Modern Vespa

Hello i am riding on a CBT license at the moment and i am limited to 125cc scoots/bikes. I know that T5's are faster than PX125's but are older. This will be my first 2T vespa and i am concerned about maintenance, repairs and availability of parts. I also heard that px parts have more availability and are cheaper. Any advice would be much appreciated cheers, Ellis.

T5 is indeed faster than PX in stock condition. PX on the other hand has a slew of aftermarket cylinder kits to leave T5 behind.

Engines are roughly the same but differ at least in crankshaft, cylinder transfer ports and primary gearing.

My concern about that is legality, I think with a CBT license it's 125 and 125 only and getting caught with kits can get you in trouble, at least I think.

Apart from the engine the T5 is different in the chassis. Quite unique, styling and a bit taller, more roomy.
All in all very iconic with if you dig that sort of thing; heritage as the F1 pole position prize at one time. Piquet, Senna and Prost p.e. won one.

Now that's awesome! Is this the same case for the T5 classic model or not? Not sure if I fully dig the rectangular headlight.

T5 Classic and Millennium are PX chassis with a T5 motor, both being produced only for the UK...

You are correct about the legality.

To be honest though, plod have probably got better things to be doing than checking your Vespa for performance upgrades.

So you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?

Barry Turner's Scooter Warehouse is close to you in Ellesmere Port. Barry rides a T5, so it might be worth talking to him about spares availability and cost.

I would think that the value of T5's will only go up over time in comparison to the PX. They probably are already? We don't have them here.

Something to factor in.

I think the right question is this: "Do I feel horribly, extremely unlucky?"

Unless you muck up in some spectacular and utterly idiotic fashion, nobody will be taking your scoot to dyno to measure the output or even less popping the engine to see what displacement it is.

Case like this could be running over a pedestrian at 100kmh on a 40kmh zone, causing bodily harm and getting the insurance company involved for seriously big money. Then they might do anything to deny coverage.

Just don't be a complete ass in the traffic and you will be just fine.

This caught my eye too, does ANYBODY know of anybody w/ 125cc license who got caught with too many cc's? I'm curious to know how they determine your displacement at the side of the road. Do they have a gadget that hooks on your plug hole or exhaust & measures output for one revolution??? Don't think so, but... Please tell if you know.

I know that that's the limit all over Europe for 16 year olds and been the main reason certain models of scooters and bikes were made for them at 125cc like the deluxe t.s.125, a hi end mildly stripped down Rally 200 with a small motor for rich kids. Yeah, but PX engine technology is basically same as original P or even older Sprint Veloce or Super, and T-5 engine technology is much more modern, and is Piaggio's newest for these motors.

But if you chose the PX and kept a quiet muffler on it but concealed a mild 177 kit under the stock plastic shroud, I don't know how the cops could know your displacement without magic gadgets or your confession.

I don't know anybody who's ever got caught with too many cc's.

I think in this world we live in it wouldn't even make the least of my worries list.

My honest advice to the OP would be get your full licence asap and ride what the hell you want to instead of what the law allows you.

I got caught for something similar. Chinese copy z50 with a 125 in it. I had a full license and it was insured as 125cc with the modification listed as bore/stroke increased greater than 10%.

When asked the copper said he stopped me because he was into monkey bikes having had 3 of them himself.
Pretty bad luck really and I had been riding it over 10 years at that point, but there will be Vespa owners in the police so you could get stopped by someone that knows what they're looking at.

After checking my details he just told me to update the v5 with the correct engine number.
However try getting insurance with an aftermarket engine declared, I called 15 insurers and got one quote. I've gone from 4 bikes on one policy for £300 to £380 for just this one with a 1500 excess and they'll only cover it if stored at my home address not my rented garage.

Once i get the scoot and get used to riding it i probably will end up modifying. The lucky bit is hoping my insurance wont put me in debt
Hopefully my full year of no accidents will warrant me a bit of a discount.

Cheers, i'll try and send him a message sometime.

My friend who moved here to Australia from Germany when he was in his early to mid twenties, said the cops in Germany (in particular the motorcycle cops) have an almost encyclopedic knowledge on what is and isn't correct on many bikes and scooters. He reckons they could quickly tell if you had a kit fitted. Even just on the side of the road.