Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: JeffOlson on July 20, 2015, 09:12:40 PM
-
My wife, God bless her, has approved the sale/trade of her 2013 Triumph Bonneville. (It has only 221 miles on it as she much prefers riding her 2015 Vespa Sprint 150.)
I could trade in the Bonnie on a new Vespa GTS 300 Super and satisfy my desire for an automatic transmission--and please my wife by having a ride that is similar to hers. Or, I could trade it in along with my 2014 Norge and get a new California Touring (or maybe even order a 2016 HD Road King).
Thoughts?
(I love my Norge, so the second option gives me pause...)
-
My wife, God bless her, has approved the sale/trade of her 2013 Triumph Bonneville. (It has only 221 miles on it as she much prefers riding her 2015 Vespa Sprint 150.)
I could trade in the Bonnie on a new Vespa GTS 300 Super and satisfy my desire for an automatic transmission--and please my wife by having a ride that is similar to hers. Or, I could trade it in along with my 2014 Norge and get a new California Touring (or maybe even order a 2016 HD Road King).
Thoughts?
(I love my Norge, so the second option gives me pause...)
I'd trade the Triumph for the Vespa and become a Mod and ride with my wife. I was in the Triumph/Vespa shop the other day looking at Vespas and they look like a lot of fun, way more bike than the P200E that I used to own.
That's what I'd do.
Lannis
-
^ That is a great idea. We could ride around town together on the Vespasian and then ride the Norge together on longer trips.
-
If you're going the scooter route, go uber cool and take a look at the Piaggio MP3.
-
^ Ah, that is cool, but she says no to three wheels.
-
Aprilia Mana?
-
^ I've thought about that, but I'd need to ride the Bonneville to Seattle for an uncertain deal. Also, there's something very appealing about riding a Vespa around town and out in the country: simple, easy, agile, light weight, fast off the line--plus, my wife already has one.
I'm going the stop by Vespa Portland tomorrow and have a talk with them. Meanwhile, my local HD and MG dealers are crunching numbers.
-
Motor International is selling the Mana for a real good price. But, get a scooter, ride with your wife. You'll get more mileage that way.
-
:thumb:
-
While the Mana is great fun if you want to ride with yer missus then a scooter like hers is a marvellous idea.
Yeah, yeah, all the old fussy-dud dies and bigots will froth at the mouth. Sod 'em Scooters rule!
Pete
-
Scooter v. RK or monster 1400. Odd contrast - sort of like helping my OL try to find a better bike. She's gone from "light and small" to thinking she'll keep my VStrom DL1000 because it's perfect.
If you're going to ride with her, the pace of the 1400 and the RK is very much more than a scooter and I suspect you'll be yo-yo-ing away all the time. Of the 1400 and the RK, I'd rather have an RK for city bike use and loafing along. Touring, covering ground, and riding hard I'd rather have the 1400. While the RK handles well for what it is, it doesn't hold a candle to the 1400.
Example. US129, three riders, 1400 in front, Suzuki VL800, then HD Ultra. 1400 difficulty going slow enough to keep VL800 cruiser in sight, pain in the rear speed. VL800 rider scraping pegs. HD loafing, and the rider perfectly happy not to be pushing any harder. I could easily have kept up with myself on the HD as I was riding, but strongly suspect that I would run out of HD just as the 1400 was getting fun.
Could get a scooter and an older RK. I've often thought that finding an HD with a shot engine would be nice, pop an S&S in, break it in, and ride it really hard. That would be fun!
-
^ That is a great idea. We could ride around town together on the Vespasian and then ride the Norge together on longer trips.
There you go. You almost never see a couple out together on a pair of scooters. It's always the guy on a motorcycle and the girl on a scooter. I think it'd be cool.
I don't know what size they make the Vespas in - but probably even a 150 would do what you want to do, and there's no need in having one bigger than hers ..... Takes a man who's secure in his masculinity, though, and that's sometimes a hard virtue to find from what I see .... :thumb:
Lannis
-
Thanks, all! I will report back after visiting the Vespa store (hopefully today, but my elderly father is having surgery today, and my wife and I are tag-teaming at the hospital).
