The roads are the same but the ride is different. My wife Kim says the asphalt carpet been rolled out for me. Someone at work asked why I’m smiling. I think it’s the new Vespa GTS250ie in the garage.
After signing my name to the pink slip at Kissell Motorsports I was entitled to sound the brass gong to signify another scooter about to take to the road. I’m buying a new Vespa GTS scooter.
Cody Kissell handed me a sturdy mallet and I applied a firm strike to produce an unexpected GONG that resonated through the entire building. My friend Paul Ruby who made this picture said it sounded like something from a Hollywood movie. A nice touch to signify a new adventure despite shining the grin of a five-year-old on Christmas morning.
Kissell’s has known for a couple days that I would be picking up the scooter so everything was ready to go.
Sparkling clean, everything as it should be, full tank of petrol, and Service Manager Casey Flynn giving me a quick overview of the scooter before I rode off. I can’t say enough good things about the Kissell Motorsports dealership!
Completing this transaction during my lunch break meant not having much time to try out the GTS but I did take a quick spin out of town to get a feel for the throttle, brakes and handling characteristics. It only takes a moment to sense the difference between the LX150 and the GTS. Astride the GTS you’re aware of the increase in mass and size that makes the scooter feel more “present” on the road. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this in coming weeks. The most obvious difference is at the throttle. The response and power are immediate and I found myself at 60 MPH in the time the LX150 would be at 35 MPH. The speed is deceptive and I understand now why people get speeding tickets with these Vespas.
Photographically I think the GTS will have some presence. I haven’t found the sweet spot angles yet but it is a handsome machine.
It looks just as good in the rural landscape as the smaller scooter did. Work beckoned so I had to wait until the end of the day for anymore riding. I didn’t bring my heavy mittens either so the 32° F air bit into my fingers until they were painfully numb.
The temperature gauge on the GTS showed 29° F when I mounted up for the ride home. It rose two degrees when I got out of the shade and into what remained of the sunlit day. Don’t ask me why but what I really wanted to test on the way home was the handling characteristics of the scooter on gravel. Short review: Pretty good. Definitely more stable that the LX150. Maybe the bigger tires or extra weight.
Arrived home as the sun was setting and I looked at the GTS in the driveway before putting it in the garage.
To the casual observer it looks the same as the LX150. It’s a fine machine and I am looking forward to riding again. The weather looks promising for the weekend with temperatures rising into the 30’s even though my morning departure will find things at 15. I can handle that. Worst case is I’ll have to stop at more eating establishments to keep my hands warm.
I am really glad you made the leap, though i wish you hadn’t made the pound comment- I feel the same way about selling my perfectly decent motorcycle to make way for my GTS.
I am really llooking forward to your impressions of the GTS.
Michael
Key West
Steve the GTS looks great. I know you loved your LX but I am confident you will love the GTS even more. I look forward to reading more about your adventures and seeing your great photography. Stay warm out there! Tom
Steve …
Congrats on the GTS. I realize it’s not where you thought you would be when you chose to take apart the LX and do some repairs, but I’m sure in the end you won’t regret it, and I know for certain those who follow your column won’t.
Looking forward to reading more about the GTS and your impressions … Stay warm and make sure you change your blog headline!
Justin
Way to go, Steve!
Now those of us with no life can live vicariously, through you, once again.
Just a question, though. Is the wife still smiling at and talking to you?
Congratulations! You did the right thing.
Beautiful scoot, Steve. “Asphalt carpet” indeed. I’ll have to remember that one. Does Kim mind if I borrow it sometime?
You’re right about the GTS having a more assertive presence in the images. Same basic shape, same color, but somehow it has more substance. Must be the difference in size.
I’m so happy for you! Seeing this has made my day, even though I did not ride to work this morning. Congratulations, buddy.
Ride well,
=gc=
Steve,
very much happy you made the leap. Congratulations!! I remember a comment you made on my blog about my being able to pass cars driving around 60mph, how you couldn’t dream of it with the LX. Now you can. I’m sure you know that with greater ability comes greater responsibility. I know you will rise to the challenge.
I hope that, perhaps, you will leave belt and roller maintenance to Kissel Motorsports?
John
Hooray! You’re going to love the 250. We’re completely tickled with my wife’s.
Beware the ease of speeding. They’re FAST.
Good luck, and many happy miles!
Oh I am so green with envy. The GTS is my fantasy Vespa. I can’t wait to hear more from you as you put more hours on it!
Wow, Steve, way to turn a depressing situation into something that clearly is making you *very* happy! Congratulations. Can’t wait to hear more on what you think of the new bike. –Tina in State College
Glad to hear you’re back on the road, and congratulations on your decision! I too live through your blog. You’re the reason I got back out on the road after getting discouraged by the comments people made to me about riding a scooter. My best to you.
Schweet!!
Can’t wait to hear all about you putting the new steed through the paces.
That engine break-in period can seem aweful long…
Good Luck,
Ben
Congratulations! Asphalt carpet indeed. Get out of the fancy places and into the asphalt jungle!
