Modern Vespa

Hi all! Just bought a 2008 GT250ie with 25k miles on it. No rust, and appears to be in excellent mechanical condition, but the service done on it is unknown.

What should I do as far as mechanical maintenance? So far I’m going to:
- replace the belt and overhaul the variator and clutch, using this kit https://www.scooterwest.com/deluxe-belt-variator-clutch-overhaul-kit-vespa-gts-250.html
- make sure the clutch pads are still good, and replace if needed.
- change the oil and clean the air filter.
- replace spark plug
- check coolant and hub oil levels

Anything else I should do while it’s cracked open, assuming nothing seems off? Like should I crack open the engine and adjust the valves if it seems fine, or is that overkill? Something else maybe I should do?

Thank you!

Are you sure miles and not Kms? 25 Kms = only 15,534 miles, hardly high mileage!

I bought mine with 14,000 miles on it, and apart from small rust patches near the rear panels, which I sorted, I couldn't find many more problems with it. I changed the tyres on the scooter and popped a couple of fresh ones on it, replaced with new pads, front and rear, changed ALL the fluids, oil, water, brake fluids, changed the oil, and replaced the oil filter. When I found time, I also changed the belt and rollers, regardless of the mileage, and replaced the spark plug as well and gave the scooter a good looking over, replacing rusted nuts worn screws etc.

I made good use of all the lockdowns we are having here in the UK! The scooter hasn't been out much in 2020, but I'm hoping to change that in 2021, lockdown's accepted!

There shouldn't been many major problems with your scooter, but keep your eye out for any rust issues you might come across

Graham

Welcome to MV. Without having any maintenance history, it would be best to change the coolant, change the hub oil, and change the front and rear brake fluid. Checking the the valves soon is a good idea. You might watch a Scooterwest video on servicing your scooter for additional ideas. You should probably add a spare graphite exhaust bushing to your parts list.

Bill

Coolant flush and brake fluid flush and bleed are a must. Have you done the belt already? I like to double up two chunks of 2x12 and raise the bike on the centerstand on top of the 2xs. Drop the rear shock mounts from above. Pull down on the rear wheel. Check under the seat bucket to unclip wires and hoses that will be pulled tight. I'd remove the sparkplug cap before dropping the rear wheel. In this position, it will be easier to check the valves and remove the plug. You need the variator cover off to advance to TDC. Get this all out of the way now unless you have an idea of when the valves were done last. Don't replace the belt now, and decide to do the valves 3 months from now, and have to remove the CVT cover again. Great scooter you picked up there. Prepare for miles of fun. Be sure to clean the CVT filter everytime you do a service.

I bought my GTS250 with 22000 miles on the clock. I had new tires, belt/rollers installed and the oils changed, just to be safe.

Wow thank you everyone for the detailed responses everyone! Awesome community here.

Ok so I’ll add valve adjustment and all fluids to my original list as well. That should cover everything mentioned on the thread. Tires are relatively new, so covered there.

And yeah the scooter west videos are gold! Saw that same technique for dropping the motor/ valve adjustment on his YouTube channel. That Robot guy deserves a medal.

Greetings:

New-looking tires don't guarantee their safety. Your Avatar doesn't say where you live, but here in the U.S. and A. you will find an oval stamping on one sidewall with a 4-digit mold number. The last 2 digits signify the year the tire was made. (The first two signify which Week in that year...) I'd be leery of running tires older than 5 years, regardless of the tread depth.

Oh totally. I checked and they’re dated two year old.

Personally I'd change the hub oil.
And coolant.
Check the tires' ages, and change if over ~8 years (typical OEM recommend 10 years maximum).

Oh, and gas. Fill the gas tank.

Fill gas tank.. let me write that one down 🤣

Set the centerstand on 3" of lumber. It will give you all the room you need to do the valves.

Wow that’s awesome! I have a scissor lift, so I’ll use that, but it’s nice to see that as an option as well.

Regarding the clutch assembly: it seems like as someone who might do this once or twice ever, it’s cheaper/easier/better to just buy a new clutch assembly (around $200) than it is to buy all of the specialized tools, do all of the work to rebuild, and STILL end up with a used, possibly worn part in the end.

If the pads are worn down to 1mm, my plan is to just replace the whole thing.

Does this seem correct to you all?

Congrats on your purchase.

If it's been stood a while, it wouldn't harm running a bottle of complete fuel system cleaner through the tank.

I'd also check for any wheel bearing wear by grabbing each wheel and see if there is any lateral (side to side) play.

A picture of your new find would be nice to see.

Yours has only done 25,000 miles - my GTS (which I confess I ride very assertively) has done well over 40,000 miles and the clutch pads the rest of the clutch bits are still perfectly OK. No need to look for trouble!

The 250/300's are robust bikes if looked after. As jimc says, the clutch will likely be fine. I serviced a GTS250 with 82,000 miles on the clock a while back and the clutch was still the original, worn but still ok with over 2mm of meat on the pads. It just depends what sort of riding the owners do as to how long the clutch will last. If you have the clutch off it's shaft to replace the belt and rollers etc, then I'd check the inner bearings of the clutch. Make sure they rotate smoothly and no obvious wear. There's one sealed at the front of the clutch and the other rear one that is only lightly sealed and should be re-greased anytime you take the clutch off the shaft. Do this by rolling a nice clean lint free rag around inside the bearing a few times. Then apply a modicum of lithium wheel bearing grease to the rollers. Don't use too much, you don't want it going everywhere but give it enough to do a proper job. Remember to apply a little smear of grease to the neoprene 'o' ring seal for that bearing too. Refit the clutch to the shaft carefully so as not to damage that seal.

I'd also say in addition to some of the good advice listed above, check the bikes coolant hoses carefully. All rubber parts (the hoses are rubber and neoprene) have a finite life and start to deteriorate after 6 years or so. Again, it depends on how the bike is used, to some degree, as to how quickly the hoses deteriorate. It's mostly the heat that does it. The hoses can go much further than 6 years on some bikes but on others they may need replacing soon after 6 years. With the age of the bike you have, a good check is advisable to avoid tears later. It would be an opportunity to give the bikes cooling system a good flush. Good luck and let us all know how you get on.