OP
@maggiegirl avatar
UTC

Addicted
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
 
Addicted
@maggiegirl avatar
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
UTC quote
Now that I have mine running and am riding it I am sure that speedo is not at all accurate. Had a couple pals follow me to the next town, my '78 P125x speedometer seemed to think that 55 was the max speed it was moving, guys following me, 1 on a Ninja, the other on a 250 Honda Rebel said they were running 65 or faster to keep up with me.
I did a bit of lubricating with something for chains and cables and haven't had a change to take the scooter out on the road and see what sort of speeds it will register/clock.
I'm ok with it not being accurate but I don't want to try and explain to my adult sons why their Mom needs bailed out of jail some day for trying to fly that little ride with no pilot's license.
Any suggestions on what I might want to try and do to improve the accuracy or at least the working of that speedo?
@jkj-fz6 avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
BV400, Primavera 150, Yamaha Zuma 125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4204
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
 
Ossessionato
@jkj-fz6 avatar
BV400, Primavera 150, Yamaha Zuma 125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4204
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
UTC quote
Chances are, your friends weren't going as fast as they thought they were. Lots of motorcycle and scooter speedometers run optimistic; yours could be the exception that doesn't. 8)
@socalguy avatar
UTC

bodgemaster
63 GL, 76 Super (x2), 74 Primavera (x2), 79 P200, 06 Fly 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7070
Location: So Cal
 
bodgemaster
@socalguy avatar
63 GL, 76 Super (x2), 74 Primavera (x2), 79 P200, 06 Fly 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7070
Location: So Cal
UTC quote
Download a GPS app.
@bazziemoto avatar
UTC

Hooked
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
 
Hooked
@bazziemoto avatar
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
UTC quote
Definitely download a GPS app or even just use Waze to compare the speedo with your actual speed. Vintage Vespa speedos definitely aren't accurate - I think most people find them to be about 5 mph off. That said, many modern ones aren't either.
⚠️ Last edited by Bazziemoto on UTC; edited 1 time
UTC

Banned
2009 GTS 250, 2013 Buddy 125, 2014 Triumph Bonneville
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2038
Location: North Jersey
 
Banned
2009 GTS 250, 2013 Buddy 125, 2014 Triumph Bonneville
Joined: UTC
Posts: 2038
Location: North Jersey
UTC quote
JKJ-FZ6 wrote:
Chances are, your friends weren't going as fast as they thought they were. Lots of motorcycle and scooter speedometers run optimistic; yours could be the exception that doesn't. 8)
This ^
All modern auto and motorcycle speedometers indicate up to 10% higher speed than actuality. ( probably so you can't blame the manufacturer for your speeding ticket) Your NSM most likely is the more accurate one, IMO.
@xantufrog avatar
UTC

Moderibbit
1980 P200E - "Old Rusty", 1976 ET3 Primavera
Joined: UTC
Posts: 8892
Location: Atlanta, GA
 
Moderibbit
@xantufrog avatar
1980 P200E - "Old Rusty", 1976 ET3 Primavera
Joined: UTC
Posts: 8892
Location: Atlanta, GA
UTC quote
Mine's roughly 7mph faster than the speedo indicates, based on GPS. I doubt there's anything to be done about it. I just know, and ride accordingly. Also, in reality, I almost never pay attention to my speedo, but rather the speed of the traffic and what's safe for the road surface and riding conditions. Not that I advocate speeding - it's just that especially on a PTW you want to be in control and not a target, so those are my personal priorities
@mjrally avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
73 & 74 Rally, 76 ET3, 80 P200, 06 PX150, 61 Ser 2, 65 Silver Special, 90 V5N 50, 01 ET2, 2015 HD Road Glide Special
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5073
Location: Oceanside, CA
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@mjrally avatar
73 & 74 Rally, 76 ET3, 80 P200, 06 PX150, 61 Ser 2, 65 Silver Special, 90 V5N 50, 01 ET2, 2015 HD Road Glide Special
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5073
Location: Oceanside, CA
UTC quote
Out of all the scoots I own, only one is accurate. Thats sadly because I had it rebuilt by Speedo king. In addition to what everyone else has said, replacing or rebuilding your speedometer is one way to get some accuracy. That averages around $100 so its not for everyone.
UTC

parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
 
parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
UTC quote
Strangly enough, of all the P200's that i've owned, i had a random one which the speedo would read 55mph while the GPS would show 67mph. I'm not sure what happend at the Piaggio factory that day to cause that anomaly. One of my current P200's has a fairly accurate speedo...it's within about 1-1.5 mph. As for all my other scooters? The speedos read about 8mph faster than what i'm actually going. I did disassemble the speedo on my '05 PX150 and recalibrated it to be dead on with a GPS.
@hibbert avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1568
Location: California
 
Molto Verboso
@hibbert avatar
Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1568
Location: California
UTC quote
if costs are not prohibitive maybe SIP has an upgrade to the original with options for temp and RPM metering
@bazziemoto avatar
UTC

Hooked
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
 
Hooked
@bazziemoto avatar
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
UTC quote
MJRally wrote:
Out of all the scoots I own, only one is accurate. Thats sadly because I had it rebuilt by Speedo king. In addition to what everyone else has said, replacing or rebuilding your speedometer is one way to get some accuracy. That averages around $100 so its not for everyone.
I just had one rebuilt by Speedo King but I'm pretty sure it's still 5mph over. I'll have to double check.
@pdxjim avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
2005 PX150 In a Part-time Relationship with a 2-Stroke Vespa Since 2007
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1866
 
Molto Verboso
@pdxjim avatar
2005 PX150 In a Part-time Relationship with a 2-Stroke Vespa Since 2007
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1866
UTC quote
For the vast majority, nope.

Mine indicates about 8% over plus 5, according to my GPS app.
UTC

Hooked
PX 150 and GTS 300 HPE Super Tech
Joined: UTC
Posts: 416
Location: Dublin, Ohio
 
Hooked
PX 150 and GTS 300 HPE Super Tech
Joined: UTC
Posts: 416
Location: Dublin, Ohio
UTC quote
My PX has a very optimistic speedometer. Maybe it is an Italian thing because my Ducati is the same way and that speedo is all digital. There is no cable. I just made a label and stuck it on the headset above the speedo. The top line is the speed I want to travel and the bottom line tells me how fast the speedometer should be reading for that speed.
Forum member supplied image with no explanatory text
@socalguy avatar
UTC

bodgemaster
63 GL, 76 Super (x2), 74 Primavera (x2), 79 P200, 06 Fly 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7070
Location: So Cal
 
bodgemaster
@socalguy avatar
63 GL, 76 Super (x2), 74 Primavera (x2), 79 P200, 06 Fly 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 7070
Location: So Cal
UTC quote
According to the speedometer, my smallie is going 20mph parked in the garage
Forum member supplied image with no explanatory text
@qascooter avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
79 P200E (Ruby), 62 Allstate (B-62)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4167
Location: Florence, OR
 
Ossessionato
@qascooter avatar
79 P200E (Ruby), 62 Allstate (B-62)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4167
Location: Florence, OR
UTC quote
Out of 5 scooters, only one is accurate to +-2mph. One reads 5 mph slow consistently. That kind of surprised me because all the other speedos are optimistic.
@jkj-fz6 avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
BV400, Primavera 150, Yamaha Zuma 125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4204
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
 
Ossessionato
@jkj-fz6 avatar
BV400, Primavera 150, Yamaha Zuma 125
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4204
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
UTC quote
SoCalGuy wrote:
According to the speedometer, my smallie is going 20mph parked in the garage
That's because red is the fastest color.
Razz emoticon
@charlieman22 avatar
UTC

Nedminder
62 VBB1T Round Tail W/ leaner sidecar
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4023
Location: california
 
Nedminder
@charlieman22 avatar
62 VBB1T Round Tail W/ leaner sidecar
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4023
Location: california
UTC quote
Quote:
That kind of surprised me because all the other speedos are optimistic.
Some scooters see the glass half full.
Some see it half empty.
Doesn't make it a bad scooter.

