2009 Vespa S50

2009 Vespa S50

This all-new Vespa S features retro styling with a newly engineered four-stroke, four-valve SOHC engine - the most powerful 50cc four-stroke available on the market today.
Italian manufacturer Piaggio, renowned for revolutionary ideas in personal transportation, announces the debut of the 2009 Vespa S 50. This all-new addition to the company’s iconic scooter portfolio blends all the premium Vespa product benefits, such as Italian styling and the unique single-steel chassis, with a newly engineered four-stroke, four-valve SOHC engine. To develop the most powerful 50cc four-stroke available today, Vespa engineers minimized weight and maximized the power curve, creating a performance character that to-date has been exclusively associated with two-stroke technology. The new engine variant not only gives the Vespa S 50 a distinct performance edge in the 50cc category, but offers all the environmental benefits of modern four-stroke design.

Clean, Lean, and Ready to Twist and Go
All Vespa scooters retailed in the North American market have been equipped with fuel-efficient, clean-running four-stroke engines since 2001, but the new Vespa S 50 engine pushes the weight, power and efficiency equation to a new benchmark. Handily out-accelerating every other scooter in the 50cc category, including two-stroke equipped competitors, the Vespa S 50 is the scooter to own when performance, not size, matters. To boost output even more, engineers shaved weight wherever possible, including lightening the valve clearance adjustment mechanism for reduced inertia and improved rocker/valve action. The result is higher engine speeds and more power. At the same time, the four-valve head improves air/fuel flow, which means optimized combustion, reduced fuel consumption and lower than ever emissions.
Like all Vespas, the S 50 features a ‘twist and go’ continuously variable transmission (CVT) which transforms all that improved horsepower into smooth and easy acceleration and riding from start to finish.
Original Vespa Lines, Progressive Features
When you are the original, it’s easy to continue classic family lines. The Vespa S 50 has the same pedigree as the first Vespa prototype built by Piaggio in 1946, with all the core values that have defined the brand ever since: eco-friendly engineering, elegance, passion, individualism, and integrity.
The Vespa’s high-strength steel body acts as the scooter’s structural frame, a chassis design solution unique in the world of scooter production. In addition to superior strength, the frame is exceptionally rigid, resulting in excellent road holding and precision control. The scooter’s low center of gravity also makes riding it supremely simple.
Equipped with an advanced front disc/rear drum brake system, the Vespa S 50 offers confident stopping power. The advanced mixed-type braking system includes a front 7.8" diameter disc with hydraulic linkage and a dual opposed piston hydraulic caliper. The back has a 4.3" diameter drum with mechanical linkage. The 11” front and 10” rear wheels with light alloy rims add to the Vespa S 50’s excellent stability. A wide arc front halogen headlight ensures great visibility at all times.
The 2009 Vespa S 50 has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $3,199. Available colors include Dragon Red, Shiny Black, Taormina Orange and Montebianco.




2009 Vespa S50 - Specifications
MSRP: $3,199 USD

ENGINE TYPE Single cylinder, Hi-per 4 - 4 Stroke 4 Valve
CYLINDER CAPACITY 49.4cc
BORE x STROKE 39 mm x 41.8 mm
MAX POWER AT SHAFT 3.1 kw at 8,750 rpm
MAX TORQUE 3.5 Nm at 6,500 rpm
MAX SPEED 39 mph
FUEL / TANK CAPACITY Unleaded 2.3 gallons (8.6 litres)
GAS MILEAGE 70-80 mpg
DISTRIBUTION SOHC driven by chain on the left hand side, three-arm rocking levers and calibrated pads for valve
COOLING SYSTEM Forced air
LUBRICATION Wet sump, chain driven lobe pump; intake and delivery filters
INGINTION Inductive discharge ignition with variable advance and separate HV coil
GEARS CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) transformer with torque assistance
CLUTCH Automatic dry centrifuge with damper buffers
CHASSIS Load-bearing steel chassis with welded structural supports
FRONT SUSPENSION Single arm with coil spring and dual effect hydraulic single shock absorber
REAR SUSPENSION Coil spring and dual effect single shock absorber
FRONT BREAK 200 mm ø steel disc with hydraulic command
REAR BREAK 110 mm ø drum with mechanical command
FRONT TIRE Tubeless 110 / 70-11"
REAR TIRE Tubeless 120 / 70-10"
LENGTH 69" (1753 mm)
WIDTH 29" (737 mm)
WHEELBASE 51" (1295 mm)
SEAT HEIGHT 30.5" (775 mm)
DRY WEIGHT 225 lbs (102 kg)
TYPE APPROVAL EPA and CARB
AVAILABLE COLORS Dragon Red, Montebianco White, Shiny Black, Taormina Orange


