Vespa rolled into 2020 with the new GTS SuperTech 300 HPE as its top-shelf entry for the GTS Super line. The SuperTech carries the updated high-performance engine with a handful of electronic safety features to make your rides safe and comfortable. Special paint and trim sets this unit apart visually from the rest of the family and adds an air of exclusivity to the mix.

2022 Vespa GTS SuperTech 300 HPE Drivetrain

An engine upgrade results in a 12-percent increase in horsepower. That gives the new GTS SuperTech 300 HPE 23.8 ponies and 19.17 pound-feet of grunt. Over the previous model, that's an impressive 20 percent increase in torque.

These figures make this the most powerful lump ever to power a Vespa product. The four-valve head, higher valve lift, and 3 mm increase in valve diameter combine to provide efficient aspiration and exhaust-gas scavenging to make for cleaner, more-powerful air-fuel charges.

As usual, it's a one-lung thumper that rocks a 75 mm bore and 63 mm stroke for a total displacement of 278 cc. Electronic fuel injection and ignition timing ensure smooth operation, but that's not the end of the electronic wizardry.

The SuperTech comes stock with a traction control system. The TC system, along with the ABS feature, goes a long way toward increasing your odds of keeping the thing rubber-side down.

Power flows through the usual dry centrifugal clutch and constant-velocity transmission with an overall drive ratio that turns in a GTS SuperTech 300 HPE top speed around the 78 mph mark. That's fast enough to be reasonably confident on the superslab, with plenty of wiggle room on slower roads.

The mill meets Euro 4 emission standards and claims a fuel efficiency rating of 73 mpg (31.2 km/l). That's plenty far enough into commuter range since the two-gallon fuel tank allows for lots of travel time between refills.

Design

The classic Vespone look shines through the overall design of the GTS SuperTech 300 HPE and illustrates the marque's deep historical roots. It starts out thick and heavy right out of the gate with a deep-valence front fender that contains the front wheel fling to help keep you dry and comfortable.

A chrome crest adorns the fender below the classic “tie” detail. The tie doubles as a horn cover and comes with blackout chevrons for the first of many model-specific touches.

LED emitters light the way and mark your position. A duplex headlight rides up top and recessed blinker bays set into the front fairing give it a clean look.

In another old-school move, the factory enclosed the handlebar, headlight, and instrumentation within the fairing to keep the control area clean as a whistle. Rather than going the analog route, the factory installed a 4.5-inch color TFT screen to deliver all the critical metrics.

The screen is configurable in its layout. An ambient-light sensor allows the display to automatically shift between the daytime screen with its light background and dark characters and the night-friendly screen with a black background and light characters.

A Bluetooth wireless connection networks with your smartphone for turn-by-turn navigation, hands-free phone calls, and a virtual-jukebox feature. If you like to collect your metrics, a ride monitor keeps tabs on your top speed and trip time among others. There's also a GPS function that lets your phone remember where you last parked via the Vespa app.

A wide door secures the glove box in the inner fairing. The compartment contains a five-Volt USB power port to power your phone or charge other mobile devices underway.

The hook that deploys from the front of the seat lets you hang a bag for open-air cargo capability between your feet. The non-skid cover atop the shallow tunnel in the step-through doubles as the battery hatch for easy access.

The spring-loaded seat hides a deep cargo bucket, but unfortunately, it won't accommodate a full-face bucket -- only a single three-quarter face helmet or a pair of half-helmets -- but it'll tote a respectable amount of groceries or a book bag just fine.

Yellow stitching on the denim-finish seat cover further sets this model apart from its siblings. Out back, another set of recessed blinkers and a nice-looking round taillight emitter behind a square lens finishes off the rearward lighting.

Chassis

Vespa uses a stressed-skin structure on the GTS SuperTech 300 HPE rather than an underframe for its support. This produces a strong-but-light assembly with lots of interior space for the internal equipment.

Up front, an aircraft landing gear-type steering column relies on a standing member for the structure. A trailing link and coil-over shock articulate to absorb shocks from the road, and the coil spring comes shot in bright yellow to match the accent decals around the bike. The front shock is non-adjustable, but the rear shock has four spring-preload settings so you can dial in for changing cargo/passenger weight.

A set of 12-inch, gloss-black rims round out the rolling chassis with 220 mm brake discs and a stock, dual-channel ABS feature to meet European safety regulations. Tubeless hoops run in a near-symmetrical 120/70 and 130/70 on the front and rear, respectively, to give this Vespone (big wasp) its small-wheel charm.

2022 Vespa GTS SuperTech 300 HPE Price

This is a top-shelf bike, so you can expect to pay a premium price for it. The Vespa GTS SuperTech 300 HPE costs $7,749. It comes in a choice between two matte colors in black or gray.

Competitors

It's clear that the GTS SuperTech 300 HPE targets a discriminating sort of rider base, so I needed something pretty special for my head-to-head. I think Suzuki's Burgman 400 would appeal to the same sort of rider, though certainly not in the aesthetics, if I'm honest.

Suzuki Burgman 400

The Burgman 400 carries itself as a maxi-scoot with ample angular body details and a tall windshield for rider comfort and protection. The downside of such bodywork is that the step-through is all but completely obstructed, so if ease-of-mounting is a consideration for you, the Vespa is definitely the way to go.

Underseat storage is expanded a bit to 42 liters under the duplex, two-up seat on the Burgman, and it will carry a pair of smaller full-face helmets versus the single bucket tub under the Vespa's seat to give it some extra utility as a grocery-getter/commuter.

Suzuki supports the front end on telescopic, hydraulically-dampened, motorcycle-style forks, but since they are non-adjustable, they really don't have any sort of advantage over the Vespa's link-and-shock arrangement. Out back, a coil-over monoshock takes care of business, but it looks like it's non-adjustable to cede the advantage to the SuperTech.

Suzuki flips the script in the brakes department with dual front disc brakes against the SuperTech's single disc, and since both models rock a stock ABS feature, they break even on the technological end of the binders.

The Burgman carries a larger engine – 399 cc to be exact – so it achieves speeds in the mid-nineties for a definite speed advantage. However, fast enough is fast enough, and the Vespa is fast enough with traction control for added stability so I'd argue that the engines more or less break even with one another.

Even though Vespa isn't one to use price as a selling point, it outperforms Suzuki at the checkout. The Burgman 400 fetches a premium price at $8,499 against $7,749 for the SuperTech.

He Said

“Sure, some folks just want a scooter, I get that, but when you get up around the $8k mark there is a wide range of proper motorcycles for the same money, even ones with an automatic transmission so you can count on twist-and-go operation. That said, Vespa certainly does not disappoint with its SuperTech. It's got the look, and the technology, to make for a well-rounded if premium-priced, machine.

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The GTS SuperTech 300 HPE is a nice scooter. It's not just the upgraded engine, but that is a big plus. There is so much attention to detail with this new model. I mean, even the glovebox door works better than it did before.”

“It's got more power and more torque, and not just a wee bit more. It's got so much more, it'll definitely register on the ol' heinie dyno. Bringing modern touches to the old-world charm, it has smartphone connectivity and traction control. Performance is stellar.”

Further Reading

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