Maggie:
At risk of exposing my comfort with hack solutions - if you just want to confirm accuracy the speedo app is simple and free.
Once you download, open the app.
Use a piece of rubber sheet or old inner tube if you have it (folded paper towel will also do) - place under your phone, and (here it comes) use electrical tape to connect your phone to your headset.
Wrap the tape 360 degrees around bars at least twice.
One wrap at one end of phone.
Another at the other end.
It will not remove your paint.
It will not damage your phone.
Fold the ends of the tape so you can quickly unravel without fighting to remove it - and no none will see that you had your phone taped to your scoot when you pull back in.



With a couple runs, you can even create a little translation so you know the major speed indicators true speeds.

There are also some nice holders available if you want something a bit more permanent - but for a one or two time run - electrical tape is your friend.
@bazziemoto avatar
UTC

Hooked
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
 
Hooked
@bazziemoto avatar
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
UTC quote
SoCalGuy wrote:
According to the speedometer, my smallie is going 20mph parked in the garage
I had this issue. The needle was bottoming at 15mph. It means the drive is going. Speedo King can fix that for you for about $60.
OP
@maggiegirl avatar
UTC

Addicted
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
 
Addicted
@maggiegirl avatar
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
UTC quote
Some great suggestions but not all workable, a lot of dead zones in my riding world, and that smart phone is usually in a pocket, often on 'airplane'. The speedometer has an issue, speeding up does not make it go beyond 55, ok, actually 1 time it did. I have done some lubricant and will see if that helps it work better/smoother. It had been stored for a very long time before it was sold or donated to the 30 Days Gang for the last rally. I don't think they did anything with that speedo, so it's possible that it just needed some cable lube.
I might get a mount for the phone some day but I would rather it was out of sight and out of mind... vintage stays home tomorrow and the LXV goes to work, LOL, it has basket and I pick up a case of bacon after work, easier to bring home the bacon on the LXV than try and fasten it and lunch box on the baby.
Hope to run to Springfield early Saturday morning IF it is Not raining again!
@jakeaaron13 avatar
UTC

Member
77 Sprint Veloce
Joined: UTC
Posts: 47
Location: Los Angeles
 
Member
@jakeaaron13 avatar
77 Sprint Veloce
Joined: UTC
Posts: 47
Location: Los Angeles
UTC quote
100+ Kph parked with a broken cable.
Forum member supplied image with no explanatory text
@rjy avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
P125X/Apr 500/CH150/P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 63
Location: Long Beach, CA
 
Enthusiast
@rjy avatar
P125X/Apr 500/CH150/P200
Joined: UTC
Posts: 63
Location: Long Beach, CA
UTC quote
What's your secret ? I can't seem to get my P125 over 50 going downhill with a tail wind. One good thing, this speedo was rebuilt by Speedo King and it matches the GPS within 1 MPH.
UTC

parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
 
parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
UTC quote
RJY wrote:
What's your secret ? I can't seem to get my P125 over 50 going downhill with a tail wind.
A steeper hill...much steeper.
UTC

parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
 
parallelogramerist
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5036
UTC quote
apex wrote:
My PX has a very optimistic speedometer. Maybe it is an Italian thing because my Ducati is the same way and that speedo is all digital. There is no cable. I just made a label and stuck it on the headset above the speedo. The top line is the speed I want to travel and the bottom line tells me how fast the speedometer should be reading for that speed.
I have four of those 2005 PX150's, and the speedo inaccuracy on all four match yours Apex. On one of the speedos, I removed the chrome ring and plastic lens to get at the speedo needle. I installed GPS on the scoot, then went out on a speed test ride. I removed the needle while riding at a set speed on a GPS (55mph), and pressed the needle back on so that it pointed right at 55MPH...and BOOM, accurate speedo.

I haven't tried it on any other scooters, so I don't know if that trick will work on them.
@pdxjim avatar
UTC

Molto Verboso
2005 PX150 In a Part-time Relationship with a 2-Stroke Vespa Since 2007
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1866
 
Molto Verboso
@pdxjim avatar
2005 PX150 In a Part-time Relationship with a 2-Stroke Vespa Since 2007
Joined: UTC
Posts: 1866
UTC quote
^^^ If it were only that simple on my 05 PX150.

