Piaggio MP3 300 LT ABS ASR, road test 2015

ABS ASR and 3 wheels make it safer than a car!

di Matteo Pozzi January 8, 2015

Photo Piaggio MP3 300i LT ABS road test 2015

Piaggio MP3 300 LT ABS ASR: It is renewed and improved, it is based on the platform new 500 (which we recently had the opportunity to try) with which it shares practically everything, engine aside. The 300 is the absolute and undisputed leader of urban 3-wheel scooters in Italy. It drives exactly like a 2-wheeler, agile and agile in traffic citizen, promises to be the MP3 with the best dynamic qualities ever. It certainly establishes a new record from a safety point of view, being together with his older brother thethe only 3-wheeler in the world equipped with ABS and ASR. The Piaggio Multimedia Platform allows you to always be connected with your smartphone, which becomes an extension of the instrument panel, with a myriad of additional data available.

Aesthetics and finishes:
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More graceful and pleasant, it has shapes also designed to improve spaces and comfort

Resta true to itself in its general approach, especially in the front portion, but it is also completely new in appearance. The tail is clearly more balanced and stylistically more pleasant, but the front also benefits from modern and efficient details, such as the very protective smoked windshield thanks to the three-position adjustment, or the daylight with 7 LEDs, which winks at the automotive market. The rims have 5 split spokes, the diameter offront goes from 12 to 13" and have a sporty and elegant look. Also in this case it is a solution partially borrowed from the four wheels, demonstrating the sensitivity that the Piaggio designers have had in this direction, in light of the fact that the MP3 is aimed more than any other scooter at the motoring public (you can also drive with only a B license), as well as that of motorcyclists. In addition to the look, a lot of work has been done to increase comfort, with a significantly improved riding position, with new dimensions and a handlebar whose shape helps to keep the posture of the arms as natural as possible. The saddle becomes exceptionally comfortable, almost sumptuous. Flat and large in size, it guarantees excellent habitability also for the passenger, who has at his disposal new removable footrests on which to rest his feet comfortably. In front of the pilot's knees there are instead some padded shockproof elements, to avoid "slaughtering" your knees in case you end up too far forward with your butt and, consequently, with your legs. As a rule, the space is excellent and the knees remain far from the back of the shield, even for the tallest. Under the saddle the compartment gains in capacity and above all thanks to regular shapes the space is better usable and exploitable. The door on the back of the scooter disappears, while the release of the lock for opening the saddle is electric and always available, even with the key not inserted, as long as you have not left the lock in the position to lock the steering. A piston facilitates lifting the saddle, and the compartment is equipped with lighting and a 12 Volt socket. Even if the abundant space, capable of accommodating two helmets without problems, is not enough, a top case can be optionally installed, the tail from this point of view is already designed to facilitate assembly and integrate its shapes into the lines of the MP3 . The instrument panel has also been renewed, with a speedometer and a rev counter with a classic circular shape, which also house the fuel level indicator and the engine water temperature, between which a large display “tells” every detail. In addition to the clock and odometer partials, we find a myriad of other information, such as average and instantaneous consumption, external temperature, autonomy, travel time, average and maximum speed. The picture is completed by a strip of 11 warning lights in the upper portion and another 4 in the lower part, with indications mainly related to the functioning of the fork lock and the engagement of the parking brake. If all this is not enough, the MP300, like the 500, can be equipped with PMP (Piaggio Multimedia Platform), a system that allows you to connect your smartphone to the scooter, making it an extension of the instrumentation. Further data can be displayed on the phone's display, such as the maximum inclination reached, the wear status of the tires (using the ABS and ASR sensors) and much more, plus it becomes a navigator and a way to monitor the general status of the medium.

