Modern Vespa

I love my GTS300 - I love the look, the speed, the ABS/ASR, and most importantly, it fits me really well... I'm 6'2" and 220 lbs., with a 32" inseam. But, honestly, I can't deal with it breaking so often. I could deal with the poor quality if someone could fix it, but no one I trust (e.g. a dealer) can do that. I need a cylinder head gasket and a base gasket, and I've had this (see pic) staring me in the face on a table in my garage for about a month now. I can probably do it, but I don't want to do it. I'd rather do other things. A dealer near me can do it - in November. I'd like to ride soon. So, though I love my Vespa, it might be time for me to move on. I want to ride, not wrench. But I'm 6'2" and 220 lbs., and I need power for the hills where I live and also somewhat frequent highway rides. So, let me know your thoughts for a giant man looking for a reliable scooter that can do 70 mph+ on the highway and not exceed $6000 (preferrable less). Here's my short list, though I'm not sure how'd they fit me:

Honda PCX 160 (brand new)
Suzuki Burgman 200 (brand new)
Yamaha XMax 300 (used)

Thoughts on those? Other ideas? Thanks!

You may also consider a Burgman 400, lots of them around for sale and a good all around scoot.

If you are looking for something that will equal or out perform your GTS, I doubt either a Honda PCX or a Burgman 200 belong on your list.

Kymco X-Town 300i ?

Sure you do. Get in there and either fix it or f*ck it.

If I had this dilemma, I'd be fixing a fine Vespa and riding it.

I'm the same dimensions as you & just picked up a Piaggio BV 350. Probably one of the best overall powertrains I've ever owned. The suspension is fairly poor and the ergonomics are not very good for my body habitus. It'll cruise at 65 easily & probably hit 9* mph. I just installed a Faco tall screen & it's much nicer to ride. I just have to figure out the ridiculous seat.

I'd fix it but what else has failed? How many miles do you have on your Vespa? Now if you decide to replace it remove the Burgman 200 from your list. Mine fell apart and it was under powered. I ended up giving it away. My friend has a Yamaha X-Max 300. He likes it and its been reliable but he complains about the ergonomics sometimes. I haven't ridden it myself so I don't know.

Consider a KYMCO X-TOWN 300 or go large and get a KYMCO AK550! But only IF you have a reputable KUMCO dealer in your area IF something fails. I don't so I'll never buy one.

Does SYM still sell the CityCom 300i? Great scooter IF you have a good dealer in the area just like the KYMCO.

Finally, I second the Burgman 400. New or used. Most used have been loved by their prior owners and their generally very reliable. Suzuki is dead to me because of my experience with their Burgman 200. Impress me with entry level before I go to something more money in the range.

That being said, if I ever up-size my scooter I'd seriously consider a GTS300. I trust Piaggio products.

I can feel your frustration in what and how you write. You have to have the desire and enthusiasm to deal with this and evidently your heart isn't in it anymore. It's understandable, there's more to life than spending hours wrenching, trying to cure an annoying leak.

You did a great job with Started as a spark plug post; now down the rabbit hole we go and I admired your tenacity in chasing the fault. Perhaps your final entry on that thread will give you some kind of inspiration to continue, if not, maybe it's time to cut your losses and sell this GTS as an unfinished project to someone who is up for the challenge, there would probably be lots of takers.

I hope you make the right decision.

Bribe yourself to finish fixing it. Eg promise yourself a bottle of your favourite Scotch

If you are determined to move on from the Vespa, going just from your list of 3, I'd suggest the Xmax. My wife has one, and it is a very competent scoot. While I loved my Vespa GTS 300 HPE, the Xmax out performed it in acceleration, top speed, storage... and all while getting better fuel mileage on unleaded regular. I am 5'9" with a 30" inseam, and it is a bit tall for my tastes; my wife is 5'7" with a longer inseam and she is very comfortable on it. Her Xmax has been trouble-free, coming up on 12,000 miles. If it fit me better, I'd be on an Xmax.