I found that the variance was not simply an offset. I recorded the GPS speed when the speedo read 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 mph and the faster I went, the more the difference read on the speedometer. I plotted it out on a spreadsheet and found it to be a linear function approximately 8% over the real speed + 5 mph. This suggests not just an 5mph offset but a wrong gear or tire size somewhere. But I doubt it's tires because I use Heidenau K38s which have a slightly bigger circumference than the Michelin S83s it came with, which if anything would compensate for an overly optimistic speedo.

I haven't tried to fix it. There's always something else more important to wrench on. I just assume I'm going a minimum of 5 mph less than whatever it says.
OP
@maggiegirl avatar
UTC

Addicted
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
 
Addicted
@maggiegirl avatar
2021 Primavera 150 touring, 2016 LXV 150 ie, 1978 Vespa P125, 2019 Piaggio Liberty 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 814
Location: central Illinois USA
UTC quote
Thank you all who have posted, and the poor speedo and of course that odometer are probably needing a trip to the specialist who 'treats' such treasures. I'm thinking some rather old parts are needing to be replaced and it's not a Maggie job. I can replace the parts up to that speedometer but I know if I have the funds, this coming winter it will go to be rebuilt. Or I will replace it with new and put the original away until I can afford to have it rebuilt. In the meantime, I can keep on riding, and make sure in small towns known for handing out speeding tickets that they are giving them to cagers and not old woman on a vintage Vespa!
@bazziemoto avatar
UTC

Hooked
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
 
Hooked
@bazziemoto avatar
1974 Vespa 125 Primavera, 1980 Bajaj Chetak, 1962 Lambretta 175TV3, 2006 Yamaha Vino
Joined: UTC
Posts: 497
Location: Boston, MA
UTC quote
maggiegirl wrote:
Thank you all who have posted, and the poor speedo and of course that odometer are probably needing a trip to the specialist who 'treats' such treasures. I'm thinking some rather old parts are needing to be replaced and it's not a Maggie job. I can replace the parts up to that speedometer but I know if I have the funds, this coming winter it will go to be rebuilt. Or I will replace it with new and put the original away until I can afford to have it rebuilt. In the meantime, I can keep on riding, and make sure in small towns known for handing out speeding tickets that they are giving them to cagers and not old woman on a vintage Vespa!
You will likely spend more on a replacement speedo than a repair. Also, if you're worried about your speed, just use a phone mount and a speedo app.
@subetherbass avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
1997 Italjet Formula 125, 2 matching N.Z. '69 VBC Super, 177cc Racer, VespaCross Bodge, Puch SRA150, Piaggio Zip 100! & others
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4720
Location: Australa, Mate
 
Ossessionato
@subetherbass avatar
1997 Italjet Formula 125, 2 matching N.Z. '69 VBC Super, 177cc Racer, VespaCross Bodge, Puch SRA150, Piaggio Zip 100! & others
Joined: UTC
Posts: 4720
Location: Australa, Mate
UTC quote
Its perfect!
Speedy's Speedo is awesome & completely accurate... its somewhere in a box & reads 23mph all the time!
@kezarts avatar
UTC

Hooked
1965 Allstate, 1979p200e
Joined: UTC
Posts: 169
 
Hooked
@kezarts avatar
1965 Allstate, 1979p200e
Joined: UTC
Posts: 169
UTC quote
I always just subtract 7 from what the speedometer says.
@koenig_blues avatar
UTC

Veni, Vidi, Posti
a not so normal vbb2 '64, a weirdo vbx '86, a not so normal pts100 '82 and a yellow sunshine '74 sprint
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5802
Location: Indo
 
Veni, Vidi, Posti
@koenig_blues avatar
a not so normal vbb2 '64, a weirdo vbx '86, a not so normal pts100 '82 and a yellow sunshine '74 sprint
Joined: UTC
Posts: 5802
Location: Indo
UTC quote
I dont have a active speedo, so i dont have a captain log, but the wind always tells me if i am going to fast, which is rare
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