Modern Vespa

Does anyone use their GTS as a commuter bike? I'm riding 30 miles each way and 28 of that is freeway. I have two GTS' and they seem to be showing some wear. One after 4000 miles I need a new back tire and it's just an over all rough ride. The second bike, well I blew a back tire at 800 miles.

I'm thinking I just need to get a motorcycle.

Thoughts?

No problem...

I would travel 45 miles each way back in my college days on my Riva 180

Road hazards just happens

Iam running 35 psi of nitrogen, 11 miles and picked up a nail

Shit happens

I now stay away from were trucks unload because of nails in pallets etc.

GB

Tires wear out about that time on most GTS's unless you installed a Michelin Power Pure or a Heidenau on the rear. A GTS for communiting is perfect. A GTS for a cross country tour is also perfect! I just finished a 8,600 trip on my mine.

.......also have a BMW motorcycle, but would rather be on the Vespa.

The rough ride could be blamed on a few things, like rear shock adjustment might be set high (stiff) or over inflated tires, to name a couple. For me the GTS does already have a slightly rough ride to begin with.

I'm up to over 113,000 km in 3 and a half years of commuting on my GTS (175 km round trip daily). Would a maxi scooter have been more comfortable? Yeah. But I'm guessing very few (i.e. the very high end ones) would still be running.

I use one for work. 60 - 120 miles per day. They can take several years of punishment.

I can't compete with trepp but I commute 30 miles, 22 freeway. I have put on 25,000 miles in 3 1/2 years. Earlier this year I bought a Honda CB750 because I thought it would be better on the freeway. Turns out that the GTS was much more comfortable and I sold the Honda.

My co worker spend close to $800 for his 2 new tures on his bike. In the other hans I just spend little over $200 for both tires on my Bv250.

I ride my ET4 125 to and from London sometimes (usually when I'm fed up of the train). It's about 70 miles each way so a GTS should have no problem.

I'm stunned by the distances you guys negotiate on a daily basis! Respect!

To the OP, I think you need better tires. That is not good mileage.

I've been riding 2 wheels for 45 years. I would not commute with a Vespa or other scooter on highways for more than 20 miles on a daily basis. I'd want more power and speed to feel secure and safer.

Here in Germany, I'd prefer a BMW big scooter or even a comfortable motorcycle. Moto Guzzi for instance. I like 'em!

As for the wear, my old ET4 MO4 was sold for a good price, it had 43k miles on it. Original motor. I take care of things.

So robinberumen, personally speaking, I would feel safer and thusly more comfortable with a motorcycle in the 500cc range. Get a fat one, not a "performance" piece. Go for comfort. Even the regular midrange displacement motorcycles can move to please.

I ride my Vespa daily, commute to my workplace, and do my daily things with pleasure and fun, except snow.

The highway though, is a different environment. In Germany cars can still drive flat out. There are some very fast cars here.

Greetings.

Stock tires rarely last beyond 5,000 miles and often less so 4,000 doesn't seem all that out of line. Get a better tire and you'll get a bit better mileage but rear tires tend wear about twice as fast as the front. As others mentioned there are some Michelin and a few others can get better.

The other blow out seems like you picked up something on the road, aka bad luck.

Many folks commute as far or further than you do without issues. Play with your shock adjustment or consider an after market shock but the GTS is a good commuting choice as is a BV, Sports City or Scarabeo.

that's quite a commute. It sounds like you ride across the country 8 times a day
One of the big problems with Scooters as a practical alternative to automobiles is tires. When you compare what it costs to maintain a Prius, gas has to get to about $12 a gallon for commuting by scooter or motorcycle to make sense, primarily because there are more frequent and costly service intervals. That said, if you are looking for commute tires, most of the Euro tires aren't going to be a good choice. Kenda and VeeRubber are cheaper alternatives, and they usually outlast their European counterparts. No, they don't corner as well as some of the Euro tires, but most of us don't scrape our kneepucks and drift the front wheel through the corner when we take the offramp either.

robertsfun - Thanks - I think I may just want a bike too. Something about the larger tires etc.

80MPH on a GTS feels a little hairy at times.

I'm really happy that people are making my commute and longer ones on a daily basis.