MEDIA/PRESS RELEASE
The New 2009 Vespa S 50 Debuts with Most Powerful Small Displacement Engine Available in Market Today
New 50cc four-stroke powerplant delivers a sporty punch of good, clean fun
NEW YORK, November 19, 2008 – Italian manufacturer Piaggio, renowned for revolutionary ideas in personal transportation, announces the debut of the 2009 Vespa S 50. This all-new addition to the company’s iconic scooter portfolio blends all the premium Vespa product benefits, such as Italian styling and the unique single-steel chassis, with a newly engineered four-stroke, four-valve SOHC engine. To develop the most powerful 50cc four-stroke available today, Vespa engineers minimized weight and maximized the power curve, creating a performance character that to-date has been exclusively associated with two-stroke technology. The new engine variant not only gives the Vespa S 50 a distinct performance edge in the 50cc category, but offers all the environmental benefits of modern four-stroke design.

Clean, Lean, and Ready to Twist and Go
All Vespa scooters retailed in the North American market have been equipped with fuel-efficient, clean-running four-stroke engines since 2001, but the new Vespa S 50 engine pushes the weight, power and efficiency equation to a new benchmark. Handily out-accelerating every other scooter in the 50cc category, including two-stroke equipped competitors, the Vespa S 50 is the scooter to own when performance, not size, matters. To boost output even more, engineers shaved weight wherever possible, including lightening the valve clearance adjustment mechanism for reduced inertia and improved rocker/valve action. The result is higher engine speeds and more power. At the same time, the four-valve head improves air/fuel flow, which means optimized combustion, reduced fuel consumption and lower than ever emissions.
Like all Vespas, the S 50 features a ‘twist and go’ continuously variable transmission (CVT) which transforms all that improved horsepower into smooth and easy acceleration and riding from start to finish.
Original Vespa Lines, Progressive Features
When you are the original, it’s easy to continue classic family lines. The Vespa S 50 has the same pedigree as the first Vespa prototype built by Piaggio in 1946, with all the core values that have defined the brand ever since: eco-friendly engineering, elegance, passion, individualism, and integrity.
The Vespa’s high-strength steel body acts as the scooter’s structural frame, a chassis design solution unique in the world of scooter production. In addition to superior strength, the frame is exceptionally rigid, resulting in excellent road holding and precision control. The scooter’s low center of gravity also makes riding it supremely simple.
Equipped with an advanced front disc/rear drum brake system, the Vespa S 50 offers confident stopping power. The advanced mixed-type braking system includes a front 7.8" diameter disc with hydraulic linkage and a dual opposed piston hydraulic caliper. The back has a 4.3" diameter drum with mechanical linkage. The 11” front and 10” rear wheels with light alloy rims add to the Vespa S 50’s excellent stability. A wide arc front halogen headlight ensures great visibility at all times.
The 2009 Vespa S 50 has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $3,199. Available colors include Dragon Red, Shiny Black, Taormina Orange and Montebianco. For more information on the Vespa S 50 and the entire Vespa model line visit www.vespausa.com.
About The Piaggio Group:
With about 7,000 employees, an annual production of more than 680,700 vehicles in 2007, 5 R&D centers, 7 production facilities in Europe and Asia, and operations in over 50 countries, the Piaggio Group has a consolidated leadership in the European 2 wheeler market.  Its production includes scooters, motorcycles and mopeds in the 50cc to 1,200 cc displacement range, marketed under the Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Derbi, Aprilia, Scarabeo and Moto Guzzi brands.