Modern Vespa

Just picked up a 2009 Vespa S50 for my wife, but truth is i'm going to be riding it quite a bit myself

I'm a longtime motorcyclist, i've been riding dirt bikes since I was a kid in the 90's, bought my first bike (Kawasaki W650) in 2001, and currently own a 2022 Indian Super Chief Limited (1800cc). I've had 3 Kawis, 3 Triumphs, A Ducati and a Royal Enfield (loved it!) over the years. I'm happiest on two wheels.

That being said..I'm a beach bum and have always had a soft spot for scooters, Italian ones in particular.

A few things about the scoot:

-I paid $1000 for it
-2009 Model, so carbureted, but 4V!
-Only 123 miles, so like new
-Some signs of neglect (lots of paint chips)

The guy I bought it from knew nothing about machines. He literally didn't even know how to charge the battery. I feel like I got a great deal, but certainly some red flags with someone who doesn't care for something properly. In June 2022 the carb and fuel lines were re-built/replaced, so that's good. Right off I'm going to get some fresh gas in it and do an oil change. All I did was put it on a trickle charger overnight and then sprayed some carb cleaner into the air filter...started right up (he sold it to me as "not running." Here is the resources that would be helpful if anyone can help me out:

-Where can I buy/find an oil change kit?
-Where is the best place to get touch up paint that's a perfect match?
-Where can I buy a two-up seat for this model at a decent price?

Thanks all, and looking forward to learning more from the members here!

scooterwest.com should be able to get you anything you need for an oil change kit.

Paint here: https://scooterpaint.com/

Thank you! Ordered some 544 Monte Bianco White and inquired about an oil change and gearbox oil change kit from Scooter West. Appreciate it!

I took my daughter for a rider around our neighborhood during my lunch break and she said "that was the most fun i've had in my entire life". I think we have another scooter nut in the making (she's 4.)

The wife also took it for a spin and didn't drop it....so that's a good start!

Oh wow, sounds like you got a great deal!

For the seat, you can get anything that says it'll work on an S or an LX. I believe you can also use seats from an ET, too (can't recall if you can swap for a Primavera/Sprint seat or not).

Scooterwest is good for almost any parts you could want, like Cnvh said.

I have some 2 person seats I could send you a picture of to trade if your interested. 1G for the bike is a great price. I would recommend changing out the belt in the variator.

Sure, that would be great! (Seats)

Belt in the Variator....will have to look for that part on ScooterWest. Shame I just put in a order for the oil change parts and the shipping is rough ($20+) maybe I can find one somewhere with cheaper shipping for a small order.

If you call them they can probably amend your order and include the additional parts without doubling your shipping cost. They have always been very helpful with stuff like that when I forget something

You'll need a couple of special tools to do that job as well.

Shops I use the most for Vespa Parts in no particular order:

Scooterwest - San Diego, good dealer, some own brand bits not always available elsewhere, Robots videos

AF1Racing - Aust, good dealer usually has things in stock, fast shipping, reasonable shipping costs

ScooterPartsCo - Arkansas, good selection, especially after market and performance parts, Malossi, sometimes better pricing, reasonable shipping

SIP Scooter Germany so while prices and availability are excellent shipping can be crazy

Unfortunately, most dealers don't stock a lot of parts inventory though the two listed above do.

Welcome from Knoxville.

Check your PM (mailbox) I will send you my contact. If there are any seats you like we can make a deal.

Got it added to my order from Scooterwest!

We are going to get this machine ship shape in no time!

welcome to MV. I very much like that there are other first time Vespa owners willing to do their own maintenance. ride safe ride long.

Don't for get the specialty clutch and variator holding tools for this job, Scooterwest and Scooterpartsco.com probably have them, they are necessary and not that expensive, torque wrench is also a good thing to have

bienvenue!! from montreal

Welcome to MV! Rick Dangerous (esp. part 2) was one of my favourite computer games in the early 90's .

This seems like the time to resurrect the voice of Judy and counsel everyone who hasn't done so for a few years to replace those fuel lines.
Scooterwest has good ones.

Nice scooter. I would be careful in traffic. I have owned a couple of 50cc scooters (not Vespas) they top out at around 40 mph, and take a while to reach that. Most traffic where I live goes around 60 mph on roads with a 45 mph speed limit. I was almost run over several times, and threatened by some idiot in a lifted truck, who actually drove up on a sidewalk to get around me. Hard to imagine carrying a passenger on a 50cc.

