Love at first sight : Yellow Vespa LX125 How does a person fall in love ?
There has been no definite answer to that.It just happens. It cannot be analyzed by any logic or broken down into a pros and cons.
This was the feeling I had when I saw this Italian beauty in the workshop...... And a week later a Yellow Vespa Lx125 was standing proudly in my parking lot next to other Italian beauty the Fiat Linea.
After bidding a goodbye to my Avenger, we were in the market for a scooter which could be used by me and my wife for city runs. There are thousands of Activas and Wegos and Aviators moving about in Pune. All of them got perfect grades in economics but none of them clicked the right spots in the mind. And so me and my wife decided to visit a Vespa showroom to check out the LX125. We were offered a short test ride. My wife tested it and quite a few number of times put it on and off the main stand. It was perfect no trouble at all. The booking was done in a 2 days and delivery promised 23th Nov.We took the delivery of the Yellow Vespa LX125 on 26th November. There was a offer of free insurance with it so final cost of the scooter 67000Rs.
Body, Engine ,Transmission and Suspension : The LX125 has a monocoque steel body which seems to the first in the gearless scooters. LX125 has a 125cc 4-stroke , 3 cylinder engine as compared to it's competition say Suzuki Access which has a 125cc 4-stroke, Single cylinder engine.
This translates to 10.06ps v/s 8.5ps and a torque of 10.6 Nm v/s 9.8Nm @5000rpm. The Vespa engine is and feels little powerful. It pulls cleanly from the start with 2 people on-board. I was mightly impressed when I was able to ride it up the ramp in our office with a collegue (and a box of barfi) where we have to downshift to 2 gear in a car. The claimed milage is about 45kmpl but that is a test of time for me since it is too early to tell. I will be happy if practically I get 35-40kmpl out of this.
The transmission is a Continously-variable transmission which is the default in scooters of this category.
Suspension is well sorted out for this scooter and offers a nice damping for bumps and potholes which are in plenty on road. Speeds of 60kmph the ride instill confidence as it does not give a boat-like ride.
The scooter strongest point is the way it can maneuver in the traffic. It can take on every crack and corner of the traffic with ease and so is a definite boon for short errand runs.
The brakes are just sufficient but could do with better brakes, especially at higher speeds. Maybe it is because I am not used to smaller tyres it does take a while to get that "braking confidence" at higher speeds. A disc brake rather than two drums would have been nicer especially at this price point.
A significant thing to note here is the effectiveness of the headlamps. The 35W Halogens really lights up the path very well and do an exceptional job.
Styling and utility:The first thing that catches the eye is the retro styling.Chrome thrown about liberally around the body and Vespa logo put on all sides. The chrome finish mirror with rubber beading looks totally cool. It surely turns heads, on the road. The only thing I did not get was the digital clock. That sticks out like a sore thumb in otherwise a retro dash.All the panels and accessories are well out-together and does not look cheap. There are two storage spaces provided. One under the handle, door to which opens by pushing the key barrel. Second under-the-seat storage. This is good enough for a small handbag or a helmet. So I would deem it sufficient. A bag hook is provided which is pull-out type for extra stowing.
I have had loads of people asking me on petrol pumps and traffic signals "Kitna deti hai". Well there are somethings which cannot be measured in litres of petrol.
The dealership : The only sore point of the affair was the dealer. It's been about 1 month and 1 week now I have not still received my number plate and this is after n-number of calls of blood boiling rage. I would rate the dealership "Moto Italiaa" very low in customer satisfaction.
All and all I would say this experience had ups and downs and at the end of it one ride on this Yellow Beauty and there is a big smile on your face.
Attaching a few pictures of the beauty
Last edited by GTO : 5th January 2013 at 14:18.
Reason: Adding paragraph spacing for superior readability
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