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Thread: Piaggio: Mp3 "the Revolution On Three Wheels"

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    apriliaforum Member breausaw's Avatar
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    Piaggio: Mp3 "the Revolution On Three Wheels"


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    apriliaforum expert sd2003's Avatar
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    Here's a link from the Piaggio site:

    http://www.mp3.piaggio.com/
    Last edited by sd2003; 05-12-2006 at 06:37 PM.

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    apriliaforum Member breausaw's Avatar
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    Thanks for the link

    Put some studded tires on this thing and you could really extend your riding season. They got be working on a 500 model, it looks big for a 250cc class bike. But hay, 250cc is probable adequate for most,it’s just that we Americans have more need for speed and power.

    Jay
    05 silver S500

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    apriliaforum expert sd2003's Avatar
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    Aprilia had it first (a 2002 500 cc "concept" called the Los Angeles):
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    Add hard sidecases, topbox, heated grips, and a 900cc engine and it will sell in the USA - to older guys who want to do 2-up touring but don't like the weight of the Gold Wing.

    They will be making a 250cc and 150cc version. Reportedly, if they import it to the USA it will be the 150cc. I swear the Italians haave no idea how BIG America is and how FAST traffic goes on our highways. For most people, you simply can not commute in the USA without a stint down the highway. We need bigger scoots... bring on the 850cc please.

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    apriliaforum expert williamr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by breausaw
    But hay, 250cc is probable adequate for most,it’s just that we Americans have more need for speed and power.

    Jay
    05 silver S500
    I hate to disagree, but for my daily commute in the UK the 500 is only marginally adequate. The problem is that going bigger on engine size brings more weight and reduced range, so perhaps a 500 with about 50 - 55 bhp. That's about 10mph faster than the A500, but will probably give about A500 performance on this freak show.

    Freebird - I've worked in the States. Traffic's no faster than in the UK - a bit slower if anything when it's free flowing - and from my experience of European riding, a lot slower than the German autobahn. The Italians invented the scooter concept and seem to have a mind set that keeps it nearer to the original concept of a super manoueverable device for flitting through city traffic. I suspect that they can't understand why anyone should want to use one one the freeway when they could ride a bike or drive a Ferrari.

    Rob

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    More so than the engine size, I wish they had put slightly bigger wheels. The wheels are only 12 inches! Given the size of this scooter (as big as an X9), it would have been nice to see bigger wheels.
    The Piaggio USA rep that was at the AF1 open house this past Friday night (May 13th) told me Piaggio USA is looking into bringing the MP3 to the US. He did not say if it would be the 125cc or the 250cc. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the 250cc...
    In Europe, the base version (125cc) sells for 5,000 euros out-the-door. I hope we can see similar pricing here.

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    Here is the first video! Holy s...! Wow!
    http://www.scooter-infos.com/index.p...e=review#video

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    Comes also with a roof...
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    Last edited by gore-tx; 05-15-2006 at 09:29 AM.

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    apriliaforum expert Shfls's Avatar
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    ...And a sunroof at that! Puhleeze!!
    Shfls... 2004 S-500, red/black #0131

    If you can't change the people around you, change the people around you.

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    According to an interview I read here:
    http://www.scooter-infos.com/review-...aggio-mp3.html
    There will be additional versions of the MP3. A 400cc will debut this winter and a sports version will also come out under the Gilera badge. The journalist mentioned pics of these scooters but did not post anything. Can't wait to see what they look like!

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    Cross Breeding

    Looks like Bob Burgman and Sally Segway got busy.
    2005 Scarabeo 500 #451

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    apriliaforum expert williamr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by freebird
    . We need bigger scoots... bring on the 850cc please.
    I have worries about an 850 scoot. The obvious ones, based on current big scoots, are weight and heavy fuel consumption. Other worries are massive rear unsprung weight, which may be alleviated by fixing the engine, in which case it becomes a step through motorcycle rather than a scoot (but that's just nit picking) and front suspension issues.

    The single yoke and long steering head would show signs of fragility having to deal with much more power and weight. A conventional motorcycle double yolk set up would cause problems with space if it were fitted inside scoot bodywork and the step through frame layout doesn't easily allow proper support of a conventional steering head. A long steering head / double yolk set up is possible but would add weight and allow no more suspension movement than current designs, and suspension all round would have to be radically improved to give reasonable comfort on a 600 lb plus scoot. A long leading link from the lower front of the frame is actually better all round from the suspension geometry and strength point of view, and leaves only steering load on the steering head / bars, but the drawback of this system is that it reduces the amount by which the wheel can be turned, thus reducing manoueverability in traffic.

    850cc plus scoots are likely to be useful only as highway cruisers unless there is a radical redesign to get the weight down and to add stowage and fuel capacity without increasing the outside dimensions. I personally favour replacing the frame with a carbon fibre box - light, rigid, and no frame tubes taking up space - but this might be prohibitivly expensive in a production machine.

    A better compromise answer might be to simply increase the power of the existing engines. 39bhp from a 460cc engine is modest. 55 or 60 bhp should be easily acheivable, but this could reduce the spread of torque to a level at which the relatively narrow range of the cvt would struggle - this isn't an issue on smaller scoots where the range of speeds that the transmission has to cope with is lower - but a 50% increase in bhp gives about a 12% increase in speed. That alone would require an equivalent decrease in the top gear ratio, with no change to the highest ratio (lowest gear) to maintain low speed control, and reduced spread of torque could demand an increase in the high ratio to maintain acceleration from the line. Pulley sizes would then be getting too big to be easily accomodated.

    Currently, all of the requirements of a supersized scooter can be met more easily, more effectively and more cheaply with a well faired conventional bike with hard luggage - even to the extent of automatic transmission if there's market demand, and I suspect that the market for a very expensive and not very good conventional scooter at 850cc or above will be small enough to deter all but the bravest manufacturer.

    Rob

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    Here is a pic of the 400cc branded as a Gilera. Headlights are weird...
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