Road test : Vespa S

Looks & Styling

Vespas are known to be different from other scooters when it comes to their overall looks and styling. But the entire Vespa range in India looks similar, that’s because it’s just one platform that is doing duty in India. There are few cosmetic aspects that distinguish the Vespa S from its other two siblings, the major one being its rectangular headlight, mirrors and the front apron. The rectangular headlight has been added to bring back the Italy of the 70s but I think the scooter looks more masculine and that is how it appeals to its main customers. The company has never claimed about their target audience for this scooter but has always said that it is youth oriented. The rectangular mirrors which is covered with chrome is another attractive part of the scooter, but not quite useful for someone with broad shoulders.

The front of the scooter gets a vertical chrome treatment that sports the Piaggio badge. The chrome horn cover has been lowered little bit to accommodate the chrome strip. And that’s not all. The corner of the front apron also gets a chrome finish, just like the headlight. Piaggio says they have used chrome to give the scooter a sporty look but let’s admit it, Indians love chrome on their vehicles and the same formula has been applied here. The front mudguard has been redesigned to expose the red suspension spring that looks really nice; the same paint has been given to the rear one.

The three-spoke alloy wheels are the same as the ones on the standard variant but the gloss black treatment adds to the overall sporty appeal of the Vespa S. The left side panel gets the ‘S125’ badging and the right gets the ‘Vespa S’. Another big scooter badging can be seen at the rear, just above the crystal tail light. The Vespa S doesn’t get the grab rails as standard like its other two variants. To make it look more premium, the seat gets white stitching. The grab rails, however, can be bought for Rs 3,500 from the optional accessories list.

Instrument Cluster & Switch Gear

The instrument cluster on the Vespa S is new and follows the black theme. It features the twin pod format with the analog speedometer and odometer on the left and fuel indicator on the right. The fonts are red and are easy to read. A tiny ‘S’ logo, which stands for ‘sport’, sits on the speedometer. There is a digital clock on the console that remains on, all the time, it shows the trip time, turn lights and headlight indicators on the bottom end of the cluster. There are three screws in the middle of the instrument cluster that hold it in place. These don’t match the rest of the cluster because they aren’t black. On an orange scooter with a black console, it looks very out of place. Secondly, with two of the three screws sitting just above the horizontal ‘bar’ at the bottom of the two pods, rainwater is bound to collect, stay and corrode the screw heads in places with a lot of rainfall.

The switchgear is of decent quality but is not comfortable to operate. To operate few switches like the horn and the headlamps high/low beam toggle, you need to reach out with your thumb, which is very uncomfortable. The handlebar itself is higher and wider than the traditional India-market scooter, which makes it easy to manoeuvre in traffic. The rectangular mirrors are better than the round mirrors of its Italian brethren, but they still aren’t half as usable as regular scooters, with a limited adjustment range.

The Vespa S gets a cubby hole just below the ignition key instead of the lockable storage space that is seen on the LX and the VX. It can hold a small bottle and couple of things like sunglasses. But I would have been happy if Piaggio had given the lockable front storage unit for this model as standard or at least as an option because in a city like Mumbai, you can’t leave your things exposed. The under seat storage is more than enough and can easily hold a half-face helmet along with the documents of the scooter. The bag hook that extends from the front of the seat base is a lot more practical than the regular bag hook, but the stepped footboard, while a great style statement, negates all the good work that that high-placed hook does with its diminished ability to carry things. The seat is well padded and contoured, but its length is the shortest in the business, so two up riding means getting intimate with each other. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on who the rider and pillion is, but one thing’s for sure: if the lady wants to sit side-saddle then tough luck. There isn’t a footrest provided, and neither is the seat long enough if her hips are wide.

The Vespa S’s lack of a grab rail also makes it very hard to put it on the main stand, which is something you will want to do while filling fuel. Here, again, there isn’t a single key slot for both ignition and seat release like the other scooters are managing today – the slot on the left side unlocks the seat, and the fuel tank can accessed after the seat is lifted. The entire under-seat storage bin can be lifted out to offer a mechanic access to the carburettor and engine.

It is this strange mix of practicality and seeming lack of thought that leaves us undecided about the ergonomics of the Vespa S. For the kind of price it commands, you’d expect it to at least match up to the competition.

Engine & Gearbox

The Vespa S gets the same engine that powers the LX and the VX variants. The 125cc three valve engine produces 9.92 bhp at 7,500rpm and offers maximum torque of 10.6Nm at 6,000rpm. This engine is mated to a continuous variable transmission. The initial pick up is not that great because the gearbox is slow. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to get to an open space in traffic first. However, if you slow down and learn to modulate the throttle, things improve. Once the scooter gets going, it feels like it will outrun most other scooters – a combination of the highest power figure and lowest kerb weight. Roll-on acceleration is a lot better than standing starts, so out on the highway the engine purrs along with no stress even at 70kph, making this the highway scooter of choice if you want one. Vibrations are at the minimum which directly improves the overall riding experience. Twist the throttle and the Vespa S reaches 90kmph easily with my weight which is close to 100kg. Piaggio claims an ARAI fuel efficiency of 60 kmpl and with a fuel tank capacity of 8.5-litre, the scooter can travel for approximately 400kms at one go.

Ride & Handling

The Vespa S sits on the steel monocoque body that makes this scooter one of the lightest in India at 105kg. The scooter gets a single-sided anti-dive hydraulic shock at the front and monoshock at the rear providing very good ride quality. It takes on bad patches pretty easily whether in the city or out on the highway.

City riding is a breeze because high, wide handlebars take almost no effort to make the Vespa change direction. In fact, your first few kilometres might even give you the impression that the Vespa S is a nervous scooter because of the sudden directional changes it is capable of. Once you learn to relax your arms and trust the scooter, or up speed, the Vespa settles and you can use the performance of that engine more effectively, and that of the disc brake as well.

I have got two words for the Vespa S’s brakes - Incredibly effective! The scooter gets a 200mm ventilated disc at the front and 140mm drum at the rear. The Honda Activa 125 with its combi-braking system (C-ABS) and front disc just about edges the Vespa S’s system for the best braking system we’ve experienced on a scooter. The anti-dive suspension, although a good thing, takes away one dimension of feel under braking, that of fork compression – and as such it is easy to lock the rear wheel under heavy braking.

The Vespa isn’t really made for lean angles, but that powerful engine and nice chassis make for a sweet-handling scooter. If you take it to your favourite set of twisties it will certainly put a smile on your face as long as you plan to ride it in rhythm instead of flat out, the fly in the ointment being the slow gearbox. Take a little care while leaning left – the first thing to touch the floor is the main stand, so a little body English will be prudent if you’re planning on going corner-carving with the Vespa S.

Verdict

The Vespa S is a very good scooter. It ticks all the check boxes, but that eye-watering price of Rs 76,495 (ex-showroom Mumbai) makes one think many times before springing for it. At this price, the Vespa S is not a value for money buy at all; instead it is a style statement. As such, there should have been no flaws like switchgear made of average quality plastic or silver screws when there should have been black. What you get for that price is exclusivity, style and a lot of attention. For everything else, there is the Honda Activa 125.