Comparisons...

So, you're thinking Joan was comparing me to Duane "The Rock" Johnson again... I have more hair, he has more tattoos.

No, this post is about the scoots.

Another hot, humid, windy day in the Tropical Tip.  It was supposed to ease up on the wind in the afternoon.  It didn't.  We took the scoots out for some sight-seeing, poking around, a stop at the DQ, and to Wally World for groceries.

I took a few photos of Joan's PCX with the Vespa - yes, I could have used my PCX, but this way, they were both black.

Definitely different approaches...

Until you get above 55 mph, they are pretty evenly matched.  The Honda gets considerably better fuel mileage.  The Vespa has a more plush ride.  The Vespa has a relatively flat floorboard, the Honda has a more pronounced hump where to toss a leg over.  Both are comfortable, but the Vespa would be much more so if riding two up (we rarely do that).  You sit higher on the Vespa, the Honda is more sleek... marginally different, though, surprisingly.

Biggest surprise: the Honda has much more storage space in that area under the seat...

My 3/4 helmet won't fit in the Vespa (above right) - the Honda holds that and a bunch more.  The Vespa kinda makes up for that with a folding rack on the rear and a bag hook by the glove box.

Looking at them from the front...

... they both offer good protection; the Vespa is a more traditional design, the Honda is, again, more swoopy.  The Honda rides on 14" tires, the Vespa's are 12".  I thought that would make more of a difference than it does in actual use; might be because the Vespa tires are wider, so the contact patch is likely very similar.

The riding experience is different.  On the Vespa, you feel like you are close to the windshield and fairing; the Honda feels like you are further back.  The controls are similar, but the Italians definitely do it different from the Japanese (or Thai, since the PCX is made in Thailand).  Even the horns have a different pitch - similar volume, but the Vespa's sounds European.  Some people think a scooter should have a flat floor, I find that raised "tunnel" on the PCX gives me a place to "hug" with my feet and ankles (like you would with your knees on the tank of a motorcycle).

The Vespa uses the body as its frame structure - the panels are made of metal.  The Honda utilizes a metal "backbone," but the body panels are plastic.  Both have a nice fit and finish.  The Honda is more fussing to work on,   those plastic panels; I don't have any experience, yet, with servicing the Vespa... it has to be less work to get at the motor.

Different, but both fun.