 | |
| Manufacturer | Aprilia |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Piaggio |
| Production | 1993 - present |
| Class | Scooter |
The Scarabeo is a scooter model produced by the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Aprilia. Available in different displacements, it was first presented to the public in 1993.
Initially born as a model within the Aprilia range, today Scarabeo is a brand in its own right, always part of the Piaggio group.
The first vehicle under the name Scarabeo was produced by Aprilia in January 1970 and is a 50 cm³ cross scooter. The name derives from the Egyptian culture. The Scarabeo becomes the progenitor of a series of off-road vehicles with numerous engines, which were produced until 1974.
The title of the research that, in 1990, gave birth to the high wheel scooter is “Study for a City Bike”; [1] the first sketch presents the central tunnel, the large section wheel, a single-sided front fork.
From the pencil of Giuseppe Ricciuti, [2] designer of all the Scarabeo, two projects are born: the first derives from an intermediate version of the original city bike (traditional suspensions, lower section wheels and central tunnel); the second, more slender, loses the tunnel and provides wheels with a smaller section and larger diameter. On May 18, 1992 the maquette from which the definitive Scarabeo will be born was presented. At this point, an engineering work begins that will keep the technical team busy for about a year: Scarabeo is the first Aprilia vehicle on which computers have been extensively used in technical development. [3]
In the panorama of motorcycles of the period, the Scarabeo tried to combine the protection of the fairings typical of scooters with "high" wheels, that is, of classic dimensions rather than the more common reduced ones.
The official presentation took place in September 1993 at EICMA. Between 1994 and 1998, some technical innovations are introduced such as the disc brake. In 1999, the 125 and 150 displacements presented in Lisbon were born. [4]
The 50 and 100 engines use the same body, which is smaller, lighter and more agile. A larger version is intended for the 150 (discontinued) 125 and 200 displacements (renewed in early 2009), while a third version is intended for the 250, 300, 400 and 500 displacements. respectful of Euro 3 anti-pollution standards.
In 2001, the 50 displacement underwent an initial restyling and was equipped with a two-stroke DiTech engine (first generation direct injection for mopeds), also present on another Aprilia scooter, the sporty SR.
The 125, 150 and 200 engines, produced by Rotax up to the 2001 model and which differed only in the size of the engine, were replaced by the Piaggio models that equip the Vespa GTs, in the 125 and 200 displacements. All engines are four liquid-cooled times (excluding the 50, both two and four-stroke, air-cooled), equipped with carburetor up to 200 and electronic injection for the 250, 300, 400 (discontinued) and 500 engines.
In 2002, the GT version of the Scarabeo 125/200 was born. In 2003, ten years after the birth of the Scarabeo, the Scarabeo 500 was presented, a scooter plus Gran Turismo, since 2004 also in a version with ABS. In 2005, Scarabeo celebrates 250,000 registered units. A new 50 cm³ graphic version is also born, called "Graphic". In 2006, the "Street" versions were born with 125 and 200 displacements, and the new 500 arrived, while in 2007, the 250 ie version was launched and the new Scarabeo 125/200 arrived.
Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. In more recent times Aprilia has produced large sportbikes such as the 1,000 cc V-twin RSV Mille and the V4 RSV4.
Vespa is an Italian luxury brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.
Piaggio & C. SpA is an Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, which produces a range of two-wheeled motor vehicles and compact commercial vehicles under seven brands: Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Derbi, and Scarabeo. Its corporate headquarters are located in Pontedera, Italy. The company was founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884, initially producing locomotives and railway carriages.
Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH is a German motorcycle manufacturer located in Zschopau, Saxony. The acronym MZ since 1956 stands for Motorenwerke Zschopau GmbH. From 1992 to 1999 the company was called MuZ, an acronym for Motorrad und Zweiradwerk.
Benelli Q.J. is an Italian company, based in the city of Pesaro in the Marche region, that produces motorcycles and scooters.
Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production.
MV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The abbreviation MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese.
Malaguti is an Italian bicycle, scooter and motorcycle company based in San Lazzaro di Savena, founded by Antonino Malaguti in 1930. Producing bicycles until 1958, they then entered the motorcycle market. Noted for their use of small engines in their bikes. In October 2011, Malaguti laid off its remaining employees in Bologna, Italy as the company eventually folded. In 2018 the company was purchased by the Austrian firm KSR Group GmbH.
Derbi is a manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and recreational all-terrain vehicles produced by Nacional Motor S.A.U., a Spanish subsidiary of Piaggio & Co. SpA.
Laverda was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The motorcycles in their day gained a reputation for being robust and innovative.
An underbone is a type of motorcycle that uses structural tube framing with an overlay of plastic or non-structural body panels and contrasts with monocoque or unibody designs where pressed steel serves both as the vehicle's structure and bodywork. Outside Asia, the term underbone is commonly misunderstood to refer to any lightweight motorcycle that uses the construction type, known colloquially as step-throughs, mopeds or scooters.
The Aprilia SR50 is a scooter built by Aprilia. Introduced in 1992, more than 800,000 units have been sold, bucking the trend for less use of two-stroke engines. Aprilia claims several firsts for the SR50 in the scooter market, including 13 inch wheels, liquid cooling, double disc braking, and a direct injection engine.
Beta is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorcycles. Beta are best known for their popular observed trials bikes. In 2005, they launched a range of enduro motorcycles using KTM engines. In 2010 they launched the new RR series, with a new engine made in-house. Beta motorcycles have been used by world trials champions such as Jordi Tarrés, Dougie Lampkin, Albert Cabestany and Enduro riders Steve Holcombe and Brad Freeman. Production in 2018 was expected to be in excess of 20,000 motorcycles, ranging in size from 50 cc to 480 cc.
Zongshen is a Chinese manufacturing company producing motorcycles, quad bikes, generators and engines, based in Chongqing, China. It claims to have a yearly output of over 1,000,000 motorcycles.
A scooter or motor scooter is a motorcycle with a step-through frame and a platform for the rider's feet, emphasizing comfort and fuel economy. Elements of scooter design were present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and scooters have been made since at least 1914. Scooter development continued in Europe and the United States between the World Wars.
A sport moped is a moped that resembles a sport bike and often performs better than standard mopeds. They were created to circumvent UK legislation, called the "Sixteeners Laws", aimed at taking young motorcycle riders off the road. The new laws, introduced in 1971 by Conservative Party Minister for Transport John Peyton, forbade 16-year-olds from riding motorcycles of 250 cc (15 cu in) capacity, thus limiting them to 50 cc machines until they turned 17.
The MV Agusta 125 Pullman was a motorcycle produced by the Italian manufacturer MV Agusta from 1953 to 1956. The model achieved a good sales success, and had the highest production of any machine from MV Agusta. Many brought the bike as the only means of family transport or as a work vehicle. Despite the questionable aesthetics, the Pullman offered a comfortable ride, derived by the driving position, soft suspension and large section tires. This was particularly appreciated by users, so much so that they were imitated by some competitors. 27,000 machines of this model series were produced. The model was also produced under licence in Spain by Avello, where it was marketed as the MV Avello 125 Pullman Turismo.
The Scomadi Turismo Leggera, also known as TL, is the first scooter made by Scomadi. It was made to fill the gap for a 'retro styled' 'modern scooter'.
The Piaggio X7 is a scooter model produced by the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Piaggio.
The Malaguti Madison is a scooter produced by the Malaguti motorcycle manufacturer in four generations: the first three from 1999 to 2011 at the historic Malaguti factory in Castel San Pietro Terme and the fourth from 2019 is produced in China by Zongshen-Piaggio joint venture.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aprilia Scarabeo . |