Bought it for my wife, picked it up today. She's only doing her CBT tomorrow so I rode it home, a whopping 27 miles with everything from tiny little town streets to NSL A roads and it's an absolute joy to ride. Apologies for the crap photos, I'll take some better ones next time I / we take it out, but I thought I'd scribble down some first thoughts whilst they're still fresh.
First off, the ride quality. It's a lot smaller than my Aprilia and it's noticeable. In fact it feels dinky compared to mine and it's all the more charming for it. I couldn't think of a better word to describe this little bike, it's absolutely dripping in charm and character. The engine is very differently tuned to the one in my Aprilia and the bike is a lot lighter too, in fact I'm pretty sure it'll destroy the bigger and more powerful Aprilia off the line ten times out of ten. If you've ever ridden anything with a CVT (scooter transmission, twist & go) you'll know that they all have a little dead zone for the first second or two after which the transmission starts winding out and they reach their full acceleration. It feels almost like a two speed gearbox. On this Vespa it feels like a three speed. There's the first little lull in power when taking off, then it absolutely comes to life and zips off far quicker than a 125 should. Once it hits about 30mph the acceleration slows down, but it does continue accelerating. I hit 50mph on it today and I reckon it'll do about 60 quite comfortably and push to 65 when really pressed, with the ever elusive 70mph reserved for those perfect stars-have-aligned moments when the wind is perfect and the road is perfectly flat or better. If it's anything like my Aprilia however, 60mph is the comfy ceiling and anything above that is pushing.
The bike cuts through town like nothing I've ever experienced, even in my old moped days. The short wheelbase and tiny wheels mean that this thing is more agile than a housefly. The brakes are more than adequate, the front having ABS on the disc, the rear having a drum. I gave it a proper slammer test from about 30mph and the ABS didn't even kick in, the bike just stopped with enough urgency to make me avoid doing it again any time soon. Whether the ABS is actually needed or is just a marketing thing is debateable, I've certainly not found it necessary yet and I gave that right lever a proper squeeze a few times. Maybe as the tires age, we'll see.
The fit & finish of the bike is about as good as it gets, as you'd expect from a Vespa. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but then few people will have the critical eyes I have when it comes to engineering. For the everyday rider, it'll be absolutely perfect.
The dash is has an analogue speedo which reads in miles and kms, the miles being the smaller font, with a digital screen showing trip and fuel level, flanked by the usual idiot lights. This bike's dash is a lot lower compared to my Aprilia and the speedo will take a bit of getting used to in order to prevent speeding fines but it's nothing major.
Practicality wise the bike has a little storage bin in the front with a USB charging port which is easily opened by pressing the key in to the ignition and the under seat storage is enough to store a few bits in, maybe even a small helmet. The fuel filler is under the seat too which means being a bit careful when filling up.
So far so good, loved the first few miles on it and I'm pretty sure my wife will love it too. Looking forward to getting out on our scoots with her next weekend
Maybe next weekend we'll pop in at @Hades for a little play
First off, the ride quality. It's a lot smaller than my Aprilia and it's noticeable. In fact it feels dinky compared to mine and it's all the more charming for it. I couldn't think of a better word to describe this little bike, it's absolutely dripping in charm and character. The engine is very differently tuned to the one in my Aprilia and the bike is a lot lighter too, in fact I'm pretty sure it'll destroy the bigger and more powerful Aprilia off the line ten times out of ten. If you've ever ridden anything with a CVT (scooter transmission, twist & go) you'll know that they all have a little dead zone for the first second or two after which the transmission starts winding out and they reach their full acceleration. It feels almost like a two speed gearbox. On this Vespa it feels like a three speed. There's the first little lull in power when taking off, then it absolutely comes to life and zips off far quicker than a 125 should. Once it hits about 30mph the acceleration slows down, but it does continue accelerating. I hit 50mph on it today and I reckon it'll do about 60 quite comfortably and push to 65 when really pressed, with the ever elusive 70mph reserved for those perfect stars-have-aligned moments when the wind is perfect and the road is perfectly flat or better. If it's anything like my Aprilia however, 60mph is the comfy ceiling and anything above that is pushing.
The bike cuts through town like nothing I've ever experienced, even in my old moped days. The short wheelbase and tiny wheels mean that this thing is more agile than a housefly. The brakes are more than adequate, the front having ABS on the disc, the rear having a drum. I gave it a proper slammer test from about 30mph and the ABS didn't even kick in, the bike just stopped with enough urgency to make me avoid doing it again any time soon. Whether the ABS is actually needed or is just a marketing thing is debateable, I've certainly not found it necessary yet and I gave that right lever a proper squeeze a few times. Maybe as the tires age, we'll see.
The fit & finish of the bike is about as good as it gets, as you'd expect from a Vespa. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but then few people will have the critical eyes I have when it comes to engineering. For the everyday rider, it'll be absolutely perfect.
The dash is has an analogue speedo which reads in miles and kms, the miles being the smaller font, with a digital screen showing trip and fuel level, flanked by the usual idiot lights. This bike's dash is a lot lower compared to my Aprilia and the speedo will take a bit of getting used to in order to prevent speeding fines but it's nothing major.
Practicality wise the bike has a little storage bin in the front with a USB charging port which is easily opened by pressing the key in to the ignition and the under seat storage is enough to store a few bits in, maybe even a small helmet. The fuel filler is under the seat too which means being a bit careful when filling up.
So far so good, loved the first few miles on it and I'm pretty sure my wife will love it too. Looking forward to getting out on our scoots with her next weekend
Maybe next weekend we'll pop in at @Hades for a little play
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