MP3 300 HPE test: the compact three-wheeled scooter from Piaggio
Piaggio replaces its Yourban 300 in 2019: more opulent than its predecessor and more compact than the MP3 350 and 500 launched last year but still accessible to B (auto) licenses, the new MP3 300 HPE targets urban scooter riders. Site quickly tested it … Test.
MP3 300 HPE test page 1: the successor to the Yourban 300
Last summer, Piaggio presented its two new three-wheeled scooter models: the MP3 350 powered by Beverly – built like a 300 cc but as strong as a 400 cc, according to the manufacturer – and the MP3 500 HPE powered by the engine. always more efficient … and always accessible to holders of a simple car license. Like the 125, perfectly !
A short year has passed and the success of the big Italian scooters still cannot be denied. Especially in France, whose capital has again been chosen by the Pontedera firm for the European launch of a new version of the tricycle: the MP3 300 HPE…
- MNC Piaggio MP3 test :
- Duel MNC Yourban 300 Vs Tricity – the Yamaha 3-wheeler defies the Piaggio reference
In the introduction, the director of Piaggio France Jean-Charles de Saint-Pastou deliberately does not expand on the problem of urban mobility: the Italian brand, Site, their customers and our readers are all convinced that the motorized two-wheeler ( or three-wheeler!) is a relevant solution.
Less congestion in traffic and parking, minimal travel time, increasingly reasonable fuel consumption, reduced purchase and use costs … The French are sensitive to all these arguments! They also like the presence of a second wheel in front to better stick to the bitumen..
In 2018, Piaggio sold 4,897 of its MP3 500s in France, both old and new generations. "Scootomobilists" ranked it third in their shopping list, behind two two-wheeled vehicles half the price: the Xmax 125, the best selling motorcycle last year with 5878 units, and the Forza 125 (5200 sales).
"Since 2006 and the launch of the revolutionary MP3 125, we have sold 180,000 three-wheeled scooters in 50 countries around the world", congratulate the Italians who are counting on their novelty 2019 to maintain this outrageous domination in France and progress on other markets, Spain and Italy in particular.
"Here is the MP3 300 HPE, a brand new version of our MP3", present Piaggio managers. "Any news?! Wouldn’t it be the return of the MP3 300 instead?", MP3 enthusiasts may suspect … In fact, it is the replacement for the Yourban 300 !
For the record, the Yourban already wanted to be at the crossroads of paths avenues between a GT 125 two-wheeled scooter, ideal for driving in and around town centers, and its three-wheeled big brother capable of shooting long distances at higher speed.
If this new intermediate MP3 does not use the name "Yourban", it is first of all "in order to strengthen its membership in the MP3 range", indicates the boss of Piaggio in France. This marketing choice translates into – and is generated by! – the more opulent look of the MP3 300 HPE … seen from the front, because the rear part has not moved.
The fairing of the "small" MP3 300 HPE takes up the codes – the headlights and LED indicators! – "big" MP3 350 and 500 HPE … "The characteristic" tie "(from Spanish notary Italian scooter, Editor‘s note) divides the headlights and serves as a connecting element between the grille and the integrated smoked windshield, designed to provide the best protection ", describes the manufacturer.
Tested by Site over only about thirty kilometers, including a handful on the A4 motorway (its section at 90 km / h), the MP3 300 HPE effectively seems to limit drafts in the sleeves more than the Yourban and significantly reduce turbulence in the bust.
The shoulders and the head of the driver, however, are always tossed about: users who plan to use expressways on a daily basis should consider purchasing a higher windshield. The Style model which appears in the Piaggio catalog, for example !?
The front mudguards with simpler lines are painted the same color as the "body" only in the Sport version of the MP3 300 HPE. They wear the same 13-inch split-spoke rims as on the Yourban 300. In reality, the entire front axle is kept (see the technical sheet on the last page).
The most compact of the Piaggio three-wheelers
Passing the controls, we realize that the instrumentation is no longer attached to the handlebars as was the case on the Yourban: it migrates in front. The MP3 300 uses the 350 and 500’s two analog counters (speed and tachometer) and their central digital window..
The information provided by the small screen (black and white) is easily readable. In addition to the outside temperature, the time and the odometer, the rider can choose between consumption, battery voltage or remaining range by pressing the "mode" button, to the right of his handlebars. That’s all ?
No, that’s not all! By pressing "Mode" twice in a row, the user can access trips A and B as well as additional data concerning the two partial: average and instantaneous consumption, average and maximum speed, trip time. And if that’s not enough, the Piaggio MIA app provides access to a host of other information, associated with the smartphone’s GPS..
If the compact three-wheeled scooter from Piaggio adopts a more GT look, its dimensions do not vary: it remains in particular 20 cm shorter than an MP3 350 or 500. The saddle is always 1 cm lower, but above all it facilitates access to the ground thanks to its thinner cut.
The MP3 300 HPE is more accessible than its big – and wide – brothers: no need this time to measure more than 1.75 m to put both feet on the ground simultaneously while remaining seated. Another good point for small riders: the new MP3 weighs "only" 225 kg all full..
Admittedly, the new MP3 is 3 kg heavier than the Yourban 300. But it remains 31 kg lighter than the 350! Also benefiting from the famous "Roll Lock" system which keeps the scooter level, the MP3 300 HPE is easier to maneuver than a two-wheeled scooter … on a flat surface !
Be careful on alleys with large cobblestones or strongly curved, or to go down sidewalks: it is imperative to deactivate the locking of the front axle to avoid the risk of the scooter tipping, very difficult to counter … MNC notes in passing that the center stand is easy to use.
Le Journal moto du Net also observes that the turning radius of the MP3 300 HPE is very satisfactory. Even more comforting, for big pilots this time: their knees have plenty of room and never come up against the handlebars, even when fully turned, against the apron or the ring of the extended shopping basket if necessary..
By moving back as far as possible in his saddle, the – great – driver benefits from a more pronounced lumbar support than on the old Yourban, at least in the memories – a little distant, it must be admitted – of Site. The new saddle has an appreciable thickness, coupled with a slight but pleasant sag of the shock absorber under our fully equipped 75 kg.
Before leaving for his short ride, MNC takes a look and his backpack in the trunk, large enough to accommodate two helmets: "a jet and a half-jet", specifies Piaggio honestly. Impossible to store an integral or a modular: it will be necessary to install a top-case…
Site appreciates that the saddle is equipped with a cylinder that holds it in the open position and that the trunk is illuminated. All that’s missing is the carpet to completely delight the most manic – or lazy – users: whoever doesn’t want to damage their helmet never goes out without its cover, if ?
Climbing quickly on the back of the scooter, MNC realizes that the passenger is very well installed: the wide and fairly soft seat is surrounded by two large handles that are easy to grip. The feet rest naturally on the retractable footrests, as practical when they are deployed as they are aesthetic when they are stored.
It’s time for the Motorcycle – and Scooter – Journal of the Net to take control of this MP3 300 HPE. But in fact, what does the "HPE" label mean and what does the new Piaggio tricycle mean? The answer can be found on the next page !
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