2019 Piaggio MP3 500 Sport HPE

First of all, understand I have been a sportsbike or naked cafe racer owner my entire adult life. But bikes designed for purists like me, let's admit it, are super fun for a spin and even for a weekend adventure if you pack light - but they are not very practical in day to day life. You want to go ... to the gym in the early morning, to work after, meet some friends after... and you don't want to be always wearing full protection and always hauling a ton of stuff everywhere you go.

Enter the MP3 500. Super stable so you'll feel you can do what everybody in Europe does on scooters - you dress normally, at least around town. Sure you wear a helmet and so on - all can be conveniently stored under the seat as you arrive at tour destination. People will think you got there in a cab or your car. Super convenient. That was the main attraction to me.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by its dynamic behavior: decent pickup and acceleration (nowhere remotely near a sportsbike of course, it's heavy and 50HP or so), but I'll leave most cars behind at stop lights. but the best of course is its super stable, super confidence inspiring front end. You will push things and laugh silly at the lean angles you can pull off with complete confidence - what a stroke of genius. It's early fall as I write this and I rode downhill on a road with tons of leaves on it. No problem, never felt so confident on any bike in those conditions.

It *is* a heavy mother when moving and maneuvering it around at very low speeds, but you'll get used to it very quickly. On my R1100S Beemer there are conditions where I am super careful putting it on the center stand, or parking it on a steep street... with this thing... no problem, but it does require you to respect its heft. But the front wheel lock makes it easy *once* you really learn to use it. I recommend you adjust to the bike's dynamics as if is a regular bike before you get into the front wheel lock stuff.

Bravo Piaggio. For as long as I live, I'll always have one of these, along with a sports bike for weekend splurges and -for now- a car for when you gotta use it.

I love this thing.