Modern Vespa

My wife and I purchased an LX150 2 days ago at Vespa Vancouver. We were intending to buy in the spring but they had a new 2007 Black LX150 marked down from $5495 to $3995 (Cdn $) and we couldn't pass up that deal.

We are picking this scooter up tomorrow and I want to treat it well, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can about this scooter. So far I have ordered the shop manual for it (as I plan on doing the maintenance myself) and I've done a fair bit of reading on this forum.

I would like to know what are the main problem areas/issues/quirks with this scooter? I've read that the kickstarter is very difficult to use and that you can crack your crankcase using it Is this true? I've also read about the hard starting problems that can arise if the fuel tank neck is filled with fuel, causing the fuel to run down into the hose to the carb.

I've owned scooters in the past (Honda Ruckus x 2, '83 Yamaha Beluga) so I'm really interested in particular issues for this scooter.

Thanks!

Here's my wife on it:

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome!
I have not had any real issues with my LX150, which I've had since June. Too bad you bought a workshop manual, you could have downloaded it free here.
I have never been able to kickstart mine, but I still only have about 350 miles on it and it may be easier after the engine loosens up some. (I live in a small town and really don't have many places to go except back and forth to work) I'm not sure about the crank case cracking, but some swear it's true. I tried to be careful about it when I tried kickstarting, just in case. The suggested method is to just put your weight on it and press down, not actually "kick" it down.
I overfilled my tank once, but had no ill effects. Just be sure to put the handle of the pump nozzle over the "pet carrier" area when you fill up and don't try to add fuel after the pump automatically shuts off. I take the "bucket" out of the "pet carrier" and set it on the floorboard, just in case. You can also disconnect the evap hose as many have suggested. I can't remember if mine is still unhooked or not. I know it was for a while, but I may have hooked it back up.
I hope you enjoy your LX150 as much as I've enjoyed mine.

I'm short on time, so I'll be brief:

- follow the break-in procedure in the manual
- check tire pressures regularly
- to open the glove box, you push IN on the key in the ignition (actually, don't need the key
- to lock the steering column, turn headset to left and turn key to left.
- turn signals do not self-cancel
- to fill up with gas, hold nozzle so that handle is over the pet carrier (underseat storage)
- DO NOT TOP OFF gasoline!
- Your fuel gauge may or may not read all the way full when full - this is normal
- It may read 1/8 when there is still more than 1/8 of a tank left - this is also normal
- check oil level when cold
- Speedo error is present, and is around 10%ish (i.e., when it says 65, you're probably only doing 59 - not an issue during break-in, though!)
- Do NOT lose the red/brown key
- Your first service is at 600 miles, and it will be between $100-$200USD (don't know about CDN)
- rear tire lasts ~2000-3000 miles
- use premium fuel
- helmet, jacket, gloves, boots are good. Less isn't more - more is more.

- HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Great pic of your new bike and your wife...ride safe and enjoy it. We've had several LX 150's. The only constant problems have been with the gas indicator not functioning properly and with blinker indicator lights not lighting up periodically. These are no big deal...just annoying really. We have not had success using the kick start. We love the scooters and they are worth the space in the garage! (My car stays out in the cold)

Thanks a lot guys! That's exactly the type of info I'm looking for!

Regarding the workshop manual, thankfully I only paid $4 for the CD (online) + $2 shipping. Where can I download it for free? It'd be nice to get the pdf right away rather than wait a few weeks for it to arrive.

Thanks for the info on fuel gauge inaccuracy and speedo error.....good stuff to know.

Also good to know about the rear tire life....2-3K miles sure is short. I think I put about 7K miles on my Ruckus rear tire. Is the tire life short because the rubber soft? Or does it just go through tires because it's a heavier vehicle with more power?

That is a beauty, congratulations.

+ 1 on masala

I would add:

- resist the temptation to add engine and/or hub oil. Mine was close to the min line and I was going to fill it up. I went to get oil and my dealer (Vespa Seattle - great guys) told me to check it again at different temps to make absolutely sure I needed it. If you add it and it goes to max or above then you have a mess.

- don't trust that cagers can hear the factory installed horn as it is pretty wimpy.

- take a box wrench and adjust both mirrors where they attach to the handlebars. At least one of them will be too loose and the other will be too tight.

- learn a cool wave.

That is a beauty, congratulations.

+ 1 on masala

I would add:

- resist the temptation to add engine and/or hub oil. Mine was close to the min line and I was going to fill it up. I went to get oil and my dealer (Vespa Seattle - great guys) told me to check it again at different temps to make absolutely sure I needed it. If you add it and it goes to max or above then you have a mess.

