Check out the Cool new Piaggio Line of Ebikes called Wi BIke

[Dfstarman]

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Nice looking Italian designed ebike with belt drive with Nuvinci hub , integrated quick charge battery, Uni front shock, integrated lights front and rear, rear luggage rack, hydraulic brakes , a connected Ebike including theft deterrent via GSM, free for 2 years then $ 25.00 a year. Available in multiple configurations . 20 and 28 mph versions .

Available from Vespa in NYC and Brooklyn and a few other dealers in US

 

[Gogogordy]

Having a long history of Vespa ownership, and other Piaggio branded PTW’s, (25 years+) I can only say that the electrical systems on those vehicles were NEVER their strong suit in my deep experience with them....
I’m just saying....

 

[emco5]

The electrical systems [and mechanical reliability] with my 2005 GT200 and 2010 GTS300 Vespas, ridden over a span of 14 years, were flawless. The old Vespa small-wheel, small-frame 2-stroke scooters were spartan, but Vespa stepped up to Japanese automotive industry standards with the introduction of their 4-stroke models in 2004.

Piaggio says the motor unit in the bike above is designed and built in Italy. It will be interesting to see how it compares in application to Bosch, Shimano, and Yamaha. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Gogogordy]

The electrical systems [and mechanical reliability] with my 2005 GT200 and 2010 GTS300 Vespas, ridden over a span of 14 years, were flawless. The old Vespa small-wheel, small-frame 2-stroke scooters were spartan, but Vespa stepped up to Japanese automotive industry standards with the introduction of their 4-stroke models in 2004.

Piaggio says the motor unit in the bike above is designed and built in Italy. It will be interesting to see how it compares in application to Bosch, Shimano, and Yamaha. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Lucky you.

Our GT200 fared better over our 10+ years of ownership than did my GTS250ie whose main wiring harness melted for poorly placed, or poorly made main connectors (a common problem with them visit modernvespa.com)...also the headlights are prone to overheating, then there’s the well documented (electric) fuel pump failures also common to the efi model GTS250ie.

The GT200L was also quite spartan electrically speaking without a computerized EFI, digital dashboard, etc.

Im not saying every specimen suffers from e-gremlins, Im saying the incidence of trouble (same troubles in fact) across a wide swatch of fellow owners seen through a deep involvement in Piaggio products by me and my wife make it apparent the Piaggio groups strength is NOT in their electrical systems.

I actually have a website devoted to my multi decades long love affair with Vespas and scooters (mostly italian ones) in general. But owning these italian beauties is a “warts and all”relationship maintenance and repairwise.

That said while the “X”factor in Piaggio’s motor scooters and ptw is an undeniable attribute, (and I love them so Im not a hater) but so is the concession that owning one means that the Piaggio electrical system is much more likely to give one trouble vs. say any asian made ptw.

 

[emco5]

An interesting observation about human behavior is that we tend to make more negative than positive noise. Upset people like to vent while the happy ones are quietly content. The internet is a collective dumping ground of whining about product problems. If we take perspective into account, the actual percentage of troubled people compared to problem-free consumers is typically quite small.

Prejudging that bicycle based upon your motorized scooter experiences, and with zero user data about the bicycle, is apples-to-oranges useless fear mongering.

 

[Gogogordy]

emco5, not fear-mongering at all. My cautionary share based on long-time personal experience with other products manufactured by the same company with a 70+ year history of motorized scooters and ptws, and now they're introductory foray into all electric bikes, based on my experiences and those of others I know and trust makes me cautious.

I have NO axe to grind either way (do you?) I'm just sharing my experience, and my opinion.
Thats. How. These. Forums. Work.
You bring up a subject, others comment on it.
Yes?

 

[Over50]

Piaggio e-bikes now. I have Piaggio to thank for sparking my interest in e-bikes. Well, actually maybe I should credit my wife's opposition to me buying a Piaggio. Back around 2008, I got the idea to sell one of our cars and buy a scooter. I really wanted the 3-wheeled MP3. But my wife is dead set against me commuting to work on a scooter. So I kind of dropped the idea and started paying attention to e-bikes a few years ago. I've been hoping that the e-bike commuting would make her friendlier to the idea of scooter commuting and us owning just one car (one car, one scooter and several e-bikes I should clarify). But so far she isn't budging.

 

[Gogogordy]

Piaggio e-bikes now. I have Piaggio to thank for sparking my interest in e-bikes. Well, actually maybe I should credit my wife's opposition to me buying a Piaggio. Back around 2008, I got the idea to sell one of our cars and buy a scooter. I really wanted the 3-wheeled MP3. But my wife is dead set against me commuting to work on a scooter. So I kind of dropped the idea and started paying attention to e-bikes a few years ago. I've been hoping that the e-bike commuting would make her friendlier to the idea of scooter commuting and us owning just one car (one car, one scooter and several e-bikes I should clarify). But so far she isn't budging.

The Piaggio Mp3 exemplifies the “X” factor that Piaggio is known for.
Far from perfect for many riding conditions what it IS good at (tight, twisty roads) it’s in a league of it’s own. In fact it’s in a league of it’s own anyway, with VERY little competition (at the moment).
In the motorcycling/scootering world....TRIKES are the new BIKES.

