Piaggio Fly 150ie

Eight bucks gets you a daily ticket on the train. It will also buy you a couple of kays in a cab, if you’re lucky. Or you could invest in a Piaggio Fly 150ie, fill ‘er up with $8.00 of unleaded and cruise around town for almost 200 clicks.

Scooters like these are a breeze to live with, easy to operate and a joy on the hip pocket. Chuck on some Kevlar jeans (you’d be forgiven for thinking some of these were cut by European fashion houses), a mesh jacket, helmet, gloves and boots and you’ll be across the other side of the CBD before your car would have made it to the end of the block.

With an electric starter bringing the Fly 150ie’s 151cc four-stroke engine to life readily there’s little else to do but check the mirrors and go. The familiar Piaggio jingling is present at idle – accompanied by a slight single-cylinder vibration – but once you’re on the go operation is smooth and pleasingly quiet.

Off the line, the Fly 150ie has a moment’s hesitation as the continuously variable transmission overcomes the mechanical drag placed upon it. But once you’re at jogging pace the lively engine offers brisk acceleration. The model has updated fuel injection among a suite of changes over the old Fly 150, which also includes the addition of fold-out pegs for pillion passengers, larger underseat storage, easy access external filler cap, and some styling tweaks.

We had no trouble keeping with city traffic, and through hilly terrain the Fly 150ie manages to comfortably maintain the speed limit, even with an extra passenger on the back. There’s enough room under the seat for two helmets and a few odds and ends, but if we had to nit-pick the fold-out rear pegs did seem a little reluctant to stay in position for use.

The Fly 150ie’s twist-and-go operation is a no-brainer and the larger switch gear falls to hand readily. The dashboard offers the usual array of idiot lights, a concise speedometer, a fuel gauge and even a digital clock. Very handy for seeing just how much time you’re saving as you nip past gridlocked traffic.

Running 12-inch alloy wheels and 120/70 series tyres, the Fly 150ie offers a nice compromise for mixed operation. It’s stable enough at speed while still allowing the close-quarters manoeuvrability for which small-wheeled scooters are renowned.

Will it go on the freeway? Yes, with a little in reserve, too. But cop a strong headwind and a long stint uphill at 100km/h and the Fly 150ie may begin to suffer. Cornering is confident at all speeds with a nice low centre of gravity (thanks in part to the relocated fuel tank) keeping things stable when negotiating tight and tricky situations.

The halogen headlight is surprisingly bright, too. (It’s a shame more scooter manufacturers don’t give this important piece of equipment more consideration.) We had no trouble finding our way at night and noticed that car drivers saw us coming, even on bright sunny days.

If I had one beef with the Fly150ie it would be that some of the joins in the plastic panels aren’t as close and consistent as they could be. Oh, and the brake levers take a little more effort than should be expected of a scooter. I’d also option the screen to offer a little more protection from the wind. But seriously, that’s it!

Cheap to buy, cheap to run and not a bad looker to boot, the Piaggio Fly150ie is a great urban commuter. Add long service intervals and an even longer warranty, it’s also one that’s seriously worth considering against many of the pretenders in this category. Australia's favourite scooter -- the Fly 150 was 67 units ahead of its nearest competitor in the October sales figures -- has just got better.