Piaggio Group India has launched its Vespa Notte 125 model in BS6 specification. In the process, the premium scooter has become dearer by Rs 17,000 to hit an ex-showroom price of Rs 91,864. In fact, almost all Vespa and Aprilia products have gone up in pricing by Rs 15,000-20,000 for the BS6 era without any notable additions. The updated Vespa Notte 125 is still one of the most affordable products (another example: Vespa Urban Club BS6) from the Italian two-wheeler manufacturer.
Compared to its old BS4 format, the Notte 125 does not carry any major improvements to justify such a high price tag, except for an FI system and OBD port. The 125cc single-cylinder motor churns out around 9.8bhp @ 7,500rpm and 9.6Nm @ 5,500rpm. All ‘125’ Vespa or Aprilia models employ the same power plant in the exact same tune. Meanwhile, the 149cc ‘150’ range is good for 10.3bhp @ 7,600rpm and 10.6Nm @ 5,500rpm
The lesser Vespa Urban Club, LX and Notte models do not feature disc brakes and make-do with Combined Braking System (CBS). They get 149mm and 140mm drum brakes at the front and rear, respectively. Unlike the tubeless ‘150’ models, the ‘125’ range comes with 90/100R15 tyres at either end. Vespa’s ‘150’ line includes four models: SXL, VXL, ZX and Elegante.
Vespa Notte 125 BS6 – Instrument console
Like its predecessor, the Vespa Notte 125 BS6 continues to follow a dark theme in ‘Matte Black’ shade. The official website states that it is a limited-edition product but we expect Piaggio to sell it as long as demand persists. Still, there are several compelling alternatives coming at that price point. The unreasonable price hike in the name of becoming compliant to BS6 emission norms would backfire too.
If someone is willing to spend around Rs 90,000 on a scooter which is essentially an entry-level model in the brand’s portfolio, we would suggest spending a bit more and considering a well-rounded electric scooter. At the moment, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company offer two desirable e-scooters in the range of Rs 1-1.15 lakh ex-showroom while Ather Energy set a high benchmark for India’s budding electric two-wheeler market.
One of the main highlights of a Vespa product is its styling. Apparently, several small-scale two-wheeler brands tend to copy the design language and Piaggio is pretty upset about it. The company recently won a legal battle against two such Vespa copycats from China.
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
