The Royal Alloy Grand Prix 300s is powered by a 278 cc single-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, gas-powered motor producing about 22 horsepower. Power flows to the rear wheel through a CVT-type transmission that provides “twist and go” simplicity common among scooters today (early Italian scooters used clutch-and-gear systems controlled by the left handlebar).

The 300s features ABS braking on both 12-inch wheels, LED lighting, and a preload-adjustable dual-sided leading-link “anti-dive” front suspension (below) that calls back to vintage Lambrettas. A small backlit digital display atop the handlebars (above) shows speed, fuel level, coolant temperature, odometer and engine RPMs on a graph. There is a small tool kit and a USB port for charging phones and such in the glovebox ahead of the split-style seat, which can be set up to ride one or two people (passenger footpegs fold out of the lower body). A small rear rack comes standard, and the traditional “bag hook” for more carrying capacity is present next to the keyed ignition switch.

Unlike a Vespa, there is no underseat storage (again, same as vintage Lambrettas) and Genuine has mounted the engine’s radiator under the footwells since there is no space for it in the leg shield section, which is where Vespa puts its radiator.

Genuine lists the 300s’ top speed as “up to” 80 mph, making the scooter freeway-legal. Genuine makes a wide range of scooters as well as a 400cc-class motorcycle. The Grand Prix 300s is built in Taiwan.

Ride Review

I picked up a zero-mile Grand Prix 300S, painted in a lovely creme/burgundy scheme (highly recommended), from Sabatino Vintage Mopeds & Scooters in the St. Johns area of Portland. That’s about a 30-minute ride from my home, but I instead pointed the 300S up into the West Hills for a longer, more inclined route. Initial impressions? The motor is on par with the Vespa 300 I own (unsurprising since it’s essentially an identical design) in terms of power and acceleration, and the stock muffler is HOA-approved quiet.

The biggest difference between riding my Vespa GTS300 and the Royal Alloy Grand Prix 300s is how the rider fits on the scooter. The best way I can describe it is you sit on the Royal Alloy while you sit more in the Vespa. Talking with some scooter-riding friends who own Royal Alloy scooters confirms this difference. Indeed, chats with some owners of vintage Lambrettas say this riding posture tracks with older models as well, so Royal Alloy did their homework in recreating the look and feel of the SX200, but with more power, speed and modern technology.

After some break-in miles, I took the 300s out on some stretches of Portland freeways where the speed limit is posted as 55 mph (actual traffic speed is closer to 65 mph). The 300s felt stable, had no trouble maintaining freeway speeds, and reached 80 mph relatively easily at full throttle on a level, open stretch of highway. Genuine claims 65 mpg or better, and that tracked with my riding experience, even with this 200-plus-pound rider aboard. The tank holds 2.7 gallons of fuel.

Urban riding is the primary playground for scooters, and the 300s is on par with my Vespa 300 and some other scooters I’ve tried. And while my Vespa has what I call a “soft” suspension, the Royal Alloy is more stiffly sprung, especially up front through the two-sided suspension (Vespas use a single-sided setup). I backed the preload off a little and that softened the ride just a bit, but I enjoyed the quicker handling of the 300s despite the stiffer ride over small road imperfections. Two-up, the stiffer suspension made for a more sporty outing than on the cushier Vespa, but I missed the underseat storage of the Vespa. Nothing a tail box can’t solve.

Conclusions

The Royal Allow Gran Prix 300s is a serious scooter for serious riders - even if you ride motorcycles. Freeway-capable, roomy, and powerful, it’s also very stylish, and I received many compliments and questions about it. I also rode it to some local scooter club events, where it was well received.

If I could change anything, it would be little nitpicks: The display backlight is a bit too bright at night, more fuel capacity would be nice, and some underseat storage would be appreciated, even though the Lambretta it’s based on didn’t have any either.

At $5,699, it’s a bit less expensive than Vespa’s current 310GTS while providing essentially identical engine performance, and it will be up to riders as to their preferences on seating comfort and suspension performance. These are scooters, after all, not sportbikes, and for most riders, especially those now considering a first scooter, the Grand Prix’s classic Lambretta style and well-rounded performance capabilities in town and on the open road make it an affordable, versatile, capable - and very stylish - choice.

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