Incredibly fun
Written: Nov 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fun, reliable, durable, stylish
Cons: low top speed
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| mjgroff's Full Review: 1977 to 1981 Vespa P200E |
As I write this it is snowing outside, the first snow fall of the year, and I am still riding my Vespa p200e to work. It isn't because I like arriving at my destination half frozen. It is because I love riding the Vespa.
My friend and I bought two p200e's, a '77 and '82 model, last spring. I have never had a worse purchasing experience in my life. But that was entirely the fault of the dealer. The scooters were not fixed up as promised. But with some new parts and many hours of labour, both scooters have proven how great they can be.
The things we like are:
-Peppy performance in town
-Glove box
-Styling
-Soft seat
-Soft suspension
-Fun to shift
-Good braking
-Cheap on gas (compared with a car)
-Easy to start
-Durable Steel construction
-Reliable with proper maintenance
The things we don't like are:
-Still can't get then past 90 kilometers per hour - maybe after a rebuild this winter
-Too much money! These are highly collectable and overpriced
Because you will be buying one used, know what you are getting. You can spend hundreds or even thousands restoring one so consider this when making your purchase. Fortunately parts are readily available by mail order and affordable. You can't say this about old Honda or Yamaha scooters. Also, Vespas are easy to work on.
These scooters are lots of fun to ride and when all fixed up are reliable. And watch out for the torque. I accidently lifted the front wheel of the ground twice when shifting into first with the engine reving too high. Those two times it was fun. Then I tried to show off for some teenagers by doing this intentionally. My attempt failed in big way. The whole scooter went vertical, scraped along the ground for 5-10 feet before coming down into a parked car. I managed to travel through my youth without a single disaster like this and here I am at 25 more than making up for it. Needless to say, I have been a very careful responsible rider since then and don't plan any temporary bouts of stupidity for the future.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mjgroff
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Member: Mike Groff
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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