Modern Vespa

I sold my MP3 500 several months ago. I missed it ever since. I came upon a deal I could not resist. An 08 MP3 400 with low miles. Bought it from original owner. Great condition and all stock except for the tall windscreen and large Piaggio topcase. Already planning mod list. Please chime in if I forget anything and any advice would be great. This will be my daily commuter.

MOD LIST:
1. Dr Pulley Sliders 16gram
2. Fuzzy Washer 1mm
3. Air Box Mod
4. Malossi or Polina Air filter
5. Dual headlight mod
6. Lowering Bracket
7. Add extra led turn signals
8. Stebel Horn

Basic services and maintenance will be done like: engine oil, gear oil, brake fluid, tilt lock fluid, radiator fluid. Near future...I will need to replace the brake pads and tires.

Any MP3 400 owners out there? Please chime or advice if there's anything else that I missed worth adding on to this bike. Just a little over two weeks of riding the 400...I really love this bike. It's a great replacement for my 500 and I don't really feel any different in power when riding in the freeway. Thanks ahead of time!

Nothing to add.

I have that exact scooter. I got mine in 2008 and I have 39,000 miles on it. It is my daily commuter. You made a great choice - many consider the 400 to be the best of the breed.

At the risk of stating the obvious pump plenty of grease into the kingpin bearing pillars. Personally I would also reroute the breather to a separate catch tank so that oily deposits don't contaminate the air filter and throttle housing. I didn't even use a catch tank on mine just routed a long large bore pipe out just below the number plate. That way I could see if there was anything more than a light mist being blown out. There never was.
I still miss my MP3s too.

Thank you. I just took a 120 mile ride today and I enjoyed every mile. I was hitting 90mph with a little left but I backed off. I've ordered the 16gr Dr Pulley and Malossi airfilter. I can't wait to get that installed with the Fuzzy washer I have left over. Also this weekend I will also be doing the Airbox mod.
Also did the dual headlight mod today...it's coming along as planned.

You mentioned tires are due. What about the belt?

Yes the steering notch. NO issues with oil in the air filter though. I just rode for 120miles yesterday with average speed of 75 mph and top speed of 94mph---I checked the air filter box and it was dry.

The belt was changed at 6k miles so I'm not due for along while but I will check it when I install the Dr Pulley and Fuzzy washer.

Thanks everyone for the heads up and advice.

That's good, but how long ago was that? Given it's an '08 with low miles, it could be more than 5 years old? You really don't want that belt to fail when you're bombing down the freeway at 94 mph!

Thanks for the heads up. The original owner have the belts changed at 6k miles. It's not even 7k miles yet. The belt is only 1-2 year old. I will inspect it when I put the Dr Pulley sliders and Fuzzy washer in.

I know there are lots of threads on the site about tires, but if you plan to ride on the highway a great deal of the time, I would recommend the Power Pure tires. They don't suffer from the "bald in the center" issue due to a harder compound used in the center. They still handle well as sidewalls are much softer.
On a different topic, the Piaggio speedometers always read higher than actual speed. My understanding this is due to regulations in the EU that fine manufacturers if the speedometer could possibly read low in any circumstance.(Like oversize tires.) Typically, the actual speed is 9-12% lower than indicated. My speedo reads 11% high. I bought the mph overlay decals available from ebay and clocked the decal to be correct at 60mph.

Yes I thought they were excellent on the X10 exactly as you say.

I ran Bridgestone Battlax tires when i had my 400. Very sticky and predictable but the rear tire didn't last as long. maybe 5500km if I was lucky. other than that, they would allow you to ride pretty aggressive. Waiting for my City Grips to wear out so i can go back to the Bridgestones. Oh, wet weather was not their strong suit though. They sufficed but I would really back off on them in the wet.

Looking to go Darkside soon. It will be a first time DIY project...seems that Darksiding an MP3 has been done and proven to be safe and effective. It's inexpensive and will last a lot longer than conventional scooter tires.

Fuzzy washer and Dr Pulley 16gm Sliders installed this weekend. What a difference in take off---low speed shudder is gone and take off is so much quicker. I have not tried freeway speeds but mid range power is awesome. Also did the Airbox Mod and installed the Malossi Air Filter. Anyone know if the Malossi Clutch and Bell is worth it? I've read several post and found that it may not be any better than the stock Clutch.


Fuzzy Washer and Dr Pulley installed this weekend.

I have been running with a Car Tire on my 2009 MP3/250 for about 4 years now.
Once you find the sweet spot on the air pressure, you will love it.

I had not had any luck mounting a Car Tire on my 2016 MP3/500 Sport, but I hope one day.

I saw this MP3/400 listed for sale. I didn't think it was going to last long for sale. I think you got a great deal...

Keith,
Marietta, GA

I was watching one of these TV Motorcycle customizing shows and they talked about why NOT to use a car tire on a motorcycle and EVERYONE on the subject agreed you should do it, and that is why tire manufactures eventually came out with these huge Motorcycle rear tires, just sayin'.

These are guys that have been build bikes for 20-30 years.

I have a nearly new 400 (2200 miles or so) that will be going up for sale when I get back to Ohio in a couple weeks. Fluids have been changed, front end fully greased, tilt lock and coolant flushed. runs great. Anyone interested? PM me!