Vespa GTS 300 Super lives up to its name

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‘Fast’ isn’t the first adjective I’d use for a Vespa. Classic? Of course. Adorable? Truly. But with its new GTS 300 Super, Vespa has come up with a bike that doubles as a can of whoop ass.

A more performance-oriented, higher-displacement version of the Italian manufacturer’s bestselling midsize model -- the GTS 250 -- the 300 Super may look as innocuously huggable as the other six scoots in Vespa’s 2009 U.S. lineup. But that appearance is certainly deceiving. Hiding beneath the candy-colored steel unibody of this mini-est of maxi scooters is a 278-cc single cylinder that can only be described as torque-y.

Yes, torque-y. For a midsize scooter, that is.

As with ‘fast,’ ‘torque’ isn’t a word that’s typically uttered in conjunction with automatic, continuously variable transmissions, but the Super’s bored-out motor ramps up the power on takeoff, so it’s got some grunt. So much grunt, in fact, that I decided to perform a little stunt. No wheelies were involved. I just decided, while riding PCH last Sunday, to sidle up to the Ninja ZX-6R and Harley-Davidson Dyna that were idling at the red and see if the Super lived up to its name. Suffice to say, it did. I smoked both bikes off the line, then stayed in front of them till the next light.

Did I enjoy sprinting ahead of those significantly larger bikes at the intersection of Temescal Canyon and PCH? Why, yes. Yes, I did. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I opted for a repeat performance. So it was a juvie thing to do. These days, more than ever, I enjoy a cheap thrill, and the the Super was able to oblige.

Being a 300, the GTS Super is legal to ride on freeways, as is any scooter of 150 cc or more in the state of California. Whether that’s wise to do is another story, however. In most cases in L.A., doing so is a fool’s game because scoots of that size are too underpowered to compete with the extra-large cages that dominate our roadways and the maniacal drivers that operate them.

While I’ve ridden many freeway miles on Vespa’s 150-cc and 250-cc scoots without incident and felt fairly comfortable doing it, I would argue that the GTS 300 is Vespa’s first freeway-capable machine. Vespa estimates the Super’s top speed is 80 mph. I took it up to 90 -- the going rate of free-flowing traffic these days -- to see if it could keep pace and it did. Without wheezing. Its 12-inch wheels were spinning faster than a rogue lathe, but the 120- and 130-mm treads on the front and rear tires felt planted.

My biggest issue in riding the Super so fast was the windshield, i.e. it doesn’t have one, so the wind at that speed was quite the bully. Aftermarket screens are available, but mine didn’t have one. Nor would I have wanted one because it mucks with The Vespa Look -- which is elegant in its profile, upright in its stance and, in the case of the GTS 300, trimmed with sporty details such as the Ferrari red front suspension cover and two-tone alloy rims.

Like all Vespas, the GTS Super demands good posture from its riders, who must sit up straight and tall. Its piping-trimmed saddle is relatively high altitude, measuring 31.1 inches from seat to pavement, so only leggy Italian model types can flatfoot it at a stop. At least the seat is contoured to help the vertically challenged. It narrows toward the front, so if riders scooch closer to the controls, their heels stand a better chance of making contact with the asphalt.

Their feet will want to be there only temporarily anyway. Well mannered, even prim in appearance, the Super is anything but in its true countenance. Rev it up and roll on the throttle. The Vespa GTS 300 Super is more than ready. And that is a very welcome surprise.

2009 Vespa GTS 300 Super
Base price: $6,199
Powertrain: liquid-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder, four-valve, SOHC, EFI, automatic CVT transmission with torque server
Displacement: 278 cc
Seat height: 31.1 inches
Dry weight: 326 pounds
Claimed maximum speed: 80 mph
Road test maximum speed: 90 mph
Road test MPG: 65 (based on 223 miles traveled)

-- Susan Carpenter