Modern Buddy

I asked this question on five forums. There is some bias, but not as much as I expected. This is a dream list, two of these aren't offered in the U.S. There were 120 votes cast; the question, if you had a scoot shop, which 2 0r 3 brands would you carry?

Genuine/PGO 32
Vespa 29
Kymco 16
Aprilia 12
Honda 9
Sym 8
Yamaha 7
Peugeot 2
Gilera 1
Lambretta 1
Andretti 1
Suzuki 1
Ital-jet 1

Interesting results. Four of the makes on there are Piaggio brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Gilera, Italjet), but the Piaggio line isn't represented at all! Were they combined with Vespa?

Lambretta is there but doesn't actually exist... at all... Unless they mean the re-badged Adlys or one of the other pretend Lambrettas.

This also seems to indicate that the market and demand for vintage-style scooters is still tops, though many people want to buy (or sell) something cheaper and less costly to maintain than a Vespa.

How many people have fantasized about opening their own scooter shop? I have!

ericalm wrote:Interesting results. Four of the makes on there are Piaggio brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Gilera, Italjet), but the Piaggio line isn't represented at all! Were they combined with Vespa?

Lambretta is there but doesn't actually exist... at all... Unless they mean the re-badged Adlys or one of the other pretend Lambrettas.

This also seems to indicate that the market and demand for vintage-style scooters is still tops, though many people want to buy (or sell) something cheaper and less costly to maintain than a Vespa.

How many people have fantasized about opening their own scooter shop? I have!

Piaggio even breaks down their line separately, Vespa and Aprilia. 12 people suggested Aprilia, I assume they mean the Scarabeo and Sportcity models.

The Lambretta was the re-badged Adly.

You're right, Americans still want the romance of the vintage Vespas, even if the Vespa is out of reach for them. Or, they don't have a dealer near them. 9 out of 10 people that come into our shop want something that looks old but acts new.

I have the same fantasy about owning a scooter shop. I've seen firsthand how difficult it can be. If you represent Piaggio you have to deal with extremely low margins, if you go low end (cheap Chinese), then you are dealing with constant service and maintenance problems. PGO seems to be the safe middle ground. Genuine offers an okay margin, great warranty, and few service calls. SYM is a brand that will probably take off this summer. It's also in the PGO middle ground but it lacks the retro look people adore in the Buddy. SYM is coming out with a retro-looking 125cc later this summer, it looks like the Honda Met. Could be good.

Thanks to all of you for participating, ModernBuddy was more active in this project than any other forum.

GaryEPSP wrote:Piaggio even breaks down their line separately, Vespa and Aprilia. 12 people suggested Aprilia, I assume they mean the Scarabeo and Sportcity models.

Yep, I meant the Piaggio-branded scoots such as the MP3, Fly, BV, Typhoon and Carnaby (which is one I actually wish they sold in the US but don't).

If I could carry the MP3s, I sure would.

ericalm wrote:

GaryEPSP wrote:Piaggio even breaks down their line separately, Vespa and Aprilia. 12 people suggested Aprilia, I assume they mean the Scarabeo and Sportcity models.

Yep, I meant the Piaggio-branded scoots such as the MP3, Fly, BV, Typhoon and Carnaby (which is one I actually wish they sold in the US but don't).

If I could carry the MP3s, I sure would.

Ditto on the MP3. I would put that MP3 500 right in the middle of the showroom. Although, at an MSRP of 8,899 plus fees, it might not exactly scoot out the door in record numbers.

ericalm wrote:How many people have fantasized about opening their own scooter shop? I have!

There's an old joke about the powersports business. Its goes like this.

Q: How do you end up with a million dollars in the powersports business?

A: Start with two million.

I'm not sure if all Americans prefer vintage by choice. It could be that that's all they've seen so that's all they know. If one never knew that steak existed, one would be perfectly happy with Spam (no, I'm not implying that vintage scooters are Spam). The reason I say this is that whenever/where ever I ride my Blur, people ask me about it and tell me they've never seen a scooter like that. I also notice a lot of people in their cars look at the bike when stopped at lights. When it's parked, a lot of people walk around the Blur looking at it. I've even had guys on Harleys pass me and at the same time crane their necks around looking at the bike.

We have a couple of Viet-bodges in the window and everyone wants them. When I tell them they also need to invest in a set of tools, they turn to the new stuff. But now, they want something that looks vintage. That's when I sell them a Buddy.

However, while in Italy, I noticed that a vast majority of Italians ride the scoots that look more like the Blur, or they rode the Fly 150 or the BV250, thoroughly modern looking bikes. I think the Italians see the old stuff as simply that; old. They know they are viewed by the rest of the world as cutting edge in every aspect of design; clothes, cars, furniture...

I think the U.S. is the world's largest market for vintage scoots, and vintage-looking scoots. Too bad we aren't the world's biggest buyers of scooters.

ericalm wrote:Interesting results. Four of the makes on there are Piaggio brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Gilera, Italjet), but the Piaggio line isn't represented at all! Were they combined with Vespa?

Italjet's not Piaggio. Right now they're pretty much a brand name glued to Chinese scooters and a lot of vaporware.

The Dragster that they've been promising for more than two years *might* someday, if they ever actually make it, have a Piaggio engine in it, but they'd just be buying engines wholesale from Piaggio, it's otherwise unrelated.

Derbi and Moto Guzzi are Piaggio's other brands. Derbi was here until Piaggio bought them, but they shut down shortly after Piaggio USA set up shop. They have some cool stuff we'll never see. Guzzi is here, of course, but they don't make any scooters.

If I could have any modern scooter, I'd take a Gilera Runner 200 (or the old 180 2-stroke), but I can't see Piaggio bringing them here and I don't want a grey-market one.

man that mp3 500 looks mean....it's what vader would ride.....if he rode a scooter.

Yeah, that MP3 is pretty cool looking. I've seen a couple running around here.

illnoise wrote: If I could have any modern scooter, I'd take a Gilera Runner 200 (or the old 180 2-stroke), but I can't see Piaggio bringing them here and I don't want a grey-market one.

I wouldn't mind having one too. According to TAG magazine the Runner is the most popular scooter in England.

The MP3 is cool looking, but when does a scooter transcend into something else? I think it has, in the MP3.

Piaggio also makes a taxi, truck, and a van. All three wheels, but definitely not a scooter by scooter standards. By definition; a scooter is a two-wheeled, step-through vehicle.

But, it's still cool. Will I ever own one, probably not. Not because I'm a scooter snob, I just don't have any more room in my garage.

Good to see I'm not the ONLY one who voted for Yamaha... Their American line-up is decent, and the scoots on the Yamaha Taiwan website are even better!

illnoise wrote:

ericalm wrote:Interesting results. Four of the makes on there are Piaggio brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Gilera, Italjet), but the Piaggio line isn't represented at all! Were they combined with Vespa?

Italjet's not Piaggio. Right now they're pretty much a brand name glued to Chinese scooters and a lot of vaporware.

My goof. I thought they'd been swallowed by Piaggio at some point years ago.