- don't trust that cagers can hear the factory installed horn as it is pretty wimpy.

- take a box wrench and adjust both mirrors where they attach to the handlebars. At least one of them will be too loose and the other will be too tight.

- learn a cool wave.

Right here:

[topic630]

cheers

Wow! What a gold mine. Downloading now....

Congrats ,

Oil to use castrol syn blend 10w-40 fro engine oil

Lucas gear oil 80-90 because its the best

and change that spark plug ASAP to an NGK Plug

for oil filters just order them from Scooterworks cost $10 bucks

for Oil Plug O-ring order them from www.jilllovesjack.com they cost 59cents each and just 41cents for the stamp I always buy about 10 and I change it every oil change

bleed the break oil and put good DOT 4 Oil in this also gets any air out of the lines

Here are a couple useful links:

ET4: Gear Box Oil Change

http://tinyurl.com/5klcfc (oil change)

How To: Cut Down a Windscreen

Actually,
Manual says full synthetic 5w-40. Canadian tire carries this as Castrol, your dealer sells Repsol moto in the right viscosity if you feel it's important to have a motorcycle oil. It's pretty expensive stuff in Vancouver. Opinions on this board vary, a search will turn up lots of opinions, some of them strong.

Just noticed the Waterloo location. That's quite a ride from Vancouver...

cheers

I'll say, get your 600 mile service kit now. 600 miles sneeks up quickly. Motorsport sells the kit as a package, and they support the forum.
Get the 38 jet. I've found that it stops the stalling at lights and you'll feel the response right after you install it.
Project section has some great walk throughs.
Welcome to the great stress reliever!

Get a microfiber and some quik detailer and wipe er down after each ride. The more "quik" cleans, the less elbow grease, scrub fests you need.

Don't let other keys scratch up your scoot when you are riding. I only have my Vespa key on my keyring.

If you get a topcase and have two keys, make sure when you open your pet carrier you don't slam it shut with the keys still in the seat. It's bound to leave some nasty marks.

Congrats on the new scoot!

(Sorry I have no advice - just looking into getting one like yours soon!)

Yeah I moved out to the West coast a 2 weeks ago. I guess it's time to update the profile. I'm in Vancouver now but I'll be living in Whistler come November.

How much are they from Vespa?

Well this scooter isn't actually going on the road until spring....I'm getting a 1 day pass to get it home from the dealer and then I'm parking it until spring since I'll be in Whistler this winter (ski town with tons of snow). This 38 slow jet sounds interesting....I'll do some research into that.

wow prices are way different in Canada I got my 2008 lx150 in August for $3,945.51. They gave my that price because they had new 2009's in and I told them if the price was the same they would never sell the 08 and they agreed. I am almost at 600 miles and I have had nothing but FUNNN. Good luck to you

Congrats....
You've gotten most of the quirks covered in the previous posts.....although I would take everyone's opinion with a grain of salt, especially any that recommend straying from what Piaggio says you need to do.

One thing for sure....the scooter will ride much better after the first 600 miles, and certainly so after the 2000 mile mark. My engine was so tight it would almost bog down at first....

To make the gas issue a non issue..... I don't look at the fuel guage, I look at the odometer..... I get 100 miles on a gallon and a half. When the yellow fuel light come on, I put in 1.5 gallons exactly. I never overfill this way.

Learn how to kickstart it. It's not too hard, and done correctly you won't scratch anything.

Keep your battery on a battery tender. Especially up there in the Great White NOrth, being cold and all, chances are better than not without some type of charger.....whenever you go to start her up....the scooter....:) it will be dead!

Doug

Another couple things I thought of while out for a quick ride this morning:

- the gas tank is 2.3 US gallons - this means 1.9g + a 0.4g reserve. It seems as though some read the manual and think that they have a 2.3gal tank + the 0.4 reserve, or nearly 3g capacity, which it just isn't. FWIW, my needle was touching the lower line this morning near "E", and I only put in 1.6g. Go figure.

- Don't waste your $45 on a vespa floor mat. Pebbles *will* find their way under there, and they'll wreak havoc on your floorboard paint. Probably less of a problem on a black scoot, but still...

- The scooter will get faster as it breaks in.

- Your front brake pads may squeak a little (or a lot) when still new. This was the case with my LX and my friend's. It's since gone away with some mileage on the pads.