We had a pair of 150 PCXes for 5 years - great scoots, but at the top speed of 67-68mph, the ride was not pleasant. Up to 55mph or so, they were a delight. Typical Honda reliability. Lightweight and peppy, impressive handling.

I considered a Burgman 200 after reading good reviews (and before I bought that first GTS). Seems that people were able to do highway speeds with no issue with it. Very comfortable for my ergos (based on a test-sit).

Good luck with the decisions.

As stated above, neither the Honda PCX and Suzuki Burgman 200 will equal the performance of your Vespa GTS 300.

The Yamaha Xmax has the performance and while not quite as comfortable as your Vespa, they are nice touring scooters.

I have one, now with 24,000 trouble free miles, but roughly one in three that I know of have had electrical problems that had them in the shop for up to six months as the dealership mechanics scratched their heads.

In each case, a wiring harness replacement fixed them.

But I recommend seeking out a mechanic who owns a small shop, and turn it over to them.

I have done that for the past 16 years now with great results.

Bill

OMG. Touring 300 above posted the link to the Op's previous repair saga. I just read all 500+posts of his saga back in 2018! It was Epic and I had to get to the end to see how it ended! I should have just skipped there. But he got it fixed but spent a small fortune! Can't blame him for being reluctant. I need a nap from just reading about it. I'm not sure he ever found a reliable service source.

It's Mother's Day weekend. If I spend all weekend fixing or f**king my Vespa, my wife is not going to be happy.

The riding part sounds great to me!

My current 2018 GTS300 has 1600 miles. My 2006 Toyota Sienna has over 160,000 miles - a hundred times the number of miles on the Vespa…Guess which one is more reliable? On this 2018, I had an unexplainable check engine light that wouldn't go off (it eventually did) and the leaking head gasket. On my previous 2015 GTS, I had a faulty ECU/throttle body that took a year to resolve despite the "assistance" of two Vespa dealers and an independent shop; without this forum and a random dude in New Britain, CT, it would likely still be broken. Then, the HT coil failed (while driving in 2" of snow no less). The last straw was when the water pump started leaking from the weep hole. All of this happened before 12,000 miles.

Kymco and Sym may not be as reliable as I'm looking for, but I appreciate the suggestions. There are multiple Kymco dealers around me, so perhaps I'll go have a look.

Some bikes just don't work for some people. It's inexplicable, but there it is. There is one thing I have come to value in my old age. Time. I used to fix my stuff but now life has granted me enough funds to pay people for things I used to do myself. Having three cheap spares is a plus too.

Lord knows there are enough scooter dealers in Connecticut, both brand name and others. Kymco is well represented there so part acquisition or service shouldn't be a problem.

I sold my KYMCO People 250, the ugly first gen model, to my roomate for $200 with almost 50,000 trouble free miles on it. He rode it another 15,000 and something failed from a lack of maintenance. Great scooter, tough and reliable.

My SYM CityCom 300i had around 40,000 miles but I lost a end bearing. The prior owner rode it from Virginia Beach, VA to Kansas many times, and didn't exactly keep the services up to date. Only paid $1000 and rode it for 2 trouble free years.

Yamaha is dead to me because of electrical gremlins. My local Yamaha dealer is also not that great.

My old Suzuki Burgman 200 just fell apart. The drama is documented on another Burgman forum. Staying away from Suzuki for now on. It was SO HARD to do even a simple oil change!

Last Honda I owned was a Helix. Great scooter but just not my style anymore. A bit dated now and not in a cool/retro way. Now Honda doesn't make anything I would buy. PCX and ADV look complicated to service. But that white PCX is sexy looking!

I would go with the XMAX. That is what I am buying someday if I decide I want to do freeway riding. (Right now my Liberty 150 suites me fine for what I am doing...short commute). I would spend the extra $1000 or so and get new, unless the used one is perfect.