LAMS compliant and
able to be ridden on a
car license, Piaggio’s
three wheeler opens city
commuting up to a huge
market.
A
s far as first impressions
go, I think it’s fair to say
the 350 Piaggio MP3
wouldn’t be your first pick of
motorcycle. “Of course”, you
might say, “because it’s a scooter.”
Well, yes it is, but it’s a big
scooter... with a front like a Mack
truck.
Piaggio’s MP3 is an unholy
hybrid of mobility scooter and
‘Transformer’, even as far as
the split twin headlights giving
the machine a ‘human’ face.
But it takes some time before
the fridge-like, monolith front
begins to reveal some serious
personality. It’s odd, yes, with a
hint of monster, but it really does
grow on you.
To start at ground level at
the front – the MP3 sits on
three wheels with Piaggio’s
extraordinary ‘articulated
quadrilateral’ dual wheel front
end, conveying near miraculous
levels of grip, control, braking
and suspension. This system
is so good that Piaggio has
had to see off both Yamaha
and Peugeot in the courts to
protect their development.
The chunkiness hides much of
102 KIWI RIDER