 |
| © Courtesy of Piaggio |
By Bruno dePrato, Cycle World
The Primavera S 125 has a multi-function color digital display incorporating the Vespa Multimedia Platform The Piaggio Group is Europe’s number-one manufacturer of two-wheel motorized vehicles. It incorporates celebrated motorcycle makes like Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, and offers an arm’s-length list of variations around the scooter theme. But deep inside Piaggio is Vespa, and Vespa is Piaggio, today more than ever now that Vespa has become a worldwide status symbol—a smart, sophisticated way to get around town with great agility, practicality, and that special Italian flair.
Vespa celebrated its 70th birthday two years ago, and this is the 50th anniversary of the Primavera, the junior version of this unique machine. The Primavera—“Springtime” in Italian—was introduced at a time when the original Vespa was losing favor with the public, which was returning to “real” motorcycling.
In its original form, the Primavera was a diminutive 50cc model, a two-stroke super-utility scooter marketed to teenagers. Then some smart guy decided to shoehorn a 125cc engine into the chassis. The Primavera was powered by a downsized version of the Vespa two-stroke single that, at the time, had grown to 150 and even 200cc with the PX edition. Smaller, lighter, but above all far less expensive, the 125 Primavera not only attracted generations of teens, but also made their parents more inclined to finance the purchase—another big success by Piaggio-Vespa.
The original Primavera evolved into a hotter version, the ET3, featuring electronic ignition and a new cylinder with three transfer ports, and remained in production until 1982.
The Primavera S 125 has a multi-function color digital display incorporating the Vespa Multimedia Platform The Piaggio Group is Europe’s number-one manufacturer of two-wheel motorized vehicles. It incorporates celebrated motorcycle makes like Moto Guzzi and Aprilia, and offers an arm’s-length list of variations around the scooter theme. But deep inside Piaggio is Vespa, and Vespa is Piaggio, today more than ever now that Vespa has become a worldwide status symbol—a smart, sophisticated way to get around town with great agility, practicality, and that special Italian flair.
Vespa celebrated its 70th birthday two years ago, and this is the 50th anniversary of the Primavera, the junior version of this unique machine. The Primavera—“Springtime” in Italian—was introduced at a time when the original Vespa was losing favor with the public, which was returning to “real” motorcycling.
In its original form, the Primavera was a diminutive 50cc model, a two-stroke super-utility scooter marketed to teenagers. Then some smart guy decided to shoehorn a 125cc engine into the chassis. The Primavera was powered by a downsized version of the Vespa two-stroke single that, at the time, had grown to 150 and even 200cc with the PX edition. Smaller, lighter, but above all far less expensive, the 125 Primavera not only attracted generations of teens, but also made their parents more inclined to finance the purchase—another big success by Piaggio-Vespa.
The original Primavera evolved into a hotter version, the ET3, featuring electronic ignition and a new cylinder with three transfer ports, and remained in production until 1982.
COMMENTS