Modern Vespa

I have a '91 PX200e and am thinking of upgrading the shocks.
I am new to scootering but have been riding M/C for more than 20 years. I wish I had done this sooner, in a city like Sydney the scoot is way more fun than my bikes.
Anyway, back to the suspension. I probably know what the response will be, but I'll ask.
What is the quality like on the Asian shocks? Am I just throwing my $$ down the toilet? Do I save a bit and go for the Bitubo or other reputable brand?

Thanks for any advice.

Matt

I know there are differing opinions on the Bitubo, and for good reason, but I did put one on a P125 I used to own, and the Bitubo combined with the Clauss mount really made a difference in the way the bike tracked the road. I liked it.

I personally don't think you should bother upgrading unless you go to at least the Bitubo.

I'm not a fan of sebacs ... I like Bitubo and Paoli and any other similar higher-priced shock. It's like exhausts - you get what you pay for. Any Sub-$200 pipe is ( in most cases ) a glorified noisemaker.

My 2 cents, though. I'm sure you'll find folks saying that the sebacs were a nice budget upgrade... but besides gaining spring-preload adjustability, i don't know that those people would probably notice the difference.

if i had the money i'd get bitubos, but i don't so i got the sebac reproduction model at spd for my rear shock on my sprint and i'm very happy with it. i plan on getting the front one soon too.

i didn't use the spacer at first, but i was bottoming out and eventually the shock thread came out of the mount one day on my way to work (i just barely had enough thread to keep it in) so i put the spacer back in and compressed the shock a bit. i sit up higher, but i don't bottom out anymore.

The Sebacs /Prima and the newer variants are junk IMO. (I have blown out 3 under normal use...& I am not THAT fat.) 200 lbs

The Bitubos can be nice (I run them on all my bikes with the exception of the Lammy which has an R1 shock conversion & Progressive MB springs)
A few things though...
I have had a couple of seal failures & had a stem snap on my T5 rear bitubo once.

The shock was easy to rebuild with a shaft I had lying around though & is back on my wifes PX and doing fine.

They are a crap shoot in quality like all scooter performance parts.

They are stiff & should be dialed down as far as you can to be safe .
(coming from a motorcycle backgound you probably know that "too stiff" isn't really safe...and actually makes handling worse.)
Like "setting the sag" on your suspension.




I have a couple pairs that have lasted years & I will rebuild them & run them until they die.
I run the Clauss mount on my T5 & a P range length extender on all of the rears.


If you get a good set & don't weigh in at "emo" size (100lbs) you will like them.




The Fournales are kick ass but are air only....So if you blow a seal?
The shock will collapse.
They are expensive...But super kickass...did I say kickass?


I have only seen the Paoli for the front on PK's or other small frames......& dont think I have seen a P range set. (Someone correct me if this wrong.)


Good luck!