Trying on a GT for Size
As mentioned in my bio, I drive my beloved Vespa ET4 every day as my primary commute vehicle. I have recently been considering switching to a Vespa GT, not so much for the extra power (the GT is 50cc more 
powerful than an ET4 or LX150), but for the comfortable ride it has to offer. I have test driven one once before and it definitely has a different feel, from the way the handlebars feel to the way it handles on the road.
The wonderful folks at Vespa are going to give me a chance to further weigh my options this week. They are loaning me a Vespa GT for 2 weeks, so that I may take it on my daily commute through the Holland tunnel from NJ to NY every day. I am very excited; this will either seal my decision towards purchasing a new GT, OR allow me to feel okay staying at the 150cc level. Even if I do stay at the 150cc level I will then consider either looking into an LX or making certain modifications to my existing ET. I hope my Et's feeling aren't hurt by being left in the garage for 2 weeks!
if you decide to buy the new gt, you could always send your old et to a poor boy here in indonesia :)
just kidding :P enjoy the test ride :D
Posted by: Randi Triadi | September 14, 2005 at 07:22 AM
I love my new Vespa GT, having bought it from Vespa New Orleans just weeks before the Hurricane! They are now in Baton Rouge and plan on reopening in New Orleans in January.
As the only(?) Vespa owner in the Destin, Florida area, I am able to keep up with the 60+ mph traffic on the highways and comfortably run errands here and there. I haven't put gas in my Dodge Hemi Ram since before the hurricane, since I used the Vespa for nearly everything! I haven't driven the 150cc, but would surely recommend the GT for comfort and performance.
Posted by: Gary Feduccia | September 14, 2005 at 11:53 AM
You will LOVE riding the GT through the tunnel. You need to hook up a Vespa cam and make a movie as you do so we can share the experience. I am assuming you've never ridden your ET4 through the tunnel, have you? It is a different ride but you give up the smallness and cuteness of the ET4, which a friend of mine tells me he parks at bike racks like the same-sized ET2. I don't think you can get away with that on a GT. You will have no trouble selling your ET4 but may I suggest converting your wife into a rider? We have both ET4 & GT and they look very cute riding together. Cars stop and people ask questions.
Posted by: Lisa | September 14, 2005 at 12:51 PM
Lisa, I do indeed drive my ET4 through the tunnel every day, I have racked up 7500 miles on the bike now in under 2 years mostly for my commute.
Posted by: Neil Barton | September 14, 2005 at 12:56 PM
I LOVE riding my GT but I only wish I put it up and take it down by myself! I am 5'2" and my feet are not flat on the ground when I am on it so I have a hard time lowering the GT. However I cannot get it up at all - it is too heavy. I have just purchased a side stand (motorcycle type) but am unsure exactly where and how to attach it, it did not come with instructions.
Posted by: Ally | September 14, 2005 at 10:03 PM
hey neil-
i have an idea for your lonely et4-
lend it to me I've been training it since the accident and i hateit!!!
Joe ( c'ya on the 24th)
Posted by: joe | September 16, 2005 at 09:19 PM
As a confirmed Vespaholic [I have owned an ET2, an ET4 and two GT's in just the past three years--I love to upgrade], the GT is the 'best-in-show' for me. The GT's greater power and larger size afford two major options: it's more comfortable for my Scooter-Chic wife as frequent passenger and it has the versatility of handling as a nimble scooter at lower speeds and as a small motorcycle at higher speeds.
Posted by: Karl Sooder | September 23, 2005 at 10:07 PM
Even here in the Philppines, the Vespa GT draws a lot of attention. We recently had a 600km trip to the northern part of the Philippines which had a bunch of PX's and X9's and 2 GT 200's. The GT's held it's own against the X9's. They were really giving the X9's a run for their money, but I guess the constant buffeting of the wind against the chest of the GT riders made them give out in the end. It was quite a treat to watch these machines in action, both in dry and wet weather, since we had to literally ride through a typhoon on the way home.
Have yet to see an LX in these shores though.
Posted by: BoyG | September 26, 2005 at 03:42 AM