Modern Vespa

I've been riding motorcycles for about 8 years now, and got a chance to try a scooter last summer. It was an absolute riot, so last week I picked up an '07 LX150 that the previous owner had rebuilt. It looked good on the admittedly cursory inspection I gave it in his garage, and the price was rock bottom, so I took it.

Rebuilt might have been an overstatement. It doesn't appear to have any rear brakes at all, and the adjuster is seized. Something is very slowly dripping oil onto the back tire (after three days in my garage, there is a puddle the size of a dime under the wet spot on the rear wheel). It looks like there are a couple of other oil leaks as well.

I'm not the most experienced wrench around. I typically buy a shop manual for each bike, and when a job needs to be done I read that section of the manual and decide if I'm going to tackle it myself or send it to a pro. I've seen that there is a workshop manual that some posts say is free. Is that available on-line, or is it something that came when the bike was new and has been lost to time now? Is the Haynes manual a worthy replacement? I've used them for other bikes with mixed results. One thing I do know, I don't want to start opening this up without some information at my fingertips. Any advice on where to best find that information would be much appreciated.

Start here for manuals:

https://manuals.wotmeworry.org.uk/Vespa/LX150/

Saw you're in Ontario. Fada Scooters in Toronto might have some used parts kicking around, as might Lou at Vespa Toronto West.

Thank-you both, that's a great start. Some penetrating oil and vice grips got the adjustment barrel freed up, and I now have some rear brake, but with the instructions from the manual links provided I'll probably open it up tomorrow to check the shoes anyway. Then I can start looking for those leaks...

best to get some penetrating oil on those exhaust nuts now so that they get a good soak. it'll likely need it.

don't forget the cotter pin when you knock it all back together!

Scooterwest YouTube channel has a lot of videos that can help you

Got the penetrating oil, but that's all I did tonight. Too cold in the garage to work today. I'll keep an eye out for that cotter pin.

I've subscribed, thanks for the tip.

Finally got around to those brakes. Turns out they were brand new, both the brakes and the shoes, all that was really wrong was the cable wasn't properly clamped into the stay at the end of it's run. Oh well, learned a bit about my new toy taking it apart and put it back together. Looks like there's quite a bit of new parts on it, including the exhaust bolts that came off really easily.

Looks like there's only one oil leak as well, it's dripping from the oil pan onto the brake cable, then dripping from the cable in about three places along the way, making it look like multiple leaks at first glance. Going to order a new gasket for the oil pan and see if that solves it.

You may want to get a torque wrench that reads or works in inch pounds. Easy to over torque going into aluminum sometimes.

I think my smallest torque wrench measures inch pounds, but I will check it. I've got the Haynes manual now, I think it lists the torque specs on everything on the scooter.

Thanks for the tip.

Be careful with that, Haynes manuals while a top rate source, does make mistakes. Make sure your check torque readings from other sources as well.