Modern Vespa

Just got rid of my2011 250 gts 7000 mls on clock and going very rusty was so peed off .As I use my scoot in all weathers I cleaned it every week and used acf50 and wax polish it lived in a dry heated garage as well very disappointed .
I am now the owner of a kymco downtown 300i seems good quality time will tell.

wow, I hope i dont have that problem. I have a 250 gts 2009 with 7800 miles on it.

no sign of rust anywhere though.

You wont. OP lives in the UK, rusty Vespas are pretty commonplace there. Not so here in the SW US.

When I was 17 I broke up with a really smart, pretty girl I'd been going out with for about six months. I broke it off because she seemed to be way more focused on her schoolwork than on me. Yeah, I was that self absorbed.

It gets worse. The week after we broke up, I brought another girl into the restaurant where the girl I'd broken up with worked a couple of nights a week as a waitress.

I was a high school boy, which is pretty much synonymous with 'douche'. And looking back, it was a total dick move on my part to parade another girl under her nose like that.

I shared that because while I can understand you being disappointed that your GTS didn't live up to your expectations. And I totally get why you might want to share what might be a quality control issue with other Vespa owners.

But I'm sort of curious why you felt the need to bring your new Kymco into the restaurant discussion?

I've noticed a couple of spots where the paint has started to bubble behind the front wheel near the seams. Must sort that out soon.

Rust has a nice brown color to it. Now you're ridding a Kymco !!!!

I've notice a few of the black screw/bolt heads on my 2009 GTS250 are rusting out. Especially the three above the rear license plate. The bike has seen little to no inclement weather and is stored in a garage. Scooterwest offers chrome replacements, so perhaps that happens often.

To the OP. you indicated you drive all weathers. Does this include the winter months between periods of snow? Do you live near the coast? I ask because heated garages and salt (from the air, or from treating icy roads) can encourage rust.

UK, and in my case Denmark, is not the best place to own a Vespa, if looks is important to you. I ride all year round, and live right next to the sea. After two years, I have rust everywhere.

I gave up on it already last year. It is just a scooter, and even though some of the older Vespa scooters has lasted a lifetime, this one is not designed, or built, for that. In Denmark, a modern Vespa has an expected lifetime of ten years, before rust kills it.

It's not rust, it's just the cappuccino grounds showing

Cheers,
Tross

On a Vespa forum nonetheless!

Well, we DO discuss other scooters here...BMW's new offerings come to mind.
Oh, and Piaggio scoots too...not Vespas

Why not?

I have been asking for years whether modern Vespas are made from galvannealed metal (like modern cars) and cannot get an answer. If nobody complains to the corporation, they won't change.

These scoots are great if you keep them bone dry at all times.

Cheers,
Bob

the lxv is the same spots of rust here and there, all the black screws are brown even got rust on the chrome handle bars.

I have been fighting it with clear laquer but the tin worm is persistant in the UK.

I have no problem whatsoever with people discussing scooters of any make. Some of MV's most active and respected members own/ride scooters other than Vespas.

My problem was with the random complaint about rust (steel scooter in a country that gets lots of wet and humid weather)... followed with an even more random mention of another brand of scooter.

There have been other members who have become disenchanted with Vespas and who became very vocal about their subsequent choices. The most recent that comes to mind was that charming chap who was unhappy with the performance of his GTS 300 and went on and on about how Harley's (and those who rode them) were so much better.

It's just bad form.

Ride whatever you want... but don't go out of your way to paint Vespas in a deliberately unflattering light on a Vespa forum; especially if you're a newb.

Nothing bad about it from my view. No different than BillDog buying a BV and bringing it here after fits with his GTS. A repeat of Gogogordy and his parts problems with the GTS. We're all able to sort it out. As Matt has pointed out we're scooter centric. It'll be interesting to watch how the Kymco works out. Hopefully the OP won't be put off by the finger wagging.

just spent the weekend getting rid of my rust

rubbed down painted and waiting for some stickers to cover the sloght colour mismatch

Most reports on the Kymco have been very favourable. More recent GTSs seem to rust, especially behind the front wheel.

