Matter/Anti-Matter

Read all 'trike' posts in Matter/Anti-Matter
March 12, 2008 10:04 PM PDT

Piaggio MP3 Scooter...not your father's Vespa

by Adam Richardson
  • 4 comments
Piaggio MP3 Scooter

Piaggio MP3 Scooter

(Credit: Popular Mechanics)

I'm loving this Piaggio MP3 scooter that has two wheels on the front. It uses a very trick suspension/steering set up to allow it to lean into angles just like a regular motorbike, though apparently it feels fairly different. The tripod stance also means it stands up by itself at slow speeds and stopped, negating the need for dragging feet for stability or a kick-stand.

The extra width also gives it a lot of presence which should be helpful on busy freeways. There is ample storage space under the front which makes it practical too.

Even though this is from Piaggio, the manufacturer of the original Vespa, the MP3 looks totally different from any other scooter out there, and not just because of the extra wheel. Especially in all-black it looks very menacing and not at all Roman Holiday cute. The front looks like Optimus Prime mated with a Stealth Fighter, and the back looks like a conventional scooter on steroids.

All that and it gets over 60mpg.

This is a great example of a storied company with iconic products in its past not being afraid to experiment and seek out new styles and new customers.

  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.

About Matter/Anti-Matter

Tim Leberecht and Adam Richardson both work for Frog Design, a consulting firm specialized in designing innovative products and services for Fortune 500 clients. On the Matter / Anti-Matter blog, they engage in a debate around questions they face day-to-day in their work, using convergence/divergence as a lens through which to look at the pressing issues in business, culture, and technology. What makes a successful convergent product or a successful divergent innovation? Is convergence a myth that users don't really care about, or is the current state of convergence just not satisfying enough for them to embrace? How much divergence of innovation is good, and when does it just become confusing? How do you stay on top of people's ever changing needs and wants?

They are members of the CNET Blog Network and are not employees of CNET.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Matter/Anti-Matter topics

Most Discussed

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right