Modern Vespa

Scooters, they might be cheap to run fuel wise but you can't half spend a few quid on them.

Since buying a cheap cosa that I was just going to put a new back tyre and a new speedo cable on and ride it as it is I am slowly building up a stack of receipts.

New seat
New Seat lock
New speedo cable + Drive
3 new tyres
Rear rack/carrier

Thats just a start. Im now looking at some metal floor boards to replace the old rubber ones, various other bits and bobs. a new mirror, a possible respray.

Its more addictive than smoking/drinking/gambling

Just wait until you get finished and you're done fixing up, accessorizing and... Oh wait. you never get finished. But, man are they sure are fun to ride.

That's nothing, when I finish my P200 restoration I'm going to post the list of everything I replaced. Any the funny thing is, it's probably not a lot compared to those crazy old barn finds and stuff people have!

oh yeah i know its not a lot but for something i bought on the cheap on a whim im still spending a few quid on it though. Shame its not keeping me out the pub now i just go to the pub and talk about it.

I think your finally catching on to the addictive side of scooters! Yes they are cheap on the gas, but no one really buys one and rides it just for the fuel mileage. That is just one of many fringe benifits. The real reason is to ride and mod it till it is a part of your soul!!! muahahahahaha

They are cheap on fuel and tax but I'm getting sick of shelling out for new tyres and exhaust gaskets. It seems every other month there's a bill for the Gts. I'm afraid to add up all the scooter bills for fear of it totalling more than the running costs of a used car.

for me the real savings is not in the running costs but in the add-ons. i pay about £200 a year to insure the scooter and nothing to park it at home or at work. in my neighbourhood, even insuring an old beater would cost about £1000 a year, plus parking permit, which adds another hundred or so. since driving to work every day would cost too much in petrol and take ages, i'd need to add £120 per month for a travel card to ride to work on skanky, overcrowded, unreliable public transport. public transport turns me into a very angry person so you'd also have to factor in a substantial tab at my local. until/unless i move out of central london, owning and running a car is still a no-win option for me.

200 a year to insure genie?

Thats a lot. £53 a year here. That is TPFT though not fully comp.

it's about £188 - that's TPFT plus UK and European breakdown. plus i live in a rubbish neighbourhood and the scooter is parked outside - though on my property.

To be fair i do live in a village in northamptonshire makes a big difference.

I have to disagree. Parts for my lx150 are really pretty cheap. I had to replace the stator, and it ran all of about $75. Go try to find an alternator for a car for that price! I need a new rear brake cable and it will run me all of about $25. Sure, you can buy fancy add ons, but the repair parts are really pretty cheap if you compare them to motorcycle or car parts.
JR