Modern Vespa

After I had to replace the piston and cylinder on my 2015 Vespa 300 with only 11k miles i decided it was time to go. Today I took ownership of a brand new 1100 Honda Rebel DCT. DCT stands for Dual Clutch Transmission whereas you drive the bike just like a scooter, no gear and clutch work involved. It is definitely not a scooter but you can really drive it like one. After owning 4 Vespas I am opting for reliability availability and power. I have enjoyed my Vespa years tremendously but am ready for a new experience.

Sorry to see you go.
Your excuse is not accepted...!
You don't get rid of Vespas.
You buy new bikes instead.

Agree with Fud. My Hondas peacefully coexist with my Vespa. I feel blessed to be able to keep them all.

Chris From CLE

Or you can buy a Yamaha scooter, it won't have the charm of a Vespa but it has other qualities.

So what are you going to do if you have to replace the head on your Honda at 8,000 miles like my Honda

I know this is a Vespa forum - but it would be interesting to see the results of the long-term reliability figures comparing Vespas vs Hondas....or any other Japanese bike for that matter.
Of course, people can be passionate about something - for a lot of different reasons...no matter the cost or agro.
O.S.

A friend just purchased a Yamaha Xmax 300. He wants to go on some longer rides so I'm forced to pull out the Honda Silverwing. But this guy will catch up with my miles on my Liberty before I know it, so comparing quality and reliability will be pretty easy.

I have to admit, I have been looking at videos of the new 1100 Rebel DCT. I rode a friend's Rebel 500, and was impressed. We've had a lot of motorcycles over the years, and I switched to scooters when my hip made it too painful to throw a leg over a motorcycle. A hip replacement two years ago changed that, and I can once again toss a leg over. That Rebel 500 was the first motorcycle I rode after the new hip; made me appreciate the ease and convenience of the GTS 250 I had at the time, though.

I bought the 2020 GTS HPE last October, before word of the Rebel 1100 came out. That 1100 is a completely different conveyance than the Vespa... but I can certainly see how they would compliment each other.

Captain ... I also have to do the hip prosthesis but now here in Italy it is not possible, with Covid and the full hospitals there is a waiting list of 4 - 8 months. That said ... yes, scooters with a flat platform (or almost) are still more comfortable and unique. For example, an X Max can no longer be considered easy to climb over to get on it, there is a plastic mountain in the center between the saddle and the handlebars. And it is so on many modern scooters ... for example if I wanted to buy the Yamaha Tricity 300 I would not be able to mount it, it is too high in the center!
What I mean is that the essential requirement for a scooter to be such is also that it is easy for anyone to ride, get on quickly and get off quickly without problems.

afraid i had to replace the entire engine on my sh300 after a final drive bearing collapsed and i continued to ride listening to the gearbox eating itself...

I have an NC750x with DCT. you'll love it .

We have had this debate before. I maintain that the Honda is simply
more reliable with the same level of regular maintenance.

This does not distract from the appeal of the classic looking Vespa.
Modern mechanical technology has made the Vespa more reliable.

One riders experience:

1. My Suzuki Burgman 400 has 48,000 miles of zero problems or breakdown.
Typical regularly scheduled oil changes, tire changes and replacement of belts.

2. My brand new Vespa GTS300 Super arrived from the factory with the
Waterpump gasket improperly installed causing it to overheat from day one.
Local dealer did a quick fix covered by warranty. No problems since.

Again, I love my Vespa.

Bob Copeland
Minnesota

Goodbye SCOOTER, Hello MOTORCYCLE. I hope you enjoy your MOTORCYCLE.

So what did you do to cause the engine damage? Piaggio makes excellent engines that don't make trouble in a vacuum. They have been making these engines since after WWI, when Honda did not exist. Piaggio showed everybody how to make a scooter and they have been copied ever since. With a Piaggio, frequently the problem exists between the seat cushion and the handlebars, and winds up unjustly blaming the product for its own folly.

Vespas are the best you can get. I beat the crap out of mine but I also fastidiously maintain it. I fix it when it's broken (which never happens) and change the fluids when I'm supposed to. Walked out last week and it started right up despite having been on ice for two straight months. How can anybody complain about that.

Bob ... explains to non-Italians that what "seems" to be an imperfect thing in a Made in Italy vehicle is instead something that must exist, the perfect (or presumed) vehicles are made by the Japanese and that's okay but ...
Yes, as someone said in fifty years from the heap of wrecks the remains of a Vespa (or a Fiat) will always emerge and can be resurrected to a new life like the day they were abandoned.
Uncle Attila (me) tells you a story ...
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a 16 year old boy who went to work after school and was a waiter but the road was long and he was poor; he only had an old bicycle.
One day he punctured a wheel and stopped on a farm to ask for a tub of water to find the hole (for those who know how to fix a bicycle inner tube) and put a patch on it.
Behind a pile of hay he was sticking out a rusty wheel ... "what will it be?" the boy wondered ...
It was a very old, rusty motorcycle that had been standing still for thirty years; "how much do you want to sell it to me?"
"give me ten thousand lire" (about the same as your ten dollars today)
"done deal" (the boy earned fifty thousand lire every month)
He returned with his uncle who had a Piaggio Ape to load it and take it home where, in time, he would put it back into operation.
With a lot of patience and more money the boy fixed it and used it for many years, it accompanied him to school, to work and with the girl.
When the boy grew up and graduated from school, he got a better job, leaned the old bike against a wall and bought himself a brand new Japanese motorcycle.
The years passed and also the various vicissitudes of life until one day, wanting to savor the taste of the past and also as a hobby, the old motorcycle saw the light again and did many kilometers (miles). To date she sleeps in the back of a garage and is 64 years old. Maybe one day she will find another guy who will fall in love with it and will take her again to run towards infinity.
Attilio (Attila) and his 1956 MV Agusta 125 Sport:

