I bought Vespa LX 125 in 2012, one of the first released models. At first, I was impressed by its design and the lineage. It is, as a matter of fact another synonym for Scooter. Scooter means vespa and like wise. Sadly, this model, released for us, Indians, only carries with it the design legacy and nothing else.
I rode it for approximately 2 years and 12000 km. So, you can bet your savings that this review is not written in a fit of anger.
Also I did not use it for regular commute. Only for regular household activities.
Lets first start with the good news. The design is classic(I know every one falls for that. So did I). Also, its uni body, aluminium chassis gives it, almost, motorcycle like handling and riding. The colours too are unique and the paint job is of really high quality. That’s it. The 74000 you paid for, get you only these.
Now, the bad news. I don’t know where to start. I will list the major problems I encountered, one by one.
The scooter, on the third day morning after purchase, did not start. I had done everything that they asked me to do, but with little success. They had to send a mechanic and he fixed it. Said, it was a minor problem, since it was a new scooter. I din’t think it was a big deal either. Stupid me.
One fine day, in the middle of the road, on a mid-summer afternoon, far far away from the nearest service center, the engine just turned off. If this happens to you, just leave it there and walk home. You will kill yourself trying to restart it. The service center people told me that I have to bring it in. But they do offer, a Rs 500 a year, road side assistance, which if I buy, they will send some one to tow the vehicle. I had to buy it. They kept the scooter for a day and said it was a no big deal of a problem. Funny, they always say that. Imagine, if that happens on your commute to work. No one expects their new scooter to stop in the middle of the commute. You just expect it to work, especially, after paying premium price for it.
The mileage simply sucks. Mine was~ 30-35 KMPL. For a country like ours, that’s obsessed with mileage, that’s a joke. Seriously. I thought it would improve with regular usage and service. But No. I think this scooter just doesn’t cut it for the Indian market. There are lot better options, out there, for that much money.
Breaks. Breaks on this are simply awful. They are inadequate. You should never expect much from scooters, compared to bikes, but brakes on this one are simply pathetic at best. Mine came with drum brakes. But now they have the option for disc brakes. They might be good. I can’t say.
Maintenance Network: There aren’t many vespa service centers, at least, in Hyderabad. So, you will be hard pressed if there is a problem. And when it’s time for service, someone must accompany you to the center with another bike/scooter to bring you back home. That’s a pain in the butt. The maintenance cost is same as every other manufacturer, if not more. So you don’t gain anything extra for that premium price.
There are a slew of other problems and the list will be too long. The rear view mirrors are quite a bit shaky and given the bad conditions of our roads, you won’t see anything clearly in those mirrors. They look good though. Mine did not come with tubeless tires. But the newer models(I am not sure on this one, so please check!) offer tubeless tires as a standard I believe.
I think you should buy vespa, if you are living in a place where you have better roads and petrol is cheap. This one just doesn’t make it for an average Indian customer who wants a reliable ride home, doesn’t give him/her too many problems, doesn’t guzzle petrol and doesn’t empty his wallet.
Simply put, buying this piece of Italian hunk of a metal made me feel stupid in my own eyes.
Decide for yourself. To each, his own. Good Luck.