All Reviews – Gilera invents the Sport Utility Tricycle! – Used GILERA

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Gilera invents the Sport Utility Tricycle !

All Reviews - Gilera invents the Sport Utility Tricycle! - Used GILERA

We knew the SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), but now Gilera released us an SUT (Sport Utility Tricycle) … So, is the Fuoco 500 ie a real sportsman or a city dweller disguised as an adventurer? This is what we wanted to verify: test !

After having declined the MP3 in 125 (read), 250 and 400, the Piaggio group used its Gilera brand to offer a 500 cc version of its famous three-wheeler.

The Fuoco 500 ie is therefore the most powerful of the range with its announced 40 hp (read). And that’s not a bad thing, because the imposing two-wheel system at the front induces a significant additional weight: the machine exceeds 250 kg all full. !

Sixth best-selling 125 cc scooters in 2007 (read), the MP3 125 cc has convinced almost 4,000 users of the validity of its revolutionary concept. Will the Fuoco be able to shake up the very flourishing market for maxiscooters? ?

Brute mouth

Love it or hate it, but Fuoco leaves no one indifferent. To hell with discretion, it is more exuberant and flashy … even bling bling! With its grille with five headlights (including the two codes with grilles!) Surmounting an imposing bull bar (!), The Gilera seems the fruit of the improbable love between a Hummer and a quad…

This bias is rather clever on the part of the Italian manufacturer who could not, in any case, opt for a thin and streamlined front because of the width of the two wheels. The rest of the machine is in unison, with its aluminum steps and its large luggage rack made of large steel tubes.

In addition to the gray "Excalibur" of our test machine, a red "Emotion" and a black "Demon" are also available … Quite a program !

Ready for adventure

Without collapsing under gadgets, the Fuoco offers a range of fairly practical accessories. Under the saddle hides a cover to protect it from the rain when parking. In the trunk, which can accommodate a full-face helmet and a few things, there is a small light and a 12V socket to charge your laptop or GPS while driving. As for the large luggage rack, it offers many anchor points to attach a bag.

There is also a parking brake, a loop to hang a bag between his legs and a coded key immobilizer. Without a computer, the dashboard, common with the GP 800, simply displays the outside temperature in addition to basic information.

To scroll through the information while driving, there is a handy button on the right thumb. But we would have liked a hinged gas cap and easier access to the tank: beware of splashing !

3-wheel sofa

The Fuoco gives its rider a fairly pleasant welcome: its very reasonable saddle height of 785 mm makes it accessible to all sizes without problem. The position is natural, the ergonomics neat and the saddle comfort very appreciable.

On the other hand, impossible to lengthen the legs as it can be done on many maxiscooters. The pilot will have to be satisfied with the classic sitting position, the legs at right angles. This is good for short city trips, but less so when you drive longer…

The passenger is at ease on his large and soft saddle, but the space allocated to his feet is more than insufficient: he just has room to put his heels on the footrests and the tip of his shoe hits the foot. pilot’s ankle … Not great !

Mandatory instructions for use !

What is certain is that if you leave the Fuoco locked on the sidewalk, there is no risk of it being stolen by an uninitiated! Indeed, there are some tips to know before starting…

First of all, the parking brake can only be released once the steering has been released. Afterwards, you have to brake from the front or the rear to start. Finally, we are only free to leave by unlocking the front suspension, either by pressing the button, or by giving a blow of gas by exceeding 2000 rpm.

But it only takes a day or two for these gestures to become perfectly natural! The handling is a little confusing during the first hours, especially at low speeds where the steering is quite heavy when you steer fully.

However, we quickly find ourselves squeezing through traffic jams with great ease. The width of the front axle is not at all penalizing, it suffices to say that if the handlebars pass, the front two-wheelers will pass. Only the two fairly exposed front indicators can pay the price for a slightly optimistic passage…

Without the feet !

