Piaggio Vespa 125 – For all those who love real retros

Corradino D'Ascanio's timeless creation was Vespa. Makes me wonder if the designer ever dreamt of getting global recognition to his creation. May be not, the legendary scooter Vespa was basically an invention born out of necessity; the scooter was a low-cost way of transportation in war-struck Italy but in no time the world woke up to welcome this good-looking scooter that became a rage among all age groups. The scooter soon went on to become a lifestyle product from a mere cheap means of transportation. Vespa has an experienced hand in the Indian scooter market; remember the LML Vespa scooters, years ago? Yes the same one, so it might not be such a task for the new Vespa to make an impression in the Indian shores, let us see...

Retro looks and styling
If you have seen the pictures of the new Vespa in the papers or on the net, you will know what a head-turner this scooter really is. Mind blowing retro looks that would invoke feeling of nostalgia in all those who saw their dads on LML Vespas and Chetaks.



The classic styling is THE stand out feature of the Vespa 125 and it surely takes you back to 1940's, its very first appearance. Might sound a little exaggerated but line up all the existing scooters in the market and Vespa towers above the rest most certainly and it has an unmatched elegance when compared to the crowd. The retro-styled bodywork instantly catches your eye while the handlebar nicely flows to the handgrips along with a round multi focal head light and the rounded instrument cluster is charming indeed. The Vespa has retained its classic architecture with a huge front panel and curvaceous lines all through the scooter. The front fascia has chrome lining reminding you of your granddad's vintage scooter. In fact, Vespa is generously seasoned with chrome that certainly adds touch of sophistication and class none of the scooters boast of. This while still sticking to the classic designing, the scooter maker has not ignored adding the contemporary touch to it including clear-lens indicators, tail lamps, brake active lamp testify this fact.



Furthermore, the huge flat saddle can offer a comfortable ride for two adults and the storage bay at the front can accommodate quite a lot of things and there is also hook within the seat, which comes in handy if you have shopping bags. Overall, the Italian design is impeccable and one would hardly have any complaints in this regard.

Engine, performance and mileage
The new Vespa is equipped with 125cc, carburetted, three valve engine that produces a peak power of 10.06 bhp @ 7500 rpm and with push of the start button the scooter behaves very smooth and refined but not to say it is a slouch; the scooter touched 60 kmph in 8.1 seconds and the top speed was 98.6 kmph while a brilliant throttle response was the icing on the cake. The excellent power output offers a solid riding experience, which is very relaxing and the credit is largely attributed to the potent monocoque chassis that is known to offer great balance and rigidity. The new Vespa is easy to ride and is perfect for the Indian roads.

The Vespa holds an 8-liter capacity fuel tank (and it indeed swallowed some underseat storage) and offers a mileage of about 45-47 kmpl in the city and around 52-55 kmpl when scooted at steady speed.

Colors
Pick your Vespa from exciting and awesome color schemes including silver, yellow, red, orange, black, blue and white. The colors indeed give character to the scooter and persona to the commuter. I personally liked the white colored Vespa. The painful part for some is that you can own the scooter shelling out an ex-showroom (Delhi) price of Rs 66,661, which makes it a premium scooter not the low street Hondas or Scootys period.

Last word
Mama Miaaaaah after all there is this excess chromed beauty that would make commuting even on a scooter very HIP and stylish. ! I would love to see this gem, especially the white colored LX125 in my garage soon and I wont mind paying a little more for its fabulous retro looks and/or the eye candy color range. In fact, I don't see one reason why I should shun away from buying this legendary piece. The scooter excels in almost all the departments - be it looks, style, performance, handling and mileage and that is a prominent sign of a charmer called Vespa. If only the makers have priced it in the 50k range it would have made a fantastic buy. I'd still say that it's too early to predict how Vespa would firm its place in the premium segment of scooter market. Yet the scooter will enliven the 70's era with great élan and you will simply fall in love with it at the first glance. You may have to wait for some more time to say that beauty sells despite heavy price and long waiting. If I had to complain about the Vespa 125 it would be lack of side stand, foot rest for the woman pillion, and small under seat storage. Also I felt the makers had come up with two versions of the Vespa 125 scooter; one version with manual gears for men and other with automatic gears, and I tell you it would still sell well. This right now seems targeting the nostalgic buyers and those DINK buyers who go for status symbols models in the market to scoot around during weekends.