SMALL CHANGES

Though updated many times over the years, the shape of every Vespa scooter is basically the same, from its contoured steel apron to its low, rounded-off rear. The steady progression of change in the details and mechanical parts endow every Vespa model with its own character, its own style, and its own personality. Naturally, some models have become more desirable than others, capturing a certain stylistic era or performance edge that sets its apart. Some have a stronger personality than others.

Like the VW Beetle, every Vespa scooter is a classic, its basic style staying the same but with the mechanical and stylistic details ever changing. And like the Beetle, it’s easy for many people to see all the Vespa models as looking the same. But when one starts looking more closely at the details, the various change made throughout the years, such as subtle contour changes in body style, taillights and trim, become easy to identify. Plus models come in various size and engine displacement, from the small-frame bikes with engine size ranging from 50-cc to 125-cc, to the bigger body with engine going up to the powerful 200-cc models.

One thing that has stayed the same is the one-cylinder, two-cycle engine that is the heart of every Vespa scooter. The first models were powered by a 98-cc two-cycle engine, rated at 3.3 horse-power, mounted horizontally, and acting directly on the drive wheel via a three-speed transmission. Although the engine changed over the years, the design stayed basically the same. Simple to maintain or repair, each two-stroke engine produces a surprising amount of power and torque for its size, allowing most of urban traffic. The bigger displacement models are able to go cross country touring in comfort.

The engine and transmission are durable and reliable. The Piaggio corporation had so much faith in the durability of Vespa transmissions that, during the 1960s, it provided all its scooters with a lifetime transmission warranty. But the two-stroke engine were also the downfall of the Vespa scooter in the United States, where pollution concerns created emissions standards that the engine could never pass. Piaggio temporarily suspended roles of scooters in the U.S. market in 1986, steering its production to other parts of the world.