Looking back one of my first road tests I did for the "Scooter Maven" persona was the Piaggio MP3 Scooter out at the Piaggio Dealers meeting in Arizona. That meeting marked where the industry was headed for the big boom of 2008 the excitement of the Mp3 was to me part of the roller-coaster ride the industry was about to experience.
Walking around the show my first day we ended up meeting a bunch of real estate investors, car dealers, "Wall Street" people, and a whole bunch that in my opinion shouldn't be selling scooters. I even met a guy who took a mortgage on his house to open a new dealership. Talk about predicting the future 2007 is still affecting the US Powersports Industry in 2010.
What I was really there for was to test the new models, find out about the whole Jincheng "Aprilia units" and the Zongshen "Piaggio" units coming to America and which parts worked on which Chinese origin units. It ended up being a much more interesting trip.
I have to admit as a global organization I admire Piaggio Group. They are a company that stands out, they put out amazing products. They created a brand over time that is synonymous with the word scooter. They are the brand everyone aspires to be. Like all corporations mistakes are made, they have subsidiaries that don't work out, switch importers etc... but the passion the brand creates is life changing. I meet people from all walks of life that remember and love their first "Vespa." It's the reason many of the people I meet got into the business.
Walking around I had an awesome conversation with two Piaggio Group VPs from Italy who were more interested in Vietnam than anything else. I had just seen the new Piaggio plant in Vietnam and I knew it was huge, but I didn't know at the time they were shifting more and more production there. Cool fact about Vietnam is that people love "Vespa" and since there is no credit or financing they will show up at the dealership with four thousand in cash to pre-pay for one. Having demand like that it was no wonder Piaggio was more interested in talking about Vespa than the US. Jay Leno wasn't invited to this particular meeting and I spent my time there with the late Peter Warrick and my friends from Scootopia and Sportique. Peter and I talked into the night about his plans for the US market. It wouldn't be until a year later when I really got to spend more time with him, but it was surreal to see what a prominent role he was beginning to take in the eyes of the group at the table.
I spent the next morning attending some of the workshops hidden in the back since I wasn't a dealer, but more of a "consultant." The classes were mostly for the new guys and how to get paid on the co-op advertising they had to do. Nothing that could help all the existing shops with their issues like Scootopia. At the time Scootopia was the second best "Aprilia" dealer in the country, the owner James was there with his wife and it was appalling to me that the management at Piaggio didn't even know his name. They seemed more interested in shielding Roberto Colaninno from seeing what was happening in the US market.
My best conversation was brief and half in Italian, but I basically asked Mr. Colaninno why he didn't just buy Malaguti Moto (www.Malaguti.com) since they were forced by the state to sell them engines and he told me he had thought about it, but he said "one word Mo-NO-Po-Lio" the Italian Government won't let me. It would be two years before I would see him again at EICMA, but I figured it was Italy if he really wanted Malaguti he could call Berlusconi and make it happen. I mean this is the guy who saved Air Italia. Benelli was still recovering from the QJ purchase and the Aprilia issue was still on everyone's mind, but it seemed logical to me at the time. These days you only have to check the news to see the shape of Italian production and why consolidation is a good thing for them to stay competitive.
Back to the story - Scootopia had been a client of mine since I started in the business with Malaguti. James and his wife ran a gun shop and they had seen it all. They sold Derbi, Malaguti, Chinese, even some Adly's from Dixie Sales just to compete. They even considered carrying SYM from me before I stopped carrying SYM and got out of importing vehicles. Taking on Aprilia motorcycles ( which I warned them about ) was going to kill them with the GE interest payments and it did right before the scooter boom of 2008 hit them. It was a real shame because had they hung on or if Piaggio had purchased their units the store would have stayed opened.
