Modern Vespa

hello there
i m going to receive my 2019 hpe 300 vespa yellow in like 2 weeks

i ve read about the first 1000km , that i have to be " slow " with the scooter , no hills. no passanger etc

what are your recommendations ?
i have the garage where i will keep my scooter , underground , with incline ramp that goes down
is this a problem ?

thanks

Everybody has their own pet theory about how to "break in" a new scooter. They range from don't ride it above 30 mph for the first thousand miles, to push it relentlessly all-the-time, everywhere. Frankly, I think this is much less critical than it once was due to much better manufacturing techniques. My own theory (no better than anyone else's) is to ride it normally but try to avoid extended periods at a constant engine rpm during the "break in" period.

thanks for info
what are you thoughs about my underground garage with an ramp that has like 35degrees incline
is it ok to climb that ramp every day when i will leave for work ?

As I said, my opinion is do what you need to do (including climbing hills or ramps), just avoid extended operation at a constant engine RPM.

noted . thanks
i was thinking now , if i have the road clear and it will be constant rpm , i will brake , accelerate etc etc...

The Owner's Manual should have guidance for the break in period, once you receive the vehicle.

Enjoy your new scoot!

Ramp should be no problem, and as you stated, just try to vary the speed as you go....a bit easier if you're not in traffic, of course. It's easy to overthink it...try to relax and enjoy the ride!

thanks 8)

What I have been told by various dealers on different PTW is that there is no set speed or load to avoid but rather to vary the throttle as much as possible the first 600 mile give or take.

The new HPE?! My best advice is to let someone else drive it the first 1000 km. I suggest ME!

Seriously, simply enjoy the rides. Just don't go full throttle with a cold engine. You'll notice when the engine is getting loose. Takes some 500 km and after 1000 km it spins like a cat in a warm bath of creamy milk.

Meanwhile, have sweet dreams of your new two-wheel friend.

thanks guys for the info


can't wait to receive my bumblee bee 8)

Just ride normal, not like you stole it.
You're not gonna hurt it.
This is not 1960. Engines have improved hugely.

The first service being done is, in my opinion, more relevant to the long life of a scooter than how you ride it those first ~1000 km.

Completely agree. As far as riding just ride it like you own it not stole it. Don't sweat it much just vary the throttle position and don't do a long run in one throttle position. No need to brake just roll of and on the throttle. As said DO ensure service intervals are followed. A good mechanic/dealer should be a key to tell you how it's doing on first maintenance and how the drained oil looks.

thanks guys again for the infos
8) 8) 8) 8)

in like 1 week , as far as my dealer says , my bumblee bee should arrive
will post pics / videos

hopefully will sell my sei giorni top case brand new i got for sale here and on ebay , so i can buy the new yellow gloss top case

hey there again ..

is there a problem if i mount the top case + the heavier handlebar wieghts ?
in the first 1000 km ?
thanks

No problem at all.
Go for it!

thanks mate

oh boy can't wait.. just got 2 days ago msg from dealer that in max 1 week and a half i will have my scooter

...and they get a new engine or a complete rebuild between races.

What's could be the reason for this? The way the engine was broken-in or the result of the race itself?

I think most owner's manuals break in sections are largely cut and pasted from previous editions.
On the one hand, you have the guy with the website telling people to ride it hard for the first 20-30km and then change the oil. And he's got photos. You have no idea if these are the best and worst cases he found, or even if they are from bikes that were broken in the way he describes, because you've never taken engines apart and looked at the pistons to compare different ways to break in an engine.
On the other hand, Honda spends hours breaking in their Dakar bikes. They have a pretty good reputation for finishing with no mechanical failures, and doing extremely well.
So there's the guy with the website, and there's Honda, with engineers and the desire to win anytime they race.
It's up to you to decide whether you think the guy with the website knows more about breaking in engines than the engineers at Honda Racing.

