Modern Vespa

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and am the proud new owner of a 2021 Liberty 150 S. I would love to hear any tips and recommendations for servicing and maintenance, as well as where to go in the Chicago area. I bought it at Motoworks Chicago on Western Ave-a bit far for me to go from where I live but planning on probably going there unless I find a better option.
So far, I LOVE this bike!! I had a Yamaha Vino before and loved it too but I wanted a bike with bigger wheels and there aren't that many out there.
Look forward to comments!

PS. Also, I get the ABS light intermittently on the dash. What is that???

Welcome to MV CHI Jen

Is that when you are braking, or at random when driving?

Anyway, if you have any doubts, considering the scooter is brand new, just have it checked by the dealer.

The abs light flashes anytime the bike is running & not moving down the road
My 2019 uses a bit of oil between changes, less than 100 ml

Welcome! Great choice in scooters! Liberty in a nutshell,
Reliable.
Plenty quick enough.
Pretty easy to self service.
Has a bunch of useful accessories for it.

Welcome to MV and congratulations on your new Liberty. We really like photos on this site, so we are looking forward to 1 or 2 of your new ride!

Welcome and enjoy!!

Welcome from Latina, central Italy.

Welcome! I became the proud owner of a 2020 Liberty S150 this year... I absolutely LOVE her! Truth be told, she is more fun to ride than my Vespa GTV300-- the Liberty is light, nimble, and fully capable of higher speeds needed around these parts, though I avoid true highways with her.

I am a complete newbie, but I was able to do her initial 600-mile service (engine oil and gear oil changes) myself without any issues. Watch some videos, you may surprise yourself at what kinds of basic maintenance you can manage on your own!

Welcome from New England, enjoy your Liberty.

Best advice I can give you for the scoot is to keep up with the oil changes, these are small engines that work hard and oil is the life blood of them. Best advice for you, is to get proper protective gear - FF helmet, jacket, pants, gloves and shoes. If you are a fairly new rider, consider a MSF class. Good luck and welcome.

Welcome and many happy miles to you!

Hi from your southern neighbor, down between Quincy and Springfield. Have a Liberty here also and love her, ok, love her relatives too, I have a big heart when it comes to scooters.

For @$8.00 you can buy the official Piaggio Liberty150i maintenance download from www.af1racing.com
I get my parts from them, too.
We have a few maintenance DIY's here.
Airfilter, belt change, etc.
O.S.

Hello Everone!

Since this thread was originally about Liberty 150 maintenance, I thought I'd ask my questions here.

I'm probably going to purchase a new scoot sometime over the winter/spring. It seems folks are very happy with the Liberty so it's on my short list. I do have a couple questions.

1) How hard is it to get to the valves to check them? In other words, how much plastic has to come off and and how difficult is it to remove and put back?

2) I understand it doesn't come with a USB port. I see that Piaggio makes a USB port accessory, but from what I've read it comes with no instructions and requires a lot of plastic removal. Has anyone added a USB to a Liberty and how hard is it to do?

Thanks!

Checking the valve lash first time on my new Liberty.

Scooter sat over night - engine must be stone cold.
If you waited while dealer did your valves - he didn't do them on a cold engine.

Tools I used:
Torx driver from tool kit > seat bucket & front center panel. removal
8mm T-wrench > 3 valve cover bolts
8mm 1/4" drive socket on small ratchet > the hard to reach 4th valve cover bolt
wire cutters > clip off hose clamp
.10mm feeler blade > check valve clearance
19mm socket > turn the engine to timing mark
flashlight
dab of grease > keep 0-ring in valve cover for re-install

My steps:
Chock front tire & bands on fr. brake lever - secures scooter.
I removed lower shock mount - to slightly raise front of engine. It helped get to that 4th bolt, some.


remove seat bucket and front center panel (panel lifts up and forward - tabs-in-slot) See owner's manual for photos.



cut rear clip off of breather hose from valve cover - valve cover cannot be moved away with this hose still attached back there.


remove black cover over front CVT bolt - turn engine here for timing mark


remove spark plug cap, push hoses out of way, pull off the breather hose from its rear attach point

use 8mm T-wrench to loosen 3 valve cover bolts, and 8mm 1/4" drive socket and shorty ratchet to loosen the lower/right 4th bolt. Patience here! There IS room to do this with that hard-to-reach bolt!


remove valve cover



rotate CVT nut clockwise to bring timing marks together. CHECK that there IS movement of the rocker arms once aligned. If NO movement rotate again until timing marks re-align AND you can feel movement.


check gap with .10mm feeler blade. Large blades will not work due to tight space to work. My 3 valves checked spot-on.


If your valves need adjusting - see the many utube videos on adjusting GY6 scooter valves w/screw & lock nuts.

I added a dab of bearing grease to a few points around the 0-ring grove of valve cover to keep the 0-ring in place while re-installing valve cover. Pay attention to the 0-ring seal on spark plug hole as well - keep it in place when replacing valve cover. Snug the 4 bolts slowly, in lug-nut rotation fashion (clock face - 11 / 5, then 2 / 7, etc.) Use very low torque when tightening these little bolts. I do hand snug and STOP! Personally, do not trust torque wrenches for such small fasteners.
Reattach the breather hose - use a new clip or zip tie it. It is jammed in there so tight on the tube - I didn't mess with a clip.

Replace rear shock bolt, if you undid it.

I ran the engine for a time - then checked under for oil leaks. Let it cool and felt around & under the valve cover for any sign of oil leaks. Nothing - then I replaced the panel, seat bucket.

First time into the valves on this scooter - so took a few hours working slowly and carefully. My Kymco LIKE200i is SO much easier to do the valve check. SO much more room to work than this little Piaggio. Robot does this engine OUT of the scooter ---- not at all a fair representation of the things in your way, and spaces to work.

Manual says valve check due again at 6,200 miles. I will do them every 3,000 miles, now that I'm familiar with this scooter.

O.S.

I have read it many times here in the forum that people refer to their scooter as "her". So female, while in English a scooter or any other machine is neutral, not male, not female, just "it".

So why do you refer to your scooter as "her"?
I am asking this purely out of curiosity.

Good question. I also refer to my old 3/4 ton Chevy workhorse pickup with "she/her" pronouns, as well as my off-road-beast Subaru Crosstrek. Maybe 'cause women get the job done??

Same for boats cars motorcycles as they were usually purchased and ridden-driven by men they took on a female identity. Misogynistic but hey!!
There is a difference if a man says :
I took Manuel for a long ride yesterday vs I took Melanie for a long ride yesterday.

Also la moto, la becane, Une automobile, la grosse machine.