Engine and performance:
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Brilliant in city driving, safe with ASR

While the new MP3 500 is also renewed from the engine point of view, the 300 confirms a best-selling engine. The 278 cc single-cylinder engine with electronic injection and 4 valves per cylinder is able to guarantee excellent performance, thanks to its 23,1 horsepower, delivered at 7.250 rpm, and generous torque of 24,3 Nm at 6.250 rpm. An adequate calibration of the transmission makes it almost livelier than the 500 in the city. Obviously in the long run the difference is significant, but the vocation of the two MP3s is deliberately completely different. With the 500 very round and regular, devoted to comfort and reach for longer journeys, while the younger brother wants to be brighter and more agile, ideal for the city, without disdaining a bit of extra-urban straightness. With a maximum speed indicated by the instruments of 133 km/h, you can move very well even on the motorway, where you are well protected and sheltered from the air, and therefore also from water in case of rain. The real news is the adoption, and it is the only one to provide it as standard in the 3-wheel segment, of traction control. The ASR can be deactivated with a button under the instrumentation, it is not essential given the stability and safety of the double front wheel, but protects you from any problem. Not even a snowfall was able to worry us. While other scooters fear wet conditions and force you to adjust your pace on the most dangerous sections, the MP3 with ASR combined with ABS is almost indifferent to the grip offered by the roads you travel on.

Ride and handling:
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The perfect vehicle for the city, but not only

Even the boldest and most experienced motorcyclists occasionally get scared on the rough roads of our cities. Between rails, potholes and cobblestones, adding rain and ice in the winter months, without forgetting the thousand unexpected events that city traffic can throw at our wheels, it is perhaps easier to drive safely between the curbs of a circuit trying to break away from the storm. For this reason, 4 wheels are often preferred to 2, but paying a high price for this choice in terms of practicality. When you go out on a scooter you can predict the time of arrival at your destination with a good margin of precision, while when you are in a car the estimate becomes much more approximate. The same route, with traffic, can take 2 or more times the time it takes when the road is clear. Because of this the MP3 has been sold in over 150.000 copies. It represents a practical and safe solution with which to move around the city. Suitable for the capable motorcyclist, who can avoid taking unnecessary risks, leaving the sports bike to take a ride out of town in the hot months, but above all for motorists who are tired of spending hours and hours stuck in queues. In fact, you can drive with a car licence, thanks to the use of integral pedal braking (and the minimum distance of 460 between the two front wheels), which allows it to be approved as "LT", i.e. it can be driven with only a driving licence. B even with displacements greater than 125. Now in this the MP3 is a certainty, the new one can boast of having established a new record in terms of safety. The two front brake discs grow in diameter, reaching 258 mm, while the rear one is 240. They are supported by a system Three-channel ABS, capable of protecting against any surprise even when braking. The wheels are now 13" at the front and 14 at the rear. The system patented by Piaggio, which was the first to invest in three-wheelers, with two independent and tilting front wheels, with a complex 4-arm aluminum system, is unique in its kind and guarantees superior handling compared to competitors. The roll lock, via a button on the handlebar which can be used when you are at or almost stationary, allows you to avoid having to put your feet on the ground at traffic lights, but also to use the stand when parking, just block the wheels with the parking brake. You just need to get used to it, because initially it happens that you lock it when the vehicle is slightly inclined, and when you set off again (while in the saddle you just need to accelerate and the lock is automatically disengaged) you end up being a little unbalanced. Honestly, as a motorcyclist with a fair amount of experience you feel eyes on you at traffic lights, many people still believe that three-wheelers are the scooter of the less experienced, but during the test of the new MP3 300, on days with cold temperatures and slippery asphalt, we did things that would have been unthinkable with any two wheels, in total safety. Even outside the city it is very stable when cornering, at motorway speeds, while the excellent aerodynamic protection allows you to travel comfortably even on long journeys.

Price and consumption:
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Excellent consumption, price aligned with what it offers

The Piaggio MP3 300 is available in two Sport and Business versions. Let's start with 7.470 € of the first, in carbon black, comet silver and lagoon blue colours, combined with the black saddle, while it takes 100 euros more for Business of our test. In this case the available colors are iceberg white, universe black and pulsar grey, while the saddle has a double finish and is brown in colour. To differentiate them, colors aside, some more elegant and valuable finishes of the Business, such as the chrome muffler protection, the dedicated mirrors and details in glossy gray on the central tunnel, on the handlebars and on the passenger handles. The 12 liter tank, combined with a very economical engine, allow for very good autonomy.

PROS AND CONS
We like it:
More modern and pleasant line, almost as safe as a car, but easy to handle like any scooter

We do not like it:
Challenging price

Piaggio MP3 300 LT: the Motorionline Report Card

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