Modern Vespa

Hi all

I helped my good friends get a super deal on a pretty honest Primavera 125 for their 18 year old. It has knocks and and scratches here and there but given the price you can't complain.

It hasn't seen much mileage over the last few years which is why the seller got rid of it.

I rode it back from work and found on a few occasions when filtering through traffic at low/idle speed it would stall but I could start it right up. Also in comparison to my GTS 300 I notice it's low speed throttle response is not that smooth, kind of more like off and on rather than graduated.

Does it just need its injector cleaned or does there need to be some adjustments made to idle etc. ?

The brake levers are also very hard and it feels like you need robot hands to use the brakes compared to my GTS. Is that a feature of these small frames or once again an adjustment that can be made to get a bit more travel in the levers?

Many thanks

It sounds like the scooter needs a service.

If you have a local ESSO fuel station, fill up a full tank with their Supreme fuel (the red handle). I think it's the only fuel in the UK that doesn't contain ethanol, plus it contains a lot of cleaners.

I'd try and run a full tank of this, and then try and thrash the scooter a bit - full throttle everywhere.

There's a good chance this will clean the injector.

The rear brake should be a drum brake, which is very easy to adjust without lifting the Vespa. Pick up a cheap adjustable spanner and this takes seconds to do.

The front brake is a different story as it's fluid based and should have ABS.

Does it sit at idle ok?

Old brake fluid will make the brake seem hard. It's long overdue for a flush.

My 2015 Sprint 1500 and 2018 Primavera 150 accelerate just as smoothly as my 2018 GTS 300 just a little less power.
Braking is similar as all 3 have front ABS brakes,
the 150cc bikes have drum brakes in the rear which are smooth and strong enough for the lighter weight bikes.

I picked them all up used this year and IMO Vespas this era all warrant a major service:
Oil & filter, air filter, gear oil, front brake bleed, rear brake adjustment, CVT transmission check & clean, valve adjustment, and hard look at tires for micro cracks,
then if still has run ability problems diagnose from there

Many thanks all - sounds like a full service is in order. It had its belt done 2 k miles ago but all fluids and some adjustments are in order. There is an Esso within a few miles so will give that fuel a try.