WORDS: Peter Elliot
PHOTO: Geoff Osborne
VESPA
SEI
GIORNI
t’s winter as I write this, and
Auckland is rolling through another
seemingly endless wet spell, and
for a mainlander, I’m shivering like
a whippet. But nothing will stop me
zapping around the wet streets of the city,
as I return to scootering after an absence
of a couple of years. I’m not one of those
who disdain small wheelers, in fact I really
enjoy the funky zippiness and useful
nature of having underseat storage, bag
holders and protection from the elements
with guards and screens. I owned a Vespa
300 GTS for a couple of years and really
enjoyed discovering lanes, alleyways and
secret parking spots in the central city.
That, and no traffic holdups with lateness
worries; as well as free bike parking (and
no tow aways) in what is probably one of
the world’s most punitive enforcement
regimes.
The Vespa Sei Giorni is named for the
1951 Sei Giorni Internazionale di Varese,
in which Vespa stunned the world with
reliability and agile off-road performance
for a total of nine gold medals. It was held
in September in Northern Italy, and was
Celebrating Vespa’s 1950’s
Six-Day event win, the
Sei Giorni brings a dash of
heritage cool to the commute.
widely attended and competitive. The
six-day trial ended with a track session
at the Monza circuit and the Vespa 125,
specially prepared with high performance
exhaust was the surprise of the tour, and
earned Piaggio an Industry Gold Medal.
This numbered edition of the Sei Giorni
has many elements that throw back to
those days too – low handlebars, analogue
instruments, and the Faro Basso headlight
sitting low on the front guard. But it’s
modern where it counts. The mad clutch
and left hand gear rotator combo is long
gone, and is only desirable for the purist
these days.
The 300cc 4 stroke single produces 22hp
and is Vespa’s most powerful engine
although the Euro 4 spec did steal one
of those horses away. It easily travels up
to 120km/h on the motorways, offering
better safety, and at speed it is remarkably
stable and balanced. Like its predecessor
it also features a better exhaust, with
Akrapovic supplying a beauty that
complements the black trim elements
and wheels.
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KIWI RIDER 83