VESPA ??!!??!! What is Good about one??????

[tallpaul]

Apart from nostalgia and the fact there was little else available in the 50,s and 60,s and they were leading technology then what is the reason in this day and age?

They still look fabulous.
Plus they are light, agile, easy to maintain and very economical.
And fun.

+what he said.

[andyscooter]

Wasnt you doing 95 at the time your majesty gave up Andy or was it 105 my memory is going a bit

I think Jap is better than Italian overall just seen a Honda S wing 125 on ebay 60K on clock been dealer serviced from new guy traded in for another S wing .

I do think now tho Japs are lowering quality to compete with chinese on price

i may of been for over 50 miles

[maxiscoot nz]

The one you are trying to defend is a disposable toy!!!!

Disposable? You'll see more old (ten years plus) auto Vespas in London than Honda scooters. Kind of a tribute to longevity perhaps.

Maybe you simply see more old Vespas in London because it's a big place and there's time to look about as no one is going anywhere fast, you're just crawling from one set of traffic lights to another, and the Vespa is a city scooter anyway. It's the image most people associate with the word scooter, they can probably ride one on the licence they've got, in their office clothes. The world doesn't revolve round London for the majority of us on this forum and what's on the road down there isn't representative of the rest of the UK. Whether a Vespa or a Honda the longevity of any scooter is down to the owner and their attitude to it's general care and maintenance.

As for Honda scooters, the CN250 Helix was imported by Honda UK from 1989-92 and more came over as 'grey imports' especially for London dealers, they're still being ridden by enthusiasts. Another couple of examples, the Honda FES 250 Foresight has been around since about 1998 and like the Helix they don't seem to have any longevity problems, and neither does the Honda FJS 600 Silver Wing which has been around since 2001. There will be also plenty of other Honda shopping trolley or smaller capacity Learner scooters that are over 10 years old parked up at factories and offices all over the country that are under the radar for the majority of us that have full licences, we simply don't notice them.

Couldnt of summed it up better Meldew

[maxiscoot nz]

Apart from nostalgia and the fact there was little else available in the 50,s and 60,s and they were leading technology then what is the reason in this day and age?

They still look fabulous.
Plus they are light, agile, easy to maintain and very economical.
And fun.

+what he said.

yeah they may look good but as i said they dont have a chassis simply a pan no backbone and simpley rattle themselves to bits with metal fatiqe and time.
In our country they cost to much a 150 will set you back $7000 with a few extras, and a brand new say pcx honda under $5000 .No brainer in my opinion. So when i say whats good about them the price is a big factor along with its heritage.I am sure many people love them and Meldew is correct when he says they are a city scoot

[SkuTorr]

It all comes down to projected use. If it's strictly in-city short distance commuting, then if that's ALL you are going to do with it you have myriad choices that will, at the end, all be image-driven.

My old 2007 (plastic) Aprilia Mojito 150 was my little putter for commuting to and fro; school, store and whatnot. Who CARES if it had toy tires, an anemic Vespa 150 motor, no brakes and shit suspension...it looked cool and I farkled it up! In essence, it was a TOY that had enough utility that I could justify (to myself and my wife) spending over $3,000 on a new one.

Stepped it up to a "new" (700 miles...) Majesty 400. I wanted to be able to travel on the freeway, make it up hills over 8% grade, and actually GO places. Not a cute ride anymore, but an inherently more practical one.

Which leads to my modified Tmax mk3 I bought new. Going places and around corners quickly became an Attribute for my Scoot that was now a requirement. It does everything that the other scoots did, better than they did, and so much more. In the end, ultimate utility won out.

And so I see Vespas being sold new for relatively astronomical amounts, that compared to my current ride do so little, so poorly. But that's NOT the point. So do most Harleys, many Crotch Rockets, etc.

People will spend their $$$ on whatever makes them happy, floats their boat, fuels their obsession.
It doesn't have to make any sense...they are people! And they are not me...

[gn2]

In the UK a Vespa GTS300 is cheaper than a Honda Forza 300

[pikey]

Quality has dropped on Gts as well 6 month old rims corroding my 05 lived on south coast rims perfect. chassis was rusting but Lyn has saved it should be OK for couple of years .

[DougL]

yeah they may look good but as i said they dont have a chassis simply a pan no backbone and simpley rattle themselves to bits with metal fatiqe and time.

Now you're just talking nonsense. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean you have to rubbish it. You obviously know very little about them and can't be bothered to learn. There's absolutely no point in debating this with you any more.

[pikey]

The spine as it were is a steel box section thicker than other panels same principal as Honda cub they pinched the idea .Its good to see old ones running would not like the trouble myself .That's why brought hexagon try modern version 2 stroke get sound and smell with a water cooled auto engine with electric start .

[VOZZA]

DougL I would have said that earlier but I am of the opinion that giving enough rope can work better. But well said anyhow.