Vespa 152L2 That was then...

It was David Dixon, then a young staff writer at The Motorcycle, who gave the British public its first impressions of the 152L2. His review was published on September 24, 1959.

Design changes, livelier performance and lower running costs as well as a more attractive appearance distinguish the latest one-two-five Vespa, the 152L2 from its forerunners. Considered singly, the changes are relatively minor, but together they result in a model which has seen a vast improvement on the first Douglasproduced version seen in Great Britain in 1949. A saving in weight has been achieved by the use of new methods of construction and lighter-gauge material for the pressed steel frame and body panels, but there is no loss in strength; the complex machine is some 5lb lighter than before. By detail redesigning; the engine has been moved fractionally nearer the longitudinal axis of the machine which results in reduced width of the body panels and, of course, in less weight bias on the right-hand side. The most obvious engine modification is the mounting of the Dell’Orto carburettor directly on the cylinder to give a down-draught flow to the mixture; performance is thereby improved and the fuel consumption reduced.

For tallish enthusiasts the riding position is slightly cramped, chiefly because the saddle is too near the handlebar (in other more expensive models in the range, this point does not arise since they are fitted with dual-seats which allow the rider to sit further back if necessary). The hand controls are laid out in orthodox scooter fashion; clutch lever and twist grip gearchange on the left side of the pressed-steel bar and front brake lever and throttle on the right. A combined lighting and dipper unit and horn and cut-out buttons are incorporated in a neat box beside the twist grip in easy reach of the right thumb.

A Acceleration was surprisingly brisk but the machine’s weakness would be its top speed on open roads, even more so by modern standards. dards.

All cable and lighting leads pass inside the handlebar pressing, resulting in a pleasingly clean appearance. The headlamp shell forms part of the handlebar pressing and incorporated in the top of the pressing is a 60mph Veglia speedometer. The dial is not illuminated but the indicator hand and the 30mph figures are coated with luminous paint. The rear brake pedal is on the righthand side of the floor.

Another feature of the new model is redesigned kick-starter mechanism; a quadrant engages with the gearbox layshaft instead of operating on the mainshaft. This results in a lower ratio, allowing use of a shorter pedal. The maker’s claim of easier starting was borne out in practice. With the petroil turned on (the tap is on the front of the bodywork below the saddle nose) and the air lever beneath the saddle raised, the engine invariably responded to the second dab on the starter. The throttle setting for starting from cold was not critical; the usual position was about one-third open. Once the engine had fired, the air lever could be ignored; the engine immediately settled down to a slow, reliable tickover.

On the Vespa – and many other continental designed units – the clutch runs at engine speed and, in consequence, engagement of bottom gear when the machine is running, and gear changes on the move, are almost invariably noisy. The Vespa clutch was guilty of these short-comings but in other respects earned full marks. In normal circumstances the well-chosen second gear was engaged at 18mph and top at 28mph. When in a hurry, 23mph and 36mph could be reached in bottom and second gears without over-revving the engine. Movement of the twistgrip gearchange was somewhat heavy. Although a positive stop is not fitted, there was no difficulty in selecting the gears.

During the period I had the Vespa, over 800 miles were covered on all types of road. Naturally a large slice of this mileage was in town where the Vespa really proved its mettle. The lively performance was more than a match for the average traffic stream. A stop-watch reading of 29s for the standing start quarter-mile gives a fair indication of the acceleration. Indeed this figure would be quite creditable for a larger capacity engine but the performance would be wasted if one were unable to use it owing to a noisy exhaust. In this respect it would be hard to better the Vespa; the exhaust note was exceptionally quiet at all speeds and throttle openings. Indeed, above 15mph it was impossible for the rider to hear the exhaust and the only noise audible was a whine from the primary gears.

On the open road the Vespa would cruise for mile after mile with the throttle against the stop and 45mph indicated on the speedometer; moreover, the cruising performance was hardly affected by the added weight of a passenger. Under favourable conditions I found that the true maximum, one up, was 47mph. The engine seemed utterly tireless, regardless of how hard it was driven. With this kind of treatment the fuel consumption was about 80mpg but at smaller throttle openings to give 30mph cruising the consumption improved to 112mpg. Main-road hills naturally caused a drop in speed to around 30mph but very seldom was it necessary to drop into second gear, unless the gradient was particularly steep. Despite the highish bottom gear (12.2 to 1), standing starts were easily accomplished on a gradient of 1-in-7 with only a moderate degree of clutch slipping.

A combination of 8in-diameter wheels and a wheelbase of only 47in is not conducive to good roadholding or comfort. Considerable pitching occurred over rough surfaces and a conscious effort was required to hold a precise line when cornering at the model’s maximum speed. Stability on wet and greasy surfaces was moderately good, provided care was exercised. However, the standard of handling was adequate at town speeds.

Braking power was incredible for a scooter – it was almost too good. A stopping distance of 27ft 6in from 30mph was the average of a number of tests. Both tyres could be made to squeal by applying the brakes reasonably hard at 40mph yet neither wheel showed a tendency to lock. On wet surfaces some restraint was required to avoid skidding when braking.

For ease of manoeuvrability it would be hard to improve upon the Vespa. Light weight, allied to a turning circle of only 9ft 7in, enables it to be manhandled in the most confined spaces and parking in the tightest corner is easy because of the small effort required to bring the centre stand into use. The lighting was sufficiently good to allow full use to be made of the performance; a red indicator in the top of the headlamp glows when the lights are on. The horn noise was average. Accessibility for running maintenance is good, the only criticism being in respect of the contactbreaker adjustment. To reach the points it is necessary to remove the fan. During the course of the test the petrol pipe, which is of the push-on type, repeatedly came adrift. A worm drive clip cured the bother. The tools supplied are adequate for the maintenance jobs likely to be undertaken by the average scooterist. The finish is in regal red.