I tested the motorcycles, I tested the scooters, the only one I really was impressed with was the MP3 so I made this video to talk about it. Most of the dealers I met at the show are now gone. Part of that failed Arctic Cat / Ford GM Car Dealership idea the group had at the time. Every single marketing, sales, and support person I met back at that show is gone. Even the sales guy they had from Harley who had no clue who I was or who James was is now gone. It's a shame because it was people like James Palazzo who helped put Aprilia scooters on the map in the USA. He was old school from late 90s of the first great American scooter dealers. Hanging out with him and his wife was a real pleasure. The industry should nurture people like that, not push them aside for fake growth.
The Mp3 was by far the best vehicle on display. I rode it twice. Piaggio did an amazing job on their test track and teaching new riders / investors / potential operators how the unit worked. The technology behind it was beyond me. I kept thinking to myself the average mom and pop store cannot repair this thing, it's as advanced as a new car. This was no simple two-stroke you were talking about.
The MP3 features included a fuel injected, liquid-cooled four-stroke 250cc engine still made in Italy. The thing that gets you are the two wheels up front and the parallelogram suspension which is of an original Piaggio design. Two years later at the TAITRA Show in Taiwan I got to speak on a panel with the head engineer of the MP3. That's him to my far right in the picture.
When you sit on the Mp3 you realize the control panel isn't the standard scooter panel. You have access to a front end lock. This control button is designed to lock the front end when at a stop or to engage at very low speeds. I also found it to be extremely comfortable which later I went on to tell the dealer meeting this was a feature they should advertise because it seemed the seat could hold an American without the usual strain some Taiwanese Maxi Scooters put on your rear when you ride for a long time.
The MP3 features a tilt mechanism that consists of four cast-aluminum control arms with four hinges fixed to the central tube and two guide tubes on either side. It is connected to the arms via suspension pins and ball bearings. The tubes on the right and left enclose the steering tube. New versions include a Hybrid, an EV prototype, and several engine versions from 500cc to 600cc versions. Using the same tech which reminds me of some early Italjet attempts they have released the Gilera 800cc in Europe. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXuav88S0kA
The Mp3 made the whole trip worth it and I went back and tested it again. The result is a scooter that provides incredible stability when turning, braking, and riding. It's handling was terrific, like no other vehicle I had ever ridden before. Below is my video from the time, enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbEm7BBUUkA
Piaggio MP3 250cc
Walking around the show my first day we ended up meeting a bunch of real estate investors, car dealers, "Wall Street" people, and a whole bunch that in my opinion shouldn't be selling scooters. I even met a guy who took a mortgage on his house to open a new dealership. Talk about predicting the future 2007 is still affecting the US Powersports Industry in 2010.
What I was really there for was to test the new models, find out about the whole Jincheng "Aprilia units" and the Zongshen "Piaggio" units coming to America and which parts worked on which Chinese origin units. It ended up being a much more interesting trip.
I have to admit as a global organization I admire Piaggio Group. They are a company that stands out, they put out amazing products. They created a brand over time that is synonymous with the word scooter. They are the brand everyone aspires to be. Like all corporations mistakes are made, they have subsidiaries that don't work out, switch importers etc... but the passion the brand creates is life changing. I meet people from all walks of life that remember and love their first "Vespa." It's the reason many of the people I meet got into the business.
Walking around I had an awesome conversation with two Piaggio Group VPs from Italy who were more interested in Vietnam than anything else. I had just seen the new Piaggio plant in Vietnam and I knew it was huge, but I didn't know at the time they were shifting more and more production there. Cool fact about Vietnam is that people love "Vespa" and since there is no credit or financing they will show up at the dealership with four thousand in cash to pre-pay for one. Having demand like that it was no wonder Piaggio was more interested in talking about Vespa than the US. Jay Leno wasn't invited to this particular meeting and I spent my time there with the late Peter Warrick and my friends from Scootopia and Sportique. Peter and I talked into the night about his plans for the US market. It wouldn't be until a year later when I really got to spend more time with him, but it was surreal to see what a prominent role he was beginning to take in the eyes of the group at the table.
