OP
@luketrash avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
 
Enthusiast
@luketrash avatar
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
UTC quote
Hello everyone. I created an account here a while back and I can't remember why.

Anyway, yesterday I test rode and agreed to buy a 2006 LX150 we found on craigslist. There's a Vespa dealer in the town the guy selling it lives in and he had it serviced there according to the book and it has 5100 miles on it at the moment.

My own personal background is that I've owned 2 stroke Vespas for 12 years now. I've completely torn down and rebuilt largeframe engines, and I have rebuilt cars, motorcycles, etc..

I'm going to buy this for my wife, who freaks out when trying to ride my 4 speed bikes in heavy traffic. I will also be using it as well on those days I have a headache and don't feel like thinking too much about how I'm going to carve my way through traffic. So I think it'll be a good buy.

However, I know nothing about these things. I plan on doing 100% of the maintenance myself because I've heard horror stories about the incompetence of the mechanics at the 'local' dealer which happens to be 40 miles away from me anyway. Are they pretty easy to keep going? I assume the extent of what this guy has had done on the bike is oil changes and checklist crossoffs.

He's due for rear tire #3 at this point, which I'll be installing. I'm planning on picking up a Conti Zippy since that's what I run on my other scooters and have been happy with.

This is the first 4 stroke scooter I'll have ever worked on. I saw a lot of plastic, including the cooling fan. It sort of freaks me out, but I'm certain I can keep on top of anything it needs. That being said, what sort of things should I be concerned with immediately? How often do the CVT belts need to be changed? There is seperate gear oil for the crankcase and the transmission which is a new one for me (even in the motorcycle realm!)

What kind of oil does the transmission use, and how often do you service it?

I noticed the crankcase called for 5w40 motor oil. I have a few gallons of Shell Rotella T synthetic diesel oil. Is that suitable for the Leader engines? Not having to worry about slipping clutch plates, is it perfectly safe to use synthetic car oil in these engines?

I was trying to google for some lx150 specific stuff, but my google-fu is weak today. I see a lot of people complain about the expense of owning these, but is that more of an issue with dealership work than for someone who knows their way around a service manual?

The only problems I found in my searching is that the kick starter can break the engine cover if you abuse it? Are there any other gotchas involved with the LX150?

I'm sure I'll become a regular poster on here once we've taken ownership of this thing and I start turning wrenches on it.

Thanks for any kicks in the butt to point me in the right direction.
@harvey avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
2016 Honda NC750XD, 2007 GTS (sold),
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3517
Location: Canada
 
Ossessionato
@harvey avatar
2016 Honda NC750XD, 2007 GTS (sold),
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3517
Location: Canada
UTC quote
Welcome to you & your wife:


The wiki is a good start:



Basic Maintenance:
https://modernvespa.com/forum/wiki-maintenance


Factory LX150 Service manual
http://www.wotmeworry.org.uk/manuals/Vespa/LX150/


Have fun!

Regards
Harvey
⚠️ Last edited by Harvey on UTC; edited 1 time
@jimc avatar
UTC

Moderaptor
The Hornet (GT200, aka Love Bug) and 'Dimples' - a GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 44221
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA
 
Moderaptor
@jimc avatar
The Hornet (GT200, aka Love Bug) and 'Dimples' - a GTS 300
Joined: UTC
Posts: 44221
Location: Pleasant Hill, CA
UTC quote
Re: Advice on purchasing a used (2006) LX150
luketrash wrote:
I noticed the crankcase called for 5w40 motor oil. I have a few gallons of Shell Rotella T synthetic diesel oil. Is that suitable for the Leader engines? Not having to worry about slipping clutch plates, is it perfectly safe to use synthetic car oil in these engines?
Looking at the specs, that is an ideal engine oil for a Modern Vespa.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rotella-en&FC2=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/products/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/products/product_rotellasynth.html
@3337 avatar
UTC

Hooked
LX 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 237
 
Hooked
@3337 avatar
LX 150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 237
UTC quote
You might want to change the hub oil while you have the rear tire off. The spark plug is difficult to access. You might want to read up on how to avoid overfilling the gas tank. Infor on the evaporation hose is available in the wiki section under hard start.

https://modernvespa.com/forum/topic33505?highlight=fuel+carrier+handle
OP
@luketrash avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
 
Enthusiast
@luketrash avatar
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
UTC quote
Cool thanks! I downloaded the service manual and read up on changing the 'hub oil' and how the rear wheel interferes with the drainage. I think I have enough Mobil One synthetic gear oil left over from my car's rear end to change it on the scoot when I get it.

All good to know! I'm used to being able to take the wheels and sparkplugs out on the side of the road with the three way tool on my old Vespas

Hopefully this one won't need that much regular attention. At least that's the plan.

We probably won't be heavily modifying the engine for performance, so hopefully the meantime between failure will be long.

