Will you still respect me in the morning

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:56 am

Ok, I'll admit it. I bought a new scooter. Don't get me wrong. I love my wife's buddy. And it will always be the first choice for the around town stuff. We just wanted something with a little more power for the longer trips. And something a little more stable with a big guy like myself and my wife on back.

I got us a Piaggio MP3 500 in red. You can't really compare the two so I won't, unless you're curious. But we're now a 2 scooter family and loving it.

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:08 am

Does 500cc still count as a scooter?

Just kidding! Enjoy!

MikieTaps · Post by **MikieTaps** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:08 am

Got any pics?

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:25 am

No pics yet. I'll post some when I get them. And the 500 is considered a "maxi scooter". Funny name if you ask me.

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 16, 2008 6:10 am

I haven't been able to test ride the 500 yet, but I rode the 250 and it was awesome (though a little underpowered). I love the MP3 and think it's a really great, incredibly well-engineered machine—much more than a novelty.

Congrats and welcome to the Piaggio family!

MarsR · Post by **MarsR** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:59 pm

MikieTaps wrote:Got any pics?

We want pics! We want pics! We want pics!

Corsair · Post by **Corsair** » Fri May 16, 2008 2:09 pm

that MP3 rides like a dream. The performance really surprised me. Congrats on the new addition.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Fri May 16, 2008 2:28 pm

schlagle wrote:Ok, I'll admit it. I bought a new scooter. Don't get me wrong. I love my wife's buddy. And it will always be the first choice for the around town stuff. We just wanted something with a little more power for the longer trips. And something a little more stable with a big guy like myself and my wife on back.

I got us a Piaggio MP3 500 in red. You can't really compare the two so I won't, unless you're curious. But we're now a 2 scooter family and loving it.

Great looking sco uhh, machine! I checked one out at the dealer and really liked it. The 500 should be really quick! Looking forward to seeing pics and maybe a review after a couple thousand miles. I'm waiting to see how the dual wheel design holds up before I jump in. Also the dealer is brand new, not yet established. No mechanic or spare parts when I visited.

Dennis

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:46 pm

DennisD wrote:Also the dealer is brand new, not yet established. No mechanic or spare parts when I visited.

What new dealer has the MP3? Here in town? I know P'cola Motorsport has the Can-am Spyder, which to me looks like a snowmobile.

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:09 pm

What new dealer has the MP3? Here in town? I know P'cola Motorsport has the Can-am Spyder, which to me looks like a snowmobile.

VESPA PENSACOLA
8945 PENSACOLA BLVD.
PENSACOLA, FL 32534
PHONE: (850) 607-2590
FAX: (850) 607-2593

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:12 pm

I should also mention that the MP3 is already in the shop for a charging system problem. Groan......

They get great reviews for reliability so I'm a little concerned. But it rode like a dream when I rode it.

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:12 pm

Oh yeah, Vespa Pensacola... I saw them in the phone book and I haven't got a change to stop by yet. I'm off today and I'd do it if the weather wasn't such trash.

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:16 pm

KRUSTYburger wrote:
DennisD wrote:Also the dealer is brand new, not yet established. No mechanic or spare parts when I visited.
What new dealer has the MP3? Here in town? I know P'cola Motorsport has the Can-am Spyder, which to me looks like a snowmobile.

Th Can-am is a tadpole trike as opposed to what you usually see which is a Delta trike. Tadpole - 2 front wheels. Delta - 2 rear wheels. The MP3 has 2 fronts but I wouldn't call it a trike. The dealer is new. Sanders Motorsports on Hwy 29 across the street from WalMart in Ensley. He carries Piaggio, Vespa, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi. I liked some of the Aprilia scooters and my wife really liked them. Everything in this dealership is Italian and I have never seen a dealership that had any luck with Italian bikes in getting parts. I take that back, there is one. D&D, the Ducati dealer. Pensacola Motor Sports used to handle Aprilia scoots. I almost bought a Scarabeo from them.

Dennis

Post by **ericalm** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:37 pm

schlagle wrote:I should also mention that the MP3 is already in the shop for a charging system problem. Groan......

They get great reviews for reliability so I'm a little concerned. But it rode like a dream when I rode it.

