Modern Vespa

Hi,

I have a friend who has a 2010 Vespa LX150ie that they have asked me to help them with. They knew I am a member of the forum and have asked me for some advice.

She recently dropped the bike, I was not there but the way she described it she gassed it out of a junction and lost control, she panicked as she mounted the curb and yanked on the front brake leading to the inevitable off.....She is a very new rider and was lucky her first crash did not injure her or anyone else.

The bike has the following visible damage;

- rear brake lever broken
- scuffs on front fender

So all in all not to bad cosmetically, however when straightening the front wheel the bars are offset.

My question is this....in this scenario what are the usual outcome and things to get damaged first.

I have removed the top headset cover and loosened the bolt to try and straighten the steering head - however this is almost impossible to correctly estimate when it is all lined up as you cannot see the actual front wheel when you are behind the bars.

Is it common to bend the frame or the front suspension in this sort of accident or is it more likely to be the bars knocked out of line on the headset as I am hoping?

any insights or advice very much appreciated.

Thanks all.

The bars are designed to slip a bit during an impact. Usually, you can line the bars and wheel up without taking anything apart. You can turn the bars against the stop, either right or left as needed, and apply a bit of pressure. You might have to bump it against the stop a little if it is stubborn.

This takes it for granted that the front fork isn't bent.

Where in Cali are you/is the LX rider? Sounds like minimal damage - again, assuming nothings bent and it's just an alignment issue - that can be repaired with parts from a local dealer.

San Diego - Motorsport Scooters

LA Area - Vespa Sherman Oaks

SF Bay Area - San Jose Vespa

Best of luck...

I am in Sacramento, I will attempt to line the front end as best as I can without being able to see the front wheel from behind the bars.

If any parts were to bend in such an impact...which would they be typically?

Thanks.

Glad your friend wasn't hurt.Sounds like the front tire took the brunt. I don't think anything else was hurt but it would be prudent to have a look under there and make sure everything is still tight. The steering column is what you would normally look at and you've already done that. Hope you can do it NightWings way but if you can't take the headset off (major PIA) and manually loosen the screw to get it in place and then tighten it. Don't think you'll have to do that tho. I think the term for what she did is Whiskey Throttle and my friend did the same thing on one on my scoots. You only do that once. Good luck with the fix.

If anything was bent, it would likely be the forks/steering column - which is expensive and a pain in the butt to replace (best left to pros most of the time).

I would try straightening the bars as mentioned above, maybe do a test ride (in a safe/easy spot) - if anything seems out of the ordinary at all, have a shop check it out - it won't cost that much to do...

Best of luck,

Desi B.

Thanks all,

I have the headset off and loose so will straighten it up as best as I can and give it a ride.

I'll keep you posted.

Be careful with those 2 little tabs when you put it back together. They break VERY easily.

So on further inspection I can see that with the bars straight, when you look at the bike from the front the wheel is definitely out of whack....the camber is out.

So, I am thinking now I need to take it apart and see whats what.
I am going to attempt to take the bars off, steering column out and see what is bent.

anyone have any experience with this procedure?

Hi back after removing the steering post and entire front steering/supsension.

It looks like the suspension arm is bent, I held it up against the same bike that had a good post/unit on. It seems bent in two different planes....my friend must have banged it pretty hard!!

So I am now in the market for a good steering post..any ideas?

I could not even find a vespa microfiche anywhere to look up the unit/components.

Anyone know of any?

Also, I cannot see any damage to the frame around the steering head, are there any tell tale signs?

Its for an ET4 so you'll have to email them to find out if it fits an LX.
Mega.

http://www.scooterwest.com/items/?_pageCCS=t#page=/item_details/Steering-Column-ET2---ET4/5412

This might help.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/ersatzteile/Maxiscooter/Steering+Column++Brake+Drum+VESPA+ET4LXLXVS+front-324?model=b10c380e-fa14-4daf-bb24-f313322a9e09

Cheers,
Mark

So might this.....
http://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/products/steering+column+piaggio+_pi600959

Thanks for the links fella's...appreciate it.

I see a subtle bend in the arm of the column that is off the bike I really hope that is the problem and the full extent of the damage...

I am guessing there is a no way of checking the steering head tube for trueness other than a jig with the correct set up etc??

Before you start ordering parts and dismantling the bike, inflate the tire properly and turn the bars a couple times in each direction. If you turn the wheel and the bike noticably rises and falls, something somewhere is bent. If it doesn't, it's probably fine.
As far as aligning the steering and wheel, set the wheel against a wall and push hard a couple times on the handlebar, until they line up.

thanks for the tip but the front is out of the bike...i held 2 levels on different planes up against the colum itself and could see a big kick out to the right in the steering arm......looks bent to me...

The lock to lock test would have been good prior to me dismantling the bike.....the way the front wheel is off camber means that there is definitely something amiss.....

Hey all, Im a new user and rider (ie very uneducted on mopeds). This thread seemed to match my question the best, hope you can help!

Dropped my 2009 Vespa LX50 trying to dodge a rabbit. Both of us are fine but now my front alignment is off about 7 degrees. I tried both the wheel between knees and turning handle bars and also the wheel on curb method but to no avail. It wont budge.

I took it to the only shop in my small city and after about 10 seconds of looking they told me the bike is totaled even though it runs fine (just misaligned). They said that because the steering column (I can't remember the exact name of the part) connects only on one side, that part is nearly impossible to order and would cost over $800 if it could be found. They said there is only one or two distributors in USA and would probably have to be ordered from Italy. They refused to further examine the bike so I left.

Am I getting taken here? Does their information sound correct? Seems to me that it would be hard to tell if the steering column was bent without even touching the bike or getting down on one knee to really look.

Also, what next step should I take to try to fix the alignment? Much thanks!

there are Vespa shops all over the USA, and many have
Twitter and Facebook accounts--so parts are not that hard to get unless you are talking Vintage....
I don't know about prices but I do know a shop con when I see/read 1, people here with far more Vespa experience than me will surely help you locate a trustworthy place to look at buying your needed parts.

AF1 has excellent parts diagrams and parts lists.

http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=1834

When the bike is on the centre stand, is the front wheel vertical when it's pointed straight forward? If so, no worries, you've just got the usual bars being twisted around the column. If you can't move them by the 'bang' methods you've tried, then take the handlebar covers off and loosen the pinch bolt. Align as best you can, nip up the bolt, give the bars a knock to get final best alignment then finally tighten fully.

If you do need a new steering column, it's ~$350:
http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=35702

hi werneik glad your friend is ok m. I live in sustralia and have a gts in the shop waiting for new front stem m, a cager hit bike whilst parked over night it seems over here there are absolutely no new or used stems at all wait time has been estimated at three months hope you have better luck😎

If it's not fixed yet, he's had to wait three and a half years.