Vespa's very sporty three wheeled scooter

Piaggio launched the first Vespa model in 1946, creating an iconic presence in the personal transport revolution that evolved in the following decades. Sixty years on, the Italian company has come up with another revolutionary product: the PIAGGIO MP3, a three-wheeler with two independent tilting front wheels that operate in a “carving” motion. The PIAGGIO MP3 provides safety, road grip and stability levels that no two-wheeler can match, with lean angles of 40 degrees or more possible from novice riders. Available in 125 and 250 forms initially, we’re licking our lips at the prospect of the 500 version.

The two front wheels of the PIAGGIO MP3 re-define the very concept of ride stability to provide an unprecedented riding experience. The front assembly, with two independent tilting wheels, is far more stable than any scooter. The PIAGGIO MP3 grips the road even when tailing other vehicles, providing top performance in total safety.

The full extent of this three-wheeler’s stability can be tested on wet asphalt or tough riding conditions that would sorely challenge a traditional two-wheeler. In town and city traffic the PIAGGIO MP3 has no equal in terms of safety. It takes on cobblestone streets, patchy asphalt and tram tracks with the greatest of ease, remaining safe and stable all the while.

With its compact super-scooter size and exceptional manoeuvrability, the PIAGGIO MP3 is at home in town traffic. It’s a cinch to park: an electro-hydraulic suspension locking system means there is no need to put the vehicle on its stand.

The PIAGGIO MP3 requires far less braking space than any scooter — the three-disk braking system and exceptional front-end road holding reduce braking space by 20 per cent compared to the best scooters.

The PIAGGIO MP3 comes into its own when heading out of town. Its road grip, cornering safety and tilt angle are unprecedented for a scooter, adding to the pleasure of riding different road surfaces at high speed.

Cycle parts The cycle parts are the key element of the PIAGGIO MP3 project. Innovative technical features and top-grade components make the PIAGGIO MP3 a truly unique vehicle that re-invents the entire scooter concept.

The PIAGGIO MP3 frame in high-tensile steel tubes is the result of the best CAD technology and computerized FEM (Finite Element Method) analysis. Elements such as frame strength and weight were precisely defined and tested from the initial phases of the project, with the suitability of each solution checked at every stage. The innovative parallelogram suspension, an original Piaggio design, is anchored to the frame. The tilt mechanism is composed of four cast-aluminium control arms with four hinges fixed to the central tube and two guide tubes on either side of the parallelogram, connected to the arms via suspension pins and ball bearings. The tubes on the right and left enclose the steering tube in a classic singlearm setup.

The PIAGGIO MP3 uses three 12” wheels with large tyres — 120/70 front, 130/70 rear. Together with the revolutionary front suspension, the wheels provide a tilt angle of up to 40° while riding like any normal two wheeler and simultaneously ensuring better road grip on any surface, especially slippery tracks. The parallelogram suspension also ensures increased stability at high speeds: the PIAGGIO MP3 grips the road firmly, with no wobbling, even when tailing large vehicles.

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