Modern Vespa

Now that I have some BGM Sport tires on my Stella, I am inclined to bring the rest of the running gear up to spec with the kind of spirited riding I do.

I have upgraded the front brake pads to Malossi Sport pads, and the warped stock rear hub has been swapped with a FA Italia one. I have SIP Performance shoes in the back too. They have served me well for how affordable they were, but I might try to look for some true "name brand" equipment from an actual brake parts manufacturer next time. Also, my front rotor has become slightly warped and I will be replacing it soon. Any suggestions? I have seen a couple of floating rotors on SIP...

The OEM "ESCORTS" suspension leaves a lot to be desired. Lots of front end dive under braking and very harsh over less than ideal pavement. I have heard some decent things about the cheaper (sub $100 each) shocks but sometimes I wonder how many of these glowing reviews come from people who have only felt 40 year old OEMs until then. My eyes have been set on the damping adjustable YSS shocks but I can't seem to find any for sale; only the Eco line. Anyone have experience with either? Or are there any other options I should look for?

Whenever I have to replace these tires I am most likely going to get some solid tubeless rims as well. Cuts down on unsprung weight a little and will make it much easier to properly balance the wheels. Thatscootershop's wide rear conversion is intriguing: they modify the case/swingarm to let you run a wide rim and a 130/70 10 rear tire!

You already have a good front disc on the Stella, so that's one big one ticked off.

You already know you need to go tubeless for tires and rims. That makes a big difference at speed. Make sure you get speed rated tires, too.

There are more opinions on tires than there are makes and models, so I'll skip my opinions on that topic.

Next, you need to replace the engine buffers and rear upper shock buffer with Clauss Studios' urethane replacements. They make a huge difference in stiffening up the bike's handling, though they also pass some vibration through, just like a sports car.

Then, you can get ready to drop some coin on new shocks. The stock Stella shocks were chosen for providing a smooth-ish ride while overloaded on beat up roads. Either the SIP Performance or BGM F16 shocks will do well by you. No need to pay 2x the cost of SIP or BGM for Bitubo's. They're not noticeably better, IMO.

Past that, get your engine running well, your front axle bearings greased up, and your cables in good shape and you'll be good-to-go.

Think I should just get another OEM PX/Stella style rotor for the front? The Polini floating one on SIP is intriguing, and considering I warped a solid rotor already it might be worth considering.

I am running BGM Sport tires in 3.5x10 right now. They are rated for 180kmh/111mph so I won't be outriding them anytime soon (at least speed-wise). Another user here mentioned they are manufactured by Heidenau.

You will have to machine the drum to fit. I do them here, but you may find someone local.

Floating disk conversion on LML Stella

The stock rotor has always worked excellent for me, so i felt there was no need for a floating rotor...but that's totally player's choice. The stock brake pads and rear brake shoes have always worked excellent for me, except if the shoes have been cover with oil.

I've used both Bitubo, SIP, YSS, and Prima shocks on my scooters. The Bitubos are perfect for me on the racetrack, but a smidge too stiff for general riding around (i weigh in around 157lbs). I really like the valving and spring rate on the SIP performance shocks. What i don't like about the SIP shocks is that they seem to use some sort of universal shock body and stem, with Vespa specific mounting brackets. The SIP shocks have at least a 1" less suspension travel than the stock or Bitubo shocks. I only have bad things to say about YSS shocks, so i'm not going any further there. I did like the Prima shocks that i bought from Scooterworks. They were a bit more firm than my stock PX150 shocks, yet still rode like a cadillac down the highway. After about 10 years they got too mushy for me and i swapped them out with a SIP shock.

As for tubebliss rims, get them or don't get them. I have 3 or 4 sets of them. I personally don't see them as a "need" item. Yes, they worked excellent for me on the track. Yes, i could tell the difference with the less unsprung weight they offered. Yes, i would buy them again for racing. That being said, i don't have or feel the need to use them on any of my road going scooters. I think they're a huge pain in the butt when changing tires. The juice isn't worth the squeeze to me.

As for wide tire kits?...have you ever seen a real fast track vespa or Lambretta in the BSSO series with a wide tire? Because that's your answer right there. That being said, i do have experience with wide tires on vespas. I currently have 3"x11" SIP tubeless rims in my pink PK P200, but that's all for aesthetics. I also used to have a 3x10" wide tire kit on a PX as well. If you want to install a wide tire kit correctly, you of course cut off part of the swingarm and slide the engine over about 3/4" (or maybe it's closer to 1/2"?) to the right. Which means if you don't move the upper shock mount over that same distance, then the shock shaft will bind during its suspension travel. That will either lead to a leaky shock seal or a snapped off shock stem. The shock coil might probably rub against the frame at full extension. The way around all of that is to relocate the upper shock mount over (it involves a welder and a grinder). The other downfall is that the fan shroud will most likely run against the inside of the cowl. It's a bit more of an issue if you have an E start. Very few people would ever go through the lengths to spend the time or resources to correct sort all of those issues out. Will both you and your scooter die in a fiery wreck? Most likely not, but reread my disclaimers...

I forgot to mention the wide tires...I ran 11" 135's for a while, but ultimately put them on the shelf. I worked through enough of the mechanical issues (e.g. rubbing everywhere), which was a non-trivial amount of aggravation.

Ultimately, while they made the bike more stable and better able to deal with the low quality streets here, they ultimately killed the agility of the bikes, making them just less fun to ride. If I were going to do a long highway speed road trip, I might consider putting them back on, but for around town riding, they kind've kill the fun.