We like our Honda scooters. I've been thinking about something with a bigger motor, for those occasional forays on the highway. Yes, Honda makes a Forza that has a 279cc motor, but the bike is not a comfortable fit for me. So, I have been considering other manufacturers. Last month, I wrote about dealing with the dipshits at one of the multi-brand dealerships in the Phoenix area, but they pissed me off before they offered a realistic price. At that point, I would not have bought anything from them, even if the price was a screaming hot deal.
Seems a lot of dealerships stack on unrealistic "fees" - way higher than the real cost of delivery and set up; "document fees" of nearly $400 (to write up the order??). Or, as I like to call it: bullshit.
So, I started looking at used scoots. I had been leaning towards a Vespa GTS (250 or 300), but those are very rare in this part of the state. And then, not one, but two Vespas came up for sale about 40 miles away from us. One was an LX 150ie - very nice, late model, super low mileage scoot, but that is actually a bit slower than our PCXes; the same two ladies had a GTS 250 with less than 1,400 miles on it. The photos looked good - I contacted the seller, but our schedules didn't mesh for several weeks. Today, we went to see it.
I know there are people who buy and sell a lot of stuff on Craigslist. I tried to sell an amplifier on there years ago, and all I got for inquiries were scammers and stupid people. The lady selling the Vespa stated in her first reply that she would meet us at the local Police Station so we could look at it... I liked that. We had a few more e-mail exchanges after that, and I think we got comfortable with each other. I told her that we would need to take a short ride on it to feel comfortable buying it, letting her know that we have motorcycle endorsements and insurance. When we agreed on a time for us to come see it, she was comfortable enough to suggest a home address where we'd be able to ride more than just around a parking lot. I pulled up the address on a map app... kinda out in the country.
It looked like a nice neighborhood. Just in case, we let Steph know that address and when to expect a call from us that everything would be OK. Can't be too careful these days. I have no doubt that they were being cautious as well, since she let me know this was her sister-in-law's place ("and it's a nice neighborhood").
The Vespa was sitting in the driveway when we pulled in exactly 2 minutes before our agreed-upon time (we are always prompt). We got out of the car, introduced ourselves, and she said, "You don't look like two little old retired people." (My description of us) The bike was exceptionally clean, they put a new battery in it yesterday, tires looked good... time to take it for a test ride.
Very peppy, nice crisp handling, and comfortable. Very different from our Hondas in style and execution. I was impressed. When I came back, I turned the scoot over to Joan. She came back with a smile on her face - I said, "What do you think?"
She said, "It feels kind European - I like my PCX better." I get that. But, I am ready for something different - we made the deal. Well, I asked, "We'll take it - how would you like to complete the deal?" She thought getting paid would be nice... I explained to her, "Of course, we didn't bring cash with us, but if you'd like to follow us to our bank, we can do the transaction there, you can leave with a cashier's check that you know is good, and I'll take the title." She was good with that.
We headed our "motorcade" to the bank: their SUV, the Vespa, our SUV. Done deal. I now own a Vespa. When I later explained Joan's "European" comment to Steph, I said, "Maybe it was because I was wearing a striped shirt with a boat neck, a scarf, and a beret?"
She asked, "Did you have some French or Italian bread in a basket on the back?" My kid has a great sense of humor.
In actuality, I had on long pants (first time in a while), a helmet, gloves, and my mesh jacket... and it was hot away from the coast. By hot, I mean: 95º, humidity around 385%, and wind was out of the southeast at 25 to 30, gusting above 40. Not exactly a great day for scootering.
At the bank, a couple photos before we did some other running...
As clean as any brand new scooter I've ever seen.
We had some running to do, and something we haven't done with our Hondas: ride in any city in the Rio Grande Valley. I've joked about the drivers before, but it really isn't a joke - it is NASCAR meets Tiajuana Taxi... a large percentage of drivers here don't have insurance. They don't care. Yielding to allow another car into a lane is a sign of weakness. I've seen the light turn red and then three more cars go through the intersection. Alas, we had planned to do our running in the car, and then go back to pick up the scoot for the way home... didn't work out that way.
We did the bit of shopping we needed to do, hand lunch, then drove/rode to our storage unit to drop off some stuff and pick up some other stuff. I did the freeway for about 5 miles to get to the exit for our storage unit. The Vespa ran right up to 70 mph with no sweat... well, at 95º and wearing the mesh jacket, I was sweating... but, the scoot handled the highway speed just fine. Although, it was a strong tailwind on that stretch of the freeway.
It was two lane roads from the storage unit, and a direct crosswind most of that way. It was a good test of how the Vespa handled that... as good as any motorcycle we've ever owned. I was surprised by that, considering the 12" wheels. Every review I've read of the GTS series says it has good road manners - I concur with that. The ride is a bit "plusher" than the PCX. We'll have to wait until we take the scoot somewhere that has nice curvy roads before I find out if it is as much fun in the twisties as the Honda.
I was looking at accessories for the Vespa last night, anticipating I'd like it. It came with a nice windshield (a lot of wind noise in the conditions today), and I was pleasantly surprised that it has a side stand. That said, I am not a fan of the "self-retracting" side stand. It is hard to get at with your foot while sitting on the seat, and if the bike leans even just a bit, that "self-retracting" part wants to do just that. I've been using the center stand. Speaking of the seat, in the photos, that light colored seat looked less that great to me - seeing it in person was completely different: it has a nice texture, with classy stitching. Comes with a separate rain cover to protect the seat. Comfortable to sit/ride, and giving it some thought: that light color will be good in the heat. Like today.
Once home, I pulled out one of the covers for our Hondas - it fits...
Gives me an idea of how close in size this "bigger" bike is compared to the PCX. At first blush: I like it! A lot.
2 comments:
Congrats on the Vespa GT200! I had kind of lost track of Vespas, but I see they are still making them, and I would guess your GT 200 if fairly recent, it looks like they only had those in the U.S. since 2010. The Vespas in the club I have ridden with here (SOB - Scooters of Bellingham) were all "classics" (read - OLD), and they had to scrounge the country for parts, and they had to be fairly adept mechanics - that ruled me out. I actually owned a Vespa in the mid-60s, then I foolishly took a power mechanics class at Western. I was supposed to disassemble the engine and then reassemble it. First part went fine, second part not so much. It fired twice so I got a passing grade but that was the end of that scoot!
Thanks, Pat. For the record, mine is a GTS 250ie, not a GT 200. Different engine, similar body. Mine is the more recent Quasar engine, like in the current large body GTS 300 series. The GT 200s have a carburetor, the GTS 250s are fuel injected. Dual disc brakes up front, single disc in the rear. A minor increase in displacement from the 250 (244) to the 300 (278), both have around 22 hp. The GT 200s would run the same fate as your friends with "classic" scoots, since they are no longer supported.
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