Pop Pop Pop... Let's All Go To Brighton! (Piaggio Vespa PX125)

Member Name: SpankMarvin

Product:	Piaggio Vespa PX125
Date:	10/07/01 (15275 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convenient, Fun and nice looking, Economical

Disadvantages: Potentially hazardous

Having come across these and other Vespas quite a few times before, I finally decided a couple of months ago to save up some money and look for a second hand Vespa PX125; summer was on its way, and I wanted something to get out and about on that was cheap, fun and convenient.

So eventually I found one that I could afford and which I liked the look of ? a yellow T5 classic, basically a PX125 with a very slight engine difference, still 125cc. I instantly preferred it to the other modern style scooters on the market. Although the model I bought is only from 1996, the shape is faithful to the classic design, and so it is beautiful to look at. But this was only the beginning?

The PX125 runs from a mixture of petrol and synthetic oil (fully synthetic is recommended). The oil needs changing once in a blue moon, and the tank capacity is just over 8 litres including approximately 2 litres reserve. The reason for me explaining this is to help show how economical these things are ? when I fill the tank (which is usually filling it up with 5 litres) it costs me £4, and I won?t have to fill up again for another 70 miles. This is fantastic if, like me, you are poor because you are a student and you have just bought a scooter. What?s more, they are cheap to insure, and very cheap to tax (about £30).

As for the driving itself, this is brilliant fun. There is a short period of terror to get through first, as you learn to use the thing and realise just how fast everything seems. The controls are fairly hard to get used to, the left-hand lever being the clutch and the right-hand lever being the front wheel brake. The back wheel brake is on the floor and it is not a simple case of using both at all times ? using the front brake whilst turning a corner will probably make you slide off the bike, whereas slamming your foot down on the back brake will just make you skid into the wall that you?re trying to avoid. The gears are also fairly hard to get us
ed to. The PX125 has 4 sequential gears, operated by swivelling the left handle bar. Don?t let all of this put you off though ? to legally ride this scooter you need to take a CBT anyway, and if you do it on the scooter this is the best way to get yourself familiar with all the controls (not only that but it will take down the cost of your CBT training by quite a lot of money). Once you are used to the scooter, you will wonder how you couldn?t do it before, and you really start to enjoy driving it. It certainly is worth having the manual gears, for the sake of general acceleration, and for those cases where you need more power (for safe overtaking, slowing down or for steep hills).

The PX125 is really nippy ? it goes up to about 60-65 mph and has fantastic acceleration. It is especially good for town use, since you can park it anywhere (legally on pavements etc.) and you can get off and wheel it places such as over bridges, where cars can?t go. Obviously they aren?t practical if you?ve got any considerable luggage ? the only storage space is a small glove compartment, although it is surprising what you can cram in there if you try! Certainly a couple of Sainsburys carrier bags full of pasta salads and olives would fit, as demonstrated by popular TV chef Jamie Oliver.

The only real disadvantages of the Vespa PX125 are the safety aspects, and these are by no means exclusive to Vespas either. A helmet is, obviously, essential and compulsory when riding. It might be worth adding here that a class A (blue sticker on the back of the helmet) is highly recommended. It might also be worth investing in a fully facial one, firstly because of those cold, face-stinging winter nights, and secondly because of those huge, face-stinging wasps. Scooters and bikes in general mean that the driver is far more vulnerable than the driver of a car. Also, it can take quite a while to get used to the steering (quick note here ? you tend to go towards where you a
re looking, so whatever you do DON?T STARE AT THE KERB OR AT THAT GIRL!) but again this is a case of practice making perfect. The main danger is, unfortunately, other road users (they are usually car drivers) who either do not see you or assume you can nip out of the way on your little scooter. It is worth being extra alert when riding because of this. One extra thing which is not essential but which may be worth bearing in mind is the fact that the engine is on one side and so the scooter tilts slightly. This is correctable by buying a spare tyre for the other side!

The prices of the actual scooter vary depending on the age of the scooter, owners, miles, etc. Although mine cost me £900 a new one will cost approximately £1800-£1900. If you plan to shop around for one, it?s definitely worth going to the Piaggio approved reputable dealers, which are listed by area on the Piaggio UK web site. It really is worth taking your time and seeing what is available, because you never know if you might find a nicer one that screams "BUY ME!" Also the second-hand ones are being traded all the time, so if one dealer doesn?t have any second-hand ones in, try them again in a week, and keep trying if you have no luck, it will pay off in the end.

Vespa PX125s really are great fun, especially if you know someone else who has got one. They have character and are customisable with anything from paint jobs to white tyres and luggage racks. They are collectables and there are also various clubs for enthusiasts. Plus, when you go past someone else who is riding one, you tend to get a beep from the horn and a friendly wave ? which is nice. This scooter has made life a lot more convenient for me, as well as more economical. I enjoy going places on it, and even the pub, which means I save further money and improve my diet by sacrificing drink for using it to get there and back.

Ooh, and now I love it even more, just been down to the post office
to get it taxed for another year, and it actually only costs £15!

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