Front disc brakes are pretty standard on many 150cc scooters but you don’t see too many 50cc’s with a front disc brake – especially not in 1996 when these scooters were released. Brakes / Suspension / Handlingīraking is also strong in these scooters thanks to the front disc brake. By using these two areas and the grocery bag hook on the front of the seat, you can really haul a lot of stuff. These scooters have both a generous glovebox and a large storage space under the seat that can hold a full face helmet. One strong point of the ET scooters is their enclosed storage space. Unlike a lot of scooter companies, Vespa isn’t concerned with bringing their scooters to market as low cost as possible. It is great to see the quality that Vespa puts into their scooters. The ET scooters included a neat microchip key to deter thieves, real chrome accents and a front disc brake. Unequivocally, this new generation of Vespa scooters set the bar high for features in a scooter. Reaction to the ET series was mixed, with some people enjoying the modern look while other long time fans found it to be too significant of a departure from the Vespa tradition. The PX generation was the most boxy generation of Vespa’s, so the highly rounded ET series was a very different direction for this Italian firm.
As such, it was a significant change for Vespa. The ET was the first major new design from Vespa since the PX design of the late 70’s. These scooters were sold here until they were replaced for 2006 with the new LX generation. They sold the ET2 50 (2-stroke, 50cc) and the more powerful ET4 150 (4-stroke, 151cc).īoth of these scooters shared the same frame, suspension, wheels, brakes and styling. Vespa brought two versions of their ET scooter to the USA market.
With this new generation of scooter capable of meeting stringent emissions regulations, Vespa returned to the USA market in late 2001 after an 18 year absence. The ET chassis was Vespa’s first to be capable of accommodating both 2-stroke (ET2) and 4-stroke (models named ET4) engines and in sizes from 50cc to 150cc. The ET series of Vespa scooters was significant, as it was Vespa’s long awaited attempt to move beyond 2-stroke engines. The ET series of Vespa scooters was launched in Europe in 1996, 50 years after the first Vespas were sold.