Piaggio LT 50 / LT 150

Summary
Overall, the LT scooters are unique rides from Piaggio. They are nicely powered, unique and reliable.
Pros
Good parts availability for OEM and aftermarket engine parts
Unique quirky style
Cons
Unique quirky style
Tiny underseat storage
3.7

PIAGGIO LT 50 / LT 150

Piaggio’s quirky LT scooter series was first offered in the USA for the 2003 model year, which was the same year Piaggio entered the USA market under their own name (as opposed to the Vespa name). The LT 50 and LT 150 were offered again for 2004, but after that both models were dropped.

Although the LT was new to the USA market, it was first released overseas in 1997, so it was actually an aging design when it was introduced here. Overseas the LT is sold as the Liberty, so if you are researching this model then the Liberty name is a good avenue to explore.

A second generation Liberty was released overseas for 2004 and a third generation was released for 2009. Finally for 2018 Piaggio decided to bring this model back to North America, this time using the Liberty name. As they share almost nothing with the first generation LT50/150, the 2018 Liberty 50 and 150 are reviewed separately.

Engines

The LT 50 and LT 150 are both fairly rare scooters, but mechanically they do share quite a few parts with other machines. Piaggio’s Hi-PER2 2-stroke 49cc engine used in the Fly 50 is the motor found in Piaggio’s Typhoon 50 and the Vespa ET2 50. Similarly, the Fly 150 uses Piaggio’s LEADER motor which has also been used in the Fly 150, Vespa ET4 150 ,Vespa S 150 and Vespa LX 150. A larger bore version of this motor were also used in Piaggio’s BV200 and Vespa’s GT200. Accordingly, parts availability for OEM and aftermarket parts is excellent.

The LT 50 is quite a peppy scooter since it’s a 2-stroke. Acceleration is good and top speed is about 40mph. Should you desire, top speed can be increased quite a bit if you venture into the aftermarket parts scene. Higher power does come at the price of reliability and fuel economy though, so the choice is yours.

Brakes / Suspension / Handling

The LT scooters offer good handling with their large wheels adding stability and smoothness over uneven road. This is particularly noticeable with the LT 150 since you can read higher speeds where the limitations of other smaller wheeled scooters are more obvious. The suspension is also considered to be fairly good.

Design and Amenities

Stylistically, the LT scooters are somewhat of a quirky twist on Vespa’s ET scooter which was designed around the same time. The LT almost looks like an ET scooter with huge wheels added and a more open rear end. The headlight and legshield area shows obvious ties to this sibling. Large wheeled scooters are a tough design to pull off, and Piaggio did a reasonable job with the LT50 and LT150. One thing that can be said about the LT scooters is that they definitely have personality, which is something people argue is lacking with Piaggio’s Fly scooters.

In terms of amenities, the LT 150 falls a bit short. It has a glovebox, but the underseat storage area is quite tiny due to the large rear wheel eating into this space. You can’t fit any sort of a helmet under there, so you’ll need to find another safe storage spot for it on rainy days. The LT 50 fairs a bit better in underseat storage because it has less emissions stuff on top of the engine. Accordingly, the LT50 has a bit larger underseat bucket. Some LT 150 owners prefer to remove some of these emissions systems to improve top speed by a few mph and to install a larger LT 50 underseat bucket. This part can still be purchased from Piaggio.

Comparison

Overall, the LT scooters are unique rides from Piaggio. They are nicely powered, unique and reliable. It’s too bad this line of scooters didn’t live on, but overseas these scooters are still sold (in newer versions) called the Piaggio Liberty. The main competition these large wheeled LT scooters are Aprilia’s Scarabeo series and Kymco’s People and People S models.

Pros:

  • Good parts availability for OEM and aftermarket engine parts
  • Unique quirky style

Cons:

  • Unique quirky style
  • Tiny underseat storage

Links:

MotorscooterGuide Forums – Visit the forums on this site to chat about this scoot.
ModernVespa – These forums are a good spot to find other owners

Key Specs – LT 50 / LT 150:

  • Engine: Air cooled, 2-stroke, 49cc Hi-PER2 OR 149cc 2-valve, air cooled 4-stroke LEADER
  • Power: 5.1 HP / 11.6 HP
  • Transmission: CVT
  • Bore & Stroke: 40mm x 39.3mm / 62.6mm x 48.6mm
  • Compression Ratio: 10.3:1 / 10.1:1
  • Fuel Delivery: Carbureted
  • Wheelbase: 51.4”
  • Weight: 195.8 lbs / 233 lbs
  • Starter: Electric and Kick
  • Fuel Tank: 1.45 gallon / 5.5 Liter
  • Brakes: 220mm Disc (Front), 140mm Drum (Rear)
  • Front Suspension: Telescoping Fork
  • Rear Suspension: Single Shock,
  • Tires: 70/90-16 (front), 90/80-16 (rear)
  • Years Sold: 2003 – 2004 (USA only)
  • MSRP: $2200 (USA 2004)
  • Colors: Platinum, Pearl, Aquamarine, Royal Blue, Black