Modern Vespa

After over a year of street parking I finally convinced the landlord offer me a parking spot. Trouble is that it is basically in a wind tunnel spot. I also have the large windscreen and it is a bit of a sail. Any stability hacks you know of would be much appreciated.

Park facing into the wind or park close to the pole if likely to tip that way.

Just thinking about security as well, could you use one of these, long enough to wrap around the telegraph pole and your steering column?

Good Idea, thank you!

Couple of cheap ratchet straps to tie around pole and steering column, and other for footwell and pole add a litelok x3 through front wheel and suspension to avoid theft.

If that's a public utility pole, and you have your scooter attached to it, whatever the utility is will detach your scooter from the pole and move it so they can work. And they aren't going to call you to tell you to come remove your scooter, nor do they care if they damage it removing it from the pole. And you will have no recourse.
Don't put a cover on. That will act like a sail in high winds.

Slide a length of rebar through the center stand.

Anti tip? Eat at home. Problem solved.

Will it fit under the seat

I am using MP3's big OEM top case on my GTS300, I always park next to the sign post and use the lock to connect passenger hand-grips with the pole. On purpose let the top case lean on the pole. This way, neither wind nor vandals can tip my GTS. Top case decidedly has a sacrificial surface so that the rest of the Vespa is protected from the elements and the stupid in humans.

"this is the way"

This looks like a great idea.

If you can figure a way to set two hooks or loops into the pavement you could get a Canyon Dancer and use two ratchet straps to tie the bike down. Google "Canyon Dancer" to see what it is.

Looked at the photo again. If you can drill two holes into the lower part of the W rail behind the scooter in the photo you could park with the front wheel toward the rail and run your straps to there instead of the pavement.

Not good

Bummer.

Looks like you put a cover on it.

Hopefully the crash bars spared you a lot of damage, and that cover saved some paint.

But the cover might have been the reason it tipped over...

I know. I was revisiting the point Motovista made earlier in the thread.

Yes I do keep a cover on it due to only only parking spot available is this one and its full sun and the seat is leather. I tie it up with a cable to keep the wind from picking up any edges. I left town on a work trip and returned to this. Sadly the bike started but then stalled and will not restart. I am looking to arrange a pick up from a local shop.

maybe just use a cover on the seat not the whole bike

These scooters have a tip-over sensor that will shut it down when it falls. Yours may be stuck. Try leaning it to the right to see if you can get the sensor to right itself. Also, when the bike goes over to the left, oil can soak into the air filter choking off the air flow.

First off thanks for all the help here! I watched a Scooter West vid on changing the air filter. Do you think a rookie like me could do it?

Yes. It requires basic tools, correct parts (if you are replacing the filter), and a willingness to learn.

The video should be a good step by step walk through. Plus we're here as a supporting cast.

If you like doing your own work, always good to download the workshop manual and/or get the Hayes manual.

Ok, I was able to get the air filter off and oil started dripping out.

That's not a big deal. The oil can end up in the air filter when the scooter lays over to the left, like yours did. Wipe it out, try to take off the little clear plastic bubble on the lower surface of the housing and empty it out, new filter element and off you go - maybe.

Just dripping? That's OK. Now clean the filter by putting it into a zip-lock bag, add some gas and squish for a bit. Empty out the gas (into your used oil container is OK), add some more and the same amount of engine oil, squish again, empty out the excess with a few more squeezes, and it's ready to go.

Thank you, I was able to remove the filter and washed it out. I put it all back together. I struggled to start and still stalls. I called the experts to pick it up today.

Well, this was a expensive tip over! Since they had the bike, I opted to do the 6k service and new tires and alinement. The price of Vespa love.

On my way home I bought an steel bar for the center stand. $9

After the last storm It's full beast mode now.

Regarding the "rip over".

On the left side , under the foot board, there is a "security look".
If you have fitted a side stand, it is in that area.

In that you have obtained a designated parking spot, Drive a suitable stake into the ground .pavement etc. (won't work for concrete) The stake should have some sort of eye. Use the eye to fasten a chain to the security loop on short slack. That should well secure the scooter in a variety of directions.

I would remove the windscreen, or at least change to a shorter model.
Second, I would change the orientation of the parking so that the turned front wheel is facing the opposite direction. Reverse head for tail. Or I would park at at an angle, maybe even 45 degrees, so as to reduce the frontal force of the wind sail effect.

Figure out what direction the wind tunnel effect is creating force, then position the bike in a way that has the least amount of wind resistance as possible.

Don't use a cover, it's a wind sail. Opt instead for a removable seat cover to protect the leather seat. If you insist on a bike cover, make sure it does not include the windscreen, and use a weighted bumperbuddy tied to the cover to keep the cover from billowing.

Use the security hook under the floorboard area mentioned above to secure to something very solid.

Storm ready now!