Congrats, Steve! She’s a beauty.
Tony
Louisiana
congratulations, steve! good to see you back on two wheels again. i’m sure she’ll treat you right. 😉
Steve: I remember when you just had an old pickup truck and a pink bicycle. There are 15 comments to this posting alone and probably 150 additional people that read about your new scooter and are living through/with you. Lots of pressure to keep the wheels turning and the stories coming. Sorry I can’t go to Altoona on Sunday with you. Keep the rubber side down. – Paul
Thanks everyone for the kind words of encouragement and support. I am looking forward to riding again and taking the camera along for more pictures of the central Pennsylvania landscape.
I don’t think I will wrench much on this scooter not so much because I am fearful of hurting this one but I learned that I just don’t get much pleasure from it. I know enough now about the workings of the scooter that I feel a lot more comfortable lost in America with one that doesn’t run and that’s enough.
The GTS is nice. Noticeably different than the LX150. It is a fast scooter and I will have to pay a lot more attention to the speedometer if I want to keep my driving record clean.
There is snow on the road this morning and I decided to not ride. I am not comfortable enough yet with the handling and personality of the scooter. I’ll take the big bus instead. And I am going to have to think awhile about riding this one in the snow. The increased weight over the LX makes me think it would be harder to manage in the snow. Maybe I just have too many pictures of the shiny new paint sliding along the asphalt….
Steve wrote: >And I am going to have to think awhile about riding this one in the snow. The increased weight over the LX makes me think it would be harder to manage in the snow.
A wise decision, I think. Keep in mind my own experience with a 250 vs. a lighter 150. Not only do you have extra chassis weight to contend with, but that drivetrain inertia is tougher to manage in slippery conditions.
Ride well,
=gc=
Steve, many congratulations on the new machine! Do you feel it fits you better than the LX did?
I find the GTS series to be somewhat of a crossover scooter. You get the power and adequate highway speed of a full on motorcycle with the classic modern scooter advantages. In that light its what I would like to get my wife in the spring. She’ll never be underpowered against my LX and I like that. She’ll like that too. Its no fun for the wife to play catch-up and it would make riding with her less fun if she felt down about even one thing about the ride that I couldn’t change. No, slowing down is not the same lol.
You’ll have to tell us how you feel about the two machines in comparison. I know I’m looking forward to what you find. All the very best.
Harv aka The Roadbum
Yahhoooo Steve! That’s what I’m talkin about! I’ve ridden my friend’s GTS and there is quite a bit of difference in T/O speed even over the GT much less the LX. I think you’ll find it handles twisties better that the LX. It’ll take a bit of practice, but as much as you ride it’ll be no problem.
Now all we have to do is talk Harv into getting two , not one GT/GTS’s:)
Stay safe but enjoy the ride!!
Sorry I rolled in late to say congradulations. That new scoot is the silver ticket to good times. Now mitten up, and get after it!
Have FUN,
Bill
Congratulations on the new scooter, Steve! You put the 150 to excellent use, so I have no doubt that the GTS has found a good home—plus, you deserve it. Can’t wait to read more. It figures, though, that the snow would come now and not when you were scooterless.
Gordon
Gary: You are right about the weight and inertia in the larger scooter. It would take a lot more muscle to control a slide or slip. I think I will stay off of snow covered or icy roads, at least for awhile.
harv: At almost 6’3″ I always felt ok on the LX150. The bigger GTS seems to fit almost perfectly but keep in mind I have only put 30 miles on it so far. I’ll keep posting any differences I find as I ride. I’m not sure about having your wife ahead with more power. She may leave you in the dust and you will be riding alone!
cody and michelle: I think it would be great for harv to have two GTS scooters in the garage. I hope someday to have that here. They are just fine scooters.
bill: The mittens are out right now and ready for some sort of ride in the morning. The forecast calls for 13 degrees in the morning with gusty winds and snow showers. Sounds like I ought to be able to ride somewhere in that. I am itchy to go!
gordon: Global warming will undoubtably give us some more warm weather. Until then I will have to bundle up.
Sorry to hear about your LX, Steve… but happy to hear about your new GTS! Been drooling over a Dragon Red version down at my local dealer for some time now, but my present debt to income ratio is too lopsided. Ohhh, the pain!
Anyhow, hope to read more about your adventures with the GTS, and how it compares to the LX. Can’t remember who, offhand, but someone mentioned the decision between LX and GTS, and hoped your comparison would help in the decision… though I drool over a GTS, when the time comes, I may have to look at something cheaper, like a used LX, mayhaps. Reading about your adventures with both scooters could help a good many people to make the decision, to find out if the GTS is worth the extra cost. Personally, I think it is….
———————————–
Hi Steve, Congratulations on your new scooter. It sure is gorgeous!! Sorry about the LX, but there are times when frustrations like that lead to newer and better avenues.
Wishing you many happy miles,
Betty 🙂