Modern Vespa

Just saying hi.,
I bought a low milage Medley 4 months ago, I was happy with it, having researched what I wanted to ride after taking basic rider Training on a forgettable Chinese scooter.
But I now have a problem, the bike has 4000 miles on the clock, I have put 800 on myself.
The last time I took it out, it inexplicably conked out on me, no warning lights, oil lights, engine lights, it just stopped! I assumed an electrical fault ,got it rescued , but at home took out the spark plug, to check and clean, and found it mangled, the electrode bent, my assumption was a major mechanical fail.
I contacted the dealer( it was 2nd hand) , the garage has stripped it and told me the piston is seized, through lack of oil, now I may be a noobie , but I have been motoring 45 yrs so I am wel aware of doing engine and brake checks before setting out.

I can categorically state the engine oil was within parameters, there is no evidence of oil leaks or burnt engine oil, so my question is, where has the oil gone?

I hope to have this rectified by the seller, but what I want to know is there any history or problems with the i-get125 engine, I am asking, so that if the sellers try to squirm out of responsibility to repair, I can say any reasons they give are not valid.

Under Consumer rights act in Britain, anything sold in UK has to be of merchantable quality for 6 months, if it goes wrong or breaks within that's period , it has to be repaired ,replaced, or refunded, regardless of whether it's brand new or used.

It's kind of galling to be asking advice in this circumstance, but I believed I had sought & bought a sound bike, for my needs.

I welcome comments

Have you got any gory pictures of the imploded innards? We love such things.

Do you have the service record showing the initial service was done?


Welcome to MV

I think the garage needs to send you some pics of the damage. For the spark plug to be mangled, it would have had something on top of the piston to do it - a piece of ring or a snapped off valve. Either case, if it's guaranteed for six months, the bill doe not fall on you. The best way out would probably be to find a donor engine.

That is unfortunate that it happened to you. I'm not aware of any high frequency of complaints like this, just seems highly unusual.

My best advice is to document as much as you can regarding the purchase timing, and maintenance that you had done during your ownership.

Certainly hope this works out in your favor.

Tierney, the seller has the bike now, so no pictures from my end,they are supposed to contact me this week, but I am off gallivanting the South seas, or more accurately Chichester harbour, so won't be on touch for a while.
As soon as I got the plug out, and saw the damage ,it wasn't worth digging a deeper hole, the evidence was there.
Apart from mechanical damage to a the piston , rings or valves, I can only think somehow the oil has disappeared somehow , and is failed from no oil but as I said I've dipped it before I left that morning, either there was a extant fault, or just went kablooey.
It ran quietly , no rattles , no smoke ,my biker friend with a Forza thought about decent bike, and remarked how quiet & smooth it was compared to his Honda..
For a bike that has only had it's running service, and inter service prior to sale, it should have been another 2000 miles before the first service.

Hopefully they will sort it out , but frankly I don't want it back,it's not what I bought, I really wanted an MP3 but the insurance was 3 times as much as the Medley, thought it a no - brainer run around on the 125, get my basic bike licence
then hopefully get a trade in & cheaper ins on the 3 wheeler.

40 odd years of motoring , then this happens !