I'm having a hard time finding anything concrete, but looks like the Gmax/Blur was born around 2005. That means it's going on 7 years old. Time for a style update, wouldn't you think? I know the vintage look bikes can go on forever without a redesign, but I wouldn't think the same holds true for modern bikes (such as Kymco's new People GTI).
Has anyone seen or heard anything about a new look for the Blur? I like it a lot, but the upswept "evil eye" headlight is looking fairly dated, as is the circular saw wheels.
~SM
Soooo, when is PGO updating the Gmax/Blur?
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Swordsman
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BlueMark
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blurblaine
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to your point: when are they updating the design of a Vespa? ... Never! ;-P
BlueMark +1
It would be cool if it was updated every year like a car ... but it just work like that in scooter world. I agree the upswept 'eyes' look dated .. to us, but not in Asia
BlueMark +1
It would be cool if it was updated every year like a car ... but it just work like that in scooter world. I agree the upswept 'eyes' look dated .. to us, but not in Asia
Blaine
The 'Nati
Blur 150
Sym RV250
http://www.blainekelley.com/scooters.html
orange is good ... except in the NFL!
The 'Nati
Blur 150
Sym RV250
http://www.blainekelley.com/scooters.html
orange is good ... except in the NFL!
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Southerner
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Bear in mind that when a style is "updated" every year (car manufacturers call it "refreshed"), that limits parts availability in the future. A model with longevity means there will be plenty of them and spares should be plentiful as well.
I like a good-looking machine but I'm more of a "form follows function" kind of person. Certain designs that are considered classic don't need to change much. The Vespas are in that category but only time will tell if the Blur makes it into that category.
I like a good-looking machine but I'm more of a "form follows function" kind of person. Certain designs that are considered classic don't need to change much. The Vespas are in that category but only time will tell if the Blur makes it into that category.
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illnoise
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Yeah, Vespa does full body redesigns maybe once a decade, and engine redesigns less often. A new model every year would mean new engineering, new parts sourcing, new parts in general, new tooling, new assembly procedures, new training, new homologation, and and new sales materials and marketing every year, that doesn't benefit anyone.
For that matter, very few scooters ever get redesigned, they're replaced with a new model. Unless you define "Vespa" as a model (and I don't, it's a marque), I can only think of a few scooters that have gone through substantial updates over their life, like the Scarabeo (which is arguably a marque rather than a model, they're listed as their own category aside from scooters on Aprilia's materials), and the Kymco People (which had a major but recognizable redesign a few years ago). I can think of other instances where names were continued with an entirely new model, but with zero continuity.
The G-Max was available as a 50 and (IIRC) a 125 in Taiwan, as well as the 150 that Genuine sold, which was upgraded to the 220i. There was also a 150 evo model (nasa piston! ha). There was a short-lived older 200cc (or was it 250?) model in an entirely different frame, then that disappeared and there was a 200cc model that Genuine showed at some trade shows but never imported. Now there's a 250cc model on sale in Australia, though I suspect that's maybe the 220 with some creative math.
That's a respectable amount of development on one platform over only 6-8 years, for someone who's honestly not a huge international player. Especially when you consider the Honda Elite and Helix were sold for decades with just about zero changes, not even in color.
I like the Blur for what it is, I agree more colors and graphics would be nice, but I don't see any way to improve it much other than more displacement and a more comfortable seat, a major redesign would take away most of what we like about it. It might be great, but it would be a different bike.
For that matter, very few scooters ever get redesigned, they're replaced with a new model. Unless you define "Vespa" as a model (and I don't, it's a marque), I can only think of a few scooters that have gone through substantial updates over their life, like the Scarabeo (which is arguably a marque rather than a model, they're listed as their own category aside from scooters on Aprilia's materials), and the Kymco People (which had a major but recognizable redesign a few years ago). I can think of other instances where names were continued with an entirely new model, but with zero continuity.
The G-Max was available as a 50 and (IIRC) a 125 in Taiwan, as well as the 150 that Genuine sold, which was upgraded to the 220i. There was also a 150 evo model (nasa piston! ha). There was a short-lived older 200cc (or was it 250?) model in an entirely different frame, then that disappeared and there was a 200cc model that Genuine showed at some trade shows but never imported. Now there's a 250cc model on sale in Australia, though I suspect that's maybe the 220 with some creative math.
That's a respectable amount of development on one platform over only 6-8 years, for someone who's honestly not a huge international player. Especially when you consider the Honda Elite and Helix were sold for decades with just about zero changes, not even in color.
I like the Blur for what it is, I agree more colors and graphics would be nice, but I don't see any way to improve it much other than more displacement and a more comfortable seat, a major redesign would take away most of what we like about it. It might be great, but it would be a different bike.
2strokebuzz: When news breaks, we put it under a tarp in the garage.
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illnoise
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To be fair, the original post was probably more about a 'refresh' using the current frame/engine. But yeah, even then, it makes parts availability difficult, any time you do that, you're doubling the parts that an importer needs to stock, unless the new part is 100% interchangable.
Like the new digital speedo is great, because it can plug right in where the old one is, but to redo the headlights, you're talking about sourcing a new headlight from the manufacturer, redesigning and making molds for the bodywork around it (even if you use the old frame mounts), so it's maybe a dozen new parts just to change the look of the headlights.
Again, if any big effort was put into a change, the seat seems like the best place to start, but I know for a fact Genuine and PGO have been working on that (I've seen templates and samples) and nothing came of it. That sports-style scooter just needs a hump there, especially if you want a full-face under your seat. PGO has offered a few seat variations over the years, but none really fix the problem. And it's not even a problem for a lot of people, I just like flat seats that you can slide around on. For someone used to riding a Ducati sportbike, that Blur seat would be heaven, ha.
Like the new digital speedo is great, because it can plug right in where the old one is, but to redo the headlights, you're talking about sourcing a new headlight from the manufacturer, redesigning and making molds for the bodywork around it (even if you use the old frame mounts), so it's maybe a dozen new parts just to change the look of the headlights.
Again, if any big effort was put into a change, the seat seems like the best place to start, but I know for a fact Genuine and PGO have been working on that (I've seen templates and samples) and nothing came of it. That sports-style scooter just needs a hump there, especially if you want a full-face under your seat. PGO has offered a few seat variations over the years, but none really fix the problem. And it's not even a problem for a lot of people, I just like flat seats that you can slide around on. For someone used to riding a Ducati sportbike, that Blur seat would be heaven, ha.
2strokebuzz: When news breaks, we put it under a tarp in the garage.
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Swordsman
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Ha, I forgot I posted this. 
Thanks for the insight. Being mostly unfamiliar with the whole world of scooters, I didn't realize that they usually don't update. I assumed it was the same as motorcycles, which tend to have cosmetic updates every few years (except for rare cases like the Kawasaki 250R, or the Suzuki Savage, and of course Harleys
).
That's cool though. If you have a Buddy, it looks like a Buddy. If you have a Blur, it looks like a Blur, regardless of year model. Makes sense.
~SM
Thanks for the insight. Being mostly unfamiliar with the whole world of scooters, I didn't realize that they usually don't update. I assumed it was the same as motorcycles, which tend to have cosmetic updates every few years (except for rare cases like the Kawasaki 250R, or the Suzuki Savage, and of course Harleys
).That's cool though. If you have a Buddy, it looks like a Buddy. If you have a Blur, it looks like a Blur, regardless of year model. Makes sense.
~SM