Modern Vespa

I picked up a 2017 model in very good condition with just 7k Kms Garaged all its life and 30 kilos lighter than Gordon-my Sei Giorni. Up 'til now I've ridden it around the burbs and on our mostly well surfaced roads-don't mention the potholes. Good strong air-cooled 168cc motor, fantastic hydraulic disc brakes- front and rear, plus a generally good fit and finish for what it is.
Come the weekend and my wife, on her Piaggio Zip100, and I, took a ride out to one of our fav. cafes over some less well travelled roads . The little Zip was in front and going well at around 70kph while I was following in what felt like a rock in a concrete mixer. I'm sure my girder forked bikes in the past never felt like this. And no it wasn't over inflated tyres.
In the past I have fitted progressive springs to the forks of my BMWs and Harleys and fiddled with different weights of oil in my Brit bikes. With this one I would dearly like to hear if anyone has suffered-or- heard of this character building feature and how best to remedy it. I did find one mention during Google scrolling by an Asian chap but no info on what, if any, improvement in the ride.
PS I had to wait 'til I stopped shakin' to type this.

Rough ride on a LIKE200i....
replace the Kendas - unless already gone
not even 1 more PSI in that front tire! (if you're not GP-ing around corners - consider dropping it 1 or 2)
play with the rear shock setting

I've ridden my LIKE200i slightly more than once a week for 11 years - year around here in Ohio.

It did not take me long to decide which roads were not acceptable on my daily work commutes!

I have never ridden another 230>265 lb Kymco model - but I suspect the ride of my LIKE200i is typical of all such from Kymco.

My #1 recommendation is to stay off of crap roads! Full stop.
Find another route to your favorite destinations!

Because....I suspect that one who has found BMW and HD suspensions wanting - will have issues with this light, short w/b, plastic Kymco.

Once I came to grips with it's lousy ride over bad roads - I have come and gone with the likes of a Forza 300, and Burgman 400 - while that little Kymco is still in the garage - waiting for tomorrow's ride!

(a bonus that it is easy to work on!)
Plus - I agree this scoot has THE best dam brakes! - smooth, powerful and easy to modulate!
O.S.

P.S. - if you live in a country of all crap roads - consider a 500lb Burgman 400 - rides like a Buick!

The quick and cheap way to stiffen the front end of any scooter or motorcycle with regular forks is to cut a couple one inch pieces of PVC pipe in the appropriate diameter, and stick them on top of the springs.

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. I'll pull the forks out and have a look at the innards.
How's the ride on your Liberty ? I like the larger wheels and Robot gave that model a big thumbs-up. He also showed how to fit a side/kickstand-a must for me with one fully functioning arm.

You don't need to pull the forks and take them apart. Take the caps at the top off, ONE AT A TIME, and put in a washer and a spacer, then put the caps back on and tighten the nuts that hold it in place.

Don't you recommend changing/refreshing the oil?

The Liberty?
Yeah - I love it!
Seven years with it - bullet proof - easy to work on - well made in Vietnam - and that big front wheel makes it ride more motorcycle than scooter. Feels very stable - so much so I often find myself going 5 or 6 MPH faster than if I was on my LIKE200i.

If I had it to do over?....well, I'd have purchased a white one, too!

I admit that I was very interested in what kind of ride I'd get with that rear mono-shock....! But it does just fine - I guess after more than 900,000 of these - Piaggio has it figured out!

I've done nothing to mod it - not even the roller wt change recommended by ol' Robot. I'm happy with the performance, as stock. I did replace the tires once worn with Angels. (like them as well!)
I purchased it because I wanted a big-wheel scooter - and because of the reviews I read (justgottascoot, etc. - of course I knew Robot was trying to move them - but the others were not)
Before buying the scooter - I purchased the service man from AF1-Racing....to make sure I could DIY it easily.

All said - I love it!
O.S.

P.S. - not certain stiffer shocks is the answer to the LIKE's ride. Seems like going the wrong way - but I'm no expert. A shock oil change couldn't hurt.

I too wondered about the putting extra tension on the springs, so getting the scoot off the stand, grabbing the front brake and pushing down on the front end
it took such little effort for the the forks compress. Almost soggy. I did not expect that, especially on a bike which has done such a low mileage and all, until now, on smooth city roads. Googling springs, I found Bitubo make progressive springs for some Kymco models but not he Like.
Thank you Motovista.

It looks like the Liberty is not a model sold on the NZ market, however the Medley is. It looks the same but with some extra tweaks...auto stop/start by way of no generator but a coil less stator ?? My searching revealed ONE for sale throughout the country, a dealer in Wellington-430miles down the line. They have one, in a dark metallic colour.