Modern Vespa

Are winter tires a must or would the stock tires enough to ride in during rain or just wet weather?

I don't know what tires you've got on your 500, sh1bby69, but I'm switching out my stock Michelin Pilot Sports for a set of Heidenau K66s later this week at my first service. Semi-slicks + Minnesota winter = FAIL.

sh1bby69, are you up in the mountains where it snows or gets icy? SoCal, right?

Ebongreen, what are the traffic laws concerning the use of studded tires in Minnesota? Here are some great-looking ones which may fit yours.

I live in SoCal there is no snow no ice but it does get cold. I mostly deal with water and wet road. I have the Michelin Tires.

Studded tires are mostly a non-starter in MN. I'm neither a rural postal carrier nor a farmer, so...

Thank you for the insight, Ebongreen! Fortunately, I see that they also offer a non-spiked version of this ice/snow tire.

I've been aware of those Schwalbes for some time, but I don't think they're really for everyone's winter driving. From what I've heard and read and discussed with "tire professionals", the special winter compound is aimed very specifically at very-cold-weather driving and/or on rough roads.

As an urban scooterist using mostly city roads and highway stretches, I've been advised that the softer compounds of those tires will probably wear out very quickly with my use pattern, so I opted for some all-weather Heidenau K66 non-Snowtex tires instead. With any luck, they should be installed Friday so I can "break them in" (and myself as their rider) before the snow really hits the fan.

How cold is it now over there, Ebongreen? It's about 57F in the morning here; and then it warms up to about 80F by afternoon.

Please check with your local traffic laws concerning the use of studded snow tires. In some areas they may not be legal. Of course, if you insist on regularly riding in icy and snowy weather, then we must put you in a category of Über-scooterists.

You're fine. The 500 you have most likely came with Michelin Golds which handle water fine. As a matter of fact, they have a center groove which helps with that. The 250s come with Michelin Pilots which many on here consider to be a poor product, regardless of rain conditions. Check your fronts and rear, and you should see the Michelin GOLD logo. If you don't(especially on the fronts), you most likely got a model that was shipped out before they started putting the Golds on. Unlikely, but possible I suppose. With no ice or snow, water shouldn't be an issue.

The MP5 500 till the 2009's came out, have Michelin Pilots or Pirelli G23 on the from and Michelin gold Standards on the back. I have had no problem with the Pilots in the rain. I read they were very good in the rain, much softer compound than the Gold Standards.

You still can't get the Gold Standard in the US for the front in the correct size, even though they are coming from factory with them now.

Wayne B

I have the Michelin Pilots in the front and I have the Golds in the back

They work great in the rain after all the oil and muck has washed clean off the road. I've found the mp3 to be just as capable of sliding around and break dancing on the road under the right conditions as a two-wheeler.

By the way, I may be doing a 2000+mile trip to Boston next year. I should probably consider some of those.

Have you started training yet, Kabuleiro?
Oh, you're from Austin. You're probably in pretty good shape anyway. All that good granola from Wheatsville.

did those heidenau non-snowtex do the job?

moggy46, my Heidenau K66 non-Snowtex have been fine so far. My own personal rules to keep me & Mahayana fine include no highway driving, no driving at all until 48 hours past last snowfall, and a keen attention to weather forecasts to prevent being caught out during snowfall.

The ONE traction-wiggle I've felt was driving into my driveway at home. At an angle, through slush, over a bump (since all Minneapolis driveways aren't flush with the street), etc. Only the rear tire skidded, and that for only about a quarter-second. Other than that, it's been a non-issue.

I'm still in my first six months of scooting, so I'm being quite conservative. OTOH, I'm riding my scoot below freezing on a weekly basis, which makes me quite radical by other standards.

