Piaggio Medley, the anti SH emerges between Liberty and Beverly [ROAD TEST]

COLLABORATED: ALBERTO CASO

Piaggio Medley – The Pontedera company invented the scooter, with the Vespa which celebrates its seventieth birthday this year. In addition to the Vespa, which took its path as a separate brand, Piaggio has launched many other successful products in its history. With reference to recent years, Liberty and Beverly are the first two names that immediately come to mind, but the most attentive had long noticed that the space between the two was so important as to allow the competition to run free. From less than 2500 euros for the Liberty (50, 125 and 150) to almost 4.000 for the Beverly 300. In the middle, without hiding too much, there are the Honda SH best sellers in the smaller displacements. Here then comes the Medley, available in two displacements, 125 and 150, of the new i-get engine. The name does not come by chance, precisely because it aims to mix characteristics of the Piaggio two-wheelers, among which it is placed. The style and design are unmistakably Italian, but from this point of view the new Liberty lacked nothing. The new arrival from its older brother, however, takes on more refined equipment and finishes. This is a completely new product which, style aside, has practically nothing in common with the other two scooters from Pontedera. The engines are 4 valves (while on the Liberty we find the 3), while Start & Stop technology is making its first appearance for the Italian company. The growth in equipment and quality comes at little cost, both in economic terms and on the scale. In fact, the Medley starts from just 3.100 euros (200 more for the 150) and has a dry weight of just 132 kg. We tested it on the streets of Porto Ercole and climbing a tortuous and beautiful route in the middle of the Argentario Park, where it was able to convince us and also surprise us, in light of a driving dynamic that goes beyond the most optimistic predictions, but let's see it in detail.

Look and finishes

Family feeling, this is how maintaining a common style between the various models is defined, each of which however has its own recognizable character. The Medley was born from scratch, it only draws inspiration for some elements from the older brother, for others from the younger one, if we want to define Beverly and Liberty that way. The front shield is characterized by the chrome "tie", the beautiful LED position lights positioned just above the cut of the shield, while the modern headlight is at the top, in the handlebar area. The attention to quality, real and perceived, is evident from the first glance. That the Medley aims at a refined clientele can also be seen from the design choices, with elegant and sinuous lines, combined with elements that make it look sporty and modern, such as the ribs and chromatic contrasts that we find almost everywhere. The saddle is well finished, wide and comfortable even for the passenger, equipped with an electric opening, as is now customary for the Italian company's scooters. The compartment has a very generous capacity of over 36 litres, enough for two helmets. This was achieved thanks to the positioning of the tank in the area under the footboard, thus also moving the refueling nozzle and avoiding the need to open the saddle and have to get off the scooter. The rear area remains pleasantly slim, despite the generous space under the saddle, with the plastics that close the lines in a slender and elegant way up to the double rear light of small dimensions, thanks to LED technology. When you sit on the Medley you notice other well-crafted, practical details retractable hook al storage compartment in the back panel, optionally also equipped with a USB socket. The instrumentation is beautiful, with a central circular element and two lateral eyelids. Classic look thanks to the chrome finish for the frame and the three analogue instruments, with a large central speedometer, temperature and fuel level on the sides. At the bottom center we find a modern display on which all the other data is displayed. The circles finally they are light in appearance and equipped with six split spokes. Like other aesthetic elements (rear grab handle for the passenger and plastics of the footboard) they can be finished with a sportier anthracite gray (instead of the classic aluminum colour), by choosing the“S” setup. The same one is combined with different colors, Ibis Red, Graphite Black and Sport Blue, while the basic Medley it is more devoted to elegance, with Pearl White and Titanium Grey in combination with brown saddle and internal plastics, as well as the Midnight Blue with black saddle and details, like those of the Medley S.

