Piaggio MP3 On the Street

Last night I stopped behind a scooter at a traffic light. Then I noticed the rider didn’t put his feet down. Upon closer inspection it appeared the front wheel was off set to the centerline of the bike.

I pulled up for a closer look and found that it had two front wheels side-by-side. Quickly I rolled down the window and asked the guy if it was a Piaggio. He said it was and that it was the MP3 model, it rides great, and that he really liked it. Then the light turned green and we had to go.

I tried to snap a pic with my phone as he turned the next corner but didn’t quite manage a good one. Here’s an Autoblog write up on the MP3:

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/31/officially-official-piaggio-mp3-400-and-mp3-500/

The front suspension is really innovative, opens up scooter use to a larger audience and enables the bike to be used in more conditions. With the proliferation in three-wheel vehicle design proposals and prototypes, this might be game changing technology we’re witnessing.