I've owned my ET4Vespa since March 02. My first taste of real freedom and it was exhilarating. Knowing the bike was out there ready to take me anywhere I wished. Riding it so often I have many things to talk about and have pretty much exhausted it's offering.
It was simple to get used to, the twist and go throttle lets you concentrate on things going on around you instead of tying up your mind deliberating with clutch and gears. Once the bike is warmed up it provides ample oomph with a flick of the wrist to get off the lights faster than most cars. 0-30mph is relatively rapid, 30-50mph needs more time, 50-70mph how long have you got? It can tackle big A-roads and motorways... I've tried, but the windblast will get you aching pretty quickly, it's forte is in the city. The speedy acceleration is welcomed and the front disc brake does an excellent job in stopping the bike, the rear drum brake is a little weak and leaves a little to be desired but still works fairly efficiently.
It's frugal in terms of fuel consumption and keeps those pounds jingling in your pocket. A full tank is about £6 but that's if it's completely empty to start with which it never is, so on average a full tank will be about £4.50 and that will last ages. Ride it hard, like I tend to do and the tyres don't last as long, costing about £40 every 4000miles or so, riding sensibly will see them last longer. The tyres being small compared to a big bike take less time to warm up and therefore grip the road quicker. the lights are brilliant in doing their job, high beam being incredibly strong, unexpected from a scooter.
Living with it, the services are pretty cheap with warranty being free for two years. The seat's comfortable enough and it doesn't really strain you unless travelling at 50-70 then the wind can knock you about.
Pillions will find it difficult putting their feet on the footrests since they're at an odd angle, also their knees will freeze if outside Summer because they stick out the side of the bike whereas yours are safely behind the front panel, the only option is a pair of armoured trousers which keep the windchill off. A pillion will seriously affect the scooters handling and may unnerve you to begin with but not long after it will become normal, though you can't hope to achieve the kind of speeds and acceleration if only you were on it, I have managed to take a pillion for over 100miles so it's possible though a little slow...
A backbox in my opinion is incredibly useful for additional storage, it can do shopping trips with space under the seat and in the front panel too. a backbox will also act as a backrest for your pillion so he or she doesn't fall off the back when you accelerate off.
It has an electric start making the kickstart pretty useless, starts 1st time everytime. Piaggio the manufacturers have included an immobiliser which means the engine can only be started with your key only. Not to worry too much if you lose your normal keys, you also get a master key that can reconfigure spare keys to your Vespa's unique signature. Spare keys are only about £30 but a master key is around £300 so keep it in a safe place!
Very classy dash and speedo!
It is small, compact and cute so it's very easy to slip in and out of traffic jams which is what scooters are for.I'm not sure if I would buy a new one in retrospect, since they are quite expensive but if you did buy a new one, you would wash it everyday for the first fortnight and the tiniest speck of dirt would be removed, that's the kind of effect it has. One scratch will make you weep though. It is cool but has become quite generic in places like Central London there's a reason for that, it's a great bike for what it's designed to do. I'm going to use a cliche but it really does ooze class.
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welcome to Ciao. I know nowt about bikes but I like your writing style. Just one thing though - space out your work a bit more (I'm still waiting to take a breath!) take care Tickly :)
Honey_Bee 20.03.2003 20:36
A great first op, welcome to ciao and hope to see you around! :O) x
Legolas999 20.03.2003 16:48
Great first op. All the info is there.. just need a better structure to break up the text a little.. the odd heading. Well done.
Mar 20th, 2003
(Mar 21st, 2003)
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