The great specificity of the Fuoco, inherited from the MP3, therefore lies in its two front wheels and their parallelogram suspensions, articulated around the steering column..

Unlike the MP3 125 where it is offered as an option, the Fuoco is fitted as standard with the electro-hydraulic suspension locking system. This allows the front axle to be locked regardless of the height of the wheels, one in relation to the other..

This system avoids having to set foot in the fire – but it is anecdotal and ultimately quite artificial for a biker – but also, and above all, it offers the possibility of parking almost anywhere without having to draw up the scooter on its central stand. We also note that the Fuoco does not have a side stand.

Below 10 km / h, the orange light starts flashing, inviting you to block the front axle with a simple flick of the right thumb. A small beep confirms that the system is properly engaged.

3 wheels = se-re-ni-ty

The advantage of this system is of course the safety and peace of the pilot. Where on a traditional two-wheeler, one scrutinizes with anguish the slightest groove, the smallest gravel or the sly puddle of diesel lurking in the roundabout, on the handlebars of the Fuoco we pass whistling !

The losses of adhesion are made much rarer and they have much less harmful consequences. The same applies to braking: emergency situations that require you to pound forward are much less worrying..

It is nevertheless possible to block the two front wheels, even in the dry, but the risk of falling, even if it exists, is considerably reduced. Likewise, any slippage or locking of the rear wheel is perfectly manageable….

Despite this feeling of security, you must of course keep a cool head and not feel invulnerable: as on two wheels, the danger on three wheels comes a lot from other users. !

Trans-commuter utility

With its single cylinder Master 500 with double ignition and injection, the Fuoco does not forbid itself any playing field. Its torque of 41.2 Nm at 5500 rpm works wonders in the city where its acceleration will stuck you without weakening up to 120 km / h … Watch out for radars !

In the end, the Gilera is barely less alert than a Piaggio X9 500 or a Peugeot Satelis 500, yet equipped with the same engine. In the rain, the mono even manages to spin the rear wheel when starting.

The breath of its engine allows it to travel on the motorway. Able to cruise without problem at 130 km / h, it can hang a small 160 km / h when the horizon clears, all in the comfort of a pasha and without any vibration.

Only the protection of the upper body leaves much to be desired because of the smoked nose screen, certainly very pretty, but too low.

Playful, but not sporty

With such arguments, we can not wait to take advantage of the serenity that the Fuoco confers to have fun without danger on the small bumpy roads. And there: disappointment !

The Gilera is quite playful and its engine is enough to have fun in tight turns, but the ground clearance is woefully insufficient! The slightest angle grip a little muscular, on the left as on the right, results in a big scraping of the central stand.

The problem is that, unlike a footrest on a motorcycle, the center stand is a hard point which tends to relieve the rear wheel during heavy downforce … It is moderately severe in a very regular curve. , but much more annoying in a tight turn or roundabout…

In addition, the 250 kg of the machine in running order and the two front wheels still strain the handling and sheer efficiency. So, despite his bad boy look, we will confine the Fuoco to the ride and not to the arson !

Field scooter ?

With the stability and the look of an adventurer of the Fuoco, a little trip in the greenery was essential … And in this exercise, it is clear that the three-wheeler is quite surprising !

Of course, it’s not an enduro machine, but the Gilera goes at a senator’s pace in many places, including very muddy ones! Because if its two front tires are very road (Michelin Pilot Sport SC), the rear tire (Michelin Gold Standard) offers enough tread pattern to have traction even on greasy ground..

But again, you shouldn’t ask Fuoco for the impossible either and prefer fairly rolling paths. !

The choice of security

In short, we have pushed the Fuoco to its limits on terrain where the average user will ultimately venture quite rarely: off road and small roads. But for urban and utility use, it will fill the hurry and concerned about its safety..

There remains its rather high price of € 7,600, which is only justified in the context of daily use on wet cobblestones and between lines of cars. Compared to a Piaggio X9 500 equipped with ABS and offered at € 7,370, the choice is difficult…

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