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Molto Verboso
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Ok 24,000km is about all I could squeeze out of my GTS 250 rear shocks.

I'm normally solo apart from my dog (Kavoodle) in the basket so they haven't had a lot of work.

Anyway I can't remember how good the rear suspension was when I bought my scooter new in 2009 but I got to say a new set of Malossi's are a great deal better than a stuffed pair of originals.
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On my LX the Malossi's were far better than the stock ones. Worth the money. Our roads are horrible here so it really made a difference. Enjoy.
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Are they adjustable for other than preload? Do you buy a spring for your own weight?
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Molto Verboso
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Preload only.

No spring option that I know of.

I love mine especially since the addition of urethane bumpers. It really tightened up the wiggle in the rear end.
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Not sure what "urethane bumpers" are? Spring helpers?

If the Malossi is not adjustable, and can't be tailored to the rider, what would make it great? I am not being critical, I have Ohlins on my Dyna, and Wilburs on my Tiger, both fully adjustable and sprung to my (considerable) weight. Just trying to see if Malossi would be an upgrade to new OEMs (my scooter is new), or more of a good alternative to replacing a worn out OEM (as the OP did)?
OP
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Molto Verboso
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gregbenner wrote:
Not sure what "urethane bumpers" are? Spring helpers?

If the Malossi is not adjustable, and can't be tailored to the rider, what would make it great? I am not being critical, I have Ohlins on my Dyna, and Wilburs on my Tiger, both fully adjustable and sprung to my (considerable) weight. Just trying to see if Malossi would be an upgrade to new OEMs (my scooter is new), or more of a good alternative to replacing a worn out OEM (as the OP did)?
They have the normal settings (I think 4-5) just like a standard set. I set mine to the second stiffest but after riding solo for a bit I would probably recommend the second softest. The LHS is a PIA to adjust because the air-box is in the way.
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"Bumpers" are a hockey puck looking thing with a hole in it from Jettin.com
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judy wrote:
"Bumpers" are a hockey puck looking thing with a hole in it from Jettin.com
? What do they do? Where do they go? What is the hole for? Laughing emoticon
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The guys put them on for me and i didn't see if they put them on the top or bottom. No mechanic so if i'm wrong i'm sure somebody will correct me. Laughing emoticon I think they compliment the shocks. Goes on top?Maybe? Jettin will tell you when you get them. Must make the shocks work better. Haven't ridden without them so i can't compare but the Jettin guys are well respected members on here. Made a few thing like Dog Leg levers that really do help with the comfort of our ride. I'll see if i can see them but the LX is cramped. Worth the money if your putting Malossi's on.
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They're the mounting bushings for the rear shocks. The OE stock bushings are made of soft rubber and allow movement of the top of the shock at it's mounting point at the frame. The replacement urethane bushings are much firmer and don't allow the shock to move about, which eliminates the rear wiggle the stock set-up is famous for under hard cornering. Probably one of the best bangs for the buck upgrades for the Vespa scooters.
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Thanks Willie B! That makes sense.
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Molto Verboso
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Willie B wrote:
They're the mounting bushings for the rear shocks. The OE stock bushings are made of soft rubber and allow movement of the top of the shock at it's mounting point at the frame. The replacement urethane bushings are much firmer and don't allow the shock to move about, which eliminates the rear wiggle the stock set-up is famous for under hard cornering. Probably one of the best bangs for the buck upgrades for the Vespa scooters.
Thanks Willie! I was not back on the board until now and you described it perfectly.

I weigh 230 pounds so they were a must for me. Nobody wants to see my rear end wiggle any more than it has to already

Here is a link to them:
http://shop.jettin.com/Performance-Shock-Bushings-shockbushing.htm
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For what it's worth, everyone we've sold Malossi shocks to has been really glad they bought them and had very positive feedback.

The Malossis are adjustable for pre-load only in the back, and both pre-load and dampening in the front.

I had urethane bushings in my vintage race bike and wouldn't have anything else. They made the vintage Vespa vibrate a little too much for the street. Modern Vespas are more balanced and don't vibrate as much so the urethane bushings would provide a nice handling upgrade without too much additional rigidity.
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Scooter West wrote:
For what it's worth, everyone we've sold Malossi shocks to has been really glad they bought them and had very positive feedback.

The Malossis are adjustable for pre-load only in the back, and both pre-load and dampening in the front.
I have got that impression from all the comments. Do people replace new factory shocks with Molossi, or is it a better replacement for a worn out shock?

I have replaced "new" factory shocks with Ohlins and Wilburs, since they are far superior and offer substantial adjustability. Would you replace the shocks on a 2015 ABS, or wait till they wear out?
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The 2015 will only take the rears, not the fronts.

That being said we've had customers in both positions. Ones that have replaced good stock shocks and been very happy. We've also had customers replace worn out shocks and been really, really happy.

Others will likely chime in shortly so you can get fair and unbiased opinions from people not selling the shocks
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UTC quote
gregbenner wrote:
Scooter West wrote:
For what it's worth, everyone we've sold Malossi shocks to has been really glad they bought them and had very positive feedback.

The Malossis are adjustable for pre-load only in the back, and both pre-load and dampening in the front.
I have got that impression from all the comments. Do people replace new factory shocks with Molossi, or is it a better replacement for a worn out shock?