-
My exGF had an LX150 and it is a GREAT ride. I'd have to point out tha the 300 is significantly bigger in terms of pork. There's something nice about the compact 150. I've found the MP3s to be very big- which sort of ruins the idea of a scooter. I found that the 150 has plenty of power for around town and is great off the line. I live in a tiny New England town and scooters make a lot of sense. So long as you stick to B roads, you can cruise around and have alovely time in the country. I'd recommend getting a matching top box.
As your attorney, i would strongly advise hunting down an LXV 150 in Portofino Green!!
-
Even better idea:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261797797167?item=261797797167&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true
-
My wife and I have owned four modern Vespas. They're a lot of fun but they eat tires very quickly due to the smaller wheels turning more revolutions to keep up the same speed as a motorcycle. They're not difficult to maintain and you can find plenty of information on the Modern Vespa forum. I used to ride a GTS and later switched to a GTV model while my wife also had a GTS. I also had a larger displacement model (BV500). The CVT works pretty well except in a mountain environment when you're going down steep grades; that's where a motorcycle works much better and you also won't have the power that you're used to on a motorcycle. Other than that, they're fun vehicles to own. The only reason that we quit riding them was due to my wife having back problems so we sold them and I went back to a motorcycle. BTW; they depreciate very quickly so your best buy is to sell your motorcycle rather than trading it in and buy a used GTSGTV 250cc or GTS/GTV 300cc. There is almost zero difference in the performance between the 250cc and 300cc models.
-
Vespa incoming!
2015 GTS 300 Super, blue, with matching top box and medium windscreen. I'll pick it up in a few hours when I ride the Bonnie back in.
-
Vespa incoming!
2015 GTS 300 Super, blue, with matching top box and medium windscreen. I'll pick it up in a few hours when I ride the Bonnie back in.
Good move!!
Lannis
-
If you're going the scooter route, go uber cool and take a look at the Piaggio MP3.
Don't do this. Vespa 300 or BV 350
-
Does Vespa build a "red" model ? :evil:
Dusty
-
Vespa incoming!
2015 GTS 300 Super, blue, with matching top box and medium windscreen. I'll pick it up in a few hours when I ride the Bonnie back in.
What? You didn't want to spend almost eleven grand on the 946? :grin:
Have fun, you made the right choice.
-
Good choice...and you didn't have to buy a trailer and uniform with the HD... :boozing:
-
:gotpics:
-
I vote scooter. Please do it soon before this turns into a RK vs. 1400 thread.
-
Scooters by yourself suck. Scooters with friends/family absolutely rock. Definitely a pack animal. Definitely glad you kept the Norge. I like mine better than any of the bikes you mentioned.
-
It looks just like this, only my windscreen is a little taller and wider (and I don't yet have the front rack):
(https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11755677_10204639304484497_855020925346762672_n.jpg?oh=4a59da2dee3476e79a657f5a1076d2a7&oe=565C7C6D)
-
It looks just like this, only my windscreen is a little taller and wider (and I don't yet have the front rack):
(https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/11755677_10204639304484497_855020925346762672_n.jpg?oh=4a59da2dee3476e79a657f5a1076d2a7&oe=565C7C6D)
That thing looks like it's leanin' forward and ready to GO! You guys are going to have a lot of fun, I can see it now ....
Lannis
-
We just got back from an evening riding around the country and going out to dinner. Great fun! My wife looks lovely on her red Vespa Sprint, and she rides fast!
We recently sold our house in town and moved out to the country--literally. We have horses on either side of us, pastures and fields all around. Wide open spaces and room to breathe and ride.
Getting a second Vespa was a great move! Thanks for all the encouragement!
I will post pics tomorrow when it is daylight...
-
At the National, they had a Vespa SS which I took for a demo ride. I had a grin plastered across my face for a long time after that. What a blast to ride something light and agile. I would love to have one for running around.
Having said that, if you have a desire to tour with your wife on the back, I don't think you would go wrong with a Cali Touring. BTW, If you really are considering the two big bikes you mentioned, I would really ride a Cali before pulling the trigger on a RK.
John Henry
-
If it were me, I'd go for a classic scooter, Lambretta, Hinkle, or classic Vespa. But if not would stick with Vespa.
Although there is one modern scooter that has always appealed to me, that Yamaha Morphous. That is a very intriquing design.
