Modern Vespa

hi all, I finally got my new to me scooter home. 2007 bv250. I have ridden about 300 mi.i need info on how to improve acceleration and top end speed. I really like the handling and weight of this bike. just need a little more omphf. I am very capable of doing my own wrenching, just don't know these bikes at all. any help appreciated. thanks pat m.

That would be moving up to a 350/400.

Seriously, there's probably a way to tweak things, though most of what's been done, and what I see mods for is the Vespa side of things. But you're likely not the first.....

Oh, and welcome to MV...congrats on the scooter. BV's a fine specimen, regardless of the engine.

Add a 1mm washer against the variator bushing (Piaggio #831363), and insert 21x17x13g Dr Pulley sliders instead of the Piaggio rollers into the variator. Leave everything else stock. Much better acceleration - but you won't get the top speed up without adding more power to the engine.

You need a lot more power to get a meaningful increase in top speed. e.g. If you can go 80mph then you need at least 20% more power to go 85mph, as the power needed to overcome the drag is proportional to the cube of the velocity.

So stick with the far better acceleration.

Malossi variator and heavier clutch springs. The most you're going to get for the price.
11-12 gram rollers will liven it up if you want to keep it simple.

thank you all for the info. will try some of the suggestions. thanks pat

Seriously, don't waste your money.

Buy something faster.

The BV250 used the same Quasar engine found in the Vespa 250's of similar vintage.

To get any noticeable higher higher top speed, you need to get more power and taller gearing to take advantage of that extra power. There are cylinder kits and upgear kits that will get you there, but these are pretty costly. The Malossi V4 Head and Cylinder kit will provide a nice bump in power.

Without the V4 head and Cylinder kit, try slightly lighter rollers and a stiffer contra spring in the clutch will provide a bit more nip off the line as mentioned above. You might also consider upgrading the camshaft to increase valve lift duration to allow for better breathing. The stock camshaft for the Vespa 300 will drop right in for this boost.

Haha, me too! I would love to see some pictures of yours and I have posted several pics of mine so far. I have a 2007 bv 250 that was manufactured in may of 06 and it is carbureted. I have read that some of those year models are fuel injected.

Mine has 31,000 miles on it and it needs some love but hey still running good. I got it cheap but not cheap enough! Probably money ahead to buy something better maintained but I thought it would be a good learning project to see what wears out after 31K.

I consider myself an excellent driver/rider. I also consider myself slow to learn the nuances of each different vehicle.

I much admire your long distance riding achievements, very impressive. It occurs to me that we are polar opposites when it comes to riding ideology meaning that while the thing for you is covering new ground the thing for me is perfecting the line in that same familiar beaten path, my neighborhood laps!

I just bought an old bv 250 myself for the inexpensive opportunity to learn about the bike mechanically as well as getting used to riding a maxi having never ridden any kind of maxi scoot before. It takes me a good 1000 miles just to get to know a scoot or any vehicle really and I figure if I only have a small amount of money into it I can always sell it for most of it back to try something else.

I must admit though I did a search and you can still buy over the counter malossi piston and cylinder kits and heads for bolt on performance. They still make trick 9 roller polini racing variators for them. It's carbureted so many opportunities for old school performance there. It could be a really cool sleeper performance maxi scooter for not all that much into it if you self perform labor. I think you would also have to like tinkering and sorting to enjoy this type of thing though. Greasy said it was pain of ownership that builds love of machine. I would rather have a bv 350 I guess but this was cheap...

I think the new bikes right off the floor take the biggest hit with depreciation and always try to find used especially here in Nevada where there is no tax on private party vehicle sales it can mean a big savings over the dealer.

Yes, however you're trying to get something that can't go much faster go a little bit faster, with the emphasis on the little it.

Try to quantify just how little performance you're going to gain against the cost and labour involved.

So you launch off the line a bit quicker ? So what ?

If I want to go faster, I buy something faster.

However, if it's about bragging rights then the argument is lost because it's not about performance, it's about you.

BV 350's are as cheap as chips, are as ugly as sin but will annihilate a GT250/300 in all departments - acceleration, top and and handling. I'd plump for one of those if you want to go faster.

The reason that new vehicles lose money is when an attempt is made to sell them the perception is that there's something wrong. Which isn't the case. It's the perception that's enough to knock the price.