Scooter Review Vespa LX150 FOR SALE: Classic 60-yearold twin-seater, sympathetically restored, period features remain...
Words and photography by JEREMY BOWDLER Anniversaries can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they are something to celebrate, a milestone, an achievement. On the other, they are the surest indication that you’re growing older with every passing year. When you’re an icon, every anniversary is another challenge, can you hold off the competition for another year? But when you’re an icon that is showing its age, then anniversaries can be scary things indeed.
 Fortunately, none of that applies to Vespa. Sure, it’s an icon and sure, the archetypal scooter is celebrating 60 years in the business of providing transport, fun and, if you believe the Italians, sex to young and old the world over, but showing its age? Never.
That’s the thing about icons like the Vespa, they are owned by the public just as much as they are by the company that produces them. Vespa can no more change its shape completely than Harley can change its silhouette. And that’s a strength and a weakness.
Technology, taste and transport needs continue to evolve, yet Vespa, like Harley- Davidson can only respond in a certain way, or risk losing the Vespaness that makes it a Vespa.
The hard work was done in 1996, when the ET series was released. The radical redesign could have been a resounding failure, but instead it led to a worldwide renaissance for the company when people discovered they could have the modern convenience of a twist and go scooter within bodywork, at least, that reminded them of their old, hand-change models.
Now, 10 years later, it was again time for a change. The ET has gone home and the LX (or Roman numerals for 60 – cute, huh?) has taken its place. The new model looks more or less like an ET that someone has taken a hot iron to, pressing in creases where there were curves and just generally smartening up the soft edges.
Apart from the all-new pressed and welded metal body and chassis, much of the running gear has just been inherited from the ET – with the 150 on test carrying the 150cc Leader engine from the previous model – although the front wheel is now an 11-inch rim replacing the 10-inch of the ET.
 That increase in front wheel size gives a little more stability to the LX, but you’d need to ride it back to back with the ET to assess how much of an impact it has on day-to-day use. Certainly the rigidity of the new frame is up to the stiffness of the old, and the ride is free from flex and groans and squeaks. The same old ease of use applies too: underseat storage with a removable bin to allow a mechanic good access to the engine; a glovebox; and shopping bag hook at the front of the seat. So the LX has all of the good points of the ET; it also has all of the irritations. Minor scrapes or tumbles can become expensive exercises in panel beating with all-metal bodywork and, if you have a keyring hanging off the ignition key, then it’ll get trapped in the glovebox when you try to close it at the lights. Generally, though, the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff – I prefer chassis rigidity over ease of repair as I aim to spend more time riding than crashing, and I long ago learned that a single key works best in a scooter lock, if only for the simple reason that there is less weight wearing the lock out over every bump than if I had a whole bunch of keys swinging there.
So there you have it. Virtually the same old scooter with a subtle, new shape. Most people wouldn’t know the difference unless the ET and LX were sitting next to each other, which is an indication of how successful the changes have been. Vespa has managed to update the now decadeold ET with a new model that retains the marque’s iconic status and with a new model that won’t instantly alienate ET owners. And the coolest thing of all is that this is one upgrade that won’t break the bank. It went on sale at the same price as the out-going ET. Sweet.
As published in TW SCOOTER MAGAZINE - 19/12/2005
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