My own personal experience with small air cooled 4T scooters is that with the "hard" break in, we couldn't get them to last longer than 2,000 miles.
Personally I think it's hard to beat city traffic for breaking in a bike without having to think about it.

I'm looking forward to seeing it!
Be sure to post how you like it.

Hi Motovista, just to be sure I get this right, can you please elaborate? Thanks

Best break in method is to follow the manufacturers owners manual. For the GTS300 (2016 model) it states to NOT exceed 80% of maximum power for the first 600 miles. This means you can ride at up to 60mph. BUT, as knowledgeable folks on here are saying....VARY THE ENGINE SPEED AND THROTTLE SETTING. Avoid cruising at fixed speeds. Don't go wanging the throttle wide open from new.

Just read the break in instructions in your bikes manual. It says it all.

Congratulations by the way on getting a great bike. I've heard a considerable amount of good stuff about the 300HPE engined bike.

As an ex-race technician I can tell you it's the way the motor is designed and the way the engine is broken in.

Firstly, a race engine is built with very sloppy tolerances, especially the cylinder bores, pistons and rings. If you ever listen to a big race engine it's very noisy mechanically. It sounds like a bag of nails in a tin can. Ring gaps are large to allow for expansion. Pistons and rings rattle, especially when cold. However, the big clearances/tolerances are there because during the race the engines and the internal components get super heated at race speeds. Because the pistons are super lightweight they expand considerably to fit snug in the bores. They can take the heat and this is where the engine produces it's most power. But the hard break in they get detracts from overall long term life of the engine. The engines only have to last a few races between strip downs so that's ok.

A road bike must last as long as possible. It is built with tight tolerances. To protect the engine, owners should follow a more gently break in as laid down in the owners manual. But you should not drive it slowly or it won't run in properly. However, use of too much power with too wide a throttle setting and too higher revs can be detrimental to a road engine in it's early days. Individual components in the engine such as pistons, bearings and cylinder barrel surfaces are still quite rough and soft when new and need to work harden and smooth themselves down during the first 1000miles. This smoothing in for a snug fit is not just a mechanical thing. It's also a CHEMICAL thing. The surfaces of the cylinder bore for example has to work harden through these chemical changes, as do other engine components. If you hurry the process the mechanical changes happen, usually by taking too much metal off the bores, but the chemical action/changes don't happen properly. This means you get a cylinder bore that will wear out more quickly, as will the piston rings. To avoid being damaged and to give the engine long trouble free life and good power output withoiut using oil, this should be done following the manufacturers advice, not a hard break in. I've seen plenty of hard evidence that hard break ins do long term harm to engine reliability, power output and economy. Plenty of people claim to have done it and say their bikes are fine, but they often only keep them for a year or two or three, covering only a few thousand miles, so never ever get to see the damage they have done.

I gotta agree with Stromrider. Stick to the Owner's Manual recommendations.

First, what can it hurt to abide by the factory's guidelines? It's not that long to wait.

Second, if you end up with a warranty claim down the road, your adherence to the factory procedures might/might make a difference in the outcome.

Which brings me to a question: Do the new Vespas have dataloggers built into the electronics somewhere to record operating conditions? All new cars do. What about motorcycles and scooters?

Interesting point 25BIKEZ. My car data logs almost everything from when I check the oil to how high the oil level is at anyone time. It records a whole range of engine parameters, and some usage figures. This information can vary considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer and is usually only collected on a rolling loop of memory in the ecu so doesn't cover all the period between services. A few manufacturers don't collect any info at the moment.

Bikes, not sure but you can bet they do. The Vespa, not so sure just yet. We'll have to wait and see, but my GTS doesn't hold any info other than faults in the KAM memory of the ecu.

Hello dude,
Thanks for opening the thread with that question.

I wait for mine, ordered 12 March, said date 18 April now moving to May......

Almost 500km and love it
What are your thoughs on riding with passanger in the first 1k km ?
I have 100kg , my gf has 60