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2018 Piaggio Medley 125 Review on Total Motorcycle:

PIAGGIO MEDLEY IS THE EASY SCOOTER, PACKED WITH EQUIPMENT AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBINES THE BENEFITS OF A HIGH LIGHT WHEEL WITH THE COMFORT AND THE WEALTH OF EQUIPMENT OF A HIGHER CLASS SCOOTER

MEDLEY SPECIAL EDITION COMPLETES THE PIAGGIO MEDLEY RANGE, POWERED BY I-GET 125 AND 150 CC ELECTRONIC INJECTION, LIQUID COOLED ENGINES WITH 4 VALVE TIMING. A FAMILY OF SINGLE CYLINDER ENGINES THAT RAISES THE BAR IN TERMS OF QUALITY, RELIABILITY AND EMISSIONS CONTAINMENT

START & STOP, ABS, “LIGHT GUIDE” TECHNOLOGY, RECORD CARGO CAPACITY: PIAGGIO MEDLEY WAS BORN TO BE A LEADER, EMBODYING THE VALUES OF QUALITY, STYLE AND TECHNOLOGY

The agility of a city vehicle combined with the dynamism of a high wheel and the convenience and cargo capacity of a large GT scooter resulted in the Medley, the Piaggio scooter that combines the ultra-modern values of rationality, technology and style. Medley combines practicality, technical innovation and beauty in the purest Italian style, understanding the continuously evolving needs of a public in search of mobility solutions that go beyond the usual scooter formula. With Medley nothing is sacrificed.

Piaggio Medley skilfully combines the benefits of a chassis with large diameter wheels, which provide superior rideability and road holding than smaller wheeled scooters, and the rationality of a classic scooter, its protection, its cargo capacity, the comfort of its large saddle when riding two-up.

The high wheel scooter has been very successful, offering lightweight and manoeuvrable vehicles characterised by an easy ride and low operating costs, and bigger vehicles with qualities such as sturdiness and performance. Piaggio, a European leader and one of the world’s major global scooter manufacturers, a company with a unique heritage as the creator of new forms of light mobility, has been active in the high wheel segment with both easy and lightweight scooters such as the Liberty, as well as with scooters offering spectacular performance and exclusive technical features such as the Beverly range.

Medley achieves the aim of creating a new class of Piaggio high wheel scooter that combines the benefits of an agile and lightweight scooter with those of a larger and higher performance high wheel.

Equipped as standard with the “Start & Stop” feature which, by managing engine switch-off and start-up during stops, contributes to containing fuel consumption and emissions, and with two-channel ABS, Piaggio Medley boasts an equipment package that is normally reserved for higher class scooters. Two engines are available in the i-get 4T family – 125cc and 150cc – both liquid cooled, with 4 valve timing and electronic fuel injection.

2018 Piaggio Medley 125 Totalmotorcycle.com Key Features

Practical, dynamic, lightweight and stylish

As in the automotive field, in the two wheel sector the combination of different vehicle architectures also leads to the emergence of new lightweight mobility formulas.

Inspired by the large, modern and elegant lines of its bigger sibling Beverly, Piaggio Medley introduces concepts of light weight and dynamism that are ideal for city use of the vehicle.

The 16″ front wheel, as well as providing stability, safety and comfort, vertically streamlines the entire front end. The wheel rims are aluminium and boast an elegant six split spoke design. The leg shield has a spacious glove compartment that can be easily accessed from the rider’s seating position. The front view differs from the classic high wheel scooter look. The surfaces are more extended, all to the advantage of aerodynamic protection and therefore riding comfort, although Medley maintains a notably lightweight look which, combined with the most classic Piaggio style re-interpreted in a modern key, endows the vehicle with a unique and distinctive personality.

The metallic vertical element (the so-called “tie”) stands out in the centre of the front shield, thereby emphasising a certain family feeling with recent Piaggio production. Also, the LED position lights and headlight become really distinctive somatic traits.

The handlebar, shaped for rider protection, houses a sophisticated instrument cluster with a chromium frame. The digital display makes a complete set of information available (total and trip mileometer, external temperature, “service” icon, digital clock, battery status icon and ice danger icon), all selectable using the Mode button on the right hand electric block, while the array of warning lights keeps an eye on all the functions, starting with the “Start & Stop” feature, which can be deactivated using the right hand electric block, followed by the classic “injection check”, fuel reserve, oil pressure, ABS activation and Immobilizer indicators.

The saddle, large and comfortable for passenger as well as rider, has an electric opening latch controlled from a button on the handlebar as well as the traditional mechanical latch located in the leg shield back plate glove compartment. The style of the latter is coordinated with the rear part of the handlebar and the saddle, recreating an environment similar to a car dashboard and there is even a USB socket inside, handy for charging your smartphone. There is also a convenient, retractable bag hook in the leg shield back plate.

Along the entire body of the Medley the alternating concave and convex surfaces, guided by decisive and arched lines, gives the vehicle a dynamic but compact look.

