Piaggio’s quirky LT scooter series was first offered in the
USA for the 2003 model year, which was the same year Piaggio entered the USA
market under their own name (as opposed to the Vespa name). The LT 50 and LT 150
were offered again for 2004, but after that both models were dropped.
The LT 50 and LT 150 are both fairly rare scooters, but mechanically they do
share quite a few parts with other machines. Piaggio’s Hi-PER2 2-stroke 49cc
engine used in the Fly 50 is the motor found in Piaggio’s Typhoon 50 and the
Vespa ET2 50. Similarly, the Fly 150 uses Piaggio’s LEADER motor which has also
been used in the Fly 150, Vespa ET4 150 ,Vespa S 150 and Vespa LX 150. A larger
bore version of this motor were also used in Piaggio’s BV200 and Vespa’s GT200.
Accordingly, parts availability for OEM and aftermarket parts is excellent.
The LT scooters offer good handling with their large wheels adding stability and
smoothness over uneven road. This is particularly noticeable with the LT 150
since you can read higher speeds where the limitations of other smaller wheeled
scooters are more obvious. The suspension is also considered to be fairly good.
Stylistically, the LT scooters are somewhat of a quirky twist on Vespa’s ET
scooter which was designed around the same time. The LT almost looks like an ET
scooter with huge wheels added and a more open rear end. The headlight and
legshield area shows obvious ties to this sibling. Large wheeled scooters are a
tough design to pull off, and Piaggio did a reasonable job with the LT50 and
LT150. One thing that can be said about the LT scooters is that they definitely
have personality, which is something some people argue is lacking in Piaggio’s
newer Fly scooters.
In terms of amenities, the LT 150 falls a bit short. It has a glovebox, but the
underseat storage area is quite tiny due to the large rear wheel eating into
this space. You can’t fit any sort of a helmet under there, so you’ll need to
find another safe storage spot for it on rainy days. Some LT 150 owners prefer
to remove some of these emissions systems to improve top speed by a few mph and
to install a larger LT 50 underseat bucket. This part can still be purchased
from Piaggio.
Overall, the LT scooters are unique rides from Piaggio. They are nicely powered,
unique and reliable. It’s too bad this line of scooters didn’t live on, but
overseas these scooters are still sold (in newer versions) called the Piaggio
Liberty.
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated.