There’s really not much to a scooter, and that’s the fun of it. You get on, turn the key, push the starter, drive away and you get the same adrenaline blast you get from surfing or riding a skateboard.
You can throw a scoot around the neighborhood, too, and both young and old smile at your presence; no one calls the cops on a scooter, and some may wish to pet you as they would a dog. Watch you don’t hit anything and don’t get into any fights with others whether motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians or Mack trucks even if it’s clearly their fault,and you’ll do fine. That’s pretty much it.
The 2018 Vespa Sei Giorni 300 provides all the above at its highest level.
Yes, it is a tool which will zip you to the store, to the gym, to the venue or to the relatives’ 9 miles away. But it’s also a fashion statement, if you’re not familiar with 1952′s “Roman Holiday” and its subsequent effect on Vespa sales. You’ll want to dress up a bit when you ride, and you may watch your language. A universally recognized symbol of Italian style, Vespa remains an outstanding success story with more than 16 million scooters produced since its 1946 introduction.
Our tester, the limited edition Sel Giorni, MSRP $7,699, was built as an homage to Vespa’s original 1951 Sport Sei Giomi, and it’s the most powerful and advanced Vespa to date. Based on Vespa’s GTS, you’re powered by a 300cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine making 21 brake horsepower at 7750 RPM and 16 ftlb of torque at 5000 RPM. It’s also got a USB port in the glove box, ABS brakes and LED daytime running lights.
You can also do highways nicely, as we discovered on our maiden 40-mile journey to headquarters in the middle of a workday, the trucks and SUVs and cars and bikers zipping by us at 75 MPH or higher as we held our own at 65, more or less. (Top speed’s 75 MPH.) The difference between local jaunts and riding on the highway was significant, though. The unit worked best for us when we had to dash out of the house and get somewhere in 10 minutes on a clear, blue summer day, rather than aiming at, say, a destination 50 or more miles away. It’s also pretty difficult to fall; your tires are tiny and it’s a far less dangerous toy than a motorcycle in that way. Sure, you’ll need some basic equilibrium in your DNA, but based on our test, it’s almost impossible to tip your 326-pound two-wheeler over unless you’re a total klutz, in which case you should stick to walking anyhow.
You’ve got a plethora of available accessories, the most interesting of which is its Vespa Multimedia Platform, allowing your phone to communicate with your scooter, garnering information about trips, mileage and other vital signs from afar. Other accessories include an anti-theft system, front and rear luggage racks and a Tom Tom Vio GPS unit.
This particular scooter is also an homage to the original Sel Giorni built in 1951 for the Sel Giorni Internazionale regularity rally – which scooted away with nine gold medals despite being up against other machines seen as more worthy. Only 300 of those scooters were built, and are collector’s items today.
Our weeklong test saw us go and go and go, through neighborhoods, villages and towns and over busy freeways, but it never got old – each journey was like a carnival ride. After the first 120 miles, too, we got a gift at the gas station – here’s what we paid for a fill-up.
Not even a Prius can beat that, and we didn’t go easy on the acceleration, either.
Belissimo, Vespa.
