Modern Vespa

Occasionally I take my scooters to Vespa Clearwater to have maintenance done on them. I do most of my maintenance but I like to take them to someone who sees Vespas innards everyday as opposed to me who sees them sometimes. So, since I am getting ready to do a 2 to 3 thousand mile trip into the cool north after Thanksgiving I decided to take Big Red up for routine maintenance and a good look over.

Recently Stefan convinced me he would look better on my 300 than I do and took it away from me. I thought that was great as Big Red has been a great ride for years and 63,000 miles and I like it better than the 300.

But....last spring I almost bought a new 300 that last time I took a scooter Vespa Clearwater. We went so far as to fill out the contract but at the last minute the deal fell apart. What the hell, I had three scooters and needed no more.

Then the I started watching all the reviews on the 2023 that actually has some useful additions that make up for hiding the dipstick behind the exhaust.

As I dropped off Big Red, Matt started telling me about the 2023's that are arriving next month. I started to salivate and my checkbook started to glow. Fortunately my wife showed up and whisked me away in her car.

I well have to go back and pick up Big Red. I hope someone makes me leave my checkbook at home!

Wait, you're asking US to help you with restraint?

suggestion: quickly add/order a few mods for your existing 300 that won't be easily transferable to a new 300 as then you won't want to have to redo these mods if you got a new 300

Just do it! Who buys earlier, has fun longer… Having is better than needing

Restraint...
Isn't that some kinky sexual practice using ropes and handcuffs ?

There is a mathematical formula for the optimum number of scooters to own:

N = n + 1

where: N is the optimum number and n is the number you currently own.

Just do it.

Seriously!?!

I've already got my checkbook ready for the Back Friday sale at my local Vespa dealer. So do you really think I'll be the one urging restraint. I watched the Cleveland Moto review comparing the 2022 to the 2023. The only decision I have left to make is whether to get the white or orange super sport. If the blue SuperTech was coming to the US I'd probably get it but grays and silver are low on my list of favorite scooter colors. I'm leaning towards the ARANCIO IMPULSIVO and replacing the bright orange decal with a black one.

So are you going with the ROSSO CORAGGIOSO Super or ?

LOVE THE RED. Cannot help you with scoot acquisition issues, on the spectrum myself...

Yeah, the main reason doing your own service is cheaper is that visiting the dealer is inherently dangerous to your wallet.

I can't take the suspense anymore. Will be dying to see the pictures of your future new purchase. You must be super excited. Choices choices and choices. How can one ever live without them?

It will be awhile. I'll be ordering at my dealer's Black Friday sale and it could take months to arrive.

Just do it!

Bill

I just can't see clear.

you can't put a price on mental health

Not clear because the scooter isn't red.

Let me help you with that.

Always exciting anticipating a new scoot. Every time I get a new or additional
scooter, my blushing bride thinks I am bat shit crazy. Although, she does
understand it is my main activity/interest and kind of leaves me alone.

Good luck with your wonderful addiction. Buy it, buy it.

Also, you lucky dog, you can ride all year in Florida.

Bob Copeland
Frostbite Falls Minnesota

I recently sold a scooter to take me down to 2, and I'm feeling that itch to get something else.

Next time you're faced with this choice, JUST BUY THE DAMN THING!

I'm curious how a Black Friday sale would work at a dealership. I don't recall, but I also never really looked, a motorcycle dealership having one. Maybe end of year blowout sale of last year's stock, but Black Friday sale?
Now you have me checking the dealers site.

Big Black Friday sale, free sticker and alloy valve stem caps with every $10k purchase 😳

I found a Vespa dealer offering a Black Friday & Saturday Sale!

Revolution Moto, in Santa Rosa, California, is offering $400 off any in-stock '22 GTS and a free Nolan helmet with any '22 Vespa or Piaggio scoot.

