The Fire Next Time: the Gilera Fuoco 500ie

Sweet Tangerine Dreaming Diaper of Buddha! The rumors are true, and this baby is gorgeous!

If a 500cc scoot based on the Piaggio MP3's technology doesn't melt your everlovin' mind, wrap your grey matter around this pic:


Oh yeah, baby, come to papa!
That's right a 500cc, onroad/offroad scooter.
Excuse me a moment, whilst I wipe the drool off of my keyboard...
Oh wait, look at the black one:

A very brief review of a test ride in Berlin is available here.

From the Gilera Fuoco site:

The steel tube frame conceals the powerful, reliable new Master 500ie double ignition engine, a 4 valve, 4 stroke unit with electronic injection and liquid cooling. The capacity of the new Master engine has been upped to 492 cc to obtain maximum power of 40 hp at 7,250 rpm and maximum torque of over 42 Nm at 5,500 rpm. The introduction of the twin spark system has also made it possible to optimise combustion inside the cylinder, with a reduction in noise and gas emissions. The result is a smooth, high-performance engine, very torquey at low and medium range rpm, that takes the Gilera Fuoco 500ie to a top speed of nearly 145 km/h while fully respecting Euro 3 norms thanks to the advanced closed loop injection circuit with a Lambda sensor and three-way catalytic converter in the exhaust pipe. The engine’s exuberance is skilfully managed by the sophisticated running gear. The innovative parallelogram front suspension’s tilt mechanism is composed of four cast aluminium arms, with four hinges fixed to the central tube and two guide tubes on either side of the parallelogram, connected to the arms via suspension pins and ball bearings. This means that the Gilera Fuoco 500ie is as easy to ride as a traditional scooter, while its incredible stability, especially when cornering and braking, comes from its two front wheels. Standard equipment includes an electro-hydraulic front suspension locking system that keeps the Fuoco 500ie upright without a central stand. This makes it extremely easy to park anywhere. What’s more, there’s no need to put your feet on the ground to keep your balance when stopped at a traffic light. Optimal rear end stability is guaranteed by a 14” rear wheel with a generous 140/70 tyre, while three 240mm disk brakes with dual-piston calipers ensure fast, efficient braking.

Fuoco is, of course, Italian for "fire". Which makes the Dragon contemplate how many "real fire" paint jobs he'd have to do on Harley tanks to earn the $9 -10k USD this puppy will probably cost, if Gilera (which is owned by Piaggio) has the sense to bring this to the US.

Come on Piaggio, this baby could really break the American scooter market wide open, especially if you can bring that price down some.

via Modern Vespa