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Ahhh, 200cc Vespa

Have not been on 2 wheels in 20 years. Former MX rider. (Rode hard) Swallowed hard and bought a Vespa GT200 a month ago. First impressions are as one may expect, but not just because it is a relatively expensive scooter. This bike can be a safer choice of bikes for new street riders that are not ...sure about the hazards of the street, like me. It may be too user friendly and this is where my concern lies. Bike easily does 70mph and is silk. The 200cc is spunky and handles great when riding around the city. Ride safely and enjoy. Read Full Review

2007 GT200L

Black on black with short Vespa windscreen, Cuppini rear rack with full backrest, small leather case with eggcrate drink holder wedged inside for transporting wife's lattes.



I'm a former 2005 PX150 owner. Loved the manual shift, but didn't feel 100% safe in my 13 mile commute to work through the... northwest Chicago suburbs, even with the Sito plus upgrade. Just couldn't go fast enough to feel like I was an equal on the road with the cars and trucks. Plus, I looked like I was on a scooter and none of the motorcyclists on the road would give me "the sign."

So, I sold the PX on ebay and went for the GT200. I thought about the GTS, but I had an issue with the digital speedometer. Small point, but to an extent the purchase of a scooter is partially about aesthetics. I was interested in the fuel injection of the GTS, but it wasn't enough of a feature to sway my thinking. More on this later. Plus I couldn't find a GTS locally that was black on black.

I was able to test drive the GT200 at the Vespa dealership in Geneva, IL. I was sold the second I took off. Smooth, powerful, and solid. Bill and Kent made the transaction extremely easy. They really care about their customers.

The ride from the dealership to my house is about 35 miles with several stretches of 55 mph roads. I had a silly grin on my face the entire way home. No issues accelerating from stop lights. No issues cruising easily at 55-60 and keeping up with traffic. The scooter idled perfectly at stops, not too fast and not too slow. I think Bill and Kent took extra time to make sure it was prepped right.

There were a few differences with the PX that will take some getting used to. The turn signal switch is not entirely intuitive. You have to look for it the first few times, and then with all scooters, you have to remember to switch it off. to switch the signal off, you press the switch in. Easy enough, but it will take some getting used to. The switch is close to the horn switch, so I honked the horn a few times in traffic when I was trying to signal. It's less of an issue now that I have ridden a few hundred miles.

The short windscreen is interesting. When I rode double with my wife on the PX with no windscreen, I didn't have any trouble talking to her at full speed, about 55 mph. On the GT, there is a lot of wind noise and buffeting, even at relatively low speeds. I assume it's from the short windscreen. The good news is that the GT stays planted on the road even in strong winds. I used to get blown around a bit on the PX. So for now I will keep the windscreen on and talk to my wife at stoplights.

I had minor carburetor issues that required me to bring the GT back to the dealership twice. Both times the scooter just quit running, luckily less than a mile from my home both times. After a thorough cleaning of the carburetor and a few adjustments, Ken and Bill got it running just right, and I have not had additional carb issues.

The GT is a big scooter. I'm just over 6 feet tall, and I stretch to get my feet on the ground, but it's not uncomfortable. I ride upright below 30 mph, and over 30 mph I slide back toward the rear of the seat and get into a more horizontal "motorcycle" position. I get "the sign" from motorcyclists when I am in this position.

Riding double with my wife is very comfortable. Built in pegs come out for her feet, and she can either grab the chrome handles on the Cuppini rack or my waist. She leans against the sissy bar, and that gives her a sense of security even better than the topcase we had on the PX. There is no degradation of acceleration, top speed, handling, or braking with two up.

Unfortunately, winter is setting in here in Chicago, so my riding days are numbered for now. Read Full Review

Weeeeeeee

I've owned 71 motorcycle and scooters, but this is the first Vespa owned. I weigh 270 lbs and this scooter really takes off. I can't imagine what the 250 and 300 will go. I have the large windshield and it keeps most of the unwanted wind off of me, so in the cold I need less winter clothing. The ...ride on windy days is more pleasurable especially on the major highways.. This scooter reaches 75 mph very easily and the disc brakes are exceptional. I enjoy being able to adjust sitting positions on long runs. I know the future will hold my 75th scooter, and I think I will go to a 300 vespa. For now I will enjoy the highway on this well balanced scooter, plenty of pep and great shock system that is very forgiving on bumps. Hope you are all having great thoughts about scooters, but I can see why Vespa is the Cadillac of scooters. Enjoy Read Full Review