For many years, with the possible exception of the Vespa T5 and T5 Classic, Piaggio, who manufacture the VESPA range, have largely ignored “performance”. The Vespa is thought of in Italy since it’s birth in 1946, as simple rugged but cheap commuter transport.
It is only now, and decades later that VESPA has become an iconic legend, with that evocative brand-name up there with Coca-Cola and Intel as the top twenty brand names in the world. There are some regions where “VESPA” means scooter, just as “Hoover” means “vacuum cleaner”. On the back of all this fame, and at last with a leaning towards the performance that has always been an issue here in Britain, with the very first 250cc Vespa, and an advertised top speed over 80mph! So, here is a proper steel bodied Vespa scooter that LOOKS just as a Vespa should, but has more GO than should be expected. It has a degree of sophistication previously unheard of, with that powerful 250cc engine fuelled by a digitally controlled electronic injection system that provides fantastic fuel economy yet cleans up the emissions to comply with the very latest Euro legislation, whilst enabling the fuss-free cold starting and low speed running we just expect with a modern car. It has an overhead camshaft four-valve engine for deep-breathing throughout the rev-range for maximum torque…. And maximum power. Yet, all this modern technology combines to make the GT250ie remarkably frugal, with 70/80 mpg achievable on long runs without resorting to the 30mph antics required with some other scooters.
This powerful liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine is perfectly mated to a CVT (Continuously Variable) Transmission. This isn’t really a “gearbox” in the car sense of the word, but the drive ration is infinitely adjusted, just like a sliding scale, so that the “gear” is 100% always perfectly matched to the power available. Watch this as you ride the scoter, you will see that no matter what the speed, the engine revs stays the same, held on the “maximum torque” point to always give you maximum acceleration or maximum hill-climb ability whenever you need it. Just like magic! This is all accomplished by a Variator (this changes the “gear”, a belt (this provides the drive) and a centrifugal clutch (this disconnects the drive from the engine when you stop).All of this work effortlessly and seamlessly to provide smooth power transmission from zero to top speed. One customer said of the GTV….. “The bike just looks after itself, all I have to do is tell it where to go!”
Vespa have not missed any tricks with the handling and road-holding either! No longer is the engine slung on one side as an afterthought almost; the cylinder is now central, and the rear suspension is taken care of by twin adjustable rear damper units. At the front is the single sided fork… that residue from the very early days when Piaggio made fighter planes for WWII. Picture a Spitfire just taking off, with the undercarriage being retracted? A customer once asked me…. “Is the wheel safe like that…. Only being attached on one side???”. Piaggio have been involved with the design and manufacturer of so many different types of vehicles, of so many decades, and of course Vespa for sixty years, to know what works and what doesn’t, and what it takes to make a Vespa into the supple suave handling scooter it has now become. The road-holding is complemented by a change to 12” alloy wheels, with wide grippy low profile tyres, and a very simple but very clever anti-dive front suspension. Barking is taken care of by powerful hydraulic disc brakes front and rear. So powerful, yet so controllable that if you wish, you can squeal the front tyre to a standstill. How do I know all of this? Well….. as eight-times British Scooter Road Race Champion… (ok so it WAS on Lambrettas!) I do know a thing or two about handling and how to throw a scooter around! And I have a Bright Ferrari Red GTS250 of my own!
The ergonomic qualities of the GTS250 have not been missed either! A big wide comfy seat helps you gobble up the miles just as easily as does the scooter, and now there is plenty of room for two! There is storage under the seat, but beware that this only accepts the special VESPA style helmets. There us a roomy Legshield glovebox too. Also included is a chromed folding rear carrier, which can accept a special colour coded top-box to hold a helmet of two.
And on that subject of Chrome…. there is already a wide range of accessories available, from front bumper bars to flyscreens to carriers, and you’ll find it so easy to dress up your new GT, that without doubt, when you pull onto a pub carpark one summers Sunday afternoon, SOMEONE is going to walk across, admire your shiny new GTs and say “You’ve done that up well mister” believing it to be a restored 1960’s scooter, not the technically brilliantly up-to-date scooter you have!
Initially, £3500:00 may seem a lot for a Vespa…. But with the GTS250ie you do get a lot of scooter for your money….. and a very very good scooter it is too!
Don’t forget that there is also the limited edition model. the Vespa GTV250. This is available in two colours that hark back to the early days of Vespa. Portofino Green and Avio Blue date from the 1950’s, enhancing the retro feel of this version. Twin separate leather seats.. (… and we ALL know just how good the Italians are at leathercraft!), chromed rear carrier, open styled handlebars and the headlamp moved to the front mudguard are all evocative reminders of the Vespa history.
GTS is the most eye-catching and exhilarating scooter on the market, it’s the biggest and fastest Vespa of its era, with market leading performance figures; a top speed approaching 80mph, a power output of 22bhp and acceleration to blitz any competition! As a GTS250ie owner… you will not be disappointed!
The only Vespa at the 2006 MotorCycle Show, the MSC GTS250ie fitted with a Scorpion Exhaust…. Note that this is not the 2007 current version; this has TWO straps for improved mounting.
Finally…… and talking here from my own seat-of-the-pants experience, we stock the newly redesigned Scorpion Stainless Steel exhaust. This exhaust makes a truly amazing difference to the “pick-up” and the off the mark acceleration of the GTS250. Of course, as the scooter is fuel injected, the engine management system automatically alters the fuelling required, within about thirty seconds, so there are no “jetting” requirements. In any case a fuel injection system doesn’t have “jets” and there is nothing at all to adjust! In addition, with the recent redesign in the early summer of 2007, Scorpion, working in close liaison with us here at Midland Scooter Centre have made special efforts to reduce the “bark” in the exhaust tone that was, for some GT owners, just a little too much! They have significantly reduced the exhaust decibels, but have carefully left a nice “tone” to the exhaust note. This means now that your new GTs has a purposeful exhaust note that simply cannot be called in any way “noisy”. Scorpion have also done away with that troublesome graphite “joint” that was the subject of the recall in the spring of 2007, so that whenever the exhaust is removed, say to repair a rear puncture, there is never ever any problems with the gasket leaking…. After all, Scorpion have designed the exhaust to fit WITHOUT a gasket… so there is now nothing to fail! In addition to which you have a beautiful luster of the polished stainless-steel muffler…. And even the straps and the header pipe are also stainless for extreme durability and great looks well into the future.
