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I've seen some Piaggio (sp??) scooters. Someone told me they were made by Vespa? Any experiences you would care to share?
Piaggio is one of the largest (#4 I think) motorcycle and scooter mfg.'s in the world. In addition to the Piaggio line, it owns Vespa, Aprilla, Scarabeo, Motto Guzzi, Gilera, Derbi and a line of commercial vehicles.
I own a Piaggio MP3 400 maxi scooter, which is a 3 wheeled unit (as well as a Honda-Reflex & Yamaha-TMax scooters). My opinions/experience/advice:
Assuming you live in the US - service & parts availability can be a pain. Piaggio scooter volumes in the US are not very large and the parts inventory reflects that situation. In Europe its an different situation, they are well regarded and quite popular.
Most Piaggio outlets also sell/service Vespas, its actually the Vespa dealers offer the lower volume Piaggios as a side line. The Vs are more common and parts/service ability is not quite so scarce, though Vespas are quite expensive in general. You pay a rather large premium for that specific Italian style.
I had a minor getoff at the end of last July that required several fairing parts replacement on my MP3 - it took 3.5 months for the repairs to get done, parts had to come from Italy & some needed to be painted stateside. Part of that extended delay is that Italy basically shuts down in August for vacation time.
The Piaggio scooters themselves are definitely quality units but, personal opinion, not quite on par with the Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki brands, which are much more readily available service & parts-wise in the US.
I'm very fond of my MP3 because of its unique 3 wheel features (stands alone with a suspension lock (much easier to move around and park), the two front wheels give it superb wet road and rough surface riding stability. It would be my choice for commuting, but with full knowledge of the downsides.
Parts & service are not inexpensive (though no brand's dealer service is), you absolutely need an experienced Piaggio/MP3 service person to work on its somewhat unique mechanics. Unless you're going for the MP3, I'd pass on any two wheeled Piaggio.
There are better and less expensive alternatives. You may see some killer reduced pricing on any Piaggio because they are harder to sell in the US.
I'm a bit of a scooter junkie and would advise that you look at the big 3 Japanese Mfgs. unless you want an MP3 ride. There are some non- Japanese alternatives; 2nd tier - KYMCO & SYM (both Taiwanese mfg.s, though SYM has been having some distributor problems in the US in recent years) and I've heard some folks like Genuine Buddy brand as well. I would only advise my worst enemies (and actually don't t have anyone I dislike that much) to buy any no name Chinese scooters. They are that bad.
If you care to provide a bit more information regarding your scooter preferences/experience/riding needs/budget, etc., I'm confident you can get some decent advice herein and references to specific brand and model forums that are excellent sources for your questions.
Last edited by Pilgrim21784; 01-28-2012 at 08:39 PM..
Yep, lots of name brand motorcycle & scooter components are sourced to Chinese suppliers. The difference between say a Honda item and the typical no name Chinese one, is that Honda, Yamaha, etc. require such sources to build to Honda spec, e.g., the actual metal composition, quality of screw threading, thickness of fairings, QC processes, etc., etc., etc..
Some Chinese suppliers are perfectly capable of building quality components and have been for quite some time. The issue is materials cost, quality control processes, assembly routines and related manufacturing activities that all cost more than the "el cheapo" versions.
That is one of the major reasons the name brands cost more, they are much more expensive to produce, even with discounting labor rate cost differences. To a significant degree, one does get what one pays for in many instances.
At present, the US scooter market is pitiful compared to other world markets, especially Europe. Yamaha for example, offers ABS rides on everything from 125cc, 250, 400 & 500 scooters in Europe. In the US, you can't buy one (nor can you get one imported just for you, I tried). The US is unfortunately a backwater in the world scooter market.
Last edited by Pilgrim21784; 01-29-2012 at 12:42 PM..
Do you think that we'd get better representation from the manufacturers in terms of scooters at any point in the future? After all we do have several large metro areas and gas prices continue to make their relentless climb
[quote=icecreamsandwich;22799368]Do you think that we'd get better representation from the manufacturers in terms of scooters at any point in the future? After all we do have several large metro areas and gas prices continue to make their relentless climb[/QUOTE]
Yes, but slowly - the US market is just not a major factor at present and I don't see that changing dramatically in the near term. Ultimately, gas (& parking space) will create positive circumstances, many folks may move to scooters in urban areas as a consequence.
