Modern Vespa

I was wondering how many miles we could expect to get out of a Vespa GTS engine? Maybe they have not been out long enough for anyone to really know? Any thoughts...

I heard 60,000 out of the top end (piston, barrel etc.)
300,000 out of the bottom end....
That was from a Vespa tech....(not Greasy )
I don't know if he was having me on or not, it came up in conversation not
from a direct question.

That sounds in line with what I was thinking. My guess was somewhere between 50-60k miles. We are online to do about 7k this year, so I am guess-ta-mating about 7 years of trouble free use before the major repairs would need to start. I would want to replace it in about 5 more years to be safe then based on those numbers and thta would put me in line for a new Vespa around 2012-2013.

7 years on the same bike is a long time!

Saying that, we've had our ET for 6 years now.
It only has 14,500 on it though, I've put 6,000 on the GTS in a little over a year.

I guess with the GTS long trips at highway speeds are more
do-able, it brings up a whole new aspect of wear and tear vs purchase price, I mean,
the ET will be around forever at the rate we use it, which is
on surface streets around town mostly, but the GTS is going to take a beating.....

hmmmm, interesting concept, the bigger and more powerful the scooter is, the easier it is to wear it out!

It gives some credence to the 'why didn't you get a motorbike instead' argument.....

You'll probably never get to enough miles for it to be an issue. When you will want to rebuild is if you want to restore the scooter in 30 years, after it's sat in the garage or barn for 25.

That's been the pattern with the vintage scooters in this country. Enjoy!

We are using it as a daily driver so the mile are going to really add up each year. We only use the car on rainy days.

i'd say an easy 40~60K on a top end.
the crank should go oretty much indefinetly so long as the splines don't get stripped out on the drive side.

the problem that i forsee is that the crank bearings are integral to the case. they are tri metal babbit style, so eventually they're gonna wear out. i'd guess with a proper maint. program one could reasonably expect six digit mileage from the crank but once those bearings go, it's game over.

change the oil frequently and keep ontop of the PM and these bikes last seemingly forever.

best,
-greasy

Greasy: How often do you change your oil in months/miles? What brand of oil do you use and how many miles per month do you drive? Do you recommend kitting and engine instead of replacing the piston and cylinder?

I have 20000 miles on my MP3 since I bought it in April and has the same engine as the gts..It runs better now than new..

20,000 miles in 5 months?
1,000 miles a week?
Dangnation!
So how many sets of tires gets you through 20k?
At about 2k per rear on any other 250ie that must be like 10 (I was always good at gazinters).
How do the fronts hold up?
Man, the scooter shop that changes them must be putting Bald eagle beak trim
in their Escalade by now, thanks to you!

Wow, that has got to be a record! You are putting new rear tires on every 2 weeks or so. How do you use your scooter to rack up so many miles?

I've seen a piaggio leader engine in a Gilera Runner do 54,000 miles and then drop a valve, which made a mess of the piston! So I'm guessing 40k - 60k would be right. (By the time we've done that distance, Malossi will have brought out a big bore kit! - hopefully! )

I think you have one too manu zeros on there.

Otherwise, please provide a picture of the dash showing mileage

Well actually only 19608 miles but I should hit 20000 today or tomorrow. What can I say I live in San Diego. I bought the first Mp3 here and they call me MP3 Chris at Vespa..Went through 3 rear tyres and one set of fronts..The fronts last forever and I love the Pirellies on the front..Well it's a beautiful day today and I'm hitting the road..Wow...

so... do you ever have to go to work or something like that?

Glade to hear this, ever since I have meet people from the Burgmanusa site all I have done is ride and have put over a 1,000 miles in a month and a half.

Damn, those Burgman riders

My company left California so now I sell on e-bay. I do alright and gives me alot of time to ride..I would say I have driven maybe 150 miles of that at night..And never went on an overnight trip.

Hey UFO, if you hadn't posted that pic, I'd say you were pulling my leg. Don't be such a friggin' loner. I expect to see at least 50,000 miles by the time the Pharoahs put on their next King Tut Put in March.

Seven years!?!? Seriously, I thought it would last forever, bummer.

Hey I'm havin a blast...Whenever I go downtown now I'm a hit with the tour buses..The driver see's me coming and I can see him on the speaker telling a 3 wheel bike is coming..They all look and stand up and wave. They act like they never seen 2 wheels in the front..Don't worry about me..I'm havin the time of my life...

UFO I've been watching you for some time now and you are my hero!!

Congratulations on the 20 000 miles and all the three wheel joy you spread ...

I still got 100 miles to go for 20000. But whose counting..I love my MP3..And Jess said it the best about the man hole cover..Try that on 2 wheels. All you can say is Wow....

Thats crazy.... I love it..
I totally thought it was B.S. also
Lucky~

20,000 miles in 5 months! Dang! You are either riding, changing oil or tires in between ride time. Is your bike still in warranty?

i have over 24000 miles and i'm at the dealer at least once a month. my scooter is 18 months old cant imagine 10000 miles a week

Damn, 20k is very impressive...So how often u change the oil and what kind of oil do you use?

Wow riding yesterday I just happen to glance at the odometer and it was exactly on 20000..I'm starting to have people in cars honking and waving to me. I guess they must have seen me before and realize how much fun I'm having..The Vespa dealer didn't have any oil last time I was there so I went to a cycle shop and got Maxum4 ultra.. I'm sticking with 100% Synthetic..I will start buying it now at Motorsport Scooters..Whatever synthetic they have..They are a great bunch of people..I will give them the business. I usually change the oil and filter before I have to add any oil..At least under 3000 miles..It rained here last night and the streets are all wet..Headind out right now to test it on the wet streets..Also I want to try the NGK CR9E1X plug. NGK said should be a direct cross for that bike and also perform better.I'm off!!!!

it would be funny if that was kilometers even if it reads miles. the main part of speedo and the thermometer reads metric

It would be funny but it does say "mi" in the LCD display so I guess it is miles or photoshop!

Charles.

Good eyes. You're right, the big numbers on the speedo are Km's. Surely they're not selling them in the U.S. like that, are they???

Yes, they do. For instance, the 500 has the same thing. Favors KM over MI, but you can adjust the odometer reading.

That seems odd. Do you sometimes inadvertently look at the big numbers and momentarily think you're going 140 mph???

Nah. doesn't bug me, and I've stopped noticing it really. Just takes a bit of training.

The precise number is 54,897. I heard this from a Factory Trained tech from the FUTURE!

Seriously. It's going to vary based on so many factors that this question is completely impossible to answer.

Properly maintained a big Vespa 4-stroke should outlive any of us under all but the most extreme use.