The belt is probably still good, but it doesn't hurt to replace it anyway. Belts can take a set after not being moved for decades. I got my GT200 in 2016, in new condition, with 1800 miles on it. It literally looked like it came off the showroom floor. I decided to replace the belt anyway, though I didn't replace the rollers. The original belt looked fine when I took the cover off, but I replaced it, and kept the original for a spare. I had 2 issues with mine shortly after buying it, and nothing since. Now has just over 13,000 miles. The vacuum petcock failed, causing me to have to have it hauled home. Then the water pump started leaking. The petcock has a rubber diaphragm in it, and the water pump has a rubber seal. They probably deteriorated from sitting for so long. I did the full 12,000 mile service, including replacing the belt and rollers and doing the valves. Everything looked fine.

So far I have gotten all of my parts and several accessories from Scooterwest. I've probably spent more on those than I did for the scooter. You're right about theit shipping being high. I'm in AZ, only about 400 miles away, and their shipping was still high.

I would check the tires. If they are still original they may have deteriorated. Look for cracks in the sidewalls. Mine were original, and they were 10 years old, but they still looked fine. I went ahead and wore them out. They lasted longer than the new ones I eventually replaced them with. Probably because they had hardened some over 10 years.

I suggest watching some of Robots videos on YouTube, on the Vespa Motorsport channel. They are from Scooterwest. They are one of the reasons I don't complain more about the high shipping. I have gotten a ton of Vespa information from those videos, and it cost them money to make them.

Good luck with your new scooter, and have fun. But beware, scooters tend to be addictive. You'll probably wind up with a new GTS300 in the not too distant future.

Yep, haha, this 50cc is meant to be a gateway for my wife to get her scooter license and then we can move her to the 150/300cc model, and then potentially one day a motorcycle. Truth be told I'd like to keep a pair of scooters in the garage also because they are just too much fun for around the neighborhood and town! I got out for a 6–7-mile ride with my daughter in front of me this AM and we had a blast. Smiles for miles.

Thanks for the tip! Fuel lines were replaced June 22', so I think I'm good there.

Good catch on the Rick Dangerous reference, my favorite flavor was the Atari ST version. I'm a huge fan of 80s/90s pop culture, so you'll get plenty of it from me where I can get it in.

I noticed my gauges work with the exception of the digital screen, is that just a clock, or is there Trip A/Trip B on there? Debating whether to bother fixing it or not...thanks.

You should do whatever you want. I would never tell someone what he has to do with his scooter. The two things I cannot abide are people who tell others what to do and people who let their batteries die in their Vespa clocks and don't replace them.

Aha! So there are some little CR2032s (actually 386) back there somewhere! Will have to check the manual.

EDIT: Even better:
Looks like a lot of work for a digital clock...maybe a project for a rainy day. lol

That's why people simply attach a stick-on clock or a cheap plastic watch to the scooter.

Yeah I wear a Casio...$30 and the battery lasts for 5 years. Done.

Say can anyone recommend a good phone mount for a Scooter? I use an X-Grip on my Indian but the bars aren't really skinny anywhere on this model and i'm wondering what my options are. MAY need GPS on occasion. TY

Hi and welcome

Just so as you know, the S has it's own little corner on MV if you've got some photos etc to show off..

Vespa "S" all in one place


btw, I'm also a fan of the Casio after John Candy's excellent sales pitch

Welcome to MV! You got a really good deal on that scoot.

For Phone mount, is seems that the Quadlock with Vibration dampener is at the top of the heap right now. That setup can get quite pricey, so you might look for other options with a vibration dampener to prevent damage to your phone.

FYI - Scooter Cannonball will finish this year on Hilton Head this year on Sunday 6/25 and you're pretty close. If you want scooter sensory overload and meet lots of riders from all over the country, that will be the place to be!

Re buying scooter parts or supplies

Scooter Center GmbH
https://www.scooter-center.com/en

also based in Germany, is another reliable option. Last time I ordered Vespa parts from them, the shipment made it to my doorstep in under 48 hours.

Hey Rick u in San clemente ? I'm in San clemente black vespa gt200 I will keep a eye out for you I do all my own maintenance so I can help you out when we cross paths.

Rick Dangerous,

I needed a phone mount for my new Kymco AK550.

Problem, handle bars are all plastic covered. Standard cheap
handle bar mounts would not work.