There is a reason why a number of Vespa owners have put 50 to 100 thousand miles on a GTS engine. Take care of them and they do the job. Yes, Honda builds a good engine. I've owned 3 of them. I 've also owned 4 Vespas. Never a major engine issue with any of them.

The problem with most machines is that the people who own them don't understand them. There are Harleys that go on forever and ones that don't last past the warranty. The ones that go on have owners who hear and feel the engines. The ones that blow them up regularly wear earplugs.

BUT. Anything built by the thousands can have a flaw in one unit. No company does 100% inspection. Scroll back to the scooters that dropped valves a few years ago.

Don't kid yourself either. DCT is going to suck in a lot of people. If it ever finds its way onto the 300 or 500 Rebel everyone else is going to be racing to catch up. I've spoken to people who have them. It works.

Attila,

Great story friend. You rival our great author Mark Twain with that tale of
time and a bike.

I did not have a motorcycle until I was in the United State Navy. Many sailors never got off the base. I used two wheels to explore the world around me and counter some loneliness being a long way from home. What a great world to explore. First in Southern California on a Honda CB 125, then beautiful
Southern Italy on a Ducati 350. I did have the sensation of being very fortunate and lucky at that time.

I am back to the country western singer Eddy Raven - "Women are made to Love, Money is made to spend, and life is something Buddy, you will never live again.

Thanks Attila.

Silence Dogooder
aka Ben Franklin Frost Bite Falls MN

I think Vespa's quality has gone down significantly. I traded a GTS in 2015 with over 50K miles for the one I got rid off. It ran flawlessly and gave me no trouble whatsoever, i should have kept it! The new one has been a different issue. I religiously changed the oil every 3K miles and had recently put a new belt. No excessive use, just usual urban driving. I actually read in this forum that what happen to me is not an isolated incident. Honda's are better built and parts are readily available unlike Piaggio. I had to wait for over 4 months for the GTS to be repaired.

My first motorcycle was a Honda - a blue XL185S.
It transported me to university daily as parking on campus was problematic.
When I graduated and started working, it took me to work and back.
Then my father passed away and I inherited a practice with assets including a Mercedes.

The Honda was in need of some care to the frame when battery acid had leaked out. I stripped it down intending to respray the frame. Working life took my time and I sold it five years later as a few boxes of parts. The young guy who bought it did the frame respray and put it all back together. Then the Honda carried him to university...

I do miss that bike but I have the memories.

I know you wrote this years ago but I am going through a similar dilemma. Ive got a 2020 Vespa GTS but I really want to go on longer rides and will need more freeway miles. How have the years been on the Rebel? How is it around town and for really short trips?

On longer trips, the Vespa would likely be more comfortable, overall. If you are going to switch to a motorcycle, and want to do long trips, or even short jaunts around town, you want something that sits you more upright, like one of the smaller ADV bikes or a standard motorcycle. Sitting on your tailbone with your feet out in front of you means your lower back absorbs all the bumps from the road. If your feet are under you, your legs will absorb most of the impacts.

Why do you think the GTS can't do freeway miles?

I've ridden coast-to-coast on a GTS, twice. So have a bunch of other members. Okay, they do chew through rear tires a bit, but coast-to-coast is kind of an extreme example of "longer ride".

I do genuinely believe your GTS will surprise you if you give it a chance.

Ive taken it on the freeway a few times, it's certainly fast enough, but I wouldn't call it comfortable and there isnt a lot of room left for acceleration if the need arises.

I've rode many, many miles riding Freeways and whilst riding the Vespa I park the needle at 70mph when touring on my 800cc Triumph Tiger which has 70BHP more I cruise along at 75mph.

Yea I have more scope for quicker overtakes on the big bike but the Vespa gets up to 80mph if I need it to.

Plus when in traffic the scooter is far easier to get around on than a heavy motorbike.

I had a Honda CTX DCT as well as a GTS 250. First year I did several long trips on it. Had it as far northeast as Maine and as far southwest as San Diego. After that it was longer and longer between rides as I took my Vespa instead. Finally after it didn't move out of the garage more than 3 times in 6 months it went in trade for a new GTS 300. I've gone coast to coast multiple times both during cannonballs and just for the hell of it several times on a GTS.