Hopefully the mfg.'s will start importing their newer (to us) products as the older, not well selling, non-ABS, non-EFI units pass away. Until then, its difficult to find a US scooter under 400ccs from a major mfg. with the best technology.
There are also established cultural preferences at work. In Europe, its typical to pick your date up on a scooter, here in the US I'd suggest its a bit uncommon. I know as a Dad of two daughters I would have been very leery of that situation.
The US is much more of a car culture than the EU, where scooters are very common. I should note - both cars/scooters/motorcycles tend to be appreciably higher cost in the EU, and in some countries your insurance premium is related to the size of the 2 wheeler.
It also follows that the EU has established safety standards for body armor etc., here in the US we have zip in the way of motorcycle/scooter safety gear standards with the exception of DOT helmet certification. Its just a different attitude.
One oddity, many of the Europeans I've observed in my travels tend not to wear safety gear on scooters (other than a required helmet).
Its quite common to see a woman in high heels or flip flops (often with kids aboard) tooling around the cities on a scooter. The same applies to male riders. Motorcyclists on the other hand tend to wear fairly heavy duty gear (just my observations). I've no logical explanation for it.
At present, the US scooter market is pitiful compared to other world markets, especially Europe. Yamaha for example, offers ABS rides on everything from 125cc, 250, 400 & 500 scooters in Europe. In the US, you can't buy one (nor can you get one imported just for you, I tried). The US is unfortunately a backwater in the world scooter market.
Could it be that 2 strokes are banned? Or do the U.S. safety regulations make it impossible to sell scooters at a decent price in the U.S.?
I know that I'd like a nice dependable scooter but not at the prices today!
Do you think that we'd get better representation from the manufacturers in terms of scooters at any point in the future? After all we do have several large metro areas and gas prices continue to make their relentless climb[/QUOTE]
Yes, but slowly - the US market is just not a major factor at present and I don't see that changing dramatically in the near term. Ultimately, gas (& parking space) will create positive circumstances, many folks may move to scooters in urban areas as a consequence.
Hopefully the mfg.'s will start importing their newer (to us) products as the older, not well selling, non-ABS, non-EFI units pass away. Until then, its difficult to find a US scooter under 400ccs from a major mfg. with the best technology.
There are also established cultural preferences at work. In Europe, its typical to pick your date up on a scooter, here in the US I'd suggest its a bit uncommon. I know as a Dad of two daughters I would have been very leery of that situation.
The US is much more of a car culture than the EU, where scooters are very common. I should note - both cars/scooters/motorcycles tend to be appreciably higher cost in the EU, and in some countries your insurance premium is related to the size of the 2 wheeler.
It also follows that the EU has established safety standards for body armor etc., here in the US we have zip in the way of motorcycle/scooter safety gear standards with the exception of DOT helmet certification. Its just a different attitude.
One oddity, many of the Europeans I've observed in my travels tend not to wear safety gear on scooters (other than a required helmet).
Its quite common to see a woman in high heels or flip flops (often with kids aboard) tooling around the cities on a scooter. The same applies to male riders. Motorcyclists on the other hand tend to wear fairly heavy duty gear (just my observations). I've no logical explanation for it.
Thanks for the answer. Hopefully the attitude becomes more scooter- friendly.
That said I think i would definitely get a scooter. They seem so so practical and the metropolitan looks awesome lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grandpa Pipes
Could it be that 2 strokes are banned? Or do the U.S. safety regulations make it impossible to sell scooters at a decent price in the U.S.?
I know that I'd like a nice dependable scooter but not at the prices today!
Well you can get a honda metropolitan or PCX for $2k -$3k plus taxes...
$2 or $3 THOUSAND!! Woof! I'll stick to bicycles thanks!
Lolololol yeah thousand. That's new though. Likely cheaper used
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Woof! 
