ETPhwoarr!! (Piaggio Vespa ET4)

Member Name: assethound

Product:	Piaggio Vespa ET4
Date:	18/08/00 (22125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You'll be the most stylish thing on the road

Disadvantages: and wrapped around the lamp post

Having searched the four corners of various scooter magazines and more web sites than you can squeeze into favourites on your browser, I decided to get an ET4.

I had been researching the scooter market for several months, both in the scooter magazines and on the internet. I decided to buy a powered two-wheeler (PTW) because I do not have a full UK car licence, only provisional, and I wanted some transport that I could use with the minimum of hassle. Scooters were the obvious choice for me, because I have always loved their styling, particularly the retro look. Although I favoured Vespas before I started, I looked around at many different marques before I homed in on the Vespa ET4.

Why the ET4?

1. ECONOMY

A 4-stroke engine uses fuel more efficiently, so my running costs are low, a particularly salient point given the current fuel crisis - I can fill the tank for under a fiver.

2. LOW EMISSIONS

The ET4 has a single cylinder four-stroke engine that exceeds the European legislation before it is implemented. The top speed is around 65mph, and the engine uses unleaded fuel. This scooter has automatic transmission. You may prefer a geared PTW, but I find it helpful that all I have to worry about is controlling the throttle, the brake, and where I am going.

3. SECURITY

The ET4 has an electronic engine immobiliser, which works as soon as you take the key out. You can also put on the steering lock. Scooters and motorcycles are very easy to steal (just ask poor old Chris Evans, he has had his stolen about eight times so far), so use a good lock, and if possible always chain your scooter to something immoveable, such as a lamp post or a friends car (first making sure that they don't leave work before you do!). Many cities and towns are providing secure parking these days, with the increase on powered two-wheelers on the road, and the move towards getting people out of cars.

4. STYLE


Nothing beats the Vespa look, and although initially I thought I would buy a Vespa PX125, I came to see the new twist on the classic Vespa look as superior. Italian styling with clean lines. No contest.

5.PRICE

The Piaggio Vespa ET4 is a fabulous scooter for a great price. Expect to pay between £2000 and £2199 new - look out for extras such as free CBT's, helmets, locks and insurance. There is a £30 3 year Piaggio warranty for parts and labour, well worth buying to keep running costs down. If you want to buy second-hand, remember that there are a lot of stolen scooters on the market. I would suggest looking at Bike Trader magazine, and using a service that will check whether a bike is stolen, is an insurance write-off, or still has finance outstanding on it. These services are advertised in magazines such as Bike Trader.

We bought ours at Dyrons, on York Road in Leeds, and they offered us a great deal, including two helmets, two CBT's, and a disc lock.

THE CBT.

In order to ride a powered two-wheeler between 50cc-125cc on a full car licence, or any PTW from up to 125cc on a provisional licence, you must attend and pass a Compulsory Basic Training course (CBT). If you have a full car licence you can ride a 49cc moped without doing the CBT, but I would not recommend it. Typically you will attend for one full day, although it may take longer if you are not comfortable with your progress, and you will learn how to ride safely and with enough skill to handle your bike or scooter on the road without supervision. Some of the areas covered are signalling, right and left turns, and control of the throttle, brakes, and if necessary, the gears and clutch. You will have to successfully complete manoeuvres such as a figure of eight and a u-turn. There is also instruction on hazard awareness and defensive riding, what protective clothing and equipment is necessary and/or a legal requirement. Following th
is you will go on a ride on the road with an instructor for approximately two hours, with instructions and advice relayed to you via an ear-piece.

When you have successfully completed your CBT you will get a certificate which entitles you to ride on the road with L plates unsupervised for up to three years if you have a full car licence, and up to two years if you have a provisional licence. If you do not pass your full motorcycle test by then, it is back to square one.

