Modern Vespa

My Scooter fell on me today. I was coming up on a light and hit the brake. The back wheel slid from under me and the whole bike fell over. I was perfectly fine, not a scratch (thanks to the scooter's open-leg design ) I just lay it down, but now there's a big scuff mark right on the side. I have two questions,
What can I do to fix the scratch?
I don't think I was doing anything dangerous (it was a little rainy out, though), what can I do to prevent this from happening again?

Thanks!

how did you slip? where there reflective strips?

It sounds like you used your rear brakes more than your front. As you squeeze the lever for your front brakes, the weight transfers to the front. Since there is less weight in the rear, hitting the rear brakes will cause it to slide out. It's good practice to rely more on your front brakes and less on your rear.

+1 - sounds like what happened. It can be very important to understand the way the brakes should be used together. The front brakes are stronger and tend to be more touchy. They provide excellent stopping power and should be used in conjunction with the rear brake but with more emphasis. Because they are more touchy though be careful not to apply TOO much power on them because you stand to lose a lot if you your front traction goes.

...fell? Or was pushed?

Glad you're alright.

I used all back brake, which I can tell was a mistake. The back wheel must have locked and slid on the wet ground.

The front brake has most of your breaking power....learned this via the MSF course. It basically told be how to use my brakes and when not to use them.
Glad your ok.

)kay, so now you know. That front brake is VERY important..!

man that really sucks!! do you have a picture of the damage?

LOL! Rubber necking vicariously are we?

Sorry about your scoot dy1175 ... hope I don't learn that lesson the same way!

Sorry about your scoot dy1175. I will let you know what I find out. I went down on Monday (effing streetcar tracks) and Isabella slid about 30 feet across the pavement. Fortunately no structural damage- but lots of cosmetic (about $700 according to the dealer). So I am going to attempt some of the touch ups myself.

Thanks, I'd love to hear what you come up with.

... although there was no rain involved, and I used both brakes.

Sadly, I think the reason in my case was that I was braking from a higher starting speed than I am used to, and practicing putting only one foot down rather than two. I think I put my foot down too early, before I had really come to a stop, and my own weight shifting threw me off balance.

The worst part -- an old lady was walking along the opposite sidewalk toward me, so I felt like an idiot. She actually looked like she was about to dial 911 at first, so when I got up, lifted the scoot, and gave her a friendly wave, I may have prevented her having a heart attack.

The best part -- after my first case of "dropping" the bike, my husband had extra bars installed on my side cowlings, so I only scratched a tiny bit of my pet carrier.

LOL I thought it may be eaiser for us to help if we could see the damage...

Actually most of the weight is in the rear of the bike, thats where the engine is and thats where you are seated..only applying the rear brake in wet conditions can be very dangerous we're used to a lot of rain in London It's safer to apply both brakes at the same time using subtle pressure, In wet conditions...

You buy body filler if its a deep scratch, then just sand that over and re apply paint, otherwise if its minor you can try buffering it out a bit. Or the lazy mans way is stick a huge sticker over the top

Sorry about your spill. They do happen. Next time just gas it!

Well I've started fixing the major damage- on the right "hip". Used several grades of sandpaper and have the major gouges and scratches smoothed out- down to bare metal in a couple of areas. I have sprayed (with an experienced friends' help) several layers of gray primer that had a bit of filler in it over the masked area. Looks good so far- step two on Tuesday. First I have to locate an automotive spray paint that is as close to GTS silver as possible.

pictures at all? how bad are the scrapes? any bad body damage? or just paint damage?

yeh step by step pics on the repair job would be cool I guess for future reference...

Try this guy for original Piaggio spray paint:

http://stores.ebay.com/Vespa-Eastside_Touch-Up-Paint_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ176038719QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Thanks Michael!

I am taking pics and will post them as soon as I get them downloaded.