 

[Over50]

The Piaggio Mp3 exemplifies the “X” factor that Piaggio is known for.
Far from perfect for many riding conditions what it IS good at (tight, twisty roads) it’s in a league of it’s own. In fact it’s in a league of it’s own anyway, with VERY little competition (at the moment)...

Speaking of that, I was wondering a couple of things about the MP3: do they even really sell them in the USA? I see them on the Piaggio website but several times I've checked dealer inventory and do not see any. And I haven't seen one on the road in years and have maybe only seen a couple since I became aware of them around 2008-10. And second: it seems like a great design and more sure-footed/secure vs a 2 wheel scooter so why no imitators and why no adoption by the US market? I'd love to get one someday ... just can't figure out how to convince the boss.

 

[Gogogordy]

Speaking of that, I was wondering a couple of things about the MP3: do they even really sell them in the USA? I see them on the Piaggio website but several times I've checked dealer inventory and do not see any. And I haven't seen one on the road in years and have maybe only seen a couple since I became aware of them around 2008-10. And second: it seems like a great design and more sure-footed/secure vs a 2 wheel scooter so why no imitators and why no adoption by the US market? I'd love to get one someday ... just can't figure out how to convince the boss.

Im not sure where you live, but they arent hard to come by here in So-Cal. Albeit not every Vespa/Piaggio dealer wants to stock such a pricey and not-for-every-scooterist piece of inventory though. Being a scooter dealer is a tough way to make a living, even in the sunbelt states. The more diversified, mutli-line motorcycle dealerships shy away from scooters for a variety of reasons not needed for this discussion piece.

Secondly: There are a few other articulated 3 wheelers, primarily in Europe since scoooters are much more commonplace there, vs here in the US and getting a vehicle “compliant” for sale in the US is a costly process which isnt worthwhile when spread out over very few sales numbers. The US is but a small portion of a percentage point of any non domestic manufacturers market. In short, us Americans consider all PTW,s or “powered two-wheelers” (powered three-wheelers now too) as toys, vs legitimate daily transportation like those in many other parts of our world do.

 

[Deleted member 803]

Piaggio e-bikes now. I have Piaggio to thank for sparking my interest in e-bikes. Well, actually maybe I should credit my wife's opposition to me buying a Piaggio. Back around 2008, I got the idea to sell one of our cars and buy a scooter. I really wanted the 3-wheeled MP3. But my wife is dead set against me commuting to work on a scooter. So I kind of dropped the idea and started paying attention to e-bikes a few years ago. I've been hoping that the e-bike commuting would make her friendlier to the idea of scooter commuting and us owning just one car (one car, one scooter and several e-bikes I should clarify). But so far she isn't budging.

I made the mistake of buying an MP3 3-wheeled scooter from Piaggio. I tried like hell to low side the scooter at extreme speeds but could not. Aggravated me that for two years the machine performed flawlessly which prevented me from visiting my local dealer. Very difficult to sell too. Took me 3 days to find a buyer.

 

[Dfstarman]

I ordered one today. Court rode them this week and gave a thumbs up. Review coming soon.

 

[e-boy]

Piaggio wi-Bike listed for upcoming eBike Expo Costa Mesa , Dec 1-3 , 2017

"Brands such as Abus, BMW, Brose, Bulls, Cannondale, Easy Motion, Elby, GeoOrbital, Ohm, Piaggio/wi-Bike, Riese Muller, Schwinn, Smartmotion, Specialized, Stromer, Superpedestrian, and Urban Arrow will be on display. Additional brands available for test rides such as Haibike, Tern, and Electra will be available too."

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[Barry S]

Very sleek looking bike, but with only a 250w motor I think its appeal will be limited to the European market. What's the price? I didn't see it on the product website.

 

[Dfstarman]

It is the same size motor as almost all the mid drives, including Reisse and Muller, Kalkhoff, Bulls, Felt etc.
Price is 3699 and it is lower priced than all the ones I mentioned.

 

[Gregory Benner]

It looks like it has only 3 power settings, can't tell if it has any gears? I would think a minimum of 7 "bicycle gears". Does it have throttle on demand?

I couldn't get much from the web site. ).

 

[Dfstarman]

There are 3 levels of assist via the display and 10 via the app. It has an automatic CVT Nuvinci hub/. transmission

 

[Gogogordy]

36 volts and 250 watts @$4000 msrp? Hardly a compelling package.
Yes it’s Italian, and Yes it’s gorgeous, but it’s still overpriced and underpowered IMO.

 

[Dfstarman]

Guess you have not looked at any of the European mid drive bikes, most have the same power and HIGHER cost, guess you shouldn't buy one ,probably too expensive for you IMO.

 

[Gogogordy]

Guess you have not looked at any of the European mid drive bikes, most have the same power and HIGHER cost, guess you shouldn't buy one ,probably too expensive for you IMO.

Maybe, but then I dont live in Europe, or even a densely populated US city, so that level of performance isn’t relevant to my situation. Here in the wide open west where I DO live, it’s too much, for too little. I suspect in that Im not alone, but in Rome or Amsterdam it would be a more popualr choice.

Oh, and YES, I can afford a $4k bike, so your snide and uninformed remark isn’t appreciated in this discussion....we’re talking about ebikes here not peoples personal finances.