Just a curiosity thing, how long do the engines typically last on these things if they're well cared for? I know the Leader engine design is used in all sorts of italian scooters.
@harvey avatar
UTC

Ossessionato
2016 Honda NC750XD, 2007 GTS (sold),
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3517
Location: Canada
 
Ossessionato
@harvey avatar
2016 Honda NC750XD, 2007 GTS (sold),
Joined: UTC
Posts: 3517
Location: Canada
UTC quote
They've hit 60,000 miles with normal, regular maintenance.
pivili wrote:
Hi,



one of the members of a german Vespa-Forum reached

62500mls (100.000km) on his ET4 125cc and was honored by Piaggio Germany in 2007:



The scoot was 10 years old then.

During that period it broke down twice, needed two drives for the odometer, 10 rear tires and 4 front tires.



bye
Harvey
OP
@luketrash avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
 
Enthusiast
@luketrash avatar
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
UTC quote
That's plenty for me

I typically put about 2k max on any of the scooters in a summer.
@ericalm avatar
UTC

Wiki Moderator
LX 190, Aurora Blue + Stella FOUR STROKE FURY! + '87 Helix
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6916
Location: Los Angeles
 
Wiki Moderator
@ericalm avatar
LX 190, Aurora Blue + Stella FOUR STROKE FURY! + '87 Helix
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6916
Location: Los Angeles
UTC quote
Aside from the kickstarter, the only other gotcha with the ('06) LX is the battery. The original is pretty weak. If/when it needs replacement, you may want to upgrade to the stronger YTX12BS, which also requires a slightly larger battery tray (cheap plastic piece).

The rollers (welcome to the world of the CVT transmission) and belt should last close to 6K. They should be checked, along with the valves, every 4K or so.

I change my hub oil about every 4K. Some do it at every oil change. (If you're using synthetic, engine oil should be changed every 2K.)

I had no mechanical experience with much of anything at all when I got my LX. I do my own oil and will be doing my own transmission stuff once I get around to buying the right tools (impact wrench, torque wrench). Very easy stuff.

At the rate I'm going, I won't hit 60K in 10 years of ownership... Though I could... I'll have around 20K on my '06 LX by summer's end.
@judy avatar
UTC

World Traveler
2007 LX150 Daring Plum Leonardo Da Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 29303
 
World Traveler
@judy avatar
2007 LX150 Daring Plum Leonardo Da Vespa
Joined: UTC
Posts: 29303
UTC quote
Welcome and aloha. Your going to love the LX too if you ever get it away from your wife The battery like people have said is about the only thing with the '06 model. The '07 ones had a few other issues. Now go out and have fun
@zippy avatar
UTC

Hooked
Dragon Red LX 150 (Hillary)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 450
Location: Alpena, Michigan, USA
 
Hooked
@zippy avatar
Dragon Red LX 150 (Hillary)
Joined: UTC
Posts: 450
Location: Alpena, Michigan, USA
UTC quote
I'm just replacing my battery at three years and 3.6 K. All and all not bad

for a little stock battery. Not having the plastic tray at this time makes me

install a stock one again. To me a small problem. I had a 1983 Harley and

I replaced a battery a year. That was with 5k per year in south FL. Enjoy

your LX. I do mine.

Paul

PS mine is a 06 also
OP
@luketrash avatar
UTC

Enthusiast
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
 
Enthusiast
@luketrash avatar
VBB, VMA2, VNX, LX150
Joined: UTC
Posts: 60
Location: Ames, Iowa
UTC quote
Thanks!

Yeah, I saw the ET4 battery tray offered as an upgrade on one of the scooter parts websites.

If the kick starter and battery are all I have to worry about, this thing sounds great to me.

I'm also happy to read every Vino 125 vs Vespa LX review say that the Vespa is smoother and better riding. Typically I worry about paying a premium for something that might not be as refined. However, it looks like that isn't the case here. My train of thought was that I could buy a used LX for the same price as a used Vino 125. To me that was a no brainer, but I forego fuel injection. Not really a big deal to me since I've torn apart and rebuilt carburetors on nearly everything I currently drive.

I perused the owner's manual and looked at the service manual and it looks like it'll be a cakewalk. I just tore down and put together the engine on my Smallframe last night, so if I can handle that, I imagine I can handle this thing. I'd rather replace a drive belt than a cruciform, from the looks of it
UTC

Member
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6
 
Member
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6
UTC quote
I was wondering if the LX 150 service manual is the manual for the LXV also or does the LXV have it's own service manual? what about the parts manual?
@ericalm avatar
UTC

Wiki Moderator
LX 190, Aurora Blue + Stella FOUR STROKE FURY! + '87 Helix
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6916
Location: Los Angeles
 
Wiki Moderator
@ericalm avatar
LX 190, Aurora Blue + Stella FOUR STROKE FURY! + '87 Helix
Joined: UTC
Posts: 6916
Location: Los Angeles
UTC quote
robsee06 wrote:
I was wondering if the LX 150 service manual is the manual for the LXV also or does the LXV have it's own service manual? what about the parts manual?
It'll be the same. The only difference in parts will be the LXV's headset components and seat.
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