They do underneath also along seam welds if you remove floorboards. Not painted as well as old PX's I in my opinion..
Be OK, just rust paint, then paint orunderseal.
No biggie.
PS. What's a Kymco should I need to know?

Everyone is guilty of bad form from time to time senor...and I do mean everyone (well except for Dannyh )

And bad form is a matter of perception. I, for one dont see it as such. You do, and your post struck me that way. How 'bout that. Thats the innernets!

I work near the beach.. rust is a part of life when salt is in the mix. best thing is to have a plan. ACF-50 comes to mind. the prep on the seams and exposed areas during winter may help in the fight on rust. without knowing how Piaggio treats its body before painting its unfair to judge them on it.


best thing to do

wash scooter every day with fresh water.
treat scooter with ACF-50 and repeat as needed.

remember salt kills everything even your vespa love

http://www.skygeek.com/10013.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_content=10013&utm_campaign=froogle&gclid=CNuJi-qp1bgCFURp7AodCXUAoQ

Thank JimC for this tip

A scooter made by a large Taiwanese company. PS They make a lot of BMW Motorrad engines

It was not my intention to do any finger wagging. I respect scooter folk as JimH used to say that they are the salt of the earth. I would be excluding myself from too many nice people if I did. Apologies to the OP if my comment was distasteful.

You're fine Max. He's talking about me.

Apparently Tom is still a bit fixated on me, and he may find that to be a risky two way street.

That explains my rust. I am currently more than 800 days behind schedule.

This. The GTS is a consumer item and all of the new Vespa I had rusted. The GTS worse than the others because it has a special hole to let the rain in! So the legshield goes first. Take the glovebox off and be horrified.

I have a 1996 PX that is currently rusting slowly. Better than the GTS, but still rusting. I no longer mind. It is acquiring an impressive patina.

That stuff really helps with the rust but I think I went overboard with it a few times. My problem was that I just sprayed the whole interior with the floor and leg shield off as well as around the cowls on the inside. Problem: Anything that was protecting any wires like thermal tapes and so forth came unglued with the process.

I can't give you any more karma but this is hilarious! You are really dry.

Are you referring to WaspAndy or 175mws or both? I have extra karma

I might end up getting the half roundel back, that disappeared in the Great Karma Revision, just days after I earned it

No kidding I just got slammed in the Rust Thread. What can I say! I love Buddy and Kymco... I am not Vespacentric.... I just can't afford anything else.

I think the OP (who I've met) may be a little surprised with the way his thread has panned out.

Whatever your take on what he posted, I've got to empathise that discovering your first rust patch on your GTS seams, and in my case watching the alloy wheel rims of a bad batch gradually get eaten by winter road salt corrosion as well, sure is a right royal PITA

Count your blessings Trepp, that warm arid climate of yours isn't going to throw that ball your way

Shame to see you switch Steve, but good luck with it.

A pic of the Kymco for the wider education of other posters...

I have an 09 GTS 250 that was NOS. New, out of the crate. It has a little rust on it. But that's what you get when iron meets oxygen. I like having the steel frame. If the rust bothers me enough I'll take it to a good body shop I know. It still runs great and I really enjoy riding it.

By the way. It's just a thing. Sure, I really like this thing, but it's not my family nor is it my friends or a person. I can replace the Vespa.

Thanks Max. Yeah I did think it was a bit wagging. The OP has been around long enough and made a pretty simple comment. Many reports have been made from the UK about the finish and it's problems in their environment. Genie commented recently about her exhaust. Kate reported almost instant rust, best I remember. As I wrote, a number have moved to other scooters on this forum and in the UK. Until the OP makes some kind of snarky attack I give him the benefit of the doubt. My comments were meant to be honest and respectful and as much a member here as the OP.