Modern Vespa

Took the plunge. About $1650 shipped. Cheapest vendor I could find. https://www.brooksuspension.co.uk/

Went with stealth black, gold version would have been about $100 cheaper.

What's in the box?

Included are preload adjusting tools and stainless hardware, both front and rear, front brake line relocation bracket, rear left side lower brackets for 150 and 300, spacer washers, and 2nd set of stiffer rear springs.

Front install:

Already had urethane bushings, these were straight swap, obviously factory bushings would work as well, but good time to upgrade.

Brake line needs to be rotated at caliper to clear the reservoir. Was able to loosen the bolt slightly, lost a couple drops of fluid, no bleeding required. Relocation bracket required with longer 6x20 bolt. Ohlins includes a new stainless bolt and washer but it doesn't look right, Vespa part number CM179302 restores the OE look.

ABS sensor wire clips can be rotated around the hydraulic line to clean up the routing, a little heat and leverage with an adjustable wrench does the trick.

Rear install:

Upper bushings again straight swap, need to reuse the nuts from stock shocks, so if you are already aftermarket will need to source source nuts or spacers if you don't have your stock shocks.

Shocks are marked left and right, but appear to be identical. Instructions detail lower spacer stack up, need to reuse factory spacers. Again if already aftermarket may need to source these. New CNC logo brackets are included for left side, but could reuse factory bracket if desired.

Tip: Do the right side first. I've done this twice now, trust me it's easier that way.

so no choice of different spring for the front?

and no photo of the rear?

Rarely seen this much balance weights even in car.

First time seen those Öhlins on someones Vespa. Cheap tune up!

Installed this kit, along with Brembo caliper, on a customer's 2024 HPE. Straightforward, except that the customer wanted a Speigler brake line, for no reason except to make more work. And the Brembo hub was a pain to install correctly with stock washers etc.

The big disappointment is that there is no rebound or compression adjustment. For the money it should have at least the compression adjusting knob since the internals are pretty basic Ohlins plug and play.

Bluecloud, what are your impressions?

/Users/nikolamasic/Desktop/IMG_3259.jpe

Good but not great. Jury's still out. I expected more. Lack of damping adjustment for the $$ is a dissapointment.

Will do a post with a bit more detail when I have time.

2nd set of springs are for pillion, most of additional weight will be at the rear. No photo as can't really see them when installed

Can you still get lead wheel weights in Finland? They are illegal in the US. This is not uncommon with steel weights.

That said, think I will have the shop re check the balance.

The decision to go Ohlins:

Surveyed pretty much the entire market, studied pics, read forum threads and reviews, went to manufacturer web sites. I see aftermarket suspension for Vespa divided into roughly 3 tiers.

Lowest tier I would call factory replacement. Similar construction and price point as OE, usually offering only preload adjustment on the front as an improvement from factory parts, Carbone, Pinasco, low-end YSS. IMO these would be the go to for riders happy with stock suspension, or on a budget, and needing replacement.

Mid-tier offerings have damping adjustment, alloy bodies, remote reservoirs, more sophisticated internals, at double or more cost of the lower tier, Malossi, Bitubo, SIP/Zelioni, BGM, high-end YSS. Here you see significant improvement in suspension over lower tier.

Then there is Ohlins.

At double the price of the mid-tier and lacking damping adjustment, these are a hard sell. In their favor, they do have the advantage of tuning/rebuilding at any suspension shop. And then there is brand recognition/reputation, resale value would offset to some degree the price differential.

Like many on here, for me scooters are more than transportation, they're a hobby, a lifestyle, sometimes cost is no object. They exist, I had to try them, Ohlins on a Vespa.

for high end / expensive choices there is also Wilbers

https://www.wilbers.de/shop/en/Motorcycle/Vespa/GTS-i-e-Super-300-M-45/

Yeah, saw those too. But you won't get the brand recognition, resale value of Ohlins. And they are even more $$$ than Ohlins.

Will you accept 25 bucks shipping included to Germany in a few weeks, I am not rich.

Ha, somebody's got a sense of humor.

Do you see many Ohlins on Vespas in Germany?

Far to many BMW,s here to spot a Vespa

Yes, Vespas are not fun in the rain.

Yes, those teenagers or forever-tenagers blank bmw:s seem wery fun in raintime, with all the electrical problems etc. I never seen a bmw all signals or ligts working, and it NEVER is driver issue! ;-D The death-rate is also high, and that includes the latter too.

Another thing about the Ohlins, there was an issue with installing a lowering kit on a new 310Hpe. On the back the shock hit the case, when lowering kit was attempted, and on the front the width of the spring/retaining ring prevented installation (specifically bolt clearance) of the lowering mount.

The benefit of online shock is that large 36mm piston, which allows more accurate oil control, but then you need wider springs to clear the body - which is not terrible in itself because the bigger spring allows for better control, but less clearance up top.

Had Wilbers remote preload rear shock and progressive fork springs fitted to my 2008 F650 GS, night and day improvement. Braked flatter, cornered as if on rails. Only disappointing point was the crashy bottoming out feel with a pillion carried over. Despite the shock being set up for our combined weight gear panniers etc.

I have a F700gs now , stock and thats still not brilliant two up. Maybe thats why the 2017 bikes have electronic suspension with two up settings.

Been on the scoot 3 months now, long enough to do the actual review.

Initial impressions:
Steering is heavier at low speed. Didn't think to weigh them but doubt the alloy body Ohlins is heavier than steel stocker, though the spring is significantly beefier. Think it may be due to the massive remote reservoir hanging off the side. At any rate don't really notice it after a couple days.

Spring rates and lengths are well matched front to rear, preload settings are essentially same at both ends.

Non-adjustable damping is well matched to spring rate. I had adjustable damping on my last scoot and on cars in the past and found that once you dial it in you pretty much leave it. I've also had non-adjustable setups on cars that I was very happy with and am of the opinion that if damping is matched to the spring, adjustment isn't needed. That said would say these are tuned more toward the sport end of the spectrum vs comfort.

Niggles:
Changed out some of the included hardware for aesthetic reasons, stainless screw for the brake line bracket swapped for black Vespa part and single spacer at the left rear lower eye for 2 thinner spacers, one on each side.

Not really happy with the brake line routing, it's functional, the relocation bracket does the job, but not as clean looking as stock. Fix would be custom line about 3 inches longer.

Adjustment:
Single preload collars have a small nylon setscrew for locking. Zero issues with access for adjustment front or rear. Ohlins says included springs are good for rider weight of 175 to 225 lbs, would agree, at 180 lbs, preload collar is about 4mm from bottom.

The ride:
Springs are progressive wound, any small imperfections in the road surface are easily soaked up, larger hits not so much. Took about a week to get preload pretty close, about 7mm from bottom. Rode it that way for a couple weeks, pretty harsh, obstacles like manhole covers and root heaves would actually launch the bike. Contacted Ohlins about availability of softer springs, no dice, only available in linear springs. Played around with the preload some more and finally settled on 4mm as compromise between harshness and excessive fork dive on braking.

Verdict:
Definitely change the nature of the bike, I ride much more aggressively, and am more confident leaning it over in turns, 1/2 inch chicken strips. If you're looking for a plush ride though, these aren't it. Are they the be all end all? No, it's a Vespa with 100 lb of engine for a swingarm and a cantilever up front, night and day from stock suspension though. Are they that much better than other options at half the price? Probably not, but had to give them a try.