Modern Vespa

Hello Vespisti!
I have been reading the NSM forum now for awhile and enjoy this entire forum tremendously.
I hail from Mary Ester, Florida, and, at 65, I ride a 1985 Vespa PX150E.

This is my third shifty Vespa since I learned to ride on a friend's 1968 50 Special in Southern Italy at age 16.

I have also owned a Spanish made Motovespa P200E from 1988 to 1992.

Since I have been an expat for most of my life, I bought my current PX150E in Germany in 1987 from new, and it now has over 39,000 miles on it.

As soon as I manage to upload a photo of my ride, I will bring some of my minor maintenance concerns that I have, but overall, all my Vespas have been extremely dependable with only routine checks and preventative mantenance.

Welcome aboard officially. As you will already know we love pictures here, but they can be challenging.

Welcome, you're going to be hanging out with a shifty crowd

...sorry I couldn't help myself 😁

Welcome!

We're great on maintenance questions, but you should beware the pull of the Need for Speed that people seem to develop after hanging out here a while.

Yes, I am well aware of how enthusiastic most of you are in boosting the performance of our beloved scooters.
Mine is a completely stock US spec PX150E; ScooterMercato completely rebuilt the engine last Summer, and I am well satisfied with its stock performance.
The motor was running well even before the rebuild, but was sucking and burning the gearbox oil through the clutch seal at the rate of about a cup every 300 miles.
I think I have the new SPACO/DEEORTO carb finally dialed in with the slow running mixture, but it has been a frustrating experience for a couple of months to get it just right.
I am thinking that the Indian made carbs must be built to run leaner than the original Italian Dellorto.

The issue may be that your jets are not manufactured to the correct specification for what they're marked. That would be my first guess.

You could also have an air leak in there somewhere, which would again produce a lean result.

And that is exactly what I thought, as well, and I relayed that thought to SIP scooters, since I bought the carb from them. I also bought another similar carb from India equipped with the same jets as the original DELLORTO, and had similar similar results: bogging/hesitation/stalling just off idle and 4-stroking on the overrun.
I then took the original jets from the old DELLOrto and put them in both the SIP and SPACO carbs, and the engine ran much better immediately. The original jets are 42/140 idle and 100/150 main, BE5 atomizer, and never had any trouble with them for 35 years; always started with one kick hot or cold and 90 mpg on average.

Well, here is my first attempt to upload some pictures:
My PX150E; It is configured in the typical Italian fashion, to be ridden as a commuter to work, like I have done for the past 30 + years. Both the windscreen and rear trunk are kicky detachable without tools, as well as the cowl protectors, in case I wan a cleaner look for the day....
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Wow great Motovespa! I approve! thanks for the photos. Those that do not realize the benefits of the screen remain numb.

Yes, and I was numb for at least 20 years, until the Spanish-made P200E that I bought used came with a short one already on.

This screen is an American- made Slipstreamer Scoot 50 model that I bought used on e-bay. It lets me have all the breeze on my face that I like (I hate full-face helmets), but not the blast, bugs, chips, etc. I can wear my open-face helmet and a short eye shield and be very, very comfortable.

Also, as a major other benefit, it makes my scooter rock-steady at 50-55 mph and it actually improves its speed by almost 5 mph. Without one, the scooter is way less stable at speed. Most scooter riders seem to have a misconception that a windscreen slows you down, but the reality is that your upper body is a poor aerodynamic shape that actually "catches" the airstream with no relief and slows you down.
A properly designed screen, like this one, that reaches eye-level and is slightly curved at the top edge, on the other hand, deflects the airstream over your helmet and makes you actually go faster with less throttle.

A completely clean Vespa with no external accessories is certainly a thing of beauty around the local beach roads of Florida, but not very practical at the highway speeds that I travel for my commute.

Yes, and I was numb for at least 20 years, until the Spanish-made P200E that I bought used came with a short one already on.

This screen is an American- made Slipstreamer Scoot 50 model that I bought used on e-bay. It lets me have all the breeze on my face that I like (I hate full-face helmets), but not the blast, bugs, chips, etc. I can wear my open-face helmet and a short eye shield and be very, very comfortable.

Also, as a major other benefit, it makes my scooter rock-steady at 50-55 mph and it actually improves its speed by almost 5 mph. Without one, the scooter is way less stable at speed. Most scooter riders seem to have a misconception that a windscreen slows you down, but the reality is that your upper body is a poor aerodynamic shape that actually "catches" the airstream with no relief and slows you down.
A properly designed screen, like this one, that reaches eye-level and is slightly curved at the top edge, on the other hand, deflects the airstream over your helmet and makes you actually go faster with less throttle.

A completely clean Vespa with no external accessories is certainly a thing of beauty around the local beach roads of Florida, but not very practical at the highway speeds that I travel for my commute.