luxury-based attempt. (Remember a few years ago when Vespa scooters were luxurious?)

Timoni also glosses over the fact that, publicly anyway, the MP3 doesn’t even have a name in America. Pre-launch marketing seems a waste of time when they can’t even connect it to the actual branding of the product. There’s a good buzz going on the MP3 now, but will that translate to brand recognition when it finally appears? (Wasn’t that supposed to be in December?) “MP3” was a horrible naming choice in the first place by the Italians, but does it make sense to leave it nameless until a week before it hits showroom floors? If so, why hype it at all, until then? And has anyone seen the cited Vespa “mass transit poster ads” in the U.S., let alone print advertising outside scooter publications? Sure, there’s been local, dealer-driven print advertising, but not much else.

I hope the MP3 (I feel dumb even calling it that, maybe I should go back to “X3“?) is the second coming of scooters in America. I hope Piaggio has a great name and a big, impressive, national media blast ready to go, and that bikes and spares flood into (and out of) dealer showrooms without a hitch. I hope Piaggio makes me regret my lack of faith in their marketing department. The MP3 is a truly original and exciting scooter, with merits well beyond the economic, environmental, and newbie-friendliness, and I hope Piaggio makes the most of this opportunity.