Modern Vespa

Do I really have to ride like a geezer for 800 miles? I only have 300 and the urge to see what this baby can do is KILLING ME!

i'll split the difference with you.
625mi

best,
-greasy

The real thing to breaking anything in is to alternate between fast and slow.

http://www.bajajusa.com/tech-tips.htm#break-in

Bajaj has some interesting technical stuff actually.

I just finished my break-in period. My GT is at Vespa Riverside getting it's first service, and I'm looking forward to getting it back!

Len

Let me know all about it Len. I'm curious if things change over there.

I did it for about 500 miles than started to ride normally. Anayway, breaking in doesn't mean driving like a granny. You should change speeds, change revs, but just don't floor it for longer than a mile or so.

Two questions/comments:

The GT200 manual itself doesn't say anything about a break-in period, does it? I looked and looked, and even asked the dealer, who essentially shrugged. Comments in various on-line forums generally suggest around 650 (first service).

So... What happens if an engine is "improperly" broken in? I avoided taking mine on the highway in the first 500 miles, and my normal in-city riding involves stop and go and max speeds of around 60mph for short stretches (averaging around 30-40mph when in motion), so I think I'm OK.

But supposing someone just hops on at odometer mile 1 and rides like he proverbially stole it. Zoom-a-zoom, gun-and-run, station-to-station riding. What's the difference between this scenario and if he rode exactly the same way, but after 350/500/625/700 whatever miles?

len, vespa riverside? i've heard too many horror stories about that place.
unknowledgeable sales staff, revolving shoddy mechanics, apathetic owner.

i even called there last week as well as the regular vespa of california boutiques to get myself a 250gts. riverside guy didn't even know it was coming out and insisted that i was wrong. kept trying tell me it was the 200gt. and still hasn't called me back on a price quote/availability.

maybe the problem is they are independent...funny thing is, usually the independents are more dedicated than corporate owned.

i don't like to knock people and businesses...however, i've heard too much bad from too many vespa owners from redlands, san bernandino, ontario, corona, and riverside areas. i am just urging caution.

I read an article awhile back, i will see if I can find a link to it again, but it was a guy who builds/rebuilds cycle engines, and he was saying what the "break in" process was. After your first oil change, you should see little pieces of metal in your oil from where the parts were not perfectly shaped etc... In the article it talked about running the engine hard then slow and so forth, as you want/need to get these pieces off. He also talked of how the Hard/soft helped seal the piston better, and if you go slow it would not take off the extra metal, and cause a less tight seal and possibly grooving. This was all paraphrased from that article, but its the gist of it anyways. I hope this helps, and when I find it i will post it

I called a couple of dealers in Arizona and they both quoted $5799 MSRP. They are having a meeting thursday somewhere about getting more info and should know Sat.

I have heard it from someone who knows the leader engine better that just about anyone, there is NO break in period.

I belive him..........

Where have you got 800 miles from?
Run in for Piaggio/Gilera scooter is normally 600 miles/1000 km, which ties in with the first service.

Start giving it some beans after 300m, but don't rant the nuts off it.

Drove my GT home from the dealer on the hiway the day I bought it. Balls out as fast as it would go. I don't believe it hurt it at all.
MGG

Yeah, that's basically what my dealer told me (with a shrug): "It's Piaggio's engine, and neither the shop manual nor the user's manual says anything about a break-in period... These newer engines are different, just get on it and ride."

I wasn't sure if he was blowing my question off or not as I had never heard of an engine that didn't have a break-in period. Common wisdom on various BBS'es seems to assume the break-in period to be equivalent to the first servicing period.