Start & Stop engines and innovation

Piaggio's renewed engine range is based on the family i get, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engines, on the Medley with 4 valve distribution per cylinder (we had tested it with 3 on the Liberty) and a modern electronic injection system. Another new feature and peculiarity of the "middle model" of the Piaggio scooter range is the Start & Stop system as standard. It comes into operation approximately 3-7 seconds after stopping and avoids unnecessary waste of petrol when stopping at traffic lights. However, the restart was immediate, as well as silent and without vibrations. The credit goes to a significant detail, which is also very important in terms of reliability. A brushless system mounted directly on the crankshaft replaces in fact the classic starter motor and the related "connection" gears to the shaft. A system that has another interesting feature, it does not require modifications to be applied to the engine, therefore making it possible to adopt it on other Piaggio models soon. In this case, the engine control unit also integrates the Start & Stop management. The engine is available in classic displacements 125 and 150, respectively with 9 kW (about 12 horsepower) at 8.250 rpm and 11 kW (15 hp) at 7.750. The torque is also good, with 11,5 Nm at 6.500 rpm for the 125 and 14,4 at 6.400 for the 150. These are also the first Euro 4 in this segment, further confirmation of the excellence of the Pontedera research and development center. The new Medley engines also guarantee generous maintenance intervals, with the replacement of lubricants and filters to be carried out every 10.000 km and the valve clearance adjustment even every 20.000. When driving, the starting point is good, we are faced with limited power, but delivery is always optimal and overall performance is well balanced. It is confirmedexceptional silence of the new i-get, also free from annoying vibrations. The transmission is well calibrated and the Start & Stop works so well that it convinces even the most sceptical. For the most avid users, there is still the possibility of turning it off with a simple button. However, it is automatically excluded if the battery charge level is not optimal. The 150, in addition to allowing access to motorways and ring roads, has greater power and a more robust delivery at medium speeds. For both there were some small uncertainties when cold, where the engine "runs lean" due to the mandatory calibrations for compliance with the Euro 4 directives, but soon the delivery becomes very regular and very round.

When driving it increases in quality and dynamism, less in weight

Maybe it's because we just tried it, maybe it's because the displacements are the same, but as we ride the new Piaggio Medley we think and compare first and foremost with its younger brother Liberty. The differences are many and important, the first certainly concerns the brakes. If the elegant entry level adopts a mixed solution with a disc in front and a drum at the back, the Medley switches to a double disc, even 260 mm at the front and 240 at the rear, both combined with calipers with double floating pistons, all supported by a tenth generation 2-channel Bosch ABS. The rims are 16" at the front and 14 at the rear, with 100/80 and 110/80 tyres. The chassis is completed with a fork with 33 mm legs and 88 travel and a double shock absorber with preload adjustment to 5 positions, with a travel of 76 mm. Driving the Medley really convinced us. On the winding roads of our test we have gone above and beyond what you can expect from a scooter (at times perhaps even beyond the highway code), driving as if we had the handlebars of a motorbike in our hands, without ever undermining the surprising Medley. The rigid frame is appreciated (in this case, however, the suspension calibration may not meet the appreciation of passengers on rough urban roads) which offers a high stability even at fast speeds and braking is passed with flying colours. When going downhill we often brought the ABS into play on the rear wheel, because aggressive braking shifted almost all the weight onto the front wheel alone. The merits of such dynamic driving and very good braking can certainly be traced back to a weight that has remained very low (132 kg dry) and a centrality of the masses pursued with a “low single cradle” frame and also with the positioning of the 7 liters of tank right under the driver's feet. The riding position is comfortable and natural, even if substantially imposed from the platform, which does not allow you to move your feet in any way.

Cheap quality, very low consumption

A lot of quality and cutting-edge technology, even compared to the best competition, is offered to a rather low price. The new Piaggio Medley in fact costs 3.100 euros for the 125 engine and 200 more for the 150. For both, in a month, it will be possible to choose the“S” setup, with a 150 euro increase on the price. The list of accessories with which you can enrich and personalize the Medley is extensive. They range from the technological PMP (Piaggio Multimedia Platform) and PSS (Piaggio Sound System), to the more classic windshield (high) and fairing (lower and sportier). There is also a 30 or 37 liter top box, matching the scooter and matching the passenger backrest. The list does not end here, because it continues with a non-slip cover and mat, mechanical or electronic anti-theft device and bike finder, a system for quickly finding your vehicle in the most crowded areas and controlling the saddle opening from the remote control. The consumption declared in the WMTC cycle is even higher than 45 per liter! 47,5 for the 125, 45,9 for the 150. We have no way of confirming the data recorded during testing, but the testers, who have tested them for a long time, they guaranteed us a figure in "normal" use of more than 40 km/l. The only important flaw that we detected when testing the new Piaggio Medley is the shape of the footboard, which leaves little space for transporting bulky objects and requires a single position for the feet.

Test clothing:
Jacket: Alpinestars Motion Waterproof Jacket
Trousers: Alpinestars Denim Pants – Raw Indigo
Shoe: Alpinestars Vulk Shoes
Gloves: Alpinestars Polar Gore-Tex Gloves
All these garments are part of the Alpinestars 2016 collection which you can find described in this article.
Helmet: Caberg Freeride