Just out of curiosity, who is your dealer?

brimstone · Post by **brimstone** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:37 pm

man those are sweet. post some pics and keep us informed....if i had the money i'd have a black one.

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:01 pm

My dealer is Rockridge Two Wheels in Oakland, CA. I'll let everyone know how it goes. I'm going to call this afternoon and see what they think. I hope it's all ready as our weather here is perfect for a nice drive.

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Sun May 18, 2008 4:42 am

I think when you get to a 3-wheeled 500cc vehicle you're not really taking about a scooter anymore. Not even a maxiscooter...
We need a new name for these kinds of vehicles. -I suggest PUV (Personal Ultility Vehicle).

Wouldn't mind having one tho... (But I wouldn't give up any of my 2-wheelers for it!) I suspect that a PUV would be better owning in the warmer States, like CA or in the south, where you could get rid of your car and use it instead all year round...

In NJ a 500cc PUV might get under-used for 1/2 the year, and for me it's just too big and bulky a vehicle to keep around for an occasional pleasure jaunt! -The two scoots in my garage take up enough room already...

Elm Creek Smith · Post by **Elm Creek Smith** » Sun May 18, 2008 4:57 am

Would someone who moved from a scooter to a PUV be known as a PUVert?

ECS

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Sun May 18, 2008 5:55 am

Drumwoulf wrote:I think when you get to a 3-wheeled 500cc vehicle you're not really taking about a scooter anymore. Not even a maxiscooter...
We need a new name for these kinds of vehicles. -I suggest PUV (Personal Ultility Vehicle).

Wouldn't mind having one tho... (But I wouldn't give up any of my 2-wheelers for it!) I suspect that a PUV would be better owning in the warmer States, like CA or in the south, where you could get rid of your car and use it instead all year round...

In NJ a 500cc PUV might get under-used for 1/2 the year, and for me it's just too big and bulky a vehicle to keep around for an occasional pleasure jaunt! -The two scoots in my garage take up enough room already...

Not so sure I can agree with that. Down here in the southland we do have a long riding season and the winter to me is the most enjoyable. As far as year round use of a PUV being too big and bulky to keep around for an occasional pleasure jaunt, there are an awful lot of 4 wheelers in my part of the world that only get used during hunting season unless its as a recreational toy. Of course, hunting season requires a lot of gear that is not optional. Its downright necessary in order to draw a bead on those illusive critters!

If people like em, they'll find a reason for them to be necessary.

Dennis

Post by **ericalm** » Sun May 18, 2008 6:59 am

I'd still call the MP3 a scooter because, in essence, it rides like one. (It also has the "classic" hallmarks of a scooter: step through design, rear engine, wheels under 16".) The front axle of the MP3 is quite narrow and the front wheels behave as one for the most part.

Something like the Can-Am Spyder, though is a different breed of animal altogether. It doesn't lean.

That said, if the MP3 is in a category other than "scooter," it would be a version of a TTW ("tilting three-wheeler"). These include both open-air vehicles based on scoots or motorcycles and closed-canopy vehicles like the Carver or my fave, the forthcoming Venture One.

Of course, there's also the tilting four wheeler... Yamaha's Tesseract concept:

All this R&D is really challenging the definitions of vehicles. We either need to broaden them or come up with some new categories... Like PUV, I guess...

brimstone · Post by **brimstone** » Sun May 18, 2008 8:30 am

that's sweet.

schlagle · Post by **schlagle** » Sun May 18, 2008 3:19 pm

ericalm wrote: Of course, there's also the tilting four wheeler... Yamaha's Tesseract concept:

Nice find! I'm going to post this pic in the MP3 forums.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun May 18, 2008 4:20 pm

schlagle wrote:
ericalm wrote: Of course, there's also the tilting four wheeler... Yamaha's Tesseract concept:
Nice find! I'm going to post this pic in the MP3 forums.

It's a hybrid and is supposedly not any wider than a big motorcycle. A lot of the blogs it's mentioned on have made Gundam/Transformers/whatever mecha comparisons.

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Mon May 19, 2008 5:01 am

Elm Creek Smith wrote:Would someone who moved from a scooter to a PUV be known as a PUVert?
ECS

Yes, you would definitely have to be PUVerted to do that..

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