A rear light cluster with daylight running lights using light guides illuminated by red LEDs and opalescent diffractive optics rounds off the shape of the vehicle in an original manner. Also in night riding conditions, as with the front position lights, the guided light in classic Piaggio style makes the vehicle unique and recognisable. The dimensions of the particularly sleek rear end are contained despite the large helmet compartment with an amazing 36.2 litres of space, enough to hold two full-face helmets, truly exceptional for a high wheel. This result derives from the well designed shape of the tail and the repositioning of the fuel tank at the centre of the footboard. It is a solution that increases cargo capacity in the helmet compartment, providing further benefits such as the possibility of refuelling without dismounting and better rideability on the road because of the improved, more centralised, weight distribution.

2018 Piaggio Medley 125 Totalmotorcycle.com Features and Benefits

Frame and chassis: sturdy, easy to ride and lightweight

The bearing structure of the Piaggio Medley is based on a “low single cradle” type frame made of steel tubes, with tubular reinforcements and steel sheet,which contribute to its overall sturdiness, maintaining a low and comfortable seating position.

The front end is characterised by a fork with stanchions 33 mm in diameter, while a pair of double acting shock absorbers and coil springs with preload adjustable to 5 positions work at the rear axle. Thanks to this configuration, to the large wheel rims (16” on the front and 14” on the rear) made of aluminium alloy with an elegant six split spoke design and the tyres (100/80 front and 110/80 rear), Piaggio Medley guarantees riding comfort, road holding and stability worthy of higher class vehicles, while the contained weight, 132 kg kerb weight, provides the rider with all the agility and manoeuvrability that are the strong points of lightweight scooters.

The powerful braking system handles active safety – comprising two 260 and 240 mm disc units with double piston floating callipers – with ABS as standard equipment. Each wheel has a sensor and a tone wheel to detect revolutions which instantly reads the speed and deceleration of the wheel with respect to that of the vehicle. The sensors dialogue with a two-channel hydraulic control unit that activates the ABS system if one of the two wheels decelerates abruptly with respect to the vehicle, avoiding locking and ensuring stability and efficient braking even on road surfaces with a low friction coefficient. Piaggio Medley is also fitted with a “tilt sensor”, a safety device that deactivates the Start & Stop system, turning off the engine, in the event of a fall.

Engines: the Piaggio i-get generation

Piaggio Group motoring technology has always aimed to create increasingly more advanced powerplants in terms of low fuel consumption and emissions (including noise), as well as increasing the intervals between services. Armed with Europe’s most important engine and scooter research and development centre, and one of the best in the world, Piaggio has developed unique technologies and skills in house that now contribute to the construction of engines in line with the strictest standards in the world.

Piaggio Medley is equipped with the i-get family engines, available in 125 and 150 cc engine with electronic fuel injection, four valve timing and liquid cooling. These engines all top their respective categories, in terms of performance and low environmental impact.

Medley also features the Piaggio patented Start & Stop system called RISS (Regulator Inverter Start & Stop System). This system, the result of Piaggio’s technological know-how, does away with the traditional starter motor, replacing it with a brushless “direct mount” electrical unit, in other words, installed directly on the crankshaft. There are many advantages: quieter starts, lower weight, greater reliability, and lower fuel consumption. Piaggio’s Start & Stop system automatically switches off the engine 3 to 7 seconds after the scooter has stopped (depending on whether the engine has reached its correct operating temperature or not). A minimal rotation of the throttle is enough to instantly re-start the engine, absolutely silently, as there is no traditional starter. If the side stand is lowered or if the tilt sensor is activated, the ECU bypasses the Start & Stop function.

The i-get engines are derived from a design philosophy that places new and more advanced quality and reliability levels among its primary objectives. Every aspect of the design aims to optimise the efficiency of each individual part in order to contribute to maximising performance. In the early testing phases alone more than one million kilometres were ridden in the extreme pursuit of reliability. Each and every one of the engines’ components, from the exhaust to the internal design of the gearbox cover, all the way to the air filter, has been designed to make the ride smoother, quieter and more comfortable, and to increase engine life.

A large part of the work of the Piaggio technicians had to do with the maniacal attention to reducing friction, by introducing bearings to all rotating parts, in the timing and in the crank gear geometry, with the cylinder axis shifted to minimise losses due to friction on the piston. The mechanical noise of the i-get engines is also extremely low due to reduced play and optimisation of the materials and shapes.

The family of engines that equip the Medley There was born working on:

– thermodynamics (head, piston, timing with rocker arms); All moving parts have also been optimised to reduce mass and operating friction.

– crankshaft for a sharp decrease of vibrations.

– starter: – the classic gear drive starter motor has been replaced with an electric “direct mount” type “brushless” motor on the crankshaft. The result is the total absence of friction in order to obtain a quiet, durable, and reliable starter system.

– cooling system, with radiator on the engine: this reduces the overall weight of the scooter and its warm-up time (thermal management), with marked benefits in terms of fuel consumption and emissions.

– gearbox cover, to further reduce noise.

– latest generation double toothed belt to minimise passive losses, once again all to the advantage of consumption and emissions.

– gearbox setting that improves rideability, performance and consumption.

– air filter, which improves filtering action to reduce intake noise.

