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I have a 2007 Vespa 250 GTS. I drive on the crappy roads of manhattan. Seems that it bottoms out a lot on some of the rough patches when only riding 1up. I weigh 200 lbs. I have the shocks set to the 3rd tightest setting...Does this sound right. Seems to do the same thing on any bump on the highway 2up (about 320lbs riding). Could my suspension be shot from 1 1/2 years of NYC driving?

Thanks!
Rehabdo
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your shocks could very well be knackered that early - i've seen the state of the roads in NYC and it wouldn't surprise me.
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I'd have to agree with Genie, with your weight you really shouldn't be bottoming out unless you are going really fast over a bump or big pot hole. You might want to compare it to a newer scooter with the same settings to find out.
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bump it to setting 4 and see if that solves it.
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niderbip wrote:
bump it to setting 4 and see if that solves it.
I think there are only 3 settings on the rear shock. As stated earlier, a 200lb rider shouldn't be bottoming out.

Best if you took it to the dealer.
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There are four settings on the rear suspension of a GTS as there are for the GT, LX and S too.
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yes...Benito is correct (mine is set on 4)
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Re: Bottoming out on Vespa 250?
I must disagree, to some degree, with my forum fellows:

1. I have a new GTS 300, my weight is 200+ lbs., and on certain roadways I definitely bottom out. There is only a limited amount of suspension travel, and especially if we are talking about some continuous undulating road surface that gets the bike going up and down a bit before the big whack, you can for sure bottom it.

2. This is NOT to say that your shocks aren't knackered--they may well be.

3. Fooling around with the pre-load, on most cheap shocks like this, does NOT give you more energy absorbing ability. In fact, it probably takes a tad away as you are pre-compressing the springs--not that it matters much.
Rehabdo wrote:
I have a 2007 Vespa 250 GTS. I drive on the crappy roads of manhattan. Seems that it bottoms out a lot on some of the rough patches when only riding 1up. I weigh 200 lbs. I have the shocks set to the 3rd tightest setting...Does this sound right. Seems to do the same thing on any bump on the highway 2up (about 320lbs riding). Could my suspension be shot from 1 1/2 years of NYC driving?

Thanks!
Rehabdo
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I riden two-up in Manhattan with my GTS for 3 years (setting 3 on shocks) and don't bottom out. Have a dealer check out your shocks.
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And don't forget to check your tire pressures, front and back. Even being low a pound or two can make a difference.
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My 300 bottoms out too...
I'm ~210 lbs ... roads are crap, I ride fast.
I am on the 3rd setting on the shocks.
Maybe I should go to 4?
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Sorry, you guys are right. There are 4 settings.
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add back any top case/contents to your weight as well.......
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I would recommend the Jettin bushings. Adds some road buzz, but definitely helps with the bottoming out.
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Hey! what are the Jettin Bushings?
and more to the point what do they do??

Thanks
rgconner wrote:
I would recommend the Jettin bushings. Adds some road buzz, but definitely helps with the bottoming out.
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The standard bushings are fairly rubbery and allow a fair amount of lateral play when going over bumps or pot holes. As a result of the lateral play I found that with the OEM bushing going over a bump/pothole you would almost not come out of it going in the same direction. The Jettin rear suspension bushings are stiffer polyurethane and do not allow this lateral play. Thus coming out of a pothole I feel that the bike continues to track true and comes out of the pothole in the same direction as when entered. I do not find that it stiffens the ride, nor is it supposed to.
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i have been riding around for years bottoming out, theres nothing wrong with my shocks i just like riding with my bottom out Laughing emoticon
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I am 265+lbs and I have never bottomed out my GT200. Shocks are set at the 4th setting.
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New Shocks
2-up were were bottoming out really bad, so after 36,000 miles I replaced the rear shocks on the GTS with OEM ones (a little over $200.00, cheap for shocks). Rode to Amerivespa and back through NV, was better but we could still bottom out, sometimes. Have to say besides being 2-up we were probably over loaded with gear. Was interesting to hear that the Jettin rear suspension bushings could help, will order a pair today.

Have tried the Bitubo shocks front & rear, they were to stiff for me, but did make the scooter feel more planted on the road and I could set the rear so there was no bottoming out (not even 2-up).
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Benito wrote:
The standard bushings are fairly rubbery and allow a fair amount of lateral play when going over bumps or pot holes. As a result of the lateral play I found that with the OEM bushing going over a bump/pothole you would almost not come out of it going in the same direction. The Jettin rear suspension bushings are stiffer polyurethane and do not allow this lateral play. Thus coming out of a pothole I feel that the bike continues to track true and comes out of the pothole in the same direction as when entered. I do not find that it stiffens the ride, nor is it supposed to.
Benito, let me just add to what you said, which is correct.

The urethene is a higher durometer number than the stock bushings. Durometer has a scale from 1 to 100 being the highest. It measures a materials ability to resist permanent indentation, and they have a number of different scales for different materials, like steel, rubber and urethane, etc. At 100, you would expect virtually zero flex at all, and they would be rock hard. The Jettin bushing has a durometer of 90, which is pretty stiff.

