Piaggio MP3

First Impression

What is it: a leaning three-wheeled maxi scooter - two wheels up front - with an injected 250 engine. The first of several models we'll see on the road.

First impressions: big reserves of grip up front, but otherwise more or less like a normal maxi.

Piaggio's MP3 is a modest revolution in the way we look at riding because it has one wheel too many, but acts like a normal scooter or motorcycle. It leans and, if no-one told you it had an extra hoop, acts more or less like a single-track vehicle. But with double the grip up front. And that's the key behind the toy.

Double the grip. It's the short phrase I was forced to come up with when questioned by scooter and bike riders, and interested passers-by when they asked the inevitable: why?

I'll hasten to add this is being written day two, and longer-term experience will reveal more. Maybe my enthusiasm will calm - though I'm not convinced. A quick ride around a warehouse carpark a month or more ago revealed it was capable - ridiculously so. Nothing has changed after (so far) two days threading it through the peak-hour traffic in the mean streets of Melbourne. In the dry, and wet.

The 250 MP3 in the shed is based loosely on Piaggio's X8 scoot, but runs two leaning front wheels up front, each armed with a disc brake and non-adjustable suspension. Its rear end also has two shocks, with preload adjustment.

THE IDEA
Though difficult to track, we think the idea has been developed from the Italjet Scooop (yes, three 'o's) revealed at an international show as early as 2001. No matter the history, Piaggio has developed the idea and, most importantly, got it to market.

It is near-impossible to over-estimate how much aggro the company has gone through to get the thing on the road world-wide, because the extra wheel simply would not compute with your average "stop it at once" road authority.

It's on the road. And it is probably the most innovative model in your local showroom.

Frankly, it's up for debate who is going to buy one. People who like innovation should and probably will. But there's another market - people who were on the edge of getting a scoot or bike, but wanted extra reassurance.

THE RIDE
The MP3 250 comes across as a well-finished and together gadget. I suspect the company has tried extra-hard to make sure the presentation is right. Its saddle has nice stitching, there are two big and comfortable grab handles for the pillion, the dash has two lovely and huge analogue gauges, while there are touches such as satin-finish alloy panels dotted around it. All very reassuring.

It starts like a normal scooter and performs okay. At 225kg, it's no lightweight and is a bit slower off the line than the company's X8. There's an argument for having two performance levels on offer - novice and experienced - as the performance from the green light is gentle rather than quick. A determined delivery van can give you a hard time. Quoted top speed is 125km/h.

It's worth noting that there are 400 and 500 (the latter badged as a Gilera) coming in the near future.

Where it really works is cornering and braking. Using normal criteria, it is very reassuring on wet roads, and unbelievable when it comes to braking. The levels of grip available are way beyond the normal, and it will take some time to find out where the limits are.

Something that impressed me was the patented driveway braking test. I have a concrete driveway with a constant level of grip and know, if I get it wrong, we only have to crawl inside to the phone to get help. The MP3, even after a couple of attempts, stubbornly refused to break traction up front. Instead, it bunny-hopped the rear wheel - no mean feat for a heavy long-wheelbase scoot, with rear-placed engine and a big rider on board.

As a rider, you need to forget about the extra wheel and just use it. The front end feels a little heavier than normal, and the response to big, mid-corner, dips is a little unusual - but it tracks straight.

You can lock the front end upright at under 10km/h (no need to put your feet down - but I can't recommend it), and it will self-release as you accelerate again - the riding rules have changed. It also has a centre-stand, which is recommended for long-term parking.

It threads through traffic like any other 250 maxi and is no wider. Most people don't notice the extra wheel, but the odd rider will and you can see them doing the MP3-double-take as you arrive in their mirrors. There's the look - then the confusion as they wonder if they have just seen double. Another look. Then they weave all over the road while working out a way to stop and ask.

"Okay, talk me through it," said the chap on the GS1150. You won't be short of company for a long time yet, as people get their heads around the idea.

I was also interviewed at the local gym the same morning, and the local grocery that afternoon. If nothing else it's a discussion-starter.

All hype aside, it's an innovative machine with a huge margin of safety built in. One of my daughters, Ms M junior who is in the UK at the moment, has begged a ride when she gets back. She has a bike licence but is super-cautious when it comes to riding two-wheelers. She sees the MP3 as being safer and perhaps an answer to her riding prayers. I know she won't be alone.

It's early days, but I'm sure Piaggio is on to something…

(Ed's note: We've been promised one for a longer stint and will report back once we've had more time on it.)

Links:
Here's a link to leaning three-wheelers: http://www.toomonline.com/ttwlinks.htm

Piaggio: http://www.piaggio.com.au/