The Vespa T5 exceeded a top speed of 100KPH

VESPA T5

The Vespa T5 exceeded a top speed of 100KPH

    During 68 years long career, Vespa has been produced in 13 countries and sold in about 20 million copies. Vespa story began as a cheap means of transport and time turned it into an icon of style. After World War II, Italy lay in ruins.  Most of the Italian industry worked for the army, and as the war ended, this market has virtually disappeared. Industrialist and aero engineer Enrico Piaggio had the idea of two-wheeled vehicle that supposed to be cheap and reliable.  To create the first specimen of such a vehicle, the chosen one was Corradino D’Ascanio. When the prototype was completed, Piaggio was delighted. Due to design and the sound of its engine they named it Vespa, which means wasp in Italian. After various tests and additional perfecting, Vespa has entered into production in 1946.  Although the idea of a scooter was not new at the time, Vespa, thanks to its ingenious design, from the start managed to break away from the competition. Engine was hidden under the chassis reducing the possibility of soiling the driver with oil and dust. This way the “wasp” has become suitable and affordable for ladies also. Popularity of the Vespa grew instantly and quickly outgrew the boundaries of Italy. Piaggio company began to export to many countries of Europe and the world. Its unique design and practicality were the winning combination. However, another factor significantly affected the popularity of the Vespa: Hollywood! Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn rode a Vespa in the film “Holiday in Rome” in 1953. Thousands of young people were willing to follow their example, just to ride and enjoy.

    Although it has been more than seventy years since its inception, Vespa has survived. For all these years of service in cities from Los Angeles to Vladivostok, Vespa has gone through 20.000 mechanical changes, in 120 different models, that were sold in almost 20 million copies.  Today it is one of the most popular scooters in the world, with an army of fans united in thousands of clubs worldwide. Through license arrangements Vespa has been produced in many countries ( Germany, England, Belgium, France, Spain.

    Indian factory LML ( Lohia Machines Ltd ), operated from 1983 to 1999 in joint venture agreement with Piaggio Italy and produced all Vespa models in that period (one of ten Vespas in Italy was produced in India by LML ). It is completely unjustified to consider that LML Vespa is not the same as the PIAGGIO Vespa.

    The Vespa T5 was a 125cc, single cylinder, 2 stroke scooter which was manufactured by Piaggio. The Vespa T5 was a true sporting scooter featuring an improved 5 port aluminum cylinder design allowing for greatly improved power and cooling, and higher revs, compared to its large frame cousin, the Vespa PX. 

    The squarish (55 x 52 mm) and lightweight piston design was aimed for high revs, as was the aluminum cylinder with Nikasil plating, the lightened flywheel, and the shorter 24mm carburetor (Dell’orto 24/24 G), all introduced with the model. This revised engine had about as much horsepower as a Vespa PX200, albeit at higher revs, at the expense of torque.

    Like classic Vespas, the scooter had full steel body panels and weighed around 112 kg dry. The engine was housed in the rear right side on a swing-arm and the left side housed a spare wheel. The rear brake was operated by a right foot pedal.

    In UK, and some entry-level Spanish and Italian models, premixing of 2 stroke oil was required; on French and German (and as an option in others) markets, autolube was standard, and accompanied by an electric start setup not available on base models.

    The Vespa T5 had CDI ignition. Depending on the market, it either had no battery and all electrical components were powered by magneto after starting the engine. (UK, base models in Spain and Italy), or if a battery was fitted, it had an electric starter, and fuel gauge as well as horn were powered directly by DC (battery).

    The Vespa T5 exceeded a top speed of 100KPH as standard, easily comparing to the Vespa PX200; but its dependence on revs and relative lack of torque made it pale in adverse conditions, and/or with a pillion.

    Vespa T5 Mk1 Cosmetically, the Vespa T5 Mk1 featured a rectangular head light, an updated headset console which included a fuel level indicator and a digital or analog tachometer (depending on market), a flat rear end (achieved by adding the “square tail” sheet to a Vespa PX body), and a redesigned seat to complete the look. The scooter had a classic 4 speed manual left hand twist grip gear change, a kick starter, and a front storage compartment with a black tray atop it, adorned with a “Pole Position”, logo, designed to underline its sportiness.

Vespa T5 Classic The T5 Classic had a standard Vespa PX frame but kept the T5 engine.

Vespa T5 Milennium The T5 Milennium saw the addition of a front disk brake.