Rode a Piaggio MP3 today

[banzairx7]

A guy at my work just picked up one of the Piaggio MP3 250cc three wheeled scooters this weekend. He let me take it for a spin today. I personally really like the idea of the two wheels in the front. Riding in the rain and way more cornering grip are two big advantages I see. So to the test ride....

Well the first thing you have to do is unlock the front wheels. It has a parking brake and electronic lock so the bike stays vertical when parked. No side or center stand on this bike. When you come to a stop you can hit the lock button and you just sit there stopped with your feet up- very weird feeling. When you accelerate from a stop it unlocks at 2500rpm or 6mph. Acceleration was acceptable. Its not going to win any drag races but it would leave most cars from a light. It got up to 80+ when I decided that was fast enough. It might have another 10mph in it.

When going straight it seemed like it always wanted to turn. Its hard to explain but it seemed like I was constantly correcting. This could be just me being on a very unfamiliar bike. Initiating a turn takes a little more effort from center(for a scooter), once your even a few degrees leaned it was very light to turn. In the turns it feels exactly like any motorcycle Ive driven. Leans and counter steers nicely.

The brakes is where this thing really stood out to me. It was so incredibly stable under braking. I did some moderate mid turn braking and it stayed leaned and stable as a rock. It didn't try to stand me up or go off line. It just slowed down. My ninja I would have had to muscle much more to do the same if it would do it at all. Even straight line stopping was noticeably more stable than a normal bike. It just stops and the bars stay nice and straight. No force was needed at all to keep the bike on line.

These things are pricey though. I think they run $7k new. This one was used and he paid $4900 for it. Its not just the funky front end adding to the price. It has a lot of gadgets as well. It had two storage spaces. Each was unlocked remotely using the key FOB. Gauges look to be very high end, especially for a scooter. Just lots of little bells and whistles that you can tell were meant to take the scoot up market.

Final word- If it was $3k Id buy one in a second for foul weather commutes. I secretly pray that Yamaha builds something like the Tesseract for people who something more like a sport bike.



Here's the MP3


And the Tesseract-

[OreoGaborio]

Word. That's pretty cool you got to take it for a spin.



I'd rock one for commuting if I could afford it.

[butcher bergs]

Excellent report! Nice write up.

[Ryno]

very cool, but out of my price range

[KB]

I got a 1963 Piaggio 150 in the stable that I won at the track for 40 bucks. Scooters rule!!!!

KB

[Ericthejet]

I too have had a chance to try a friends MP3 as well. It was a hoot to ride and the cornering on that thing is awesome. Brembo brakes and Michelin Pilot tires to boot.
It does take about 5 minutes to get comfortable with the dynamics and such but a cool piece of engineering just the same.
I hear that they have a hybrid in the works and also sell a 500cc version.

[gregp]

I am very interested in purchasing one of these. The price is steep, but the used price your friend paid was fairly reasonable. I would be more interested in a 400cc version.
I am thinking that the constant "correction" feeling may just be due to the small diameter of the wheels.
The large storage capacity, full coverage bodywork, and the inherent stabilty make these designs very attractive to commuters.
Excellent write up! Thank You!

[RavenHawk]

2-3k, I'd definitely be all over it. I REALLY want a Tesseract, and would probably be willing to pay much much more for that.
Of course, we'd need to laws changed around here to allow it on roads.