First time riding these type of miles and had no idea what to expect.

Much thanks to everyone for the input.

I did it for a year LAX to OC 29 miles each way on the 105 freeway on my GTS at the time.. it was fine but the same ride was much better on my Harley. I road the carpool lane WOT on the GTS and it did lack power sometimes... I'd buy a 500cc Motorcycle if I had to do it again. Just my 10 cents

note or the BV350 or larger scooter

CB 750 is that an older bike?

I have 60 mile commute of both highway and city. In the city the vespa could not be beat. It was fantastic.

On a highway, not so much. I agree with robertsfun and I needed more speed and stablilty. Personally I did not like the squirrelly feeling of those little tires at 80 mph.

To those vespa commuters with major highway miles, I salute you!

I guess the question is how fast of a freeway are you talking?

If it is fairly calm or open rural roads and typical speed of say 60mph max, then I think the GTS is fantastic. However, if it is super highway with cars regularly pushing 80mph across six lanes, etc then I don't think the GTS is the right bike.

I chose a bigger scooter (BMW C600) mainly for stability/safety reasons as I like having a bit more power on tap when needed and longer rides. I'm a taller guy with long legs and my GTS was getting cramped on longer rides.

Can you do it on a GTS? Yes. Is it the right bike? Depends on who you ask. The GTS is happiest in an urban environment imho and not really made for longer highway rides.

I usually get 6,000 to 7,000 miles on rear tires on my GT. This is with several Michelins, one Continental and even a Heidenau 140 width. The only exception was a Bridgestone Hoop that my mechanic Boris put on when I needed it before another new Michelin came in. I didn't want it but went along. That tire was the best ever. I got 12,000 miles out of it before needing to change it. The performance was equal to the others too.

There are many advantages to long lasting tires on these scoots, among them cost, damage to wheels and exhaust gaskets. When I replace my current Michelin Power Pure it will be with a Bridgestone Hoop.

I have been doing 30 mile round trips (5mi. on freeway) for over 5 yrs. now for a total of 26k miles. 6 rear tires, 3 fronts, 1 brake pads change, still on 2nd belt, 1 coolant change and 1 brake fluid flush, 1 set of new shocks..

I use mine for everything

I would be looking at a 650cc cruiser, the little S40 or a V-Star, and would running a car tire in the rear.

Depends on your riding style, what speed you're wanting, how comfortable you are with traffic, etc.

I have a home studio, so not a commute per se, but the vast majority of my riding is on either 55 mph highways or the interstate. Personally, I prefer the highways: they're more interesting and more enjoyable for anything 2-wheeled. However, I don't blink if I'm running on the clock and jump on the interstate. I actually prefer the interstate after dark: less chance of a deer sneaking up on me, better visibility. I do this regularly, whether it's to go to the other side of the county or 100+ miles away.

I commuted in LA for many years, 42 miles each way, on a motorcycle. I have to agree with the way you are leaning. Sell the oldest scooter you have and pick up a mid-sized motorcycle.

I have a GTS and a Ducati Multistrada 620. I sold my FJR 1300 and bought the Multi. I haven't missed my beloved FJR because the Multi is a perfect compromise between fun, comfort and economy. It is very light but still very stable at freeway speeds.

Just my 2 cents and best of luck with which ever way you go.

I commute 20 miles each way, about 5,000 miles per season, most of it on expressways. Last summer I rode from State College PA to Hartford CT on Interstates all the way. For that trip my companions were on a BMW R1200R and a Yamaha V-Star 650. I had fewer comfort or handling complaints than they did, and they weren't prepared to travel as fast as I was. The GTS is a great commuter and a reasonably good tour bike as well.

I've used my GTS pretty much exclusively for commuting up and down the 101 and 280 freeways to and from work, putting on about 240 miles a week. I've logged over 41K original miles on her this way, and she's not let me down yet.
Only in the last month did I add the BV350 to my stable, because I wanted a scoot with bigger wheels, but not the weight and size of a maxi like a Bergman.

She's run pretty much WOT all the time, and aside from the one time I blew her front pulley system, been pretty reliable. This was a 2010 model year, which means I've been putting about 10 -12K miles on her per year.

the gts is usually my local work horse.very good for marketing.to use on a congested road will be totally heaven.looking @ those frustated driver waiting in their cars put a smile on my face.anyway,getting a c650gt for longer journey.cheers.

