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Piaggio is a Vespa on a Budget

The blood line of the Piaggio Fly 150 is the Vespa LX 150 but for $1500 less.

The exterior is plastic and the Vespa is steel...the guts suspension, frame, brakes, engine and Italian design come from the same house. Only had it a week but it's got plenty of go...and no problems starting...idle is a... bit rough but the books says give some time things need to settle in...so ride it often and will report back in another 200 miles...compliments plenty...she's a looker and very solid feel...remember it's scooter...not a BIG bike.

MJ - Maine Read Full Review

srf'n2

I had a rough start, but the problem was fixed. My understanding was an internal fuel float was out of adjustment which was causing the engine to flood. Since the repair was made, I have had no problems and do not anticipate anymore of them. After riding about 600 miles, I find the bike has a rel...iable start and plenty of speed. I like the angle of the fork because it's closer to a standard motorcycle angle, not so upright like some scooters. The weight is perfect if you're smaller framed, but you have to be careful riding over typical street bumps at 45-50 mph. The Piaggio windshield is a big plus on windy days because its width and height provide full coverage. I have recieved lots of compliments. Now I am happy with my purchase and would recommend the Fly 150 to other people. Read Full Review

2010 Piaggio Fly 150

Having bought my wife a Vespa LX 150 in June 2010, she wanted me to buy a scooter so we could travel around town together.



I've been a motorcycle rider for more than 30 years ... and not really into scooters but I bought a 2010 Fly 150 as an "end-of-season" deal



After riding both th...e Vespa LX 150 and Fly 150, they are certainly very similar but there are some clear differences.

Both use a pretty much identical Piaggio 150 engine but the rear swing-arm / engine casing on the Fly 150 is a little longer to accommodate the 12 inch rear wheel. The Fly 150 has 12 inch wheels both front a rear while the Vespa LX 150 has an 11 inch front wheel and a 10 inch rear.

As a result (along with the front fork geometry, as noted on one of the other reviews) the Fly 150 feels a little more stable over road bumps.

Conversely, the steering on the Vespa is a little quicker and arguably the Vespa feels a little more nimble, although this only shows in a back-to-back comparison.

Many point to the fact that the bodywork on the Fly 150 is plastic while the Vespa is metal. You would expect the metal bodywork to last longer but most motorcycles, including my BMW have plastic body panels so I wasn’t particularly concerned.
In fact, with the lighter plastic bodywork, the Fly 150 has less weight to carry and feels a little faster than the LX 150.

The suspension, on the Fly 150 seems a little stiffer; even with the adjustable rear shock at its softest setting, so the Vespa scores as being the more comfortable of the two.

The price difference between the Vespa and the Piaggio is apparent when looking at the trim and features.

The Vespa uses lots of chrome to give that "authentic" Vespa look ... whereas similar pieces on the Fly 150 are painted metal or plastic. The Vespa also has an integrated engine immobilizer, with a chip in the ignition key ... which the Fly doesn't.

The Piaggio Fly production was moved from Italy to a plant in China a couple of years ago but it appears that Piaggio has retained good build quality controls and the Fly 150 feels pretty well bolted together ... and pretty much on a par to the Italian built Vespa LX 150.

As I purchased the Fly 150 near the end of the riding season, I haven’t ridden a huge distance on it yet but so far the only issue would appear to be that the engine idle speed is set a little high. That can easily be adjusted by removing a cover under the seat ... and I’ll get to that when I start riding again in the spring. Otherwise, it hasn’t set a foot wrong.

As I mentioned above, I’m really more of a motorcycle rider but, for running errands around town, I’m really taking to using the scooter. The gas mileage is amazing. I’ll run the Fly all week ... and a fill-up from reserve to full is about five bucks! (Same goes for the Vespa LX, of course) ... Wish I could say the same for my truck.

Both scooters can provide lockable under-seat storage and small storage bin (glove-box?) in the fairing in front of the rider’s legs. Both also offer a ‘shopping-bag’ hanger, on the leading edge of the seat. Optional ‘Top-Boxes’ are available for the Piaggio and Vespa if needed.

As I found, there are deals to be had on these scooters, particularly if you like in a region where the dealers are now in the slow “non-riding” season.

In summary, the Vespa LX 150 has that classic style and that “cool-factor”. The Fly 150 has more of a contemporary style and looks similar to other modern scooters on the market. It costs less than the Vespa but performs just as well.
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srf'n st. louis

I just bought a new 2009 Fly 150 on 3/11/2009. Today, less than a month after my purchase I had to pay for the second tow because the scooter would not start and was leaking fuel. I looked on the internet and saw that other people who bought earlier models have had the same problem. Both times t...here was fuel and oil internally flowing to the wrong parts of the engine. This seems like a design flaw that has caused on-going problems for Fly owners. I do not intend to spend my life at the dealership repairing what should have been a reliable and economical mode of transportation. Please let me know if you have experienced the same problem. Read Full Review

Piaggio Fly 150 vs Vespa LX 150

I recently purchased a used Piaggio Fly 150 and am the owner of www.antonioScoot.com

I shall be writing an article comparing the two. Bottom line, the Fly 150 IS a Vespa LX 150. Differences are cosmetic. Fly has plastic body, non crome mirrors, no external manual kick starter, less crome, cosmetic... differences. Since the LX 150 may be the best scooter in it's class in the world, and the 150 class is the perfect size, the Fly is a great buy. Love how it looks, pretty much IS a Vespa LX 150.. top of the line mate. Read Full Review