Modern Vespa

As winter is upon us (at least some of us) I have myself a S150 that I'm working on. See my other post(s) as to what it is - long story short 2008 with less than 2 miles on it.

I am out of Chicago area and plan to do 400 mile trips (one way ) up north to WI (door county). For now lets say its just me riding...

What is the best/need mod/accessory for the scoot? I would take side roads to make my trip(s). I am prepping to order from SIP and at this point box is pretty big (lol) ... so few extra items will do just fine.

Biggest question in my head - is 150 enough (and dump money at it) or should I look at 300's and not waste my time/energy on this? I used to have a old P200 and it was perfect (till I got hit and took 2+ yrs getting back into Vespa's)

Thanks in advance...

190 big bore, tire plug kit and a spare fuel can. And caffeine.

I had a feeling big bore kit will come up very quick - -man ... engine is basically new - I drained the factory oil and it was crystal clear.

It sure is tempting ... not helping here (haha)

Thanks!

Ride it a couple hundred miles. You'll figure out what it needs.
What you need on a bike to do a trip like that isn't going to be the same as what someone else needs, so it's best to do a couple of rides and figure out what you could improve on. For me, it's usually a better seat, shocks, and some sort of rear peg setup to switch positions. Other people stop every couple of hours, and don't feel the need for different places to put their feet.

Ride your baby out 200 miles to somewhere.
Fill up and ride it back again.
Check the oil, tyres and fill up.
Ride out to somewhere else 200 miles away.
Fill up and ride it back again.

Repeat as often as your wallet and your wife will allow.
Then you won't need to ask questions.
You can give answers.

And when the above won't allow then you can watch Itchy Boots and stare at Google Maps and plan your next ride

Windshield---professional quality riding suit----foam ear plugs----rubber boots---large selection of gloves/mitts----tools----tire repair kit and pump.

I ride my Vespa GTs everywhere.

All stock with a mid height, narrow windshield.

But they top out at 75 mph.

You will have to find routes where the 150's 60/65 mph top speed will be comfortable.

That will be off of the highways, which are more fun roads anyway.

My experience is that the seats, seating position and smooth ride make a Vespa a fine touring machine.

I, personally, would trade it for a 300 for the ride to Door County, but the 150 will be fine on the right roads.

Bill

People have ridden 150s cross country....heck, even 50s. If you're staying off big roads you should be fine. Maybe a rack for your stuff.

You'll have lots of time to think of what you want for next time....

Good deal. Will take is step by step.

Windscreen, good gear, and a MSR Fuel bottle. And tire repair kit.

You might consider an Airhawk if the seat is not comfortable for you on long rides; it can make a huge difference.

GTS

Cuddly partner

Quiet exhaust

I ride a GTS 300 and these are my suggestions in no particular order:

Windscreen
Crashbars (good for rear footrest on long rides, secure saddlebags, saving tears in drops)
Seat mods (sheepskin, Arihawk, etc...)
Front/rear racks
Topcase
*USB port
*USB air pump & pressure gauge
*Tire plug kit
*First aid kit
*MSR fuel bottles
*Water bottle holders for MSRs (Walmart sells them for about $10)
*Water bottle for yourself
*Good attitude!

*Items I consider essential. These items are on my bike at all times, except the MSRs. They are for the long, out of town rides.

Like others have mentioned, take many longer prep rides. These will tell you exactly what you need to improve comfort over long distances. They will also tell you how your body will handle the ride. You may want to split the into a few days if you find that your limit is shorter than you would have liked.

Perfect - thanks! I just got my order put thru SIP and parts are on the way. I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of "all at once"...which is my typical way

You said one up "for now". Does that mean you want your ride to have 2-up capability, or that you really will only ride alone. I ask as I think a 150 can do longer rides on well chosen routes, but as soon as you want to carry a passenger or wish to handle a wider variety of routes - you are talking 300. A 150 is a transition ride for many, if that may describe you, then I wouldn't put a lot of money in extras before you are sure.

I take CO2 cartridges instead of an air pump.

1 liter of trufuel [shelf stable for 5 years] is good for 20 more miles on a 150, enough to get out of a jam
This one is in a topbox
My helmet still fits in the topbox, so the gas can just be there day to day, reserve in a can...
I did a different version under the seat on a Chinese scooter

Seeing as your route will take you through my neck of the woods, I'd suggest that carrying fuel might be overkill unless you're prone to see how far you can get on a warning light.... OTOH I've occasionally taken back routes that seem to assiduously avoid even small towns with gas stations....but finding myself in fuel crisis is still pretty rare.

I know of a few people who carry those little cans of fuel around.

I don't know of anyone who has used one.

Unless you are traveling in very remote areas, where there is no gas for more than the scooter will go on a full tank, then carrying these is not necessary.

Gas stations are everywhere.

In the Eastern US, including Wisconsin, I can't see a need to carry any extra.

If I was traveling in seriously remote areas, I would carry more extra than that, at least enough to fill a tank.

Bill

We have used them when out exploring. We take quite a few long group rides and carry them in case someone started with less than a full tank.

I understand using them in western states where gas stations can be hundreds of miles apart.

Mostly off road dirt bike territory.

Not many people ride scooters in those areas.

The OP will probably be safe in Wisconsin.

