Modern Vespa

Purchased new in 2012 my 500 Sport has 11000 miles on the clock and hasn't been used much for the last 3-4 years.

Rode it the other day for the first time in 4-5 months and apart from the horn sounding when I first turned the key on, it rode fine. The horn stopped when I started the engine which started first time.

I only have easy access to a local motor cycle dealer for maintenance. It has not been to a Piaggio dealer for work since the warranty ended. The garage I have used for service, are by no means Piaggio or even scooter experts as far as I know.

Undecided whether to look into the cost of part exchanging it for a newer one, or getting it checked and any work done to keep it another year or two.

I will start another thread re the upgrade option.

I had sliders and a new belt installed in 2015. Apart from new battery and tyres, nothing much else has been done to it.

The nearest Piaggio dealership is about 70 miles away, apart from the distance (2 miles to local bike dealer mentioned above) the Piaggio dealer would no doubt be much more expensive, even for the same work.

So the question I am wrestling with is, assuming I decide to keep it, should I bite the bullet and take it to Piaggio dealer or use the local mechanic, but instead of just saying "give it a service" as I have in the past, ask them to also take a look at specific parts for wear and tear etc and if I do, what should I be asking them to check?

Thanks

Ask the service department at the local shop, if they will:
Change the fluids, check the valves & grease the frontend
Buy the grease fitting bolt & give them a pdf service manual on a flash drive
While an MP3 is unique, it's still a motorcycle

Thanks for the reply. Should I be concerned about the sliders and/or belt that were fitted in 2015?

How many miles on the belt that got replaced in 2015?
If the cvt, gets serviced, I would replace it
Sliders are fine until they get flat spots

Thanks again, I have no idea how many miles it has done since 2015. Think it would be wise to get it changed.

I have foot pegs sold by a member here years ago and don't think I could ride without them, so may be very limited if trying to find a newer 500 model that they would fit on, so it looks like it will be staying.

Not sure if the steering has ever been greased, if it has it would only have been done during the first couple of dealer services while under warranty. Guess I have been lucky. I need to find out more about it so I can make sure the workshop are aware and know what needs doing.

you might find this helpful, only 4 minutes to watch. he is a service tech at a vespa piaggio dealer in san diego. good argument to change the coolant often.

Very useful thank you. I will get that done.