Getting Your Modern Vespa Ready For A Long Trip.

If you plan on going on a long trip you need to make sure your Vespa is in tip-top shape. These recommendations can mean the difference between getting there and getting stranded, they may just save your life too. The first thing you want to do is correctly set your tire pressures, for ALL modern Vespa scooters EXCEPT the ET series the CORRECT tire pressure is 26psi FRONT and 32psi REAR. Some will say the rear should be run at 29psi BUT this means that if you ever load it up with luggage or carry a passenger you will have to air up to 32psi. I just leave the back at 32psi all the time regardless. The ET scooters are to be set at 19psi front and 26psi rear. Next, inspect the condition of your tires. From the rear, get a good look at the tread as you S-L-O-W-L-Y rotate the wheel by hand. Look for cuts, foreign objects stuck in the tire, bald spots and wear indicators. Next rotate the tire but this time inspect the sidewalls. Again look for cuts, "dry rot" or cracking. Inspect the front tire in the same manner.

This tire is near the end of its useful life, note the occasional bald spot which is usually due to skidding.

If you are carrying a passenger or a lot of gear you may want to consider adjusting pre-load of the rear shock/s. Shocks come from the factory on the softest setting. The rear shocks have four presets- 1-RIDER Only, 2-RIDER with Luggage, 3-RIDER with Passenger, finally the stiffest setting 4-RIDER with Passenger and Luggage. Your toolkit has the tool necessary to adjust the shocks. Watch your knuckles and DON'T adjust the shocks on the GT bikes if the exhaust is hot.

Here you can see the tool needed to adjust rear shocks on Vespa & Piaggio scooters along with the stepped adjuster.

Fluid checks are next, check the engine oil AFTER the scooter has been stationary on level ground and NOT RUN for approx. 5 minutes. Unscrew the dipstick, wipe it dry, SCREW IT ALL THE WAY BACK IN, remove and check where the oil level reads on the dipstick. You want it to be as close to the top line as possible. If it is low you will need to top up with the correct FULL SYNTHETIC 5W-40 oil. Do not use any other oil! I repeat ONLY USE 5w40 FULL SYNTHETIC IN YOUR MODERN VESPA!!! There are engineers and technicians at Piaggio far more intelligent than you or I that have spend THOUSANDS of Euros and ruined HUNDREDS of motors figuring out what oil is best for your Vespa. Did you notice if the oil looked black? If so, change it or have it changed and change the oil filter at the same time. Vespa frequently makes changes to their service intervals, at this time they recommend a 2000 mile service interval which is fine if you do at least that many miles in a year. If not, I recommend having a BASIC service performed annually at the very least. I service my own bike twice a year, once in Spring and once at the end of summer... April and October usually.

Right where you want your oil level.

Ok, next check the differential oil, just unscrew the dipstick, wipe it off, screw it all the way back in and remove. It doesn't really matter where it shows on the dipstick as long as there is some on there. Vespa uses the same dipstick on all their scooters so it's not marked "correctly" for any specific bike. DO NOT ADD OIL TO THE DIFFERENTIAL UNLESS THE DIPSTICK COMES OUT DRY WHEN YOU CHECK IT. The correct oil to use is Tutela ZC90 or equivalent.

Looks good!

If you own a 200/250/300cc Vespa you will also need to check the coolant level. The reservoir is located behind the right hand knee pad. Remove this with a Phillips or Torx screwdriver and you will see the translucent bottle. See the LOW - FULL marks? As long as it's between those two lines you're good. If you need to top up premixed coolant. When it comes to topping up fluids, do it just a little at a time, it's a whole lot easier to add a little more than it is to figure out how to siphon out too much oil or coolant.

Check when cool to avoid scalding.

Check your brakes next. The GT family has self adjusting hydraulic brakes so all you need to do is check how much pad material is left. A flashlight is handy for this, as is a small mirror.

Using a mirror to inspect rear brakes on the GT family of Vespa scooters.

On the LX, ET and Piaggio FLY, the rear brake is cable operated and needs to be adjusted. With the scooter on the center-stand, manually spin the rear wheel and SLOWLY apply the rear brake. How much travel in the lever was there before you noticed the brakes effectively slowed the wheel? Rear brake cable adjustment is easy, you just need 7 and 10 millimeter wrenches. Secure the cable with the 7mm wrench and back off the 10mm lock nut, now, rotate the 10mm adjusting nut CLOCKWISE. Rotate it a couple of turns and re-check the action of the lever as previously described. REMEMBER!!! DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE ADJUSTER NUT, as the brakes get hot, expansion occurs and this will cause the brake shoes to come in contact with the drum. So, take your time, TRIPLE CHECK if you have to.

Releasing the lock nut, the adjusting nut is on the extreme right.

Check your lights, horn and switches next. Make sure you have HIGH & LOW beams, blinkers, running light, stop light (remember to grab brake levers individually to check the stop light). It's also a good idea to inspect your battery too. If your battery isn't maintenance free, Piaggio Fly, early LX, some GT series be sure to top up with distilled water, NOT ACID! Make sure terminals are TIGHT and free from corrosion. Finally, give your mirror stems a jiggle,the last thing you need is a mirror that swings about with every lean or turn.

If you don't feel confident to perform these checks yourself stop by the VespaRepair.com workshop here in San Francisco and I will check it all out for you, no charge.