Piaggio Vespa GTS 300 (2009-2019) Review

At the end of the day there’s no getting away from the fact that, like most scooters, the GTS 300 is a ‘step-thru’ riding on small, 12-inch wheels with fairly crude suspension and brakes, so don’t expect motorcycle-style stability, especially at speed, plush, longer travel suspension or powerful big brakes.

Once you’ve got your head around that, however, the Vespa GTS 300 Super is one of the sweetest handling and most stable scooters you’ll get of any capacity. Wriggle through town, between cars, over mini-roundabouts, in and out of car parks and it rewards with excellent balance and steering while at the top end it still feels secure rather than scary.

• Related: Vespa Elettrica review

You do notice the unsprung weight of the engine and belt drive transmission bouncing around with the wheel at higher speeds, when the GTS kicks and gets choppy more than a conventional bike would, but ride quality is right at the top end of the table compared with other scooters.

All that said, some used, higher mileage examples have been known to suffer from ‘front end wobble’, caused by excessive loading, incorrect bar end weights, unbalanced wheels or more and bikes that have done a lot of two-up, heavily loaded miles (not many, admittedly) have been known to suffer from rear shock wear, requirting replacement units. Overall, though, there’s nothing to worry about.

Brakes are by respected Italian manufacturer Brembo, comprise a single 220mm front disc assisted by an identical item at the rear and offer balanced stopping power with good feel from the rear, which, although not up to some motorcycle standards, are more than adequate for the job.

The bigger capacity engine of the Vespa GTS 300 was created by enlarging the 250 GTS’s ‘Quasar’ four-stroke, single-cylinder engine with both bore and stroke increases and also a revised cylinder head which was designed to improve mid-range torque rather than outright peak power – and it makes a real difference. It carried the moniker HPE, which stood for High Performance Engine.

The 300 charges away from the lights and pulls strongly up to 70mph, then keeps going to a Vespa GTS 300 top speed of just over 80mph, which is much the same top speed as the 250, but it gets there a lot quicker thanks to the added grunt and midrange.

Transmission is by the usual scooter-style ‘twist and go’ CVT belt (Constantly Variable Transmission) so there’s no clutch and no need to change gears – which is a big part of the whole appeal of scooters such as the Vespa – so you literally ‘twist and go’!

While in standard trim the GTS 300’s exhaust note is fairly muted so aftermarket exhausts or silencers are fairly popular options, particularly among scooter enthusiasts and especially from brands such as Remus, Scorpion and Akrapovic.

These don’t make much difference to the GTS 300’s power output but they do make it sound noticeably noisier and meatier and, usually being fabricated from stainless steel, means they’re also less prone to corrosion and rust.

When launched in 2003, the GT 200 was intended as Vespa’s top-of-the-range model and quality, specification and build standards were increased even further when it was uprated first into GTS 250 trim then, in 2009, into 300 guise – and it certainly has the style and quality to measure up to that billing.

Paint is generally thick and glossy, chrome (and there’s plenty of it) is good, materials and finishes elsewhere are good as well, equipment levels are high and the general impression you get is of a quality, luxury machine – and this is almost universally echoed by comments and ratings from actual owners.

However, like anything else, the GTS 300 is not perfect, either. Because of the extensive use of steel in the pressed construction and panels (a technicque which has defined Vespa scooters ever since the original back in 1946), corrosion can be an issue particularly underneath the floorpan if not looked after and treated with a sealant and especially if regularly ridden through a British winter.

As a result, many owners recommend that it’s imperative to keep any GTS fastiduously clean if that’s what you do. While if buying used make sure you have a good look around under the front end and floor and around the rear taillight looking for rust

In addition, snapped drive belts are not uncommon if the correct service schedule isn’t adhered to. Another problem can be a troublesome standard exhaust gasket which can disintegrate in as little as 3000 miles (although fitting an aftermarket exhaust as above will sidestep this).

All that said, however, quality and reliability-wise, the Vespa GTS 300 remains among the better quality and more reliable of midi scooters available (as it arguably should be considering its premium price) and, if looked after, there are no major problems any prospective owners should be unduly concerned about.

Our Piaggio Vespa GTS 300 owners' reviews show a positive overall score. Negative points include a lack of standard kit and some flimsy parts, but in the main owners like their bikes very much.

Scooters are generally affordable and cheap to run – they’re whole DNA is to be easy, cheap, commuter transport after all, but the GTS 300 runs contrary to that premise in being the biggest engine Vespa yet and also a premium-priced luxury machine that’s one of the most expensive on the market.

The GTS 300 certainly wasn’t cheap when new, although, now being superseded by the 350 version means we’re only really considering it as a used buy here. In that respect, it’s also an in-demand machine meaning that, on the one hand, although still not cheap, it’s more affordable than when new and in addition won’t suffer the plummeting depreciation of much of its cheaper opposition, so in the longer run (and it’ll still be going when some Chinese offerings have long been sent to the skip) it should pay you back.

On top of that, although not the cheapest scooter to insure, the GTS 300 still has more affordable premiums than most comparable bikes (although it is worth pointing out here that all GTSs have become theft magnets, particularly in London where there’s a boom in scooter crime, and latest premiums reflect that) and running costs and its hunger for consumables such as tyres, brake pads and so on are a fraction of what they’d be on a comparable motorcycle and certainly a car.

Despite the larger engine, 60-70mpg is certainly possible which, considering its 9.5litre fuel tank, should result in an easy 130 miles or so before the fuel warning light comes on.

As far as residual values go, with GTSs, the higher the spec the more desireable it is so go for the best you can afford. Rivals, meanwhile, include the now defunct Kawasaki J300, the big-wheeled but less stylish Honda SH300i and popular but more anonymous-looking Yamaha XMax 300.

Most of the other differences between the Vespa GTS 300 and the preceding 250 version were mostly cosmetic, but added to its equipment levels. These included natty-looking grills in the side panels, which were a stylistic nod to older sporting Vespas, revisions to the leg shields via the use of different chrome and vents, sporty red painted suspension components and new shaped seats (with two options being offered, comfort and sport).

The wheels were also cool, two-tone alloys which were allegedly reminiscent of the old unboltable rims of earlier Vespas – we’re not sure about that but they do look good.

The rear luggage rack which was standard on the 250 wasn’t fitted to the 300, however, which was a surprise at the time, although Vespa justified this by saying this was because the 300 was sportier and needed to have a ‘cleaner’ rear end appearance.

Elsewhere, although like all scooters, undeniably practical, the GTS 300 isn’t actually as good as you might expect. Its underseat storage isn’t great – Piaggio’s press shots showing a helmet in there don’t tell you that it’s an open face belonging to a pin-headed pygmy.

My hulking great Arai didn’t come close to squeezing in, so most buyers will have to fork out extra for a rack and probably a top box, too, if the GTS is going to be any use for getting to work with a briefcase and wet weather gear.

The clocks, meanwhile, are fairly standard, but admittedly, stylish, plus there’s the usual luggage hook, LED lights and Bluetooth connectivity with a USB charging socket.

Vespa released the GTS300 75^th anniversary special costing £790 more than the standard GTS300 Touring (the base GTS300 is just £5190) and for that you get special paint finishes, 75^th logos, a nubuck leather saddle round leather bag and a welcome kit, including a fancy silk scarf, owner’s book and eight collector’s postcards.

Of course, there are loads of aftermarket accessories for your bike. The most popular is a Vespa GTS 300 exhaust, which adds extra volume for city riding.