You are a true radical!

we are using the following tires for tthe winter
http://www.schwalbe.de/gbl/en/scooter/tires/produktgruppe/produkt/?ID_Produktgruppe=26&ID_Produkt=77&ID_Land=38&ID_Sprache=2&ID_Einsatzbereich=7&tn_mainPoint=Scooter&tn_subPoint=Reifen

http://www.schwalbe.de/gbl/en/scooter/tires/produktgruppe/produkt/?ID_Produktgruppe=26&ID_Produkt=76&ID_Land=38&ID_Sprache=2&ID_Einsatzbereich=7&tn_mainPoint=Scooter&tn_subPoint=Reifen

Hey, LucaM74

Those are some really nice Schwalbe tires; but I was more intrigued by the windscreen on your Gilera Fuoco (profile pic). Could you tell us what kind of windscreen it is? Molto grazie.

it is the windscreen of Gilera Nexus 500

well i had a couple of inches of snow on my driveway the other day and my rear tire (gold standard with 4000 plus miles) was sliding quite a bit...was actually hard to get it the 20 feet into the garage...sliding right then left..

the ride home was ok in the rain/snow mix, but the driveway ride made me think i might get either a new tire or winter tires....

luckily we don't get too much snow here in albuquerque...

g

luca, which tire are you using? i don't see a 14inch tire in that link

thanks

g

edit...ah, second link is rear tire??

so this:


http://www.schwalbe.de/gbl/en/scooter/tires/produktgruppe/produkt/index.php5?flash=1&ID_Einsatzbereich=7&ID_Produktgruppe=26&ID_Produkt=76&ID_Artikel=384&info=1&ID_Land=38&ID_Sprache=2&tn_mainPoint=Scooter&tn_subPoint=Reifen

mmmm, do they sell in the state?

for this tires we buy by internet on an italian site and they send us directly to our mechanical shop

where can you buy the Heidenau K66 in the states?

and how hard is it to change the back tire on the 500?

thanks

g

found you can get both the heidenau and schwable tires in the states..

anybody try both?? which is better for snow?

If you have to ask, it's hard for you. Sad but true.

It's a piece of piss, very easy, if you are happy with spannering...

Look at the problem, solve it in your mind, make sure you have the right tools (or invent them) and just do it.

LOL right on Jim.

TheGelding - I got my K58's and K61's here. http://www.scootershop.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=248&osCsid=43facb14369b8a012abd098aa181770e
No complaints.

I've done a bit more searching on this topic as I'm hoping to ride a MP3 year-round in downstate NY (Long Island to be specific), rain or snow. Scooter snow tires are somewhat of a rarified beast, especially in the United States. It looks like there are two options for MP3 250 riders who have 12" wheels all around and none for (all three wheels of the) MP3 400/500. Unfortunately, none of the places I could find have M+S, snow, or spiked snow tires for the 14" size that the rear wheel of the MP3 400 and 500 models requires. Also note that the 2009 MP3 250 will have a 14" rear wheel so it will have the same tire fitment issues.

1) Schwalbe Iceman HS 544 with or without spikes. If someone has a MP3 250 from 2008 or before with 12" wheels all around both the front (120/70/12) and rear (130/70/12) sizes are in stock in the Schwalbe Iceman Spikes design. Someone should snatch them up!

http://www.schwalbetires.com/iceman_spikes




2) Heidenau K58 Snowtex. Also available in the required 120/70/12 and 130/70/12 sizes, and available at the link below. They were reviewed elsewhere on Modern Vespa with good results noted.

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/Products/80205000/Details.aspx
http://www.scootershop.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=248&osCsid=43facb14369b8a012abd098aa181770e (from the post above mine, doesn't appear to be the Snowtex version, however)



3) There exist M+S rated Continental ContiNavigators in the appropriate (MP3 250) sizes [url=http://vespalx150.blogspot.com/2007/11/tire-testing-for-snow-traction.html]but they are not for US consumption and aren't imported grey-market as far as i can tell.[/url]

That's an exclusive photo of the Iceman Spikes courtesy of Mr. Klaus Moser, © Schwalbe North America. Must give credit where credit is due, Toshi?! 8)

Saw a couple historic options at Barber last week.

Maybe for an MP3 a snowmobile approach would work. Put skis in place of the front wheels. (Someone else gave me this idea. Might have beenn OAD last weekend.)

That first photo reminds me of Billy Idol in the 80's...

Fuzzy,

Those are for Ice Racing. Really cool sport to watch.

Wayne B

Surprised nobody has come up with a front rim swape out, with "skis" on em.

Apparently people are very interested in winter riding since this thread is so popular. There's no need for trickle chargers then...