You could say that scooters are pretty bland, boring, and focused solely on comfort and utility. No one would really blame you for that. And that’s also precisely why so many scooter manufacturers are leaning in on retro styling as a differentiating factor in a bid to add some pizazz and character into the mix.
Recent years have seen an influx of retro-inspired scooters, all of which tapping on nostalgia in hopes of generating sales. Even I’m a victim of this, as I needed a cheap and reliable scooter to get around town, but didn’t want to settle for a boring, appliance-like machine (the answer: the Yamaha Fazzio, at least for me).
But surely, it’ll come to a point where there are just too many retro-themed scooters that the whole nostalgia thing will wear out, right? I mean take a look at the new SC125RE from “Italian” motorcycle manufacturer Morbidelli.
Now I put Italian in quotes as Morbidelli isn’t owned by an Italian company anymore, but rather, you guessed it, a Chinese manufacturer by the name of Keeway operating as a subsidiary to yet another Chinese company called Qianjiang—or perhaps you’re more familiar with its western name: QJ Motor.
Now, no matter where you look at it from, the SC125RE clearly “draws inspiration” from a real Italian scooter by the name of Vespa. It has some differences, sure, with its rear section being a bit more angular and boxy a la Lambretta, but the resemblance is certainly uncanny.
Even Morbidelli’s own ad about the SC125RE screams Vespa. It’s set in a coastal town probably somewhere in Italy with the color grading set to extra warm to give it that summer-y vibe. A couple is then shown blissfully riding two-up through a coastal mountain pass before making their way through a tight village and parking the scooter in the middle of a city center.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good-looking scooter, and given its price tag starting at the equivalent of just around $3,560 USD, it’ll surely attract a lot of buyers, particularly those who want to flex that retro aesthetic without breaking the bank.
That said, if you’re getting a scooter, chances are you’re gonna want it to be as reliable as possible. And that’s something we’ve yet to see from such a new brand like Morbidelli. Chances are, however, it’ll do just fine, as it has funding from one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. But hey, only time holds the answer to this question.
What about you? Would you drop three grand or so on a stylish Vespa lookalike like this? Or would you just save up and pay 50 percent more for the real thing? Let me know in the comments.