– built-in engine electronic control unit with the S&S management part (Alternator, S&S Inverter, RISS), wholly developed by Piaggio.

The eight-litre version is rated at a power of 9 kW at 8,250 rpm, whereas the more powerful 150 cc generates 11 kW at 7,750 rpm. On the road, these numbers translate into lively engines, specifically designed and built bearing in mind the needs of the rider for daily use in town and city environments. These riding conditions are marked by frequent starts and stops which require elasticity, lively acceleration and a smooth ride. These characteristics are provided by excellent torque (11.5 Nm at 6,500 rpm for the 125 cc and 14.4 Nm at 6,400 rpm for the 150 cc) which provide Medley with excellent acceleration both from a stop and in motion, partially due to the truly low overall weight.

The Piaggio Medley engines ensure lengthy gaps between services and maintenance. The lubricant filters are replaced every 10,000 km and the play of the valves is adjusted every 20,000 km.

Overall fuel consumption benefits from the optimisation of each and every component: the fuel consumption on the WMTC cycle reaches 46.3 km/l for the Medley 125 (46.7 km/l for the Medley 150).

Versions and colours

Piaggio Medley is available in three versions: Medley, Medley S and the new Medley Special Edition. Piaggio Medley prefers classic and elegant colours, such as Pearl White, Polished Titanium-Grey (both associated with saddle and interior brown colour) and Midnight Blue (with black saddle and interiors). These colours are matched with aluminium finishes (like the wheel rims, the silencer heatshield, the passenger grab handle and the upper plastics on the footboard). Medley S instead stands out for the use of the more sporty anthracite grey on the trim, also extended to details such as the wheel rims, the passenger grab handle and the upper plastics on the footboard. The Medley S colour variants are: Matt Red, Graphite Black and Sport Blue (all with black saddle and interior).

The new special version Medley Special Edition further accentuates the sportiness of Medley S with several unique design details, prominent among which are the graphic details that combine blue details with other carbon look ones. Even the colour scheme is unique and dedicated: Matt Titanium Grey. The blue details also extend to the stitching on the saddle and to the gritty wheel rims painted in glossy black.

Accessories

The line of accessories for Piaggio Medley was developed under the sign of technology at the service of functionality. It is a complete line of accessories designed for the Piaggio Medley to increase comfort and potential uses.

The lines, materials and refinement of the windshield (available in two versions, top and urban) give the Piaggio scooter the best possible protection against the weather, also accentuating the elegance of its shape. The smaller top fairing highlights the spirit and sporty character of the Medley.

Great attention went on cargo capacity. To match the spacious helmet compartment, Piaggio offers the classic 30 litre top box, spacious enough for 2 Piaggio Style helmets, and the 37 litre top box that further boosts the maximum load capacity. Both top boxes are naturally available colour coded to match the vehicle and can be fitted with a passenger backrest.

To maximise safety you can install the non-slip mat. The dedicated leg cover is the ideal completion for those who ride year round. On the other hand, for riders who do not use the scooter in the winter, a waterproof vehicle cover is available, dedicated and personalised with the logo, which has specific openings for the windshield and the optional top box.

The line of accessories does not neglect the issue of vehicle security: the mechanical saddle-handlebar anti-theft system available for Medley is convenient and simple to use. The innovative electronic anti-theft system, which is self-powered and uses the lowest amount of power of any on the market, adds the immobilizer deterrent and a powerful siren to combat any attempt at tampering.

Several technologically advanced systems can be installed simultaneously on Medley, such as the bike finder (to find your bike quickly in crowded areas and to open the saddle using remote control), the Piaggio Sound System (a sound system to reproduce information, trip directions or music, using the body of the vehicle as a diffuser) and the Piaggio Multimedia Platform. The latter is the exclusive Piaggio multimedia platform that lets you connect your smartphone to Medley via Bluetooth, thereby obtaining a further and exceptionally detailed series of trip and vehicle status information, as well as a convenient geo-localisation system that makes it easy to locate your scooter even in the most chaotic areas of the city. The PMP application can also indicate engine rpm, instantaneous power and torque values, the lean angle on turns, instant and average fuel consumption and battery voltage It also automatically provides directions to the nearest petrol station when fuel is running low, as well as indications on how to ride in order to achieve the best possible fuel consumption. All of the information displayed can then be analysed and downloaded to your computer later.

TomTom Vio Piaggio Group Edition: The first GPS navigation device designed by Tom Tom for scooters is now available in an exclusive and special Piaggio Group edition, customised in terms of packaging, cover and splash screen.

No other vehicle on the market today can be equipped with the same technological equipment provided by the Piaggio range of accessories.

2018 Piaggio Medley 125 – Totalmotorcycle.com USA Specifications/Technical Details
US MSRP Price: $ USD

2018 Piaggio Medley 125 – Totalmotorcycle.com Canadian Specifications/Technical Details
Canada MSRP Price: $ CDN

2018 Piaggio Medley 125 – Totalmotorcycle.com European Specifications/Technical Details
Europe/UK MSRP Price: £ GBP (On The Road inc 20% Vat)

Manufacturer Specifications and appearance are subject to change without prior notice on Total Motorcycle (TMW).