I spent the next morning attending some of the workshops hidden in the back since I wasn't a dealer, but more of a "consultant." The classes were mostly for the new guys and how to get paid on the co-op advertising they had to do. Nothing that could help all the existing shops with their issues like Scootopia. At the time Scootopia was the second best "Aprilia" dealer in the country, the owner James was there with his wife and it was appalling to me that the management at Piaggio didn't even know his name. They seemed more interested in shielding Roberto Colaninno from seeing what was happening in the US market.
My best conversation was brief and half in Italian, but I basically asked Mr. Colaninno why he didn't just buy Malaguti Moto (www.Malaguti.com) since they were forced by the state to sell them engines and he told me he had thought about it, but he said "one word Mo-NO-Po-Lio" the Italian Government won't let me. It would be two years before I would see him again at EICMA, but I figured it was Italy if he really wanted Malaguti he could call Berlusconi and make it happen. I mean this is the guy who saved Air Italia. Benelli was still recovering from the QJ purchase and the Aprilia issue was still on everyone's mind, but it seemed logical to me at the time. These days you only have to check the news to see the shape of Italian production and why consolidation is a good thing for them to stay competitive.
Back to the story - Scootopia had been a client of mine since I started in the business with Malaguti. James and his wife ran a gun shop and they had seen it all. They sold Derbi, Malaguti, Chinese, even some Adly's from Dixie Sales just to compete. They even considered carrying SYM from me before I stopped carrying SYM and got out of importing vehicles. Taking on Aprilia motorcycles ( which I warned them about ) was going to kill them with the GE interest payments and it did right before the scooter boom of 2008 hit them. It was a real shame because had they hung on or if Piaggio had purchased their units the store would have stayed opened.
I tested the motorcycles, I tested the scooters, the only one I really was impressed with was the MP3 so I made this video to talk about it. Most of the dealers I met at the show are now gone. Part of that failed Arctic Cat / Ford GM Car Dealership idea the group had at the time. Every single marketing, sales, and support person I met back at that show is gone. Even the sales guy they had from Harley who had no clue who I was or who James was is now gone. It's a shame because it was people like James Palazzo who helped put Aprilia scooters on the map in the USA. He was old school from late 90s of the first great American scooter dealers. Hanging out with him and his wife was a real pleasure. The industry should nurture people like that, not push them aside for fake growth.
The Mp3 was by far the best vehicle on display. I rode it twice. Piaggio did an amazing job on their test track and teaching new riders / investors / potential operators how the unit worked. The technology behind it was beyond me. I kept thinking to myself the average mom and pop store cannot repair this thing, it's as advanced as a new car. This was no simple two-stroke you were talking about.
The MP3 features included a fuel injected, liquid-cooled four-stroke 250cc engine still made in Italy. The thing that gets you are the two wheels up front and the parallelogram suspension which is of an original Piaggio design. Two years later at the TAITRA Show in Taiwan I got to speak on a panel with the head engineer of the MP3. That's him to my far right in the picture.
When you sit on the Mp3 you realize the control panel isn't the standard scooter panel. You have access to a front end lock. This control button is designed to lock the front end when at a stop or to engage at very low speeds. I also found it to be extremely comfortable which later I went on to tell the dealer meeting this was a feature they should advertise because it seemed the seat could hold an American without the usual strain some Taiwanese Maxi Scooters put on your rear when you ride for a long time.
The MP3 features a tilt mechanism that consists of four cast-aluminum control arms with four hinges fixed to the central tube and two guide tubes on either side. It is connected to the arms via suspension pins and ball bearings. The tubes on the right and left enclose the steering tube. New versions include a Hybrid, an EV prototype, and several engine versions from 500cc to 600cc versions. Using the same tech which reminds me of some early Italjet attempts they have released the Gilera 800cc in Europe. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXuav88S0kA
The Mp3 made the whole trip worth it and I went back and tested it again. The result is a scooter that provides incredible stability when turning, braking, and riding. It's handling was terrific, like no other vehicle I had ever ridden before. Below is my video from the time, enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbEm7BBUUkA
Piaggio MP3 250cc
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