Modern Vespa

The manual details quite a bit to be done? I see a kit on Scooterwest for the belt. How many owners do these themselves?


Kit for part of the 6k maintenance.

I don't but I bring the kit to my trusted service place.

I replace the belt myself every 6K miles/10K km, but I do have the tools and knowledge.

You don't want to skip the belt service. Nothing worse than the belt breaking and locking up the rear wheel

Belt and rollers is easy enough. You're also going to need a big socket for the axle nut and the variator nut, a decent size breaker bar to get it loose, a torque wrench to put it back, and a variator holder tool so you don't break anything.

I will have to source the tools, thanks for the heads up.

Easyparts.nl has the required Buzetti tools and the Piaggio belt kits.

Kinda shocking how crazy expensive Piaggio parts are in the US. Probably explains why they are just a boutique brand.

https://www.scooterwest.com/piaggio-500-variator-holding-tool-toolp500v.html

https://www.af1racing.com/Buzzetti-Variator-Locking-Tool-For-400-500cc

For some reason the scooterwest "kit" is way more expensive than just buying the parts individually.

Mitch already has you covered. Do be careful how you jam the rear wheel. Have seen a couple instances of the brake caliper mounting points breaking off. I can almost do mine with the just the rear brake and parking brake grabbing tight. If you have an air impact wrench the nut will come of easily, but you still need to torque it down properly when you're done.

I would note use his technic to remove the bolt. This is how I broke something on my scooter back in the time:

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic154997
Disaster...I broke few parts on my MP3 500

I found the best way to break the rear axle nut loose is to have the scoot sitting on its wheels with a helper sitting on the seat.

The combined weight of the scoot and helper should be more than enough to break that nut loose without having to force or break anything.

IF you don't have a torque wrench handy, mark the nut and spindle (prior to removal) with a sharpie so you can get the nut back to roughly the same spot as it was before. However, this method is not a replacement for the torque wrench and should only be used as a temporary measure.

Wow, great detail and support, Thanks. This is my 1st 6k overhaul and I am still under warranty. I was thinking that I should have a dealership do it while under warranty. Any thoughts?

This is also my first Piaggio or CVT. It seems like a high maintenance cost to have to do this type of repair every 6,000 mi. I haven't had my bike a year yet. Does that mean I have to spend $500 a year to keep my bike running?

Well, European vehicles come with European prices. Piaggio is not alone in this. BMW is the same. Heard the same about KTM, Triumph, etc.

In the US, Piaggio is not a major player and they treat the US as a outlet market for bikes they can no longer sell in their home market.

They are a niche player making parts and availability more difficult resulting in higher prices. I suggest you use easyparts.nl if you plan to wrench yourself, which is the only way to make these bikes easier on the wallet.

Either way, these bikes do require very regular maintenance. There is simply no escaping that other than running it until something blows up.

If you wanted outright reliability and lowest running costs then you should have bought a Honda.

The belt is a critical service item you cannot ignore. Either do it yourself or have a knowledgeable shop perform it.

if your not will to do your own normal maintenance then you pay someone else to. don't care if its a car, motorcycle, lawnmower, ice cream machine, cabinet installer, what ever those labor costs are high PERIOD.

Am I the only one who finds your member name a bit ironic given this comment?
The short answer is yes, unless you DIY.

By the way, I replace my belt and rollers every 10,000 miles.

@madison sully there is some irony in the username more about speed than luxury btw. I understand the costs of maintenance, thank you to the members who reminded me that things break and require preventative maintenance. My observation was only in that I lurked here for a year or two before I purchased an MP3 and never came across a conversation regarding Total Cost of Ownership.

If I wanted two wheels there were more options! That said the technology and the power make the MP3 something very unique on the road.

Paying to play!

CVT maintenance is similar to chain & sprockets
I'd rather clean up rubber dust contained by a cover, than chain lube slinging off everywhere, no matter how carefully it's applied
Nothing quite like cleaning a fine patina of chain lube & brake dust off a spoked rim

Never ever understood how spoked rims became desirable again...

On a rigid bicycle, spokes are slightly more comfortable
Spokes mostly means inner tubes another joyous blast from the past

Also, on a bike (I like street bicycles too), alternatives can be super expensive, especially if you consider carbon stuff. I should know because I got a Colnago with those, and I never ride it, I just ride my Trek.

On the motorcycle front, I have long been a proponent of cardan driveshafts, and belts also rank high... but chains have come a very long way (unless you ride them on snowy and salty or muddy streets, I guess).

Update, the belt replacement was easier to do than the rear wheel tire change (btw I went up to a 70/150). I had to purchase the torque wrenches ($$$) and some of the larger metric sockets. Well it feels different for sure, the rollers were black and had a flat spot on half of them. Does this say anything about the clutch or my driving? Why were the replacements a different color? They feel a little smoother on the bottom end.

Now the belt is pictured here after removal at 10k mi. I was expecting to see a rodents nest of shredded fibers when I opened up the case. I was 4k overdue, but there isn't that much wear on this belt. How long can they actually go?

If you have not done the brake recall, good time to do it if needed, personally I always let the dealers do services on any bike or scooter under warranty, after that out come the tools when possible.

The lighter color rollers indicate a lighter weight. Light blue = 21gram while the stock black rollers are 25gram each. I find the best combo to be 4 blacks and 4 light blue ones in a staggered pattern (8 rollers total) which nets you a average weight of 23 gram per roller.

The flat spots are signs of wear for sure, but the Piaggio ones last the longest. FWIW, I've got about 40K miles on mine without any obvious signs of flat spots. I guess you can call me captain slow.

"How long do they actually go" is a question for the ages. IF this were a timing belt from a car engine, would you only be satisfied if the belt physically broke along with major damage or would you just change the belt per the subscribed factory interval to "play it safe"???

So lighter rollers would be less torque? They move out quicker and increase the dimension of the flywheel? It feels a bit slower off the start, and smoother in general with the light blue replacements.

my 6k miles maintenance is coming and I am thinking to replace stock rollers with DR. Pulley. Can someone recommend Dr. Pulley roller weights to replace stock rollers? I have Piaggio MP3 500ie Sport 2016