WHEW

I went and picked up Big Red and escaped from the dealer without an new scooter. The fact that I had to pay a $1,080 ransome to get him out and a $5,000 rasome to my wife's oral surgeon made it a lot easier not to write a check. They even held me hostage as someone had left the key on overnight and had to charge the battery. Since they had no 2023 300's for me to droll over made it easier. They did have a 2023 Beber but that caused another reaction that was not droll.

$1,080 you say is a lot to get a scooter out of hock and you are right, but well worth it.
They did everything. Belts, rollers, fluids, valves, adjust this and adjust that, new tires with new air and balance, filters, and on and on. Now I will be back to doing the maintenance myself for the next several rounds/years. That is the first major physical that Big Red has had in 62,000 miles.

Now it is time to put this labor to work. I leave Wednesday for a two to three week ride into the frozen north to the hills of northern North Carolina and maybe to Paint Bank, VA one my new favorite spots. Now "frozen" to me is not the same as it is in FrostBite. Anything under 67 I consider freezing.

Seeing everything they did, I must say $1,080. is cheap.

I may have to take all three of mine down there for overhauls.

Bill

That is actually a great price. I hope you buy pizza for the service bay once in awhile for your dealer. I do this for my local Honda shop and I don't even own a Honda scooter. They've always done me good and I look out for them. Wish they'd service Piaggio products!

The owner is the only mechanic right now with many many years of experience. He had another great mechanic but his visa expired and he had to go back to Greece. I don't think he has time to eat pizza.

The owner actually owns a Pizza shop too. Peter and his son Matt are both great and very fair with the prices they charge for service. If you look at the parts prices there was no real mark up on them like most dealers charge. The prices are basically the same as what you and I would pay if we ordered the parts ourselves. I have been doing business with them for almost 20 years and always a good experience.

After all that work they did, it seems you have a 'new' scooter anyway.

Now it just needs a companion…

Being new to the central Florida area, I would like to thank you for the info on Vespa Clearwater. Seems to be a nice shop and a nice destination ride for me. I need something to check out at the end of a ride. And truth be told these beach and shore point rides are starting to end up as just the same sand and water as before.

Well unlike Lostboater I pulled the trigger and ordered a 2023 white super sport today.

I'm thinking there might be a Covid- GTS out break. I rented a home in Sicily last month from the vice president of Pfizer in charge of covid vaccination development. I may call him and see if he has something that will fight Covid -GTS symptoms. But since he has a few Vespas in his garage he may not rush to my aid .

The prices on that bill do not seem out of line at all and a honest mechanic is an absolute blessing.

At the Vespa dealership here in Brooklyn, It would be twice that amount and not sure if they would do everything they said they would.
You got a fair deal and glad you will have a peace of mind knowing it has been well taken care of for the trip you are taking.

Intervention request cancelled

After a fantastic 1,926 mile ride over 19 days, I see no reason (at the moment) to have another scooter in the garage. Big Red ran flawlessly. Well, almost. There was a little problem with negative wire on the starter being loss but it was easy to fix. The scooter ran great and smooth. Every penny I paid Peter and Vespa Clearwater was worth.

I am ready to go again. Especially back to central Georgia to roam a little.

You can read the story here:
https://2022scooter.blogspot.com/p/alone-again-naturally.html

My apartment is probably the size of your garage. I envy those who have the space to have a lift & shop floor to take care of things in a nice way. Love the Che poster on the wall...

I went for orange.

And Roland told me it was Hank Williams White would be my new color.

This is how I lost my GTS about this time in 2019: took it in for pre-winter riding routine maintenance and...left on a new Triumph.

To be fair, it's kinda how I got into PTWs in the first place. I got curious about a friend's Buddy 125 they were talking about, so I went to look at one to see what the fuss was about. A couple weeks after Christmas, I went out on my porch to find out I DIDN'T dream about buying one for myself...I had actually done it, snow storm and all. My credit card hated me for a while that year!

There needs to be a service that offers impulse control assistance.

Your intervention has expired as of 1500 hour Central Time. Back to step One