Newest addition to the family

[scottybee]

Picked it up this morning. I put 35 miles on it. Really fun feels very stable leaning into curves. I think the wife will love it. I'm sorry if the pics are huge I'm only semi computer literate and don't know how to make the thumbnails to click and enlarge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit - Scotty, I've moved them into vertical alignment by putting each img on a separate line and a space between also.

I prefer to host off site as you've done - saves Jaaps server space, but might mean longer down loads for those on dial-up

Martin Barrett

[VA Sean]

I can't quite tell from the pics and never paid much attention to the ads I have seen... but does that have a single disk for both front wheels, or just the one visible on the right front wheel?

 

hope your wife enjoys it -- it does look like a hoot.

[scottybee]

I can't quite tell from the pics and never paid much attention to the ads I have seen... but does that have a single disk for both front wheels, or just the one visible on the right front wheel?

 

hope your wife enjoys it -- it does look like a hoot.

 

 

Sean it has individual disk's on each wheel. The front are mounted on the inside so they don't show.

By the way I'm guessing the Va in your name is for Virginia, if so maybe I'll get to meet you at the Buena Vista rally in June.

[VA Sean]

Sean it has individual disk's on each wheel. The front are mounted on the inside so they don't show.

By the way I'm guessing the Va in your name is for Virginia, if so maybe I'll get to meet you at the Buena Vista rally in June.

Yep-

Alexandria, VA.

My wife and I will be there.

Already marked it off on the work calendar.

I'll ride the V11 and she'll be in the cage - that way she can bring all the provisions (tent, bags, chairs, mats, coolers full of beer, case of wine - you know, just the essentials!) that way my bike will only have a tank bag!

 

here she (the wife) is throwing out a bit of a pre-dinner spread on Saturday night at last year's rally:

 

[Skeeve]

Picked it up this morning. I put 35 miles on it. Really fun feels very stable leaning into curves. I think the wife will love it. I'm sorry if the pics are huge I'm only semi computer literate and don't know how to make the thumbnails to click and enlarge.

 

Looking sharp!

 

Test rode one at the Vespa of Newport Beach dealer recently [last day of the "free mp3 player" promo] & really liked it. 2 reservations I had about it [besides the obvious one, price ]: sucky power/wt ratio [480#/220kg dry wt: it weighs as much as a Guzzi!] w/ the 250cc engine (I shudder to think about the 125cc model sold in Europe) and the incredibly poor choice on Piaggio's part to go w/ different sized rear wheel from fronts (one of the best points of the original Vespa was the interchangeability of wheels...)

 

I'm waiting for the 400cc MP3 to be brought over, or better yet, the 500cc Gilera Fuoco before dropping my ducats for one, altho' I do think it will make a great commuter, but the 250 just doesn't seem up to the task of keeping up w/ the 80mph avg. fwy speed out here in CA. But the excellent feature set combined w/ the frugality [60mpg] and advantages from the dual fronts on wet or loose roads strikes me as the way to go for riding year round.

 

I'll be riding the Can-Am Spyder next month, & while I suspect that the Rotax mill [same as the Aprilia Tuono/Falco/etc] will make it just a tad more responsive than the MP3, the non-leaning nature of it and the $15k+ expected price tag will almost certainly prevent me from buying in.

 

I think Piaggio has a great product in the MP3, and as soon as they bring the 400 over, I'm thinking they'll really take off, stateside!

 

Ride on!

 

PS: This chassis really cries out for release under the Moto Guzzi nameplate w/ an updated Bicilindrica 120deg v-twin under the seat! What you give up in storage would be regained in performance and exclusivity! Make it a real "halo" product...

[Paul Minnaert]

I've seen a movie of one. But what does it do better than a simmilar scooter? Yes it has the looks of something different, and I understand that at the trafic light you don't need you feet on the road. But what else for commuting?

[DeBenGuzzi]

I like the Can-am Sypder way better from BRP, those guys are taking over the world. I bet its fun to ride I'd like to see how it handles, saw one in person today riding by the canam dealer. http://spyder.brp.com/en-US/

 

pretty soon everything will be BRP or KTM I swear

makes me want to get a SuperDuke and jump on the bandwagon early. well for the US anyway BMW better be scared right?

[Martin Barrett]

I quite like it. Wouldn't want one though. I think one of the bike mags said it allowed for more front end grip so was less likely to wash out in a low side

[Guzzirider]

Another type of 3 wheeler...

[Paul Minnaert]

I think one of the bike mags said it allowed for more front end grip so was less likely to wash out in a low side

 

Low siding a cummuter bike?

[Martin Barrett]

Low siding a cummuter bike?

 

Well they do ride/test everything as if it was a sports bike.

[Skeeve]

I've seen a movie of one. But what does it do better than a simmilar scooter? Yes it has the looks of something different, and I understand that at the trafic light you don't need you feet on the road. But what else for commuting?

...

Low-siding a commuter bike?

 

That's pretty much it in a nutshell; w/ two wheels up front, the commuter problems of crappy roads & riding in the wet are much reduced, vs. a traditional bike [which many people, myself included, just don't figure worth the risk of commuting on in the wet, no matter how good a rain suit we have.(1)]

 

In comparison to any other scooter, maybe it doesn't have much to offer as a 1st bike, but as a 2nd vehicle for someone who already has a bike, it has a nice set of features to justify filling the commuter role & saving the "big bike" for more sporting/touring purposes.

 

Since the front end isn't really any wider than the handlebars, it doesn't seem that it would significantly impact the lane-sharing ability in any way. And the ability to park on hilly ground w/o ever worrying about it rolling off the sidestand or tipping over is pretty neat.(2)

 

Basically, I like the way the MP3 combines the feature set of quads w/ the handling of scooters/bikes, & think it will be a good seller once Piaggio gets hip to the power/wt ratio issue & brings the 400/500cc models over.

 

Ride on!

 

 

(1) Have you ever seen So.Californians drive in the rain? They're complete idiots in cages in dry conditions, in the wet they're utter boobs, so you need 2x the maneuverability & braking in the wet as you do in dry conditions, when you've got

(2) It doesn't even have a sidestand: just hold it vertical, & let the hydraulic lock to it's thing. Cool!

[Admin Jaap]

I've recently seen these things on TV in the Giro d'Italia bicycle race. The used them as water bottle carriers

[Guzzista_Joe]

Picked it up this morning. I put 35 miles on it. Really fun feels very stable leaning into curves. I think the wife will love it. I'm sorry if the pics are huge I'm only semi computer literate and don't know how to make the thumbnails to click and enlarge.

 

 

 

Edit - Scotty, I've moved them into vertical alignment by putting each img on a separate line and a space between also.

I prefer to host off site as you've done - saves Jaaps server space, but might mean longer down loads for those on dial-up

Martin Barrett

 

hehehe fantastic! 'magine it with a 1100 Guzzi lump...yaaaahoooo!

[Guest ratchethack]

Uh, is it just me, or are those front tires on backwards?!

 

A R-to-L switcheroo would put the tread pattern in the customary orientation for moto front tires.

 

Or is it possible that these tires have a reverse pattern?

 

I'd expect there'd be rotation indicator arrows on the sidewalls.

 

Just checking.