Scooter Review Vespa S 50/125 If an old-school Vespa is your game, but you’d rather not suffer occasional vintage scooter pain, the Vespa LX ‘S’ 125 is calling your name!
Words by DAVE DIRADO, photography by LOU MARTIN It all goes around. What was once cool becomes daggy; and if you wait long enough the time will come to get out that old paisley shirt again. It would be easy to say that this sentiment echoes the history of the humble Vespa, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn’t. Vespas have always been cool and if you have a good look at the new Wasp, you will see details that are reminiscent of Vespa scooters from the late ’60s and early ’70s, showing an unbroken line of styling.
Owning an early Vespa is a buzz. I have a 1965 Super 150 and the little champion gives me endless amounts of fun. The attention it gets when we are on the road is amazing. People wave and smile, and I have even heard the occasional whistle as we buzz along. It’s light on fuel, stinky to refill as it’s a pre-self-mixing model, and manages to blow 6V bulbs at the most inopportune times. But, considering how, when and why I use my Vespa, I can deal with all that and still love my little
scoot dearly. But what would life be like without these issues?
Love at first sight
If you are going to test a new Vespa, cafe-riddled Melbourne is the perfect place. Not only do you have to negotiate every coffee bean known to man, there are trams, pedestrians, cyclists, cars, buses and people like me from Sydney all trying to dodge each other and get to their destination in a safe, timely manner. I was half asleep and still in my pre-espresso haze as I walked around the corner to meet my new friend for the day. My teeth were chattering from the chill of a Melbourne morning. As she entered my view, I stopped dead in my tracks. “She’s perrrrty”, I thought... well, at least I thought I had thought that until photographer Lou reassured me a coffee was not far away. I made a mental note to stop thinking aloud.
The first thing I really noticed with the new Vespa LX ‘S’ 125 was how familiar I felt with it. The overall size and shape is really comparable to an older Vespa, and the similarities don’t end there. For starters it is constructed from pressed steel – a method unique to Vespas. This not only enables you to decorate your Vespa with fridge magnets, it also means superior strength and rigidity translating into a very predictable and secure ride on the road. While the wheels look tiny, just like a small-frame Vespa’s should, they are actually a decent size. Up front you get a 2.5 x 11-inch rim while the rear rolls on a 3.1x10-inch hoop and both wear tubeless tyres.
 The redesigned front guard not only exposes more of the front end than previous models, it also comes with chrome trimming as standard – just like an early ’60s trim, only a little chunkier. One area on the new Vespa LX ‘S’ that has had the most attention would have to be the legshield. With clean styling, chrome trim and the aggressive air intake, it looks new, although it really glances back at the simplistic styling Vespa is famous for.
On the inside face the clean lines and symmetry continue with the two very handy open-top storage pockets, perfect for your sunnies or other small necessities. Being 180cm, I was also very happy with the leg room, which was much more than my old girl, but still kept me in the small-frame vintage Vespa mood. Underfoot the look is just what an early Vespa nut would hope for with rubber runners modelled in
the style of an early model... I’m really digging this scoot!
Hip to be square
In the mid to late ’60s the Vespa versus Lambretta battle was in full swing and, to get an edge, the stylists at Vespa introduced a new feature to grab the attention of scooteristi around the world. They did this by introducing a rectangular headlight on the new 50 Special.
With sales figures skyrocketing for the new wasps, it became pretty obvious that it was now hip to be square! Now, just like those flares in the back of the cupboard, it’s all groovy again, baby! The new square headlight treatment not only looks the part, it also shoots a bright wide beam, turning night into day.
A sideways glance
The rear end of the new Sport is all class too. The engine covers, which are moulded into the body, are straight out of the early SS 50 or SS 90 styling book. And, to finish it all off, the tail light looks exactly how it should, similar to an early Vespa’s with a little more chunkiness to keep the proportions right. As my time passed with the ‘S’, I started to understand that while it does look like an early Vespa, it definitely behaves a lot better than my old girl. Yes, they are both sexy little red motorinis. It’s the other differences, or should I say technological advancements, that become obvious with every kilometre.
First up, I went to position my foot over the rear brake pedal, and that was the trigger point for my brain to step out of the past.
No foot brake here, though I couldn’t help but think one would not look out of place. Of course, it’s a twist and go (oh the joy!). Not only do you get to look cool with the early styling of the LX ‘S’, this Vespa makes it a much easier prospect. The single-cylinder four-stroke motor is very quiet and smooth in its power delivery and will get you from rest to 60km/h rather quickly. Vespa uses a two-way catalytic converter and a secondary air system to keep the 125 very economical and clean-running. Power output is 7.6kW at 8000rpm with 9.6Nm of torque, which is not bad for a 125cc Vespa. To put it into perspective, my old ’65 with its whopping 150cc engine produces about 5kW.
All about nostalgia
If you really want to get nostalgic and not use the electric starter it is nice to have the option to kick it over. The fuel tank filler can be found under the very comfortable and trendy 785mm-high seat, which is complete with white piping. The filler is also set well back, so there is no chance of spilling fuel into the storage compartment, which will take a full-face helmet if required. With a tank capacity of 8.6 litres and a consumption rate of 2.5L/100km, the Sport will cover about 330km between refills. All this economy comes with a standing 30m dash at about 4.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 91km/h... both sexy and zippy, what more could you want?
 I know, great handling and stopping power? The ‘S’ glides along smoothly with its spring-dampers front and rear. Potholes, ruts and even tram tracks are not an issue when scootin’ on the Sport. The front brake is a 200mm steel disc and easily pulls the 110kg Vespa to a stable halt; if you apply the two levers at once you can stop it on a 10-cent piece.
The new Vespa LX ‘S’ really ticks some boxes. If you are considering getting into the vintage Vespa scene and plan on riding your scooter a lot, I’d look in this direction. The fact is, building up an original Italian Vespa will not only cost more than the LX ‘S’ 125’s $5990 pricetag, it will remind you of its age daily. In contrast, the ‘S’ is a sophisticated scooter that’s ready to play everyday. ✽
Sporty accessories
The Vespa LX ‘S’ 125 comes in three colours – Dragon Red, Shiny Black and Montebianco White – and there is also a great range of accessories, including a windscreen, a matching 32-litre topbox, chrome-plated tilting rear luggage rack, six different graphic kits with three themes (Flowers, Europe and Sport) and the Vespa Europe half-jet helmet. Stand out from the crowd!
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 25/08/2008
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