Modern Vespa

Just as a footnote, I am NOT a racist. As far as I am concerned, people are people wherever they were born or live.

If I made a comment about Americans or New Zealanders would I be called a racist?

But I am very critical of some cultures.

I bought my 8th Vespa two years ago, a 2016 GTS300ie Super. I have never had problems like this over the previous 60 years of Vespa riding.

First, starting later last year, was a stutter/misfire when cruising around 100 kph. I am aware of two Americans and three Germans who have had the same problem. The only cure is to replace the ECU and throttle body, at a cost of around $AU800. That was done and the problem solved.

Now I have a problem with the starter. The starter motor turns but doesn't engage the crankshaft. The cause is a crap sprag clutch, made in China. My scooter has been in a repair shop for two weeks, and will be there for another two waiting for a part from Germany. The previous model sprag clutch was a much better construction, but unfortunately doesn't fit.

My previous Vespas were all extremely reliable. My current one is crap!.

OK, in my title I should have said "Crap components ...".My Vespas have always been very reliable, and I frequently remarked that a PX was the most reliable thing on the road. Then my newest one lets me down.. This just happens when Piaggio starts ordering components from China, and the faulty component just happens to have "Made in China" stamped on it. My mechanic ensures me it is an inferior design to the one he showed me from an older Vespa.

I suppose its all just a coincidence.

The greifer me in this instance I guess harbinger I guess also can take credit for being the first to turn this thread into what it has become 🤟

I thought Thursday was casual racism day?

Bill's take on this is quite right. I have experienced for myself the discrepancies between the drawn and written in-house specification and the actual in-house production. The vehicle manufacturer I worked for in the 1970s/80s had an agreement with a Spanish company allowing them to manufacture engines to the parent companies specifications. The managers of the parent company naively believed that the design departments drawings were a true reflection of what was manufactured and assembled in the UK. The reality was very different because the production engineers in the UK continuously improved the product by making changes both to components and to assembly methods. This had happened over years if not decades even to the extent that the production engineers had their own sets of drawings which were used in place of the original design drawings. So when the Spanish factories built to the spec. given the engines just didn't work properly. So in turn the designs were modified in Spain and they actually did change their drawings to documents these changes.

When the Spanish engines were then dissected in the UK the changes were discovered. In many respects the 'foreign' modifications were genuine improvements at least 50% of the time!

Conclusion: When a long established company goes for major outsourcing of its designs there are very serious consequences if communication is anything less than open, honest, and comprehensive.

Exactly yes, your blaming Subaru and rightly so.

There is some more earth magnetic science in the attached article.

www.sheldonbrown.com/geomag.html