So, I have officially ridden over 300 miles this past weekend on the 13" front 13" rear. The ride is great. First run, I got on the highway and rode over 65miles at 85+ mph. Basically I was pegging out my Vespa GTV250. The speedo seems to be much more accurate. But most importantly the handling capabilities.
First, I will say, yes the bike handles differently. That is kind of the point right? At low speeds: the bike seems to lean very easily. Not heavy in any manner. The steering is very comparable to the factory 12" front and rear. I can see how the shorter rider might struggle a little more when coming to a stop. The axle height is taller both front and rear. While riding, this is not a bad thing. In fact, I like it sooooooooo much more. This brings me to the next bit of information.
Average riding: This is where I will classify anything from about 35-60mph. Wow, what a difference. First of all, some of the back roads near me are pretty rough. Plenty of pot holes, gravel, cracks... list goes on. Because the tire is bigger than the 12", it seems to take to the rougher roads and rugged terrain much better. I have even run the set up about 3 miles on gravel roads. The "meat" of the rubber just allows for a smoother and better handling capabilities. Leaning at average riding speeds is not a problem. The tire selection and fitment still allows for a nice domed shape contour to the outer profile of the tire.
High speed riding: Again, not a problem. The bike handles as it should. In fact, I noticed that I did not get blown around as bad. Lets face it, No wind screen on a light bike with all the weight in the back at 80+ mph can be a bit of a rough ride. Any of you daring enough to ride your scooter like you stole it will know, the Vespa is no BMW adventure bike. But it really did seem as though the wind, passing cars and semi trucks was not as brutal.
Now you are going to ask, "well how about stopping?" excellent question. Many of you already experience the break shimmy the Vespa gets under deceleration. There is still a slight shimmy at about 30mph when the weight transitions back towards the front wheel. Don't kid yourself though, I am super picky about ever detail. Most of the riders will probably not even feel the slight shimmy I am talking about. I tried the set up on my dad's GTS 250, and his shimmy was actually better with the 13" wheels. My Vespa does not have a bad shimmy to begin with. My dad's bike and the 12" wheels, it was pretty rough. With the 13" wheels, it is much less of a shimmy. So, where I feel it, it actually tends to be better under breaking and or letting off the throttle than the factory set up. Crazy right?
Being that I live in North Ga. I am young, and have a touch of crazy in me, I took the Vespa for a joy ride through the North Georgia Mountains and into North Carolina. My suspension and brakes are stock. I have an Akrapovic exhaust that I drag when leaning hard right. When leaning hard left, I drag the center stand. Since the axle height is now taller, the lean angle on the Vespa is much greater than before. I did accidently scrap my exhaust again, however, not in the typical manner. I actually found the full limitations of street tires and suspension and laid the bike down
. Keep in mind, I am passing crotch rockets in the mountains and when I stop people are asking me how in the hell is that possible? This is very extreme riding that I was doing and the bike handles so nicely banking through the hairpins. And yes, I am ordering a set of racing slicks to test this further. No more scraping exhaust and center stands for you crazy riders.
With all that being said, I am moving forward to manufacturing my own wheels. I personally feel as though this is how Vespa should be setting up their scooters to begin with. Being that I feel this avid on the fact, I already have my machine shop making one piece wheels to fit front and rear. Direct bolt on application.