THE SCOOTER, THE CBT, THE LAMP POST AND MY PARTNER

When I went to do the complimentary CBT with my partner, it took my breath away. It is truly a beautiful machine. Later that day, dizzy from doing figure of eights, and giddy with the excitement of owning a gorgeous scooter (cream, very stylish), I waited for my partner to come back from the first ride on the scooter, the last part of the CBT before he passed his certificate and could go out on the road unaccompanied by an instructor.

It seemed like a while, and I mused over what could have happened. Probably got lost or got a puncture or something. Unfortunately it was not the case. Pulling onto the road from the track where he had been practising all day, he suffered a momentary loss of connection between his hands and his brain. He set the throttle, slipped on the brake, forgot to take off the throttle and... Apparently there is a little cream paint on the lamp post, and the panel beater will be able to restore our scooter with a few wallops and a lick of paint.

**update - we picked our scooter up from The Devil's Paint Jobs, Emley Moor Business Park, Leys Lane, Emley, West Yorkshire, (01924) 849190 today, and found that Mark had done a fantastic job. The front panel, which once had a rather sad caved in look is now restored to its former glory, so much so that you can't tell anything had ever happened to it. Mark also services scooters, and mainly deals with motorcycles. Highly recom
mended. End of update**

The lesson to be learned from this little debacle is that a 125cc scooter is somewhat more powerful than you'd think.

I'm still looking forward to getting the scooter back, and getting on the road, and yes, he did pass the CBT (in the end)!!

I passed my CBT a couple of weeks later, and have had five days of riding before we found a panel beater who will sort out the bike. At the weekend I am hoping to have my scooter back, although there is only half a tank of fuel in at the moment, so I may have to curtail my activities a little until the blockades are over. Blooming typical, I finally get transport, and I can't get petrol!! Bah humbug.

I have now had the scooter back for a while, and it is better than ever!

If you decide to buy a scooter, remember to take into account the cost of safety equipment, training and insurance as well as the cost of the scooter. We have spent nearly £2900 on our scooter including insurance and a good quality jacket with armour inside.

MAGAZINES AND WEB SITES

The two magazines that I have found the most helpful are:

Scootering £2.95 (web site: www.scootering.com)

This comes out monthly and includes the Scooter Trader section, in which you can buy or sell new and second-hand scooters, parts and accessories (web site: www.scootertrader.com).

It also includes the short version of the What Scooter? price guide, which gives the list prices for all scooters available in the UK, as well as the UK sales figures chart, including the top ten mopeds, and scooters from 0-100cc, 101-125cc, and 126-500cc.

Scootering also features reviews on scooters and features on customised and beautifully restored older scooters, with the emphasis firmly on restorations of older machines.

There are also extensive listings for events and meetings organised by both UK and international scooter clubs, and a section on mus
ic reviews.

All in all this is the must have magazine for anyone with an interest in old style scooters like Vespas and Lambrettas. It does review more modern scooters but concentrates more on the geared end of the market.

Twist & Go: £2.75

This is published by Scootering Publications as well - and contains the full version of What Scooter? price guide that used to appear in Scootering magazine until recently. The first issue of Twist & Go that I have bought is issue 2 - bought in November 2000, so it is a relatively new publication. It deals with automatic scooters, as the title suggests, and has a feature (hopefully regualr) that profiles importers. The articles are mainly on tests and reviews of automatic scooters. Issue 2 features an overview of the bigest international motorcycle show, InterMot -Munich 2000.

Overall a very useful addition to the Scootering stable.

www.scootertrader.com

This is a site where you can place or respond to small ads for secondhand scooters. It is also one of the Scootering stable.

www.scootered.co.uk

This site has a Scooter Browser where you can find any model of scooter available in the UK. There is also a classifieds section as well as forums.

www.piaggio.com/www.vespa.com

Home of the mighty Piaggio, manufacturers of Vespa scooters. News, scooters and dealers - but you may find dealer information easier to come by if you get a couple of scooter mags and read the adverts, or look through your local phonebook and have a ring round.

I will add more sites as I find them - this is just a brief guide.

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