Vespa Motorcycles

About Vespa

Vespa is one of the most renowned luxury brands in the whole world. If you didn’t hear about it, you, of course, saw these iconic scooters in movies, magazines and numerous ad campaigns.
Vespa is manufactured by Piaggio and means ‘wasp’ in Italian. This whole brand has actually burst onto the scene from a single 1946 Piaggio model and hasn’t left the scooter Olympus ever since.

After World War II Italy was severely restricted from manufacturing aircrafts and had to turn to other light industries such as producing motorcycles and scooters. Italians urgently needed a modern and affordable type of transportation for the masses and Vespa became this innovative and most importantly useful product that won the hearts of a post-WWII public. Not only was it a breakthrough as a vehicle it also became the urban culture. It’s not just a scooter it’s a lifestyle which is chosen by people of different generations who prefer freedom and imagination.

In the late 40s and early 50s Vespa doubled and triples its sales every year, but the biggest promo was Hollywood. After Audrey Hepburn side-saddled Gregory Peck’s Vespa in the feature film ‘Roman Holidays’ in 1952 for a ride through the city this resulted in over 100,000 sales. In the next years major Hollywood stars like Marlon Brando, John Wayne and Dean Martin became Vespa owners.

Recently, many young urban commuters all around the world started buying new or restored Vespas instead of cars for several reasons: the lack and high costs of parking in metropolitan areas and the low running costs of a two-wheeler. The renaissance in interest in vintage scooters also means the boom in restoring industry with many restored Vespas that are being imported from numerous countries where Vespas were manufactured in the past. 

The brand is developing and adapting to modern day requirements which resulted in production of Vespa Elettrica with a 2 kW battery and a range of 100 km (62 mi) in 2018 and it was released at the beginning of 2019. 
Piaggio/Vespa is developing a range of hybrid scooters as well.

Moto blog

Bonhams Auctioning “Blur” Guitarist’s Motorcycles For Charity

Graham Coxon, British musician and lead guitarist for Blur, auctioning off seven of his personal motorcycles with proceeds benefitting NSPCC, the UK’s leading children’s charity. See the full press release from Bonhams below. The motorcycles will be sold as part of Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale, an annual event taking place at the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, held on 19th October 2014.

“The Meet” Vintage Motorcycle Show This Saturday

The stage is set for ”The Meet at ACM” motorcycle show this weekend in Tacoma, WA. While festivities will begin on Friday evening, America’s Car Museum (ACM) will host the third annual Vintage Motorcycle Festival on Saturday from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Organizers expect 450 vintage motorcycles and scooters from all over the nation to attend.

Vespa Launches The 946 Bellissima

At almost $10,500, the Vespa 946 might be a pricey scooter, but boy is it good looking. Well, leave it to Vespa to up the purdy level even more with the 946 Bellissima. Limited to only 100 units, the Vespa 946 Bellissima offers exclusivity and distinction in unique Vespa fashion.

This is What a Parade of 10,000 Vespas Look Like

They came from 32 different countries, represented 310 clubs and formed a line 10 km long and they all had one thing in common: a love of Vespas. An estimated 10,000 Vespas scooted across the Italian province of Mantua for Vespa World Days 2014, a celebration of the iconic scooter brand. The Vespa parade traveled from the city of Mantua to San Benedetto Po for the second day of the festival.

2015 Vespa GTS 300 Super ABS Review - First Ride

For when you want your scooter to have traction control Credit: Photos by Milagro The queen of Vespas has received the latest in high-tech rider aids, with both ABS and traction control. The single-cylinder four-stroke buzzes underneath me as I’m sitting on a comfortable seat while smelling spring air in Tuscany, and I notice the butterflies in the fields covered in yellow spring flowers. It’s good to be liberated by the warming sun.

2015 Vespa GTS Gets ABS and Traction Control

Piaggio announced new updates for the Vespa GTS, adding anti-lock brakes, a traction control system and its new Enahnced Sliding Suspension system, bringing the company’s latest scooter technologies to the largest, most powerful Vespa model. The new additions on the GTS should not be a surprise, as they have already been adopted by other new Vespa models such as the 946. Piaggio was the first company to introduce ABS and ASR traction control system for scooters, and the updated GTS will now receive the technology as a factory-installed option.

2014 Vespa Sprint 125 Review – First Ride

The Sprint Chicken Credit: Photos by Milagro Sitting on the egg yolk-colored Vespa Sprint, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt like a spring chick’. It is tiny, agile and fast even with a broiler sized journo onboard. Please join me in welcoming the new “Vespino” one fine spring day in Rome.

Vespa Unveils The Reborn Sprint

In 1966, Vespa’s latest model, the Super Sprint 90, combined a small, lightweight body, with a 125cc engine. At the time, it was Vespa’s premier sporty and athletic model. Today, Vespa is bringing the Sprint name back with two new models, the Sprint 125 and Sprint 50.

What Does a Vespa Smell Like?

You can always tell you’re looking at a Vespa-issued press photo because it looks like it came from a fashion shoot rather than a media kit for a scooter. Just look at the images above from the official Vespa Primavera press kit. Of course, this is all part of Vespa’s brand identity, appealing to styish young urbanites more likely to read GQ than Motortrend.

2013 US Motorcycle Sales Data

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reported a modest 1.4% growth in U.S. motorcycle and scooter sales in 2013, with consumers purchasing 465,783 vehicles. The sales data represents numbers from the MIC’s member brands which include BMW, Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, the Piaggio Group (which includes Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Vespa), Victory, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.