I have replaced "new" factory shocks with Ohlins and Wilburs, since they are far superior and offer substantial adjustability. Would you replace the shocks on a 2015 ABS, or wait till they wear out?
Same thing here, Piaggio buys their suspension components by the pound. If you want your bike to ride and handle better, the bushings and shocks are the first order of business. Of course there's the group that boasts about getting 10K miles out of their tires. If you subscribe to this train of thought, I'm sure your original suspension has many miles of puttering left to putter.
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Scooter West wrote:
The 2015 will only take the rears, not the fronts.

Others will likely chime in shortly so you can get fair and unbiased opinions from people not selling the shocks
Actually i would rely on you guys, less placebo affect Laughing emoticon

Is the reason they won't fit the front due to the "new" design for 2015 (i.e. not yet available), or is the 2015 new shock just that much better?
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It's a fitment difference. The length is about the same but the bottom of the 2015 models have an eyelet instead of attaching with two bolts like the 2006-2014 (2013 in the rest of the world) GTS did. People tend to find more benefit out of the front swap than the back, but are very happy with both. The stock shocks are pretty terrible. We're hoping to have an updated 2015 GTS front shock in the near future, but it may be a few months.
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I followed the link to the Jettin site to see the bushes for the top of the shocks. Is there a bush for the bottom end of the shock? Seems like half a job without the bottom bush?
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Malossi RS24 (made by paioli) are very good.
Got them on my daily and don't want to change!
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Thanks Willie. Seems like Bend and i were having senior moments. At least i was. I will say when you put them on do the front and the rear. They work better. I only had a front because the rear was uber expensive.. Finally came down in price and when i put one on the back members of our riding group noticed the difference.
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Juju_paris wrote:
Malossi RS24 (made by paioli) are very good.
Rears are RS3, no?
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Options for the Fly 150???
Specifically the previous gen - 2011 and older?

I've got over 18K on the stock shock, but I think it's time to replace and looking for an upgrade.

Not much I can do with the front - which would require fork disassembly to change oil weight and/or springs.
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LX are the 24's. CC if your shocks on the fly are the same as the LX 150 model they should fit but i'd ask wherever you buy them from before i ordered. Very noticeable difference. Changed mine out (front with Malossi and rear Bitubo) at around 15,000. Rear Malossi was to expensive. When i finally changed the Bitubo to a Malossi it was heaven. Mixing Bitubo's and Malossi's wasn't a good thing IMHO. I tend to notice everything.
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Juju_paris wrote:
Malossi RS24 (made by paioli) are very good.
Got them on my daily and don't want to change!
The RS24 is the name that comes up with GTS riders over here who put performance over price. I found that the Carbone Sports were actually cheaper than a pair of OEM replacements, slightly stiffer with 3 load settings, so I went with these and they have been pretty darn good since fitting last year.
http://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/products/shock+absorber+carbone+rear+_carb0001
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Paul did you fit urethane bushes?

Off topic.... Did you paint the swing arm or powder coat it?
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waspman wrote:
Paul did you fit urethane bushes?

Off topic.... Did you paint the swing arm or powder coat it?
I fitted standard bushes. I did some searching for urethane or 'performance bushes' for the GTS and couldn't find consistent recommendation or the right product, from memory. Also when searching for GTR engine mount bushings there were some negatives about urethane. The new bushes were probably part of the 'snappy' feeling when the shocks were first in. Now they've settled down/bedded in, the ride is better. I haven't yet tried the other two tighter settings on the Carbone shocks yet though.

I cleaned up/wire brushed and painted the swing arm with a VHT brand Epoxy paint designed for car parts like suspensions arms etc. Went on well, need to inspect it after 6 months to see how it faired. I have a 'back end' job to do to rust treat the inner rear frame, so will wrap in exhaust repaint, swing arm inspect, Dinitrol waxing etc all together...sometime...
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I have just installed a pair of RS24s at the rear of my GTS250. The job took 1 hour. I had kept the original shocks for 36,500 km and felt like treating myself to something better. I carried the polyurethane bushes over from the old shocks to the new.

Just as I was packing up the weather started turning nasty, so no test ride yet.

I have had a Bitubo shock on the front from the word go, carried over from my GT200. So it has done 45-50,000 km.

I had Bitubo shocks and polyurethane bushes (including the swing arm) on my PX200, and it rode as if it was on rails, my wheels exactly where I wanted them all the timer. I would love to manage the same with my GTS.

Mike
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we've got the rear shocks for $210, and they are well worth the money. the front shock is pretty reasonable too.

I am presently sourcing some polyurethane bushings that should sell for $10 for all four rear ones, but the samples have not arrived yet. Once I get them, I will probably send them out to a few people to test and report back.
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Re: Options for the Fly 150???
CrazyCarl wrote:
Specifically the previous gen - 2011 and older?

I've got over 18K on the stock shock, but I think it's time to replace and looking for an upgrade.

Not much I can do with the front - which would require fork disassembly to change oil weight and/or springs.
there is a malossi rear shock for the fly. I con't remember the number, but w'eve got it.
As far as the front, it's pretty easy to give yourself a little preload. Cut a couple of 1inch sections of pvc pipe that will fit in the top,and replace the oil with 20 weight fork oil. Most chinese built forks come with something that resembles fish oil,and broke down the week you rode it around the block. ATF also works well as fork oil, and has additiives that condition the seals.
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