Vespa ET4 150cc

Which is fine. The original was cheap transport developed out of a WW2-torn Italy and became something of a cultural icon in Europe over the years. To see how scoots are used in Europe is a joy, and an inspiration.

We haven't embraced the scoot in Oz as much as our Euro friends - for increasingly poor reasons - and the local transport landscape is changing. The ET4 (a four-stroke 150cc) makes sense when you use it across increasingly difficult inner city environs such as Sydney or (in our case) Melbourne.

Why? For a start, it's tiny, will squirm its way through just about any traffic snarl, and performs well. It also looks good.

Wot is it?
There's a mix of traditional Vespa and new scooter thinking at work here. The traditional bits include a steel monocoque chassis (which, like a car, forms much of the bodywork), single cylinder engine, small 10-inch wheels, and tiny overall dimensions.

The powerplant is a fan-cooled two-valve four-stroke (the 'trad' Vespas were two-stroke) feeding a stepless auto transmission, with a two-piston disc brake on the front end and a drum rear. Suspension at both ends is a single-sided affair - both trailing link - with height adjustment at the rear. Claimed dry weight is 105kg.

A major update is the ignition isolator, which means it's a poor target for theft, as the perishers won't be able to start it unless they spend some serious money on new electronics. A good move.

Wot's it like?
Steering is quick, but entirely predictable - it borders on flighty, but is light years ahead of the PX series when it comes to accuracy. The stock Pirelli tyres are very grippy and inspire confidence. Suspension is particularly good, with damping that rates as top of the lightweight scooter class.

Performance is about par for the 'new' breed of four-stroke scooter powerplants, even if this is a relatively low-tech version. Acceleration off the line is slow to about 15kmh (which is typical of current scooter tuning), but very healthy from there up to 85kmh. It will hold 100kmh on the freeway with ease (assuming you're somewhere near normal proportions) and will top-out at around 120kmh if luck is on your side.

We scored about 22km/lt fuel consumption (it has a 9 litre tank) on a very fresh engine. Starting was reliable, and you have a back-up kick-lever for emergencies. Brake feel was rear-biased, and overall there was no trouble learning it.

What we liked most of all was the mix of traditional Vespa ("Wasp") thinking, with updates where it matters. It's a very easy bike to live with, and we were sorry to give it back.

Perhaps the best news is the Piaggio brand is being given a new lease of life in Australia, having been taken up recently by Peter Stevens Imports (it also handles Triumph nationally) - which means that there will be back-up and plenty of stock on hand. Pricing for the 150 is $6745 (plus ORC), which is on the premium end of the scale - but worth it, in our opinion. They were keen for us to highlight you can score a 125cc version for $5990, and that will probably work just fine if inner city or suburban duties are what you have in mind.

By Guy Allen