I am thinking of upgrading my fleet and adding a Vespa,specifically the S150ie. I have 2 questions- are they a reliable scooter and secondly can you get them discounted from dealers new. Thanks
They are largely reliable, and even more "durable" given the proper care and maintenance. When they DO break down, parts availability can and does prove to be their Achilles heel here in North America. Some dealer have reportedly dropped the brand for poor support. Depends on your location how strong or entrenched in the product line your local or favorite dealer is and how likely they are to be there when you need them later. Vespas are the priciest scooters by category around, thats not to say it still isnt a buyers market, but the dealers dont make much on them and frankly Im all for keeping my dealer in business, and thinking of me as a "good" customer. Not a stupid or gullible one, but one that doesnt strive to deny them of a fair operating profit. Your best bet if you are that price conscious is to look for a used one, thats gonna get you past the substantial initial depreciation, and typically a low mileage specimen. Craigslist typically has plenty of them. Good luck and have fun.
I've got a Sportcity with the Leader 125 aircooled motor in it. I dunno bout parts in the US, and never ridden the Vespa with the same motor, but I can tell you the drivetrain is TOUGH. Sitting on a steady 55mph with 3/4 throttle cruising along in over 100F temps is easy for them. It's a small world nowadays, so parts are a simple click away if needed, and servicing is easy with only basic mechanical knowledge and tools if you like to do it yourself. Check out Modern Vespa for their Wiki info and how-to's.
In the US, parts AREN'T always a simple click away. Seriously. Sure you can "click them", but that doesn't always mean you're gonna get them anytime soon. Luck of the draw.
I've got a GTS 250 and so far its been trouble free with about 5000 miles. If I did have a problem Im at least 240 miles from the nearest dealer so I dont know what I would do, but am not worrying about it.
Im at 19,000 and counting. Loved every mile, but it hasn't been without some challenges keeping it on the road and angst. Just saying...
I have a GT200 with about 16,000 miles, and no failures to date. I have had to replace regular wear and tear items (including muffler gaskets) but nothing that has left me stranded at the side of the road.
Vespas are the most popular brand on the Scooter Cannonball with some as old as the 1960s and other modern. Generally speaking Vespas are quite reliable and easy to maintain. Unlike others I've never had a parts issue except once with the speedo went out on a new BV 500 and that happened end of July. We all know Italy shuts down the entire month of August so it took 5-6 weeks for it to come it but it wasn't a show stopper. I just either judged speed by traffic or GPS. If you do maintenance yourself you can order easily enough from AF1 Racing. If you dealer is doing maintenance then make an appointment and check their stock availablility. Dealers not keeping stock seems to the big issue. 5 years ago part supply was more of a problem but Piagio has invested more in the US since then including a training center, design center and parts warehouse.
I rode a GTS 250 for a couple years and absolutely loved it. no problems in 7k miles. the tires wore rather fast compared to other bikes I've had. When I changed jobs to work across town the Vespa just wasn't as good for the crosstown ride as a larger bike. I'd buy another one in a minute and may if i can find one for the right price just for playin around in my own zipcode
The Leader motor is very reliable, parts are easily available for that motor, and there are still 2009 S150s in dealerships. The S is the entry level bike, and is basically a stripped down LX with different headset and no immobilizer.
My local just had a couple '09 and '010 left a month ago. Discounted to $2800 rounds about. Kick myself for not jumping on the red one. :/
I've got several scooters and motorcycles, but feel the Vespa scooters are the best scoot that money can buy. I haven't found parts to be an issue. Most of the dealers don't stock a ton of parts, but there are several online outlets that have most everything you'll ever need in stock and they have fantastic service. I have a 250 gts that's been a fantastic scooter thus far. I put 4K miles on it this summer alone and it's offered complete hiccup free service. They're easy to work on and very straight forward and seem to retain their value at resale.
If planning on relying on the Vespa as a sole daily rider I would look much more closely at Kymco for 150cc or less and Japanese for 250cc plus. Vespa has created a niche for riders seeking brand name recognition. If you know Vespa's history you will pay the parent company Piaggio extra for the label. Piaggio owns Gilera, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and Vespa and is Europe's largest manufacturer of two wheelers. However they are not very customer oriented relying on brand loyalty to make up for uncertain manufacturing reliability and parts availability. I have owned two automatic four stroke Vespas, an early model GTS 250 which lasted ten months and ten thousand miles and left me stranded in continuation. The dealer couldn't keep it running and got sick of me and my "high mileage" GTS. In retrospect I got a $7200 lemon, fast comfortable and prone to blow the electrical system which wrecked relays like they were going out of fashion. Had it worked I'd still have it, lovely to look at, though complicated beyond belief. Changing the rear tire is an all day job- start by removing the muffler, finish by struggling to remove the almost welded on platethat supports the rear wheel/suspension assembly. My wife's ET4 150cc is after 10,000 miles reliable and capable of 65mph in perfect conditions, and will cruise at 50/55 in a relaxed manner on the flat. Freeway legal but not capable is how I would describe it for modern traffic conditions. If your riding involves blending with 75mph traffic you need a GTS which wil roll in perfect comfort at 85 flat out. If you plan to ride many miles beware of tire wear- every 3500 miles if you're lucky. I am not a fan of modern complexity and am about to start a fresh relationship with an elderly, but restored P200 of similar capability to the 150cc four stroke but with a spare wheel, widely available parts (no really!) and simplicity that I crave after forty years in the saddle. If it doesn't work out I still have a motorcycle as my other rider. I hope this helps. Vespas aren't cheap and if you get a bad one you are screwed. If the money doesn't matter but the prestige does, follow your heart. But have back up rides available! Good luck.
Vespas are high quality scooters, but I don't know about parts, I'm used to bikes that I can get parts from online places like cheapcycleparts.com and bikebandit.com, and they don't carry Vespa parts. Once I have bought a bike, I don't like having to return to the dealer for anything. My local dealer has a red '08 S150 fresh out of the crate, for $3299 OTD. While $3299 may seem like a lot for an '08, it is new and that is OTD. OTD is usually $700-$800 above retail price. I had my eye on it, but wound up with my Zuma back. I've noticed a lot of the scooters on Craigslist have been dropped, and I would not be interested in one of those unless it was a dirt cheap beater just for transportation.
Zumas really are high quality scooters. In Key West they don't depreciate and are extremely popular. I owned an older model one for a while and it lost no value over the six months I owned it. My wife didnt like it as she found it a bit squirrely for her very subjective taste. when i went to sell it I was swamped with buyers ready to pay full asking price. A Zuma 125 is a really nice scooter.
