Modern Vespa

Recently Acme Cycle have stopped working on Vespas, and Scooterworks is not doing anything apart from the easiest stuff.

Motorworks are charging $700 for 9000 ml service which is ridiculous, I have the parts! I asked for the price to change a drive belt (no parts) -- $180 -- $180! crazy.

Does anyone know a handy man in the area with some tools... or a different solution?

I just called the Vespa dealership... the guy on the phone was very rule and obnoxious, saying "oh you bought the parts, sounds like you want to do it yourself", and would not say how many days I'd have to wait to get my bike back and this is an hours ride away....

Sounds like you need to get yourself some tools...

Wow. Chicago's not a small town. There must be someone around who can wrench for you. Basic maintenance isn't brain surgery.

what do you expect? did you buy the parts from them? did you buy the scooter from them?

I suspect they work like a lot of dealers. folks who buy from them are at the top of the list all others are we will get to it.

Why did you not contact them first?

I'm all for saving money, but there are limits.

You're going to be at the back of the line unless you buy parts or scooters from that dealer.

Personally I understand that. It's why I do my own work, and only bother my dealer on rainy days or during winter. Though I do make as many referrals as possible.

Seriously, my dealer knows me. If there are other customers about, they're first, I wait. No problemo. I'm only there to buy parts or get something for the Chris.... erm, holiday gift exchange.

all due respect here... you bought your own parts to save a buck. Now you're asking a guy with overhead to help you save even more money.

Some dealerships have great service and some don't. We have a horrible one. They don't even carry oil filters. There used to be a kiosk in Waikiki that rented Vespa's. They told me that the Vespa dealer called them and wanted to buy some filters off of them ( they serviced their own bikes). Luckily i found a scooter shop that does great work. I get my own parts (most times). Their happy that i do. The other day i got a flat front tire and i only had a spare rear. They got me a Power Pure for me. While their shop is in an industrial area it's not much to look at but their service is stellar. Seems like the service area of the dealerships has always been a problem. More than half of the dealerships have closed in the US.

Hi there

where are you about in Chicago? I am in the NW suburb. I bet I could help you out and we can do it. I worked on my sportcity 250 a while back but its been a while, I think same engine as your GTS, not entirely sure.

lmt6600: that would be awesome! do these two scooters require the same tools? I am in Hyde Park, but I would not mind traveling there if it takes about an hour or less (same distance as to the shop).

What would you want in return?

Oil changes, valve adjustments, coolant change, brake fluid flush, variator and belt service and more can be done by a reasonably handy individual. If you can change the oil in your car and replace your car's front brake pads, you should be able to do all of the above. ScooterWest has a detailed video for each of them. You can find an online service manual for free. All of the needed tools will cost you about half of what they want for the single belt change. There's really not much to it. I like to do my valves, spark plug and variator service all at the same time. Need the variator to get the cylinder to TDC, and it turns easier with the spark plug out. Easiest to do a gear oil change, while you have the back wheel off for a tire replacement. Riding is a blast, if you can wrench on what you ride, that's even better.

Abner_Bjorn: where can I find a list of the required tools?

Anytime I hear someone say the dealer's labor rates are "crazy" or "ridiculous" I wonder how much they think their own time is worth.

If you don't like what the dealer's charging, buy yourself a service manual and do the repair yourself.

So I bought my Vespa at Motorworks and agree their service prices are a bit high but I do think they know what they are doing. There are several other scooter places in the city but in the past when I have called them they did not seem to be too interested in working on Vespas. In Lake Geneva, which is not that far out of the city, is a place called Scoot Jockeys and when I was looking to buy my Vespa I had checked them out and they seem to be a very nice place and you may want to check them out, although i have not ever used them for service. There are not a lot of places that will work on Vespas. Hope this helps. If you find a good place in the Chicago area I would be interested. There is also a place in the Western suburbs, but I am not sure exactly where.


larry

Obligatory snide, not helpful comment---- Tomorrow morning, go to your local coffee shop and bring along your own tea bag and just ask them to charge you for the hot water and the cup.....

Hopefully somewhat helpful comment... Look for a "club" to join (either formal or informal group of scooter riders) there's probably someone in the club that offers to work on member's scooters or even a "wrench night" type of meeting night or a Saturday morning thing.

Im about 1 hour and 22 mins from you. Im not mechanic by all means but I have changed belt on my sportcity and i already change the rollers on my BV, i usually watch youtube videos.. if all you need is belt change I am sure i can help you out if you are willing to take a ride. I just have to figure out when. It shouldn't be too long. Not asking anything, just cool to help out someone.

You have to do a little searching on this. You'll need a variator holder and a clutch holder. The clutch holder is easy to make. You'll need a basic metric tool set, a couple of feeler gauges for valves. Get the ones Rocket uses in his video. You should also have a 3/8" torque wrench. All I have ever used is the $10 one from Harbor Freight, and it is fine for variator nuts and oil drain plugs. I like the HF197 oil filter. It goes on with a 17mm socket. Be sure to torque it to spec. Measure out your engine and gear oil to the drop I drop the rear shocks from above for the valve adjustment. This makes getting to the spark plug much easier. Use the MV search. All the info you need is in these pages 10x over. It is a good feeling when you have completed the maintenance. You know exactly where you stand with your bike. Use this site and Youtube, go slowly and check your work. None of it is terribly difficult.