Modern Vespa

Having two of these beasts can be interesting.
On mine, after appx 1500 miles from the 600 mile oil change,
the oil color is as green as the day it was put in.
On my wife's, after appx 1000 miles from the 600 mile change,
hers is really black.
Any guesses, from the dire to the simple, are appreciated.
All things are the same otherwise: the type oil, where we have ridden,
you name it. The same. Except that I have more miles than her.

Oil changes color due to heat and contaminates. Contaminates can get into the oil anytime in its production, packageing, or use cycles.

Step one - get it changed and see if that improves anything.

One of you is riding it like they stole it, the other isn't?

I shouldn't worry. The dirtier oil shows a looser engine, so a gain in less future wear and a gain in performance.

If you are worried, change the oil as suggested and see what happens over the next 5000 miles.

Pretty funny! So i should be worried that mine is
still so clean, instead of my wife's oil being too dirty! Just so I have
one or the other to fret about. Thanks for the input!

Black engine oil, especially when there is no clutch like a motorcycle sharing the oil, is not really a good sign.

It indicates excessive blowby, or leakage of combustion gases past the piston rings. On a new engine this is usually a sign of too-gentle a running-in period.

It might not have been run in too gently, it could also be a victim of poor engine component tolerances. However, the best treatment at this stage is to change the oil and filter again, possibly even usng a mineral oil for 500 to 1000 miles, and giving the bike a good "caning" with varying engine speeds and loadings once the engine is warm.

However, unless an engine is able to bed the rings in very early in its life it usually won't get better through use. But you could always try...

All the best

Trevor G

I suppose I will give that a go and see what happens.
Interestingly, her bike appears ( I don't have hard data to support
this notion -yet) to be using more gas than it did before.
The last two tanks have seemed to go down at a faster rate than they should. I have no idea if it is related in any way.
I should have a comparison in the next day or so.

One thing you did not mention was whether the oil was changed at the same time? Could your wife's bike have been sitting for a long time since the last change? Theoretically, oil can degrade with time, especially if it has been heat cycled.

And finally, if you are really worried about engine break-in, etc, skip the conjecture, "caning" and snake oil. Send a sample for analysis. It is much cheaper than you think it is. (Cost range $20-$50 depending on the type of tests you order.) It will tell you the condition of your engine, down to rings, combustion components/fraction, bearing wear, etc. We used to do it on race motors after each weekend so that we know if we have to tear down and rebuilt or otherwise. You can do a Google for "engine oil analysis" or I one of the more affordable ones off the top of my head is Blackstone Laboratories.

If the compression rings are faulty or haven't bedded in properly then the engine would not perform as well as it should.

If the EFI is playing up it could be running richer than it is designed to, thus using more fuel.

If you can get oil analysis for the figure mentioned it is well worth doing. It might be surprising, though, if Piaggio took much notice - they rely on a dealer to advise that there is a problem and it sounds as if your dealer is not really cooperating.

All the best

Trevor G

Thanks everyone for the good info. I never thought of an oil analysis
but will consider doing it if there does seems to be a problem here.
The bikes are very similar in age, use, and maintenance, with mine simply having a few hundred more miles on the odometer.
Her bike does seems to run ok, though I need to take it out to see, as
I haven't done that recently. She really doesn't pick up on changes
in her ride, unless major, so I have to keep an eye on it.
My dealer is decent, but this time of year, a bit overwhelmed, so it
can be hard to get their attention at times. They have a large number of bikes waiting to be worked on, and me standing around complaining that the oil colors don't match on my two bikes probably doesn't seem too compelling, you know?.
I love the winter, when I have their undivided attention!