Modern Vespa

Something APEX said made me realize the misunderstanding here. I say the term Canyon Dancer as people call soda pop 'Coke'. I am actually refering to these 'soft loops' when I say canyon dancer. I now realize that the actual canyon dancers have a cross strap and I see they could harm switches as mentioned which is what I didnt understand.


Here are the straps I use that are positively secure and harm nothing:

Like a lot of you, I found the front end wobble to be managable but irritating. I just ordered a set of the extra heavy bar ends from HVMP. I'll let you know how they work for me.

I've used the Jettin ends on both our GT 200L and GTS250 to and from Seattle from Temecula, and to and from numerous other rides, and have 100% confidence in them for transporting the scooters. The beauty of the is that they hold your bike secure WITHOUT putting a lot of tension on the straps! That's the idea, and they work, saving your front shock, headseat, etc.

The "downside" for lack of a better word, is that they are lightweight...however this whole "wobble" thing and it's many reported cures are essentially a black-art, and I don't think I've seen definitive proof that the bar ends can cure a bike that really has that wobble. I've never experienced any more or less wobble while wearing the Jettin ends, than without. I know of numerous instances of wobble with the larger, OEM ends that come with the Vespa topcase. I think if your bike "has it", it "has it" (the wobble).

At the end of the day, they do exactly what they were designed to, help safely and securely transport the scooter, and I for one trust a grade 8 bolt, more than nylon webbing that a Canyon Dancer is made from.

Im just saying the jetting barends are not a 'positive secure' method. Its not rocket science to see that an emergency or abrupt motion or hard dip could easily let them pop off the groove. Im just not comfortable with that. Must be just my opinion.

yourself.

Petrol--I am with you on this one. I actually bought Jettin barends because I think they are a fantastic idea to help secure a scooter that is hard to tie down, but I also know from painful experience that a good jolt can cause a tiedown hook to unhook from a strap (happened to me with a CBX a bunch of years ago) and so it is possible with the Jettin ends too unless they are cinched down hard enough. I actually use ratchet tiedowns with safety clips these days so they cannot come unhooked from a soft hook or eyebolt accidently. For the Jettin ends, I am thinking of drilling a small hole in the tip of my tiedown hooks so I can tie down the scooter and then use safety wire to ensure the hooks stay in the grooves.

Jeff

Does anybody know how the HVMP bar ends compare in weight to the ones that Vespa supplies with their top cases? My dealer installed the Vespa ones to reduce the wobble on my GTS (with a large Givi V46 case) and although it has helped the wobble is still very present.

I should add that the wobble almost only occurs when I'm slowing down to the point at which occasionally it's almost shaking during the last meters before coming to a complete stop.

The set that comes with the bar ends weigh in at approx 12.13 oz range. The HVMP's are slightly over 17oz.
Remember Carl Walenda, the high wire specialist? Long balance pole...weighted at the ends? Weight out there adds for us has two distinct variables 1st, the deadening of sonic vibration. The 2nd, is the balance issue. More weight at the ends of the bar essentially stabilizes the handle bars in the same way a weighted pole is essential for balance for a high wire artist. The feel difference can be substantial, esp. depending on your riding requirements...be that higher speed, long range riding or nimble turn, quick maneuvering.
All these add on possibilities assume the rest of the scoot is in good repair...tight steering bearings, good tires, proper inflation, etc...

I added one more vibration damper...got rid of the stock grips and added the dense foam Grab-On brand grips. Sort of a dense neoprene grip. For me, they are super! Absolutely no vibration now! The reasons...I wear an XXL glove size, and the stock grips always felt like I was holding a pencil in my mitts. Second, the bones in my right hand had been broken 20 plus times over the years...wrist troubles from a career of high speed repetitive motion playing a brass instrument, too. (Old boxing injuries from the 70's, mostly). Right now I'm waiting on surgery to re-round the radius and ulna bone heads, and removal of some chips. Perhaps this is why I seek a PERFECT set up....my requirements are more specific that the average non-destroyed rider's hands. TubaJim

CBXs Rock!

I installed the heavy duty bar ends the other night. While there was some improvement, I still experienced some wobble around 30 MPH.

To be fair, I tested them on an evening when the temperature dropped almost 40 degrees from the day before. Having proper front tire air pressure helped before. I need to recheck the air pressure before I call the experiment complete.

I installed the HVMP ends about two weeks ago on my GTS. Checked the air on the tires and took off. The wobble has reduced quite a bit, but that low speed shake is still there, specially if you're two up. If Í'm riding alone sometimes I can hardly feel it. Would I buy them again, yes. Before the wobble could be felt even at higher speeds with some vibration. Now it's quite a bit more relaxed on the hands.

I rechecked the tire pressure this weekend and gave the bar ends another try. Still some slight wobble but markedly better. I also have a canvas topcase (Prima) on the scoot. I'm sure that's not helping the aerodynamics.

Bottom line is that I too would add the bar ends again. While they didn't eliminate the problem completely they did have a very noticable impact. I am pretty sure if I removed the topcase, I could reduce the wobble even further.

Although HVMP is offering more than reasonable pricing for the shipping, I've decided to hold off for the moment. Reason is that with the recent drop in temperature in Paris from an average 15 centigrades to 5 centigrades, the wobble has almost entirely disappeared. I'm guessing that this is a huge indicator that the wobble on my GTS is related to the tire pressure and so I'm going to keep on eye on that for a while.

I want to thank all of you who purchased our bar ends. The response has been so good that my supplies are dwindling. I have to put in a new order. Turnaround time from order to delivery is usually about 3 months. So if you find in the near future that they are out of stock, please understand that the supply/demand balancing act on a new product needs some time to be established. Ride safe.

Regards,
HVMP

A wise soul

Quite possibly the best upgrade I have ever purchased. Truly cuts down on vibration, and the low speed wobble is nearly gone. Makes driving my scooter more of a pleasure than it already is

Tell you what else I like about my bar ends; they seem to automatically detect when my tire pressure isn't correct. Very convenient.

Anyone know if these will work on an LX150?

I ordered a pair and I guess I was confused on how they attached or might work with the LX, I think I looked at the universal kit for fitment. I see now the GT/S have stock bar ends that can be screwed off and the HVMP's installed. My mistake. I cut a slit in my grip hoping to find a spot to screw in but I didn't see anything.

sccooper, check your email.

The heaviest bar ends from HVMP, they cut back on the wobble, but my problem seems to be the tire out of balance. Im happy with the bar ends but I have about a 1/4" gap between the grip and the end, other than that I like the way they look.


weighted down,

snapshot, sometimes you can "massage" the grip outward a bit to lessen the gap between the grip and the bar end.

Regards,
HVMP

I'll try that, plus Im thinking of changing the grips as well.

The heavier weights work really well.

I added Grab-On dense foam grips to mine. They are super at vibration reduction...a much fuller grip, which works for me...I wear XXL gloves. You can tailor where they meet the bar ends when you put them on! You should add a bit of glue under them when you put them on, but be careful to avoid getting glue UNDER the throttle tube! TubJim