Easy rider
With its great fuel economy, maneuverability and twist-and-go start, Vespa is catching on

By R.J. LIBERATORE Jr.
Staff Writer
October 10, 2007

MAYS LANDING – An area auto retailer hopes to find success with an affordable vehicle that combines an 80-miles-per-gallon fuel consumption rate and mid-1960s nostalgia with the ease of twist-and-go riding.
Nissan Vespa on Route 50 in the downtown section of Mays Landing opened in late July selling scooters made by Italian giant Piaggio/Vespa.
Piaggio, the parent company, has sold more than 15 million scooters worldwide since it began marketing the Vespa brand in 1946.
Anyone unfamiliar with the name would most likely recognize a Vespa when they see one.
It was made world famous in the 1953 movie “Roman Holiday,” when Gregory Peck rode Audrey Hepburn around the crowded, twisting streets of Rome.
“We’ve sold bunches,” said Steve Przybycin, a Vespa sales manager for Nissan. “We had an idea of who would buy a Vespa, but the types of people who are coming in to look at them far exceeded our expectations.”
The reason, he said, is simple.
“They’re easy and fun to ride and get great fuel economy.”
How great?
 

Car v. scooter Riding a scooter can lower transportation costs. Here’s a comparison of some of the costs and factors involved: Insurance: Full coverage for a scooter is generally less than $300 a year. Car insurance can average $1,200 for an economy car. Fuel: A week’s supply of gasoline (300 miles) costs about $8 (80 mpg) for a scooter, compared to about $25 (30 mpg) for a car or even more -- $50 – for a fuel-hungry V-8 truck. Parking: Three scooters can easily fit in a parking space for one car. Cost of ownership: A scooter can cost as little as $1,799 and comes with a two-year unlimited mileage warranty. The least-expensive cars cost about $12,000, and the warranty varies. Fun factor: Nothing compares to the feeling of the wind blowing in your hair when you ride a scooter.

Want to know more? Go to the official Vespa USA site at www.vespausa.com/ . To see photos and learn about rides and other events go to www.vespa.org/ . For other related links see www.vespa.org/vlinks.cfm.

Want to try it out? Admiral Vespa, 412 Route 50 in the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call (609) 487-0221.

The scooters sell for as little as $1,799 and get 80 miles per gallon, Przybycin said. Other models, such as the 244cc GTS, reach 72 mph and get 70 miles per gallon, according to Vespa/Piaggio. The GTS costs $5,999.
The Vespa maintains a retro appearance, but underneath the curvy design and pastel colors are modern mechanicals: disk brakes, automatic transmissions, fuel injection and electric start, for example.
However, Piaggio also builds scooters that have as much power as traditional motorcycles.
The 39-horsepower BV500 model contains a 460cc motor and reaches 96 mph. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $6,299.
Currently Admiral Vespa has about 25 models on display.
“But they aren’t a motorcycle,” Przybycin said. “They are a scooter.”
There’s a big difference.
Scooters are lighter and have a lower center of gravity, so they are more maneuverable and handle better than a traditional motorcycle, he said.
Because scooters weigh as little as 225 pounds, they stop more quickly and accelerate as well as traditional motorcycles.
Also, scooters have a motor that is mounted over the rear wheel for better traction. As a result, there’s no tall engine to climb over to get on, Przybycin said. The rider steps through the vehicle and not over it.
“The best thing,” he said, “is that they are all automatic.”
The Vespa uses a continuously variable transmission that automatically selects the correct gear, giving more power for acceleration and less power for economic cruising, and there’s no worry about when to shift. No need to master the art of clutching with one hand and applying throttle with the other while shifting with the left foot.

College campuses are filled with Vespas that students use to get to classes and work and shop for groceries, he said. Also, Vespas are becoming more popular in congested cities because they are easy to maneuver and park.
“I have one customer who parks his in the foyer of his home,” Przybycin said. “They take up so little space.”
College students aren’t the only people buying scooters, according to statistics provided by the Motorcycle Industry Council.
The median age of a scooter rider is 46, the MIC said. Nearly 22 percent of all scooter riders are retired, and about one in five (18 percent) are employed in the professional or technical fields.
“Everybody is riding them,” Przybycin said.
Sales have gone from 12,000 units in 1997 to 120,000 units in 2005, the MIC said. Scooters now account for about 10 percent of all “motorcycle” sales.
It’s not choppers that pushed annual motorcycle sales past the 1 million mark recently, said Przybycin, who rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
“It’s scooters.”
Male riders account for almost 76 percent scooter riders, the MIC said.
Admiral Vespa will eventually have a service and parts department at its Mays Landing location, Przybycin said. Those departments are now at Admiral Nissan in Pleasantville.
Admiral Nissan also plans to open up an in-store boutique that will feature clothing, rain suits, helmets and other Vespa items, Przybycin said.