The MP3 is quite large and rather threatening when first viewed but quickly grows on you. All that size has its benefits though; storage and lots of it. The under seat storage area is gigantic in scooter terms and holds all manner of strange shaped objects due to its extreme length. I was able to easily store my ice axe and walking poles…because scooters are regularly used for mountain climbing. Obviously not, but knowing I could sure makes me think. Now there’s an idea for a ridiculous test. “Best Mountain Scooter” the MP3 would surely win as the roads in are always gravel and the two front wheels would be far better on a dirt road…like that’s relevant to anything. Then again maybe you commute form a farm…who knows…anyway back on track now.

Performance is fairly good around town with smooth power from the 250cc four stroke engine. Off the line the MP3 is a little sluggish as the clutch take up is slow and the overall weight is fairly high at 213kg. That being said it certainly makes it smooth on take off and great for riding two up as the pillion passenger doesn’t get jerked around. Pillion passengers get a nice comfortable ride on the MP3 and it ranks with the best around for two up travel. Through city traffic it won’t match a small bodied scooter like a Gilera Runner but you’d be surprised how close they’d actually be. The MP3 will make it through fairly small gaps because although it appears broader its actual width is nearly the same as a normal two wheel scooter from mirror to mirror. The suspension is great and really shows off how much better modern scooters handle compared to the days of old; the rear even has adjustable pre-load so you can tune it to different rider weights.