-
Uh fellas , Jeff already bought a Vespa :laugh:
Dusty
-
I guess I've missed this this thread until now.... Just wanted to say, Vespa all the way - I know, I know... already taken care of and you made the right choice, great model too (it's definitely a good one to have) - Anyway, I just wanted to cast my vote, even thought late :cheesy:
-
My wife's 150 Sprint will do an indicated 75+ mph, even though the website says it won't go faster than 59 mph. I imagine the 300 Super will do likewise (go faster than the website's top speed of 80 mph).
-
My wife's 150 Sprint will do an indicated 75+ mph, even though the website says it won't go faster than 59 mph. I imagine the 300 Super will do likewise (go faster than the website's top speed of 80 mph).
You can hit 80mph on the GTS 250 or 300; maybe 85 without a strong headwind. But, if you hit any hills, you can't maintain much over 65 (depending on the incline). You can cruise on most interstate hwys at a consistent 70-75 but anything over for any length of time is pushing the engine to it's max.
-
My commute is about 20 miles each way, half of which is on the freeway. I am still breaking in the 300 (I have a little over 100 miles on it so far), so I am trying to exercise restraint and not go faster than an indicated 65 mph (which is roughy 80% of the website's 80 mph maximum). However, I found the Vespa creeping up easily to over 70 mph on my ride home yesterday. I think it will keep up with traffic just fine, and with a windscreen it should be comfortable on the freeway.
By the way, the term "freeway" is misleading. Where I live, we are often at a standstill on the freeway, or jerking back and forth between zero and 10 mph. My Norge hates it because I often have to ride the clutch for miles, not even traveling fast enough for first gear! Around here, "freeway" often means "foot down"!
-
One more thing; Unless they've had a major change, the speedometers on modern Vespas will read 8-10% optimistic. All of ours were exactly 10% off so if you registered that you were going 80mph, you were really going 72mph. We checked ours with a GPS app on our Iphones and a Magellan GPS. Many people on the Modern Vespa forum also checked theirs and got the same results.
-
My wife, God bless her, has approved the sale/trade of her 2013 Triumph Bonneville. (It has only 221 miles on it as she much prefers riding her 2015 Vespa Sprint 150.)
I could trade in the Bonnie on a new Vespa GTS 300 Super and satisfy my desire for an automatic transmission--and please my wife by having a ride that is similar to hers....
EDIT: should've read the whole thread first, now I see that Jeff already bought the Vespa -- good choice, looks great in blue, congrats on your new ride! I'll leave my post here for others considering similar decisions.
I just spent 5 days with our Vespa GTS250 as my only ride (took it with us on a beach camping trip). It is a fun little bike. The 300 is the same bike with 30 more cc for a little better low end torque. I had to ride in some heavy stop and go traffic in Ocean City MD, the one day. I'd rather not ride in that kind of traffic, but, if I have too, I think that it is the perfect bike for those conditions.
Despite being in the flat lands, I found a twisty road to have some fun on. I'm surprised how much fun I can have on it. You'll also enjoy riding it with your wife on her Sprint 150 way better than anything bigger and faster.
Cheap Guzzi-owner content: Pre-owned 250 GTS's can be had with low miles for $2,500-$3,000, or half the price of a new GTS300. Pre-owned GTS300's are in the $3,500-$4,000 range (2/3 new). Pick up a pre-owned one, and then put the rest of the Bonnie money in your fund for Cali 1400 or RK. Don't bother getting a newer Norge, I'm sure it isn't any better than your current one.
Hopefully, Warren Wren will chime in on this thread. He's put over 25k on a Scarabeo 500, and now has a GTS300 and loves it.
If you're going the scooter route, go uber cool and take a look at the Piaggio MP3.
Just say NO to the MP3. They're big ugly heavy beasts. The only possible reason, that I would ever get on is if I need help holding a bike up at stops, as they've got a vertical lock feature that will keep 'em vertical under 5 MPH.
My wife's 150 Sprint will do an indicated 75+ mph, even though the website says it won't go faster than 59 mph. I imagine the 300 Super will do likewise (go faster than the website's top speed of 80 mph).
Wow! I'm surprised that the Sprint 150 will go that fast. I'm thinking that the speedo is a bit optimistic. Have you checked it with a GPS? Our 250 tops out at an indicated 80 MPH, which is about 75 MPH on the GPS. The 280cc 300 has the same max HP rating at a little lower RPM than the 350. From what I've ready, top speed is about the same as the 250, but they're a little quicker off the line.