Modern Vespa

Hi everyone! New to the forum, although I have had a Vespa for about five years. Had a Sprint 50 I bought used, but it was stolen a week ago (2:30 am, pickup broke into our condo parking lot by breaking the gate, and just tossed it into the back of the pickup). Bought a Primavera 150, Grigio Delicato, the next day (it's my daily mode of transport). This is my to do list, some of which I have already done:
1. Remove turn signal pods (I did this on the old Sprint as well). I also changed the red color lenses on the rear (the ones next to the brake light) to clear. Looks great given the color of the Vespa. Why did I do this? My old Vespa's light pods were constantly getting knocked off, and when I started parking the Vespa outdoors with a cover, putting on and taking off the cover became an even bigger pain in the rear. Even broke a few too. With the pods gone, the problem is gone too. Plus the Vespa looks cleaner. Extra plus: Turns out that on the latest kit from Scooterwest, the turn signal relay that you replace in the front body chimes when the signal light is engaged. The old kit did not do this, and when I ordered it there was no mention of it. A pleasant surprise. I also replaced the the rear fender to avoid the unsightly holes that the rear pods were mounted on.
2. Folding footpegs. My wife frequently rides on the back. Without the footpegs my calf would hit her feet when I put my foot down at a stop. Now her feet sit about two and a half inches further out. Issue resolved.
3. EVAP removal: This is next. I will leave the rollover valve on though. Why do this? Storage (I will replace the bucket as well to the one without the bump for the EVAP). My helmet wont fit under the seat with the current bucket that has the bump for the EVAP canister. My old bucket could also fit a bag of ice and a few extra goodies, and was great for running for goodies while out on a day on the beach. The smaller bucket is a pain in the rear.
4. fold down rear rack: also pending. It will hold a small cooler and two beach chairs.
5. small windshield: The 150 is so much zippier than the 50, and I certainly feel the wind push against my chest when zipping along, particularly when facing a headwind. Then again this is my brain trying to justify buying something I really like for the looks.

Looking forward to other owner's inputs as to what they found useful and helpful. I often do not ride with much to carry (except on a weekend run to the beach). I do love my Vespa though, and am loving the upgrade to the 150.

Welcome to MV! Nice upgrades. I did them all as well except for the evap removal. With the new bucket, will a full face helmet fit?

We'd all love to see pictures as well.

Sorry for your scooter loss!

Thanks for the welcome! This photo is from the day before I did the pod removal. I'll get better pics when I put in the windshield and rear rack. As for the full face, I don't know. It does fit a size large helmet with a large pull down face shield (which I lost in the stolen Vespa). If you have a scooter place nearby ask if they have a full size bucket and check. I didn't find specific instructions for a recent Primavera/Sprint EVAP removal so when I get the parts and get to it I'll do a tutorial.

A tutorial would be fantastic. Nice looking scooter. I'm glad my pods are gone too!

I lived in San Juan 40 years ago. Wow long time. Loved it there!

You still remember it well obviously. I'm a local, but with an atypical upbringing. My wife, from Wisconsin, fell in love with PR and decided to move to PR when we started dating. She might get her own Vespa one day.

There's gotta be a special place for people who feel entitled to take your stuff. I believe in Karma however thieves are simply walking away now un scathed. What a world. Sorry to hear about this and best of luck with the new scooter, it looks great. I just ordered one of the twin windscreens and I'm about to order a fold down rear rack, I'm a new owner of a '09 GTS 250.

Welcome from SC. So sorry about your scooter. What are you doing to protect the new 150?

Warm welcome from the Jersey Shore. Very sorry to hear about someone making off with your 50 like that (hoping the Distributor of Karma gets their return address…any CCTV footage of the event?), but happy you were able to head right out and get a (fabulous!) replacement. I don't need to tell you what extra fun you're going to have on that new ride.

All the mods you've mentioned sound spot-on. But: I'd hold off a bit on the evaporations removal, at least until it starts playing up (I took mine off Melody after close to five years' ownership when it started doing weird stuff with the engine). Whatever you end up doing, have fun, and keep us posted. (Hope your wife does get one of her own…why should you have all the fun?)

Good morning folks! To answer a question, and a suggestion:

Protecting the 150: My landlord is lending me a closed parking space (with a liftmaster door) for a couple of weeks. It belongs to a property that became vacant THE DAY BEFORE my Vespa was stolen. My landlord actually called me in the morning to let me know I could park the Vespa there, and I got to tell her my Vespa had been stolen the night before. It came too late for the 50, but that's where I am parking the 150 for now. At least it's out of sight. For a more permanent solution I am thinking of:
1. braided cable lock. I am open to recommendations. I would install a plate with a loop in the wall next to its usual parking spot, and tie it up. My current state of paranoia is also considering a brake lever lock.
2. GPS tracker. I have an Airtag in it but its pretty useless as Apple allows third parties being tracked to disable the Airtag. I am therefore looking for a GPS tracker, preferably one I can hardwire. Any recommendations are appreciated.

The EVAP removal: My only interest in removing the EVAP, specifically the EVAP canister, is to allow for a bigger bucket under the seat. It is very annoying that the current bucket will not even fit my helmet.

Hope everyone has a great week.

I notice that A-1 Racing has the under seat bucket for $20.56. Very low price. Not yet in stock but more on the way!

https://www.af1racing.com/OEM-Vespa-Helmet-Compartment-673615

So the European version of this bike does not have the Evap container. Guess we don't need it either?

Wow. That's a QUARTER of what it is listed for elsewhere. Nice find; now to wait until they have it in stock.

Welcome to MV from New England

Exactly. I wonder if it's a pricing error. The carpet pad to fit is less too.

1. Are you convinced you know how to remove the evap container? 2.Do our Vespas have a turn-over sensor?

The pods look fine, but some like a cleaner look.

Looking very nice either way. The colour suits it. 😎

This is a diagram of what I have been able to put together from different sources, including Robot at Scooterwest (although his video is an older GTS I believe), and a 2015 post by AppliedScience in this forum. Lines in blue color exist and will remain. Lines in purple will be removed (as well as parts exed out in purple). The green line is a new line, to be added to the roll over valve on the fitting opposite the fitting from the gas tank. I have seen diagrams that remove the roll-valve and just have a drain tube coming from the tank to somewhere low away from heated components, but have read recommendations that the roll-over valve should remain in place in the event of a fall. It doesn't seem to intrude in the basket area so I will try first keeping it.
To all - I am not a mechanic but do tinker, and I have not tried this yet. It makes sense to me and I think it will work (feel free to critique or chime in if you are more mechanically inclined than I am). (Now insert mandatory legal disclaimer: use at your own risk).

Cisco, that drawing is very helpful.

And then it dawns on me that I have a 2015 primavera 50. Upon examination, the under seat storage BUCKETS are almost identical (versus my 150) except the 50 does not have an evaporator and thus the bucket (aka pet carrier) is full size. Now, does my LS2 modular helmet fit? Close but NO!

Thus ends the project to remove the Evap system, unless there is another reason to do so.

Dang. Did you try placing it upside down? (and yes, I have been told that the 50 bucket would be the same as the non-evap bucket on a 150).