Vespa is back- now where is Lambretta?

chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/loca … ooters.htm

Vespa is back ! Do you think they will do well in Taiwan? Home of the scoot?

I am the police chief in their upcoming ad campaign.

Yeah. Taiwan is like, yuppieland. All the LOHAS, organic bullshit. Folding bicycles. They’ll be beating down Vespa’s doors.

When I looked into the secondhand Vespas here around 6 months ago, even broken, 10+ year old ones were like, 35K or something stupid. So if people are willing to pay 35k for a crappy secondhand Vespa with no service options, I think they’ll probably eat the new Vespas right up. Though who knows how much they’ll be selling them for. More than 100k for sure.

2 year unlimited mileage warranty and temporary replacement vehicle during servicing! Woohoo.

They started at 90k when they were here last many years ago. I think you are right; they will not be cheap.

Can u spot me?

They started at 90k when they were here last many years ago. I think you are right; they will not be cheap.[/quote]

The 2 models they are offering looked to be about US$3000-4000 some on the US Vespa site so after the exorbitant import tax is added… most people would probably rather buy a car.

When I first came to Taiwan, Vespas were everywhere. Now they are rare indeed. It would be good to see them come back… they’ve got a coolness about them.

Yulon made the lambretta way back when vespa was being made on the wan by two companies i heard? Then there was the indian copy, what happened to them? I think they were Bajaj Chetak or something like that.

Oh i did remember correctly hooray. Heres a link
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajaj_Chetak

And heres talking bout Yulon made lambretta

forums.lcgb.co.uk/phpBB2/vie … 43cf6db1c8

more Vespa news

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa

I wondered about that last week, I thought I saw one in the local big bike shop as I rode past.

I also looked at buying a second hand ET4 for my wife a couple of years ago but gave up as they were too expensive. I think PGO was a Taiwanese partner or offshoot of Piaggio, the relationship went bad, they stopped production. It’s a shame, because Vespas look great. When I first came here I recall only liking the look of the small scooters with the round headlights which I now know are just for girls. I’m used to the spaceship style now but I’d take a Vespa on looks if I could.

In Sydney these days there are a lot of scooters about and they are mostly the European style ones. Much better than shellsuit scooters like here…

I went to look at a Vespa in the shop the other day and it was $325,000. I thought it was a joke but when I looked around I was the only one laughing. It was the one with the headlight on the front mudguard, 150cc.

That IS hilarious ! Who the 'ell would buy that? Probably have to eat my words tho.

10,000 US dollars for a vespa scoot? That is ridi cu LOWSE .

I was thinking 150% of a local scooter price is 120k, add on ten or twenty and it’s going to be $140k. I’d go to that if my wife was really keen but $200k would make me laugh, let alone $325,000.

Still, I suppose $325,000 isn’t a lot of money if you earn a million a month from your business and I’m sure a lot of people here do, some of them even on this board (but I’m just guessing)!

$200k for a new vespa is the price in America. Add the import taxes and what not and you get $300k. Most luxury foreign motors are inflated here. An $80,000 USD BMW M5 in America sells for $150,000 USD here. Vespa appears to be no different. The government feels that if you really want one (as opposed to buying a TW brand scooter) you can have one with heavy luxury tax added on.

And guess what? They will sell them as the Taiwanese thirst for Western luxury items. As I usually say in these situations “You gotta spend your money on something.”

Personally I’ve never understood the aesthetic appeal of a scooter. I owned a Piaggio back in California, but there the scooter is viewed as an effeminate douche mobile (if ridden by a straight man), so back then it was the convenience and reliability that I valued the most; no one though my scooter made me look cool.

In America you wanted a well built scooter like a Piaggio because if it broke down, you were likely dozens of miles from an auto shop. Here in Taiwan, you are worse off with a Piaggio as there are few people who can fix them, and even fewer parts. If your Kimco breaks down, you could push it to the nearest shop without breaking a sweat! Although here, you are likely to get some props for your cool Vespa!

I absolutely agree, in the UK scooters are for girls, but here a Vespa is cool as ice compared to a local one, they do look miles better! Not $240,000 better, however. If I ever move back to the UK I will absolutely buy a Kymco scooter instead of a second car (probably)

I was flicking through a copy of Taiwan Motor magazine in Carrefour last week and I happened across a review of a 150cc Vespa scooter. My wife confirmed the price was $135,000.

Obviously I couldn’t read the detail, it could have been a second hand ET4 or ET8 or whatever the name is, but it looked brand spanking new. It said 150cc in the spec box at the end.

I’ve seen a few more of them about in BMW motorbike shops and such, I’m going to keep my eyes peeled. It could have been that the one I saw priced at $325k was a 300cc model and I misunderstood what they said to me in my fit of hysterics.

Would you pay $135,000 for a brand new, 150cc Vespa scooter over $80,000 on a TW model? I’m thinking I might if I was feeling flush that week.

A scooter is a scooter, expensive ones are going to be stolen too.

Yes even more so. 310,000 for a vespa seems too much but somehow 135,000 nt seems a bit too low?

i still remember borrowing my buds 200cc vespa once at shihmen dam and going so fast the front wheels just came off the ground because of the shape of the thing.

it was a hoot.

135,000 too cheap, that’s what I was thinking. When I was looking at the mag I was sure it was new, but now I feel perhaps it was just in mint condition.

I visited the new pretty large Vespa dealership in Jhongli yesterday. It’s full of scooters and the prices are as follows:

Vespa LX 125ie $125,000
Vespa S 125ie $130,000
Vespa LX 150ie $132,000
Vespa S 150ie $137,000

All 2010 models. I was told they are all made in Italy, have metal bodywork throughout and weigh about 120kg, which is comparable to a Taiwanese scooter of the 150cc, normal size variety.

To be honest, I was almost sold then and there - they look so good compared to everything else about but when I sat and thought about it for a few hours I was less than keen. I reckon if you’re into them the price is fine. As a daily runabout they’re kind of expensive. One thing I really like is the baby seat attachment that fits on the back of the seat with proper car seatbelt straps and makes it look like the back of a Goldwing. I think it might fit on any scooter though, it looks like it has a nylon belt under the seat and then two through the back grabrail.

Also it will probably get nicked if you leave it outside the cinema on a Saturday night at 11pm, unlike a fucked old Kymco.

wow pretty decent prices really. They cost that in the USA too.

I think they will be a big hit on the wan, as they were years ago.