Modern Vespa

Hello all. I'm brand spanking new to this forum and to the world of scootering as well.

I picked up my brand new 2023 Super Tech Saturday and today being day 3, I already dumped the bike. Took the handle bars out of alignment. I did catch a previous post on this same subject matter but it seemed dated and possibly no longer valid so I'll ask again

Can I simply apply a little force to the handle bars to get it straightened out or do I risk further damage doing so?

I appreciate any information you can offer.

Thanks in advance

Rick, Welcome to MV! Sorry to hear of your troubles, but we've all been there. I believe you can tweak your bars back into alignment without harm. This assumes that nothing has been bent or otherwise damaged.

But you have to hold front wheel---same idea as bicycle

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry to hear about your trouble. As already written: stand in front of the Vespa, clamp the front wheel between feet / legs and then turn the handlebars with some gentle force. Just like on a bicycle. It's best to do this in pairs, so that it does not fall over again.

Feel free to show us pictures of the damage so we can give you more tips.

Do you have comprehensive insurance?

My daughter's GTS also fell over while stationary: no dents but a few light scratches. Cost for the repair including painting just under 2000€/2200$.

Thanks for the welcome guys. I surely have the Vespa Scooter fever ! So I'm trying to get back on the road asap.

I'll most certainly try the bicycle way. Hopefully it'll work as is.

I'll let you know

Thanks again. Looking to immerse myself fully in this forum and the lifestyle.

Cheers !

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

If you are unable to hold the wheel between your legs, as mentioned above, try putting the front wheel up against a wall or something stationary.

Just snug it up against the kerb and haul on it.

Or snug it against the kerb and give not-too-enthusiastic whacks to the bars. Just little nudge to get it back in line.

The bars are meant to move like that so that the steering lock doesn't get broken if perps try to steal it - unfortunately many owners and mechs will tighten the clamp up too tight, and the steering lock gets broken.

So don't nip the clamp up unless you judge the bars move out of alignment too easily.

welcome
And 👍🏽👍🏽 for coming clean on the drop
🍀

Thanks California I think (lol)

I feel welcome

can also turn full to the side and then smack you palm hard against the opposite hand grip. hit hard enough that it almost leaves a bruise

Welcome to mv. May your vespa problems always be minor.

I've had success with this method after dropping it in a parking lot
Welcome from southern California

Thanks Steel Bytes and all the great people that jumped on this thread. I managed to make some progress on the adjustments. A little more and I'll be all good. And thanks again for the welcome to this community. I feel the love !

Welcome ricksancheznyc! I see everyone has given you great tips on straightening out your bars and you're following them. That's good. Tell us what kind of rider you are. You said you're new to the forum and to scootering. Did you ride motorcycles before? I'm not the safety police by any stretch and would probably be best described as an aggressive rider.

My last/only crash was 36 years ago when some sand/dirt in a curve combined with hard acceleration to stand the bike back up made me lose the rear and it slipped out from under me. Huge lesson learned and I never did THAT again.

Your crash might have been a freak accident, or a momentary lapse, but if it was due to inexperience maybe a riding course, where you get to play on their bikes, might be good?

Hey Rob,

Thanks for the welcome.

And to answer your question as to my skills set and experience as a scooter / motorcyclist , I am brand spanking new! I'm an old guy with a new passion.

For many years I thought of the possibility of adding motorized sports to my old repertoire of outdoor activities including years of cycling ( both recreationally and competitively )

I figure I'd get the motorcycle endorsement as that's needed to ride the Vespa ( anything at 150cc and over ) To get there fast I did complete the motorcycle safety course and I did it on a Kawasaki 250 cc they provided ).

I quickly learned that navigating a motorized bike that is almost 18 times as heavy as my human powered lightweight carbon framed bike is really different ! Lol.

The mishap was a stupid beginners thing and I kick myself in the ass each and every day.

Tomorrow I talk to an auto body shop owned by one of my sons trusted friends. The dedicated body shops for motorcycles in my area are booked thru August! SMH

Anyways , I am loving my new interest. If only I can take back that day of my personal infamy !

Cheers and thanks again

You're very welcome and we're happy to have you here. No question is a bad question. Ask away about anything.

I know about days you'd like to get back. Just keep moving and keep riding. Vespas are FUN and way more handy than a motorcycle. You should see the amount of groceries I can carry!

Yup, this has always worked for me in the past. Vespas don't always come perfectly aligned, thankfully, all of the new Vespas I purchased from Vespa Motorsport SD had perfect alignment, they check it well.

If you do go up to the curb, make sure it's not a high curb that could damage the front fender, then just push against it and that will bring it back to center. It takes a bit of force but it works.

Yes. I've been working it that way but it's still not quite there. After a couple more attempts I may bring it into a same day service shop. But get this , it's a Honda dealership so I gotta build up my confidence they'll get it right without messing things up.

Thanks to all for the feedback

I'm really enjoying this Vespa !

Hey! Welcome to MV. So much great info on here. Are you in NYC like your handle suggests?

i recommend to invest on a good set of crash bars.