What would I choose in the 2024 scooter line up?
By Murray
Weight 82kgs, height 6 foot, hair colour grey, riding experience varied, favourite food Sues chicken pesto pasta.
Having been on two wheels for 40 years and having ridden literally hundreds of models of scooters, I’m often asked what 2024 scooter would I choose for myself if I could only choose one machine.
The answer to this will be revealed in this article, but it is worth noting that the answer has changed many times over the years.
When I first became involved with Scooter Central almost 20 years ago, it was because of my love of Vespas and the answer at that time was the 2006 Vespa GTS 250ie. This scooter has now morphed its way into the current Vespa GTS 300 HPE and is an even more amazing machine for the the way it is built with Vespas monocoque frame, its dynamic handling and Vespas famous resale values. I’ll always love Vespas. They have that Italian cool thing all wrapped up.
Ten years later I found myself getting into riding to work on weekdays, but ducking out of town for a country ride on weekends and longer. Touring is a great way to see the backroads and the more scenic parts of our country and there were some great touring specific scooters available, but I also needed to ride to work as well so I chose the Piaggio Beverly 350ie at the time. It was more nimble than the bigger touring scooters, but still had plenty of creature comforts like a windscreen and big storage capacity for sneaking away on weekends. This scooter has now been revamped and is the very impressive Piaggio Beverly 400 HPE and is still the weapon of choice for that style of rider.
More recently, Ive been riding the new electric scooters. I rode the first electric scooter to be launched in Aus back in around 2010. It was a huge thing, with heavy batteries and a $16000 price point. Now in 2024 we have the Segway S300se electric scooter for sub $10,000 and it is light, feature packed and really easy to ride. As an urban commuter for low to medium kilometre journeys it’s hard beat.
So what would I actually buy if I only had one scooter in my garage in 2024.
Well, my life at the moment is based around riding to work and around the northern beaches, so I reckon I’d go for the Kymco Agility 125 or SYM Classic 125 if I was on a budget, or the Vespa GTS 300 HPE Super Sport in matt black if I was thinking high end.
But ultimately, my overall choice for my type of riding, would be the Piaggio Medley 150. The reason I’d pick the Medley 150 is that it has ABS brakes, huge under saddle storage and its very agile and compliant to ride.
It’s comfortable to pillion around the beaches too.
I also like that you can buy a fitting kit and top box to increase the storage and make it simple to get the mid week shopping top up. ( I also have a set of Corazzo Pannier bags that live under my saddle for extra shopping.)
The water cooled engine is one of the most powerful in the 150 class and has a top speed is around 100kmph, which is perfect as it’s a little faster than the roads I travel on.
The Piaggio Medley 150 also has Piaggio MIA connectivity system built in and operates via Bluetooth to manage phone calls, voice commands and music through the instrument cluster and handlebar commands.
The scooter also sports start/stop technology, further reducing emissions and fuel costs, and I like the security of Piggies electronic anti theft system when I’m away from the scooter.
I also like the look of the Medley. It has that modern Italian look to it that’s appealing. As far as price goes, it’s slightly more expensive than its main competitors like the SYM Symphony 200 and Kymco Agility 200, but if you can stretch to it, its worth the extra expense.
What kind of riding do you do? My advice is to decide what riding you do 90% of the time and buy a scooter according to that.
Describe your riding to our sales team and they will hear what you have to say and show you 2 or 3 possibilities. Give us a call 9938 5858 ext 2
I’ll see you out riding soon,
Murray