Bill

I literally had to beg a little old lady for some fuel as the service station i was counting on was closed on weekends.

edit: just checked google maps and it said it was open in saturday morning - I was there mid/late afternoon 😥

I'm not sure why this piqued your interest so. Yes, I have actually poured fuel out of one into a nearly empty tank. If we know there is access to fuel, we don't worry about it. When we're exploring it's better to be safe, rather than sorry. We've had similar issues, but luckily another station was within range. All digital sources indicated the station was operational, not out of business.

Pro-tip. You'll be in Wisconsin, so even if you're in the unlikely position of running out of gas, you're almost certain to do so within crawling distance of a bar where you can drink heartily, cheer the Packers and forget all about having a scooter that's run dry....

If all else fails, put some vodka in 'er! YMMV

Thank you for all the responses...this is awesome!

I have used extra gas a couple of times
The Chinese 150 had a temperamental gas gauge, we lived 15 miles from town, 4 miles from gas, no trip meter, 80 miles on a tank, questionable cell coverage
The Liberty has a range of maybe 120 miles
On my MP3 the computer dutifully counts down the mileage to 40 & then shows 2 bars...

Having the extra liter means I don't have to do the math, I can put it out of my head until the light comes on

Sorry for that.

It really doesn't matter.

Bill

190 kit
Small wind screen
Top case (or rack and bagage)
Gas can
Gangster beats

Also, not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but consider checking belt and rollers before you leave. I see a lot of Vespa riders who don't check until the belt explodes on them.

*does a mental check*

Also, I'm going to check mine tomorrow because I just realized I am guilty of this right now haha.

When I went thru the scoot I checked rollers and belt too - all original and rollers had almost 0 marks on them. Belt felt sound as well - no cracks. But that being said I plan to run 600 miles and do a 1st maintenance run on the scoot.

All I can say is go for it! That scoot will surprise you. Bring a metric wrench roll, a set of Vessel motorcycle screwdrivers and metric Allen wrenches, just in case stuff works loose.

If your tank had any fuel in it, pull it and flush it properly. My LX beater project has some funky skunky stuff in the bottom that I wouldn't want in the carb. Test the sender too, as mine had perished from sitting.

I'm a bit jealous; I have family in Chicagoland (around O'Hare) and they go up to Door County regularly.

If 400 miles is no big deal after you've done it a bit , look up the Lake Erie Loop. I did it on a 125cc Kymco and made it with a 65-mile fuel range and no bottle. If you do Canada Route 3 on the north side of the lake, the locals tend to hide the fuel station off the main drag.


I'm watching your project and I look forward to that first ride out.

Fuel tank was the 1st thing I checked since I got it home - put a camera inside and it was clean. This scoot so far has been pretty good to me and a fun overall project. I got it unplanned b/c I have a Rockus that I decided to teardown to last nut and bolt and well ... having this show up in my garage accelerated my Ruckus progress. Ruck started up today and made its trip back to the garage (I worked on it in my living room )

Rench roll on order as we speak - thanks for the tip!

Over the weekend I got Vespa running and took it around the block since there is no snow on the streets (yet). 32* makes you feel alive...or frozen.

One other tool recommendation: Titan Hex Wrenches. You might be able to get them a little cheaper at O'Reilly's. These keep coming in handy and they'll take far more abuse than most cheap hex sets. I keep one at the garage, one at home and gave one to a friend so they'd last.

Were you going to re-power the Ruck, or just restore it?

Quick trip to garage and I have all that I need. Just need to pack it nicely and get some organization roll bags. Scoot storage is an issue at the moment (see my other post seeking feedback). Time to bust out the welder and do some frame mockups...

This winter will drag... is it spring yet?

re: tools, I'd suggest doing a run thru on everything to not only get to know the bike but also which tools you need to carry. that way you don't need to pack the kitchen sink or anything and can just carry what you need while lightening up the load and freeing up space.

re: more space, several racks fit the S, even the ET4 racks. if you're headed in that direction let me know, I have two or three if you're interested.

Referring to your biggest question: is a 150 enough.

There is a lady on the Dutch forum "motor-forum.nl" and she makes long trips around Europe with her Yamaha NMAX 155. No problem she says.
So the 150 should be OK. Of course you cannot expect it to be a rocket.

I would be OK with riding a Vespa 150 from Chicago to Door County.

A couple of years ago I rode a Honda Grom from Chicago to Madison.

The Grom is not as good for those rides as the Vespa will be.

As for riding the Nmax 155 around Europe, if those have the same performance as the Smax that was sold here, it is roughly 10 mph faster.

But the Vespa should be fine on the right roads.

Bill

Tell me more about this TruFuel stuff... My Liberty 150 has a really small fuel tank and it's notoriously difficult to fill; I HAVE run out of gas with it, before I realized that I wasn't properly filling it up. Having something like this onhand would give me great peace of mind if I went for a longer trip.

thanks for the tip on the trufuel. !!! picking up a 6 pack on Amazon.

I think lots of the mods discussed here are great !!!

For long rides I like having a camelback.

Givi (or shad or kappa) topbox you can remove is great, just pop it off and bring it in to your room.

For one of my long rides I used a pelican 1520 screwed down to the rear rack with eyelets screwed to the top and a cargo net with a small dryduffle. (so I could still open the case on road) advantage of the pelican is that you can lock it with a combination lock (no key) , and the eagle creek large packing cube fits right in perfectly.
I used the duffle for cold weather and rain gear, and once at location for laundry, shopping etc.

I really like the beadrider to keep cool and avoid monkey butt and find it super comfortable for long rides, especially when it's warm.