- If your scooter stalls frequently (i.e., at stoplights), it's probably just your idle speed set too low. Consult your owner's manual on how to adjust this - it's easier than making scrambled eggs...

- If you plan on replacing your turn signal bulbs with LED bulbs, you will need a load resistor to keep the blink pace normal, otherwise they will blink very fast.

- If you buy a topcase, the reflector doesn't actually reflect! It's just red plastic. There is a very cheap and effective way to remedy this - remove the red lens from the case and put white 3M reflective tape down, then re-install the reflector. Voila!

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I've got for now.

Great info....I was considering buying one.

I have one on my LX with not one pebble mark. Make sure it sits down flat around the edges and you will be fine.

Good point. Some people (though NightWing is the only one I see consistently defend the mat) have no issues. I guess the real problem is that you won't know which group you'll fall into until it's (depending on the way it goes) too late.

I think the kickstart is completely worthless and a piece of crap on the LX.

and yeah if you are going to have it in the garage until spring, get a battery tender fo-sure.

I am wondering if those who say they get pebbles under the mat are using a genuine Vespa mat. I think there are aftermarket mats out there that may not fit as well as the Vespa mat.

This thing baffles me....I hear everywhere that the kickstarter is no good and impossible to use but today I tried it and it worked totally fine. It fired right up first kick. I guess the engine was warm though. I'll try it again tomorrow when the engine is cold.

I am constantly baffled by the kickstarter too. All of my scooters, the kick start has always been my preferred way of starting it, until I got the LX. No matter what the condition - warm engine, cold engine, hot day, cool morning - and for some reason I have never been able to get it to kick start. I was talking with a buddy of mine who has a lot of motorcycle experience but no scooter experience, and he was all "WTF?" gave it a try, could not get it to kick start. That was when I started looking into it and found that at least that wasn't something that was isolated to just me.

I want more info on this also. I have 2150 on my LX and just checked the rear tire. Sure enough, almost slick in the middle. The edges are still like new, but the center is worn horribly bad. Are there other tire alternatives for the LX?

Does anyone know where I can download an LX125 owners manual? Or ... is the LX150 owners manual the same thing?

I bought the Vespa floor mat and will let you know how it works. I haven't had my scoot out on the roads yet but if anyone is likely to get pebbles or sand in there, it will definitely be me. Protecting the paint under it is why I bought the floor mat in the first place! I am wondering if there is some kind of tape you can use to fix the floor mat in place (that won't hurt the paint) but will help to keep the dirt, sand and pebbles out of there?

Sure - Pirelli, Michelin, Avon, and Heidenau all offer tires for the rear of the LX. I'm currently running a Heidenau K-61, and I hope to get 4-5k out of it.

Can someone share their opinion of the Vespa kickstand? My wife is a smaller person and finds it kinda hard to get the scooter on/off the centerstand. The salesperson at the Vespa dealership didn't think the Vespa kickstand was all that great though because he said it was prone to giving out (springing up) if someone bumps the scooter. Is this true?

there's a bit of a knack to using the center stand but it's much more stable than the side stand. see this thread for some opinions on the side stand:

sidestand commentary wanted

check either of these threads for some tips on using the center stand:

How to place your scooter on the centerstand
Proper center stand technique

I am a 5'2, 54 year old female and not particularly strong. My instructor at the MSF course showed me how to do it and it is very easy for me now.

1. Put left hand on left hand grip and right hand on seat rail.
2. Roll the scooter backwards two steps to get the scoot moving.
3. Lift right foot and place it on the stand, step down while the scoot is moving.
4. Use scooter's own momentum to get it up on the stand.

The only tricky part is timing your right foot to be in the right place at the right time. After one or two tries, she will find it quite simple to do.

I'm also 50 something and not real strong. I have no problem getting my LX on a center even without rolling. I actually have more problem getting it off the center stand. Anyway, I don't think your wife really needs a kick stand if she learns the technique. Somewhere on here is a u tube video of a small woman putting a very large motorcycle on the center stand.

this thread is very informative and its a good idea to consolidate comments here on anything related to the LX150.

keep it coming, guys!

Yes, I am bumping this thread to say that yesterday, I decided to give the LX kickstart one more chance, just for fun, and she started right up on the first kick. And again today. Strangest thing.

Other people have mentioned gas gauge issues but I didn't see someone just lay it out there: Your gas gauge will suck. Mine reads 3/4 full right after fill up, and then goes down to E a couple of miles later. Don't bother taking it in for warranty work. Most folks who have end up with the same problem afterward. Just gas up when the low fuel light goes on.