Scooter News Vespa LX 'S' 125 Return of the retro! The new looking Vespa LX 'S' 125 has the ability to turn heads no matter what your tastes.
Words By: Jason Tubnor. Pictures By: Lou Martin and Jason Tubnor There is something about classic icons and revolutions. Shapes, colours and designs of the 70's and 80's are now making their return, an era that I am very fond of and happy to see return.
Likewise with the new Vespa LX 'S' 125, it has all the trimmings and appeal that defined the look gracing the scooter scene in the 70's.
With its square headlight, splashes of chrome over key parts of the scooter and cut-down front mud guard, Vespa are really on a winner here with something fresh from the Italian company.
What better way to test out this new look by scooting around in the heart land of little Italy in Australia, Carlton and Brunswick. This new scooter had the attention of the locals, young and old, keen to get a closer look at this new piece of classic art.
The wheels and suspension are the same that are found on the standard LX 125 and consist of an 11 inch wheel up front and a 10 inch on the rear. Even though it sounds small, the handling on cobble stone roads, tram tracks and the windy west gate bridge was on par with scooters that have larger, 16 inch wheels.
The LX 'S' still follows the tradition of the current line of Vespas and are metal bodied making the chassis very rigid, improving the overall riding experience. Even with a metal body, the dry weight of the scooter still comes in at 110kg. The panel fit and finish is brilliant and flawless, something that you come to expect with Vespa.
Braking is supplied by 200mm front disk and a 110mm rear drum, both lever actuated from the handle bars. They are easy to apply for all hand sizes and have the ability to haul up large loads with ease.
Power for this scoot is derived from a Piaggio Leader 125cc air-cooled SOHC engine, delivering 7.6 kW at 8,000rpm of power and 9.6 Nm at 7,250rpm of torque. Enough to propel the scooter along a freeway for short stints without any problems. It is no highway tourer by any means, but in todays grid locked freeways, the LX 'S' is in a league of its own. Even though the engine is a bit on the small side for large highway work, the savings in fuel in the city make this attractive little number a real winner.
Being air-cooled, helps this scooter in city situations by keeping its physical size and mass small and low respectively, enabling the rider to flick the scooter through heavy city traffic, around obstacles and even putting it on the centre stand. The LX 'S' is even easy to park in some of the tight back lanes of Melbourne's CBD.
The transmission, I would have to say is the best in its class. It is very smooth in its operation throughout the transmissions range and at top speed. Another thing that I noticed was the superb amount of engine braking on offer, right down to nearly walking speed, something that a lot of scooters lack.
Seating is firm but comfortable with enough room for a rider and pillion without stretching the friendship too far. Beautiful pipe trimming surrounds the top of the seat, setting it apart from the rest of the Vespa range. Access to the under seat storage is via a seat key lock, requiring you to stop the engine, take the keys out and open the seat with them. A fitting design if the scooter was built in the 70's, but we are in the 00's and a combination ignition/seat lock should have been the order of the day.
Storage is not huge, though there is sufficient room for an open face helmet under the seat. As well as the under seat storage, you have a bag hook behind the front leg shield that is good for all your fresh Italian goods that you have just picked up from the markets in one of those environmentally friendly bags.
The dash has a reasonable layout with a very retro look. The dials look nice and are easy to read along with easy to understand warning and notification lights. There is even a low oil light, something that doesn't make an appearance on many other scooters in this class. A clock is also there to keep you on-time.
One thing that did bug me was the location of the dash board indicator light, it was too low to see that you have the actuated or accidentally left them on. If the indicators were audible, this wouldn't be an issue, nor would it be an issue at night (the light is nice and bright), but it was an issue during daytime testing.
I also have an issue with the chrome trim on the dash and headlight surround. It looks good and sets the scoot apart from the rest of the Vespa range, but done in a tacky chrome plastic, making it look cheaper than if they hadn't bothered at all. What will it look like after a few years exposed to the elements in Australia?
Overall, I loved my time with this scooter. It again made me appreciate what comes out from the Italian factory and backs up what all the hype is about with this iconic brand. The LX 'S' comes with a 2 year, unlimited kilometer warranty giving you piece of mind while enjoying this scooter doing your daily commute or even the trip down to the shops.
At $5990+orc, it is on the expensive side of the 125 market but it is so worth the money and if image is everything, you need to have this scooter!
www.piaggio.com.au
Vespa LX 'S' 125
published 25/06/2008 |