Modern Vespa

I bought a used 2007 GTS 250 last year- which has proven a far superior way to get around Washington, DC than by car.

The scooter rides great, but I recently noticed that its out alignment. When the handlebars are perfectly straight, the front wheel is 2-3 degrees off center. This can't be safe or good for wear and tear on the scooter. The funny part is, it feels perfectly normal to ride. The only noticed the problem after looking at the front of the scooter while it was parked. I must be overcompensating for the alignment problem without even noticing.

So is this something I can repair myself? The closest Vespa repair shop in Silver Spring, MD closed recently and I don't think they've reopened in a new location yet. I've never been one to really tinker with scooters or cars, but I keep hearing that Vespa's are easy to work on. Thoughts?

One more thing to add...I had the thing repainted 4 months back, so its quite possible that the mechanics didn't align it properly when they reassembled it.

Or it could just be the ridiculous amount of potholes around the city. One of these days DC will wise up and start charging tolls to the VA and MD drivers who use the roads here scot free every day so we can afford to maintain our roads.

there are two ways to sort out the alignment. the 'correct' way is to take off the handlebar cover, loosen the clamp bolt, re-position the bars, re-tighten the bolt, and put it all together again. the way most people actually do it is to wedge the front wheel between your feet and give the handlebars a sharp twist in the opposite direction. unless it feels really loose (it should take some effort to move the bars) then there's no need to tighten the clamp bolt - they are deliberately left with some play in them so that the bars twist to one side in a crash rather than impaling the rider.

I had the same thing with my '07 GT when it was new. I took it back to the dealer, he called over a mechanic who put the wheel between his feet, wrenched the bars in the direction it needed, and it's been straight now and has given me no problems for almost 2 years.

Its a relief to hear that its such an easy fix. I'm going to try it as soon as I leave this coffee shop. Thanks guys!!

Yes, Jess of MV explained to me how you could just brace the wheel against your legs and twist the bars to fix the alignment. I was amazed how easy it was. Lots cheaper than going to a dealer, too.

Maybe the DC government could actually fix their potholes instead of using the money to line their friends pockets.

Fixed!

That's a little off topic from scooters but I'll bite: Which friends are you speaking of, specifically? DC's government is run pretty efficiently and transparently these days, hence the city's A+ bond rating. It ain't the wild west of the Marion Barry era anymore.

You can also adjust by pulling up to a sidewalk and using the sidewalk as leverage, or just turn the bars whichever way you need to at the max turn radius, this worked for me on the two vespas I had whose handlebars were whack.

even easier - just bump the headset against the stops.. no need to check the wheel.

that's what I meant to say

Hmmm...nice job. I had a local scooter shop fix mine $$$ Could you fix this little crick in my neck??

Hey. Just a stupid one. But it didn't came in to my mind. Vespa GTS is leaning to the right. In Wich direction I need to move the handlebar in order to ride straight? Tks

Is that a Matt green? Love the color. Glad you fixed it.