The classic scooterists club magazine

Model relaunch: Vespa PX – rebirth of a legend

As I’m sure most CSS readers will know, the PX was launched originally in 1977 as a 125cc scooter; 150 and 200cc models quickly followed. To date, the PX has sold over three million units around the world and is still a dependable workhorse for many, thanks to its simple mechanics and reliable engine. Modern automatic scooters may have taken the place of this iconic machine to a certain extent, but scooter purists still have a soft spot for a geared metal scooter. The Indian-built LML clone sold so well after the PX was shelved (especially in Italy) that the Italians were forced to bring the true Vespa PX back – which is great news for us!

Emissions laws were the excuse used for killing off this iconic machine, but Piaggio has cleaned things up by fitting a catalytic converter to the exhaust and a recirculation system to cut down on nasty fumes. The modifications sap a little bit of power, but as we all know, there are loads of aftermarket tuning products and performance exhausts available to bolt-on extra power if the owner requires it; simply swap the exhaust to get rid of the cat. The beauty of a simple carburettor fed engine (as opposed to a fuel injected motor) is that they’re easy enough for most owners to tinker with at home rather than having to get them plugged in to a dealer’s diagnostics machine just to unearth a simple fault.

I must confess to being a lifelong Vespa fan and I’ve owned a PX of one type or another since 1987, so an invitation to the press launch in Rome was one ticket I was excited to receive. I was glad to see that the new PX (both in 125 and 150cc) has hardly changed from the final production run. Only minor styling details set it apart, like the single colour horncasting (rather than having a chrome grille), re-sculptured seat, new Vespa emblazoned handlebar grips and floor mat and of course, the new exhaust. Other than that things are as they were (better if anything) and that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

Piaggio has invested a few lira (or is it euro these days?) into improving tooling, so underneath the headset the casting is much better than it was during the final few years of production. The scooter is still built in Pontedera – which will probably surprise a few people – but the Vespa name is still important to the bosses at Piaggio, so it will remain an Italian thoroughbred.

After having a good look around the new scooter the only areas I could criticise would be the dull finish on the glovebox door lock and the age old seam on the mudguard, which has always been prone to rusting (the T5 mudguard was a much better solution). Other than that, I was quite impressed; the inside of the glovebox had even been sprayed and so had the underside of the mudguard. Areas that had started to get neglected before production ended.

Although we were able to ride both capacities of the PX on the launch, the UK will only be getting the 125cc... although the 150cc also meets Euro3, so there’s no reason for us not to get it over here and if enough of you kick up a fuss, Piaggio might just let our dealers have a few... so start your email campaigns!

The new model is available in four colours, Rosso Dragon red, Mediterraneo Sky blue, Montebianco white and Nero Lucido black. For my money the red and white models look the nicest and I expect they’ll be the biggest sellers over here. Incidentally, the paintwork was well finished on our test scooters and overall first impressions were very favourable.

So what are the new scooters like to ride?

The PX starts easily on the button, (or kick-start if you’re feeling extra nostalgic!) and settles into a nice steady tickover. Thankfully the Vespa still sounds just as good and distinctive as it always did, it’s the only way for a Vespa PX to sound and any aficionado can identify one from half a mile away while wearing a blindfold.

Easing the scooter into the bustling Roman traffic for the first time I noticed a very minor flat spot, which is probably due to the work needed to meet Euro3 emissions testing, but other than that I was pleasantly surprised at just how well the scooter performed. Once on the move the PX 125 picks up speed quite quickly and will do close to 60mph, although we didn’t have enough of a clear road to thrash it for as long as we’d have liked, but it certainly didn’t feel as heavily restricted as an LML. The 150cc will out accelerate the 125 and pull away from it steadily, but there’s only about 3 or 4mph difference at the top end, which is nothing to worry about.

Rome is a very busy city and the roads are bumpy and covered in slippery cobbles, but the PX took it all in its stride and wasn’t flustered at all. The suspension seems better than I remember from the older models, so I had no cause for complaint there and the Michelin S83s aren’t a bad tyre. The PX will come with a spare as standard as well; you had to pay extra for it at one time. One thing you can’t really appreciate (and can soon forget if you haven’t ridden one for a while) unless you ride the Vespa through a busy city is just how lightweight and agile it is.

You can fit it into the smallest gaps and weave your way through stationary or slow moving traffic with ease, often without needing to dab a foot to the floor and in perfect control. It really is a well balanced scooter, despite what people might lead you to believe about the engine being offset.

If Piaggio was ever in any doubt as to whether the British public would appreciate this 34-year-old design classic or not, it’ll surely be pleased to hear that the first batch of 220 scooters sold before they even arrived in the UK and another 60 customers have one on order. That backlog will clear within the next few weeks, so don’t panic. But if you’d like to get yourself a part of scootering history, be sure to pay your local Vespa dealer a visit soon. You won’t be disappointed.