Riding is Wearing: How Vespa Philippines Turned a Media Run into a Statement of Style

The morning began in the quiet chill of Vespa Mandaluyong. Firstly, we grabbed coffee, topped off the tanks, and went over the safety points and route layout.

Meanwhile, parked side-by-side along the curb under the early morning streetlights, the difference between the lineups was night and day:

On one hand, the Primavera and Sprint come across as compact, light, and sharp from every angle. Specifically, the Primavera keeps its classic round headlight charm, whereas the Sprint leans aggressive with its signature hexagonal headlamp.

On the other hand, the GTS and GTV 300 feel substantial and wide-set. In terms of styling, the GTS brings modern touring luxury, while the GTV leans hard into vintage racing roots with its low-fender headlight (faro basso) and exposed handlebars.

Rolling out right as Metro Manila started waking up, the convoy hit the morning bottlenecks through Mandaluyong toward Makati. Naturally, city traffic demands immediate feedback, and this is precisely where the Primavera and Sprint pulled ahead. In fact, slicing through jammed traffic felt second nature—their light frames and tight turning radius made zipping past cars totally effortless.

The larger GTS 300 and GTV 300 handled the stop-and-go surprisingly well. Despite their heavier frames, their low center of gravity and smooth throttle response kept low-speed balancing stress-free. The first leg wrapped up at Nihon Cafe Concept in Makati for a quick breakfast, where the parked lineup looked like a fashion pop-up right along the sidewalk.

Once we left Makati behind, we merged onto the open roads leading south into Cavite. From there, the longer highway stretches gave the High Performance Engine (HPE) on the GTS 300 and GTV 300 plenty of room to breathe. As a result, the 300cc power plants provided effortless overtaking power and zero handlebar buzz at highway speeds, while ABS and traction control kept everything completely stable over uneven pavement.

A planned stop at Rise and Shine Pottery let everyone stretch and take in local handcrafted art. It was a fitting pause—drawing a clear line between hand-shaped clay and Vespa’s signature steel monocoque bodies, both shaped by human craft rather than mass-stamped plastic.

As we began our climb, the ascent into Tagaytay delivered the twisty elevation changes everyone was waiting for. On one hand, the Sprint and Primavera carved into mountain hairpins with zero hesitation, letting riders lean in smoothly. On the other hand, the low-end torque on the bigger 300s allowed us to roll out of uphill corners with a solid, planted grip.

By afternoon, the convoy pulled into Balay Dako for a spread of classic Filipino comfort food with a front-row view of Taal Lake. Finally, after a long lunch trading notes on handling and throttle feel, the day ended with a quiet cruise into the lush grounds of Anya Resort Tagaytay to call it a night.

Next up, day two shifted gears from open-road carving back to community ties. Shortly after riding out from Tagaytay, the group headed down to Cavite for a major milestone: namely, the 7th Anniversary Relaunch of Vespa Imus.

The event put Vespa’s culture on full display. Media partners got an inside look at the refreshed showroom, upgraded service bays, and custom accessory displays, while mingling with local owners and club members who came out to mark seven years of the dealership’s presence in Cavite. It was a solid reminder that buying one of these machines automatically plugs you into a tight-knit community.