My two cents; I am a fair weather rider; I commute with my scooter, but, I only have a one way six mile commute these days though I go home for lunch so technically I have a twenty four mile total commute daily - great when it's not too hot which is only a couple of weeks a year. What I am having a problem with is the cold though my cold is nothing compared to what others ride in, still less than 50°F I most likely will not ride and take the car. Tires hold up well, third set in 16K miles, the first two were OEM Pirellis now with the Michelin it seems much better. That said if I had to ride that many miles on a freeway I would ride a more powerful bike, my Super 300 does not have enough reserve power for me to feel safe on the freeways, if it were surface streets the scooter has no problem.
When I first moved to the PHX valley I was commuting over 30 miles one way on the freeway - the commute lane speeds are anywhere's between 65 - 85 mph (speed limit is 65) so I needed to stay in the slower lanes as my scooter only goes about 82. In the slower lanes it was dangerous because I was just not visible, on the interchanges commuters were so anxious to change into a new lane it never seemed to register in their minds I was there even though I can see they see me and during the hours when the sun was low it was even more dangerous - with a more powerful bike I think I would have felt safer.

Michelin City Grips are my tire of choice. Recently replaced the back tire at 9,000 miles and the front at 13,000 miles. Both installed with labor: under $200. The GT/GTS series of bikes are fine commuters.

As usual only you can decide, clearly a Vespa 300 can handle the distance. I ride about half that 17 miles each way and I can choose either highway or bi-way, if that is a real word. However, if you think a motorcycle would be a more suitable it just might be. I use my scooter most often to do productive errands, store runs as with my top-box and front rack she is a hauling truck compared to my Sportster. On the Harley 883XL face it, the luggage rack is simply a chrome doo-dad, I often wear a "sling bag" but my 883 is pretty much just set up to haul me in the comfy single Mustang seat. If you are tall enough (I'm not) the Honda NC700X, as a matter of fact Honda has several interesting and reasonably priced (new at or under $7,000) in the 500 cc to 700cc range that all get over 60 mpg. While I'm not a big fan of Honda for the most part they are super dependable, cheap to operate well built modern machines. At first some what over a decade ago I purchased a used scooter, a Honda CH250 Elite for fun and to commute to work in warm weather. It was great, maybe too much fun as I was going through a set of tires each season as I was running over 4,000 miles. One reason I got the Harley was to "share" the drive and not to just drive my poor Honda into the ground. I enjoy riding anything with 2 wheels and an engine, so it's kind of fun to note the contrast between the bikes. Me, I'm always looking to add another bike although my wife thinks one is more than enough. I don't need to have a bunch of bikes, perhaps 6 would be nice. Having a different bike for each day of the week, while nice would be a bit over the top, I guess I could use one bike twice a week if need be .....

I agree completely with DrScooter. Since I bought the GTS300 in October, I have riden it about 5:1 versus my Ducati 1000SS, especially when I go into the city. For overall versitiliy, the Vespa wins hands down. You can't make a bad choice with a bike of any sort.

I have ridden a BV250 and now am running a Kymco gt300i. They both have 16 inch wheels and may be a bit more stable on highways and if roads are less than perfect. The kymco has 29K in 18 months. The belt lasts until 14k and tires are lasting to about 15K. Presently City Grips are mounted and will be replaced with a new set around 31K. Gold member gets 73mpg and is still under warranty until April '14. New gti's are out there for 4800 ish. To this point zero issues 8)

Get new tires and throw on some Malossi or Bitubo hocks and you'll notice a big difference. We have many on here who do long commutes on a 250. However it kinda sounds like you want a MC. Nothing wrong with that. Tires will go on that quickly as well. Also how are the tire pressures? if they aren't what they should be that could cause rough handling. Good luck

That much time on a freeway and i'm thinking you need a motorcycle. Nothing beats a vespa in the city. NOTHING!!. But 18 miles on freeway id go with a bike. The 620 Multi is cool but if you can't find a good used one then maybe a new Honda 500 series. Very good reviews so far.