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Yeah I know.........before anyone starts..........
I'm looking for a practical scooter to handle the daily commute and looking at the storage capabilities and the extra ability it has in all road conditions with the extra wheel up front. I wondered if anyone has ridden one and what did you think ?
I know its not everyone's cup of tea but I kind of want to leave my fun sports riding to the weekends and have something that will do the daily commute job without fuss during the week.
With it being made by Piaggio and therefore Italian, is reliability an issue ?
I'm interested in hearing the views from people who have ridden one.
I've ridden the 250 Gilera, which is the same bike, and was immensely impressed. I'm not a great scooter fan, but it handled way better than any scooter I've tried, was reasonably quick and was hugely practical. Plus in matt black with bull bars on the front (yes, really) it looked, frankly, bloody excellent.
It's a little wider than a regular 2 wheeler, and if they really wanted to be arsey I suspect you could get a ticket for using motorcycle facilities (though it's taxed as a PTW so you could probably successfully appeal). But the real peach for me was chucking it into a wet roundabout, losing the front (it doesn't really like braking deep into corners) and just feeling it understeer a bit then grip and carry on. No fuss, no drama, just a mildly (yeah, right) raised heartrate.
As far as reliability is concerned, how many broken down scooters do you see? Not many modern ones, I suggest... Yes, it's Italian, but they're not that bad.
Nice one mate thanks. Yeah I've seen a fair few vids now since my last post of the mp3 on You Tube etc....and I have to say some of the slides I've seen, you just couldn't easily get away with on a regular bike (unless you were seriously talented and lucky). I think I might just try one just to see how it compares to a regular bike. Do you still countersteer as normal ? How did you find the brakes ?
I got an mp3-400 2 months ago. Have been a sports bike rider for 15 years and moved on. I had a 'near miss' - lost the front wheel - got it back by hand of god alone.
Straight to the scooter dealer and traded it in.
MP3-400 - love it. You can STOP. The extra confidence makes up for the fact that its not a sports bike in enjoyment. If you commute in all weathers, esp in the city then its for you. Big boot and with that BIG screen you wont even get wet.
If you live in north wales (and know where the gatsos and 'dibble' hang out) then maybe (just maybe) its not for you...
I for one have never looked back.
Reliable? hmm luck of the draw with Italian stuff (I can say that...). But there is a 2 year warranty and Piaggio will pick the thing up if you have a problem.
If you buy it - then get a 400 as they weight 220kg or so...
Good luck mate.
Piaggio mp3 400 ?
). But there is a 2 year warranty and Piaggio will pick the thing up if you have a problem.
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