I went to a local Cycle Gear store (also online) and found
a "Mod Armour Magnetic Phone Mount".

Here is the deal: It magnetically removes off the handle bars
from a mount that is 3M stuck to the plastic. At first I thought,
how could that stay on in rough two wheeled riding? Amazing,
it is like solid as steel.

A bit pricey, but really does the job - no chance of losing the phone
or what ever else I clip to it like a folded map.

This mount would also work on an Vespa.

Bob Copeland

This is awesome Bob thanks! There is a Cycle Gear down the road i've purchased gear at, I'll check in and look for one.

I'm in SC (South Carolina)

Rick is near the finish on HiltonnHead and would be welcome to attend the finish line party at the resort the cannonball finishes at. You are near the start and can attend the pre start party and/or be a spectator at the official start. Info on both will be on the cannonball website, probably in May if you can't find it by mid may ping a cannonball rider.

Most riders will arrive in San Clemente June 16-17 for the Check-in and scooter inspection.

I would very much so like to take some backroads (because my top speed is 39mph haha) down to Hilton Head and join the finish line party! Can you post a link to info on this event? Thank you!

https://scootercannonball.com/ Is the Scooter Cannonball website.

You can ride your Vespa, motorcycle or even a car to attend. I think the party will be at the Beach House Resort on Hilton Head but check closer to the event date. Riders will start arriving early afternoon depending on when they leave that morning. Riders generally leave between 6 & 7:30 (some earlier, a few later) and that day will be approximately 400 miles. Currently registered are scooters from 110cc to 279cc so there will considerable time between first and last arrivals over 7 hours difference in 2021.

In South Carolina you should be able to put a Moped tag on this, and there's no Scooter license. DL or Moped Permit is fine. I think that 2009s in Moped States had the MSO from Piaggio that said it made 1.9 horsepower.
I think we worked on that scooter when we had the shop in Charleston. If the spark plug boot has been trimmed a bit, I definitely remember it. Piaggio took a bunch of inventory back from dealers after the economic crash, and the dealer in Savannah bought a bunch of S50s and sold them for very good prices a few years later. They got dinged up from being moved around until they were eventually sold. Most of the S50s in Charleston came from that particular dealer.
There's no oil filter on the 50cc Vespa, so the oil change kit is called a bottle of oil. A new seat is about $190-200, Belt, rollers and slides will set you back about $30, but you're wasting money replacing them now. Check the air filter and make sure you still have one. You might consider a side stand, if she's uncomfortable putting it on the center stand. Footpegs for the passenger are also a good idea on the Vespas, as you will find out if you ever sit on the back of one.
Tires should be fine on a 50cc scooter. The main thing with the little 50cc scooters that needs to be done is put in fresh gas and ride them.
it's obviously been sitting, and I'm surprised it doesn't need a carburetor. That's about $200.
There are a couple of places in Charleston that are pretty good with Vespas, and a couple you don't want to take it to.

What a nice little scooter! A 'gateway' Vespa as you yourself said..

Sounds like it found a good home in your garage.

Welcome from the Great White North and enjoy 🇨🇦

Or go with a classic time piece

To mount a GPS on my 300 HPE, I took several wraps of white duck tape around the left mirror stalk and used a RAM mount. I also installed a 12V outlet with USB adapter in the left knee pad. YMMV.

I changed the oil (super easy) and did a wash this weekend. I went for a longer ride this AM, 20 miles or so, and engine had a bit of a "burned rubber" type smell afterwards, not super bad, and certainly not smoking or anything. What other fluids/parts should I be checking/changing?

I know so far what's been done:

-Oil change
-Carb cleaned
-Fuel lines replaced
-Checked hub oil, full and looks clear

Service planned:
-Variator belt and rollers

Anything I'm missing?

Your scooter is basically new as far as heat cycles go. The smell your talking about sounds normal. Production oils and exhaust paint is heat cycle into normal.

Okay good to know, figured that *might* be the case. Will keep an eye on things.

Will post another pic once my touch up paint is applied!

I saw a dark gray GTS last Friday afternoon on PCH in Laguna Beach, was that the Nitro200?

Great looking scooter congratulations! I rode an S150 or a little bit over 5 years. They are beautiful bikes. Oh and welcome to the forum.

Thank you! Just made the dealer an offer on this machine, so I can ride with my wife. Keeping it "low budget" for now

https://www.purepowersports.com/--xInventoryDetail?id=13347997