MCN Piaggio hybrid scooter
July 31, 2007 at 5:11 pm | In Piaggio | Leave a CommentTags: Piaggio, Scooters
I think part of the 55-56 new models I blogged about last month may in fact be hybrid revamps as described below:
or slight remakes like the XEvo.
You can’t help but feel a bit conned. 
New Custom Gilera DNA pics
July 13, 2007 at 6:10 pm | In Gilera | 1 CommentTags: Gilera, Scooters
Came across these during an image search. The’ re all about two years old so the’ re not really new but the’ re new to me and worth republishing here. They all come from German forum posts.
From www.rollertuningpage.de Love the shiny wheels, that exhaust and the hugger 
From http://freenet-homepage.de/mcblex/ OMG..it’s…PURPLE…
From http://www.rollertuningpage.de/
This guy’s helmet bay…well pimped 
His bike is the one at the bottom.
The Yamaha XN125 Teo
July 12, 2007 at 7:27 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: Scooters
In the brief three months between my old DNA getting stolen and buying my present DNA, I was the owner of this MBK Doodo, the French built version of the Yamaha Teo and a contender for the worst named scooter all time. (Doodo – part extinct bird, part product of a baby’s rear end!)
Now this bike would be considered a pretty sad affair by many but also had virtues over the DNA worth extolling here:
- It kept the rain off
- It kept my feet dry
- It had a big, fat, comfy seat
- It revved high so had a respectable speed for it’s 12hp with a firm and steady delivery
- It had an excellent front brake, much better than the DNA
- It had one of those shopping bag hooks (which I used and it was good.)
- It was cheap
- If I crashed it or it got stolen I would get over it (it had obviously already been crashed before I bought it)
Downside of all this of course is that it was just not funky!!! The bodywork was held together by plastic latches which had been roughly handled so they gaped and rattled. Parts took a month to come and you couldn’t easily reach the coolant as it was all sealed up. It was unsteady and too big for the sort of close filtering I do on the North Circular and there are no dedicated Yamaha mechanics around (who are any good) to keep it going.
I think what comes across is that this was a good bike let down by a lack of coolness. I would hope my next bike would have meany of the features described above and yet will be styled from the point of view that the first bite is with the eye.
Here’s hoping.
June 8, 2007 at 8:33 pm | In Piaggio | 1 CommentTags: Piaggio, Scooters
This will make for a busy years blogging. 
From scooteringusa.com
May 08, 2007
Piaggio to launch 55-56 new models this year
MILAN — Piaggio SpA’s chairman Roberto Colaninno said the motor bike and scooter firm will launch 55-56 new models this year, including 25-26 completely new products for the group’s various brands.
Speaking at the annual shareholder meeting, he said the recently-launched three-wheel MP3 scooter is ‘a big success’, while in September, the Gilera brand will launch a scooter with an 800 cubic centimetre-sized engine, which will reach a speed of 200 kilometres per hour.
In India, he said production is expected to reach 160,000-170,000 units, up from 140,000 in 2006.
Posted by Frank at May 8, 2007 04:24 PM
Piaggio XEvo
June 4, 2007 at 3:42 pm | In Piaggio | 4 CommentsTags: Piaggio, Scooters
When I first saw this bike I thought it was just another version of the X9. In a sense it is, but more correctly it is a blend of all the other Piaggio maxi-scooters thrown together to create not something new really, but something different. It’s an odd way to create a new bike but makes sense. There isn’t much detail on the bike out there and it’s all in Italian, Spanish etc. but this is what we find:
It has the X8’s boot and rear layout (as does the MP3) while the front is in theory derived from the X9 though in practice the headlights remind me of the Gilera Nexus. The front mudguard is fixed to the front bodywork giving an effect a little like the BMW F650 GS.
The dashboard has a nice effect I believe taken from the X9 500 Evo. The silly little backrest looks way uncool but is probably very practical. Colours are grey, black and dark blue.
There are three engines: The 400cc MASTER engine from the X8 400, the 250cc QUASAR engine from the Vespa GTS 250 and Gilera Nexus 250, both 4 valve plus a 125cc unit, not sure which one but it delivers the full 14.9 CV/11 kW allowed to those on ‘L’ plates.
For some reason they are generally more expensive than the X8 series:
| 400cc | 250cc | 125cc | |
| X Evo | €5,600 | €4,400 | €4,050 |
| X 8 | €5,300 | €4,400 | €3,800 |
Verdict
It’s a nice bike but why not just get an X8 and save your hard earned. Perhaps I’m missing something. I can understand people wanting the avoid the deep v shape of the X8’s front but the X8 just appears to be a better proven bike for less money. I’ll wait until some decent reviews and specifications come out in English before I bury it completely but at the moment it’s no contest. 
Piaggio MP3 finally seen in the wild.
June 1, 2007 at 12:14 pm | In Piaggio MP3 | Leave a CommentTags: MP3, Piaggio, Scooters
Saw my first MP3 this week at the bottom of Highgate Hill. It appeared to be burgundy but was probably black – it was dusk. It was at the other side of the road so I couldn’t see much but yeah, it looked cool.
Hope to see many more – and a bit closer.
Piaggio MP3 in full winter kit
April 28, 2007 at 2:43 pm | In Piaggio MP3 | 4 CommentsTags: MP3, Piaggio, Scooters
Now my objections to the Gilera Fuoco are on record but I do have a soft spot for the MP3. It’s just less pretentious. It’s still expensive and heavy but I think it looks nicer.
I came across these shots on The Knee Slider and the’ re worth a closer look.
That tall screen is ridiculous – if it went up any further it would be a roof. I do like the hand protectors though and it would be nice if they came separately. The apron is something I’m moving towards bizarrely because on a feet forward scooter your knees naturally lie horizontal and therefore seem to attract the wet in heavy rain. I love the chunky tyres but I’m not convinced we’re really going to change our tyres twice a year! We’ll have one or the other depending probably on where we live and/or how the bike is used.
I love the top box come back rest because I have a notion to tour two up on a large scooter (not the DNA obviously.) I’m a bit worried by that hinge screw – it looks like someone could unbolt it with a spanner and walk away with the topbox. Perhaps it’s just the photo, perhaps not.
This stuff all costs an arm and a leg though.
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