Now, to veer totally off topic: I learned about urethane durometer ratings back when I was a semi-pro skateboarder in the late 1970s, and we had softer durometer wheels like the red Kryptonics that rode smoothly (and were very fast) and would flex, but were so soft that they would also chip. Those were a durometer of about 75-78, as recall. The blue Kryptonics were a higher durometer in the 80s, and the green were the highest near 90. I eventually was sponsored by UFO wheels for a time, and they were rock hard well over 90 durometer.

There was also a durometer rating for the bushings in the trucks of the skateboard. We all rode Bennett trucks in the beginning, but the rubber was too soft so everybody would swap out for Tracker trucks bushings, and we eventually switched to Tracker trucks, and then Independants, which I think is still one of the leaders today.

I found some of my old boards in my parent's garage a few months ago and brought them home with me.


One of my first hand made boards. Before this I used cut down water skis they tossed out from Cypress Gradens. After this board I had a Logan Earth Ski.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

One of my early Gordon and Smith decks. That one had Bennett trucks and Road Rider 4 wheels, and later OJs.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

This was one of my favs. I had it set up with Trackers and UFOs, and I toured out in California at Upland and Spring Valley.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

My last board was a Caster with Independents and Green Kyptonics. I probably had 25 boards, but they are all gone but these.

Sorry for the off-topic post, but urethane and durometer are words that bring back a flood of great memories for me.
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Re: New Shocks
Turkman wrote:
2-up were were bottoming out really bad, so after 36,000 miles I replaced the rear shocks on the GTS with OEM ones (a little over $200.00, cheap for shocks). Rode to Amerivespa and back through NV, was better but we could still bottom out, sometimes. Have to say besides being 2-up we were probably over loaded with gear. Was interesting to hear that the Jettin rear suspension bushings could help, will order a pair today.

Have tried the Bitubo shocks front & rear, they were to stiff for me, but did make the scooter feel more planted on the road and I could set the rear so there was no bottoming out (not even 2-up).
I don't honestly think that the Jettin bushings will make a difference to bottoming out. They do not make the rear suspension any more firm while riding in my experience with them since the spring. They decrease the lateral play in the rear suspension but do not make the ride any firmer.
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JLB wrote:
Benito wrote:
The standard bushings are fairly rubbery and allow a fair amount of lateral play when going over bumps or pot holes. As a result of the lateral play I found that with the OEM bushing going over a bump/pothole you would almost not come out of it going in the same direction. The Jettin rear suspension bushings are stiffer polyurethane and do not allow this lateral play. Thus coming out of a pothole I feel that the bike continues to track true and comes out of the pothole in the same direction as when entered. I do not find that it stiffens the ride, nor is it supposed to.
Benito, let me just add to what you said, which is correct.

The urethene is a higher durometer number than the stock bushings. Durometer has a scale from 1 to 100 being the highest. It measures a materials ability to resist permanent indentation, and they have a number of different scales for different materials, like steel, rubber and urethane, etc. At 100, you would expect virtually zero flex at all, and they would be rock hard. The Jettin bushing has a durometer of 90, which is pretty stiff.

Now, to veer totally off topic: I learned about urethane durometer ratings back when I was a semi-pro skateboarder in the late 1970s, and we had softer durometer wheels like the red Kryptonics that rode smoothly (and were very fast) and would flex, but were so soft that they would also chip. Those were a durometer of about 75-78, as recall. The blue Kryptonics were a higher durometer in the 80s, and the green were the highest near 90. I eventually was sponsored by UFO wheels for a time, and they were rock hard well over 90 durometer.

There was also a durometer rating for the bushings in the trucks of the skateboard. We all rode Bennett trucks in the beginning, but the rubber was too soft so everybody would swap out for Tracker trucks bushings, and we eventually switched to Tracker trucks, and then Independants, which I think is still one of the leaders today.

I found some of my old boards in my parent's garage a few months ago and brought them home with me.


One of my first hand made boards. Before this I used cut down water skis they tossed out from Cypress Gradens. After this board I had a Logan Earth Ski.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

One of my early Gordon and Smith decks. That one had Bennett trucks and Road Rider 4 wheels, and later OJs.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

This was one of my favs. I had it set up with Trackers and UFOs, and I toured out in California at Upland and Spring Valley.
External inline image provided by member with no explanatory text

My last board was a Caster with Independents and Green Kyptonics. I probably had 25 boards, but they are all gone but these.

Sorry for the off-topic post, but urethane and durometer are words that bring back a flood of great memories for me.
Thanks, and for once I'm not being sarcy, the skateboard stuff was really interesting 8)
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Re: New Shocks
Benito wrote:
Turkman wrote:
2-up were were bottoming out really bad, so after 36,000 miles I replaced the rear shocks on the GTS with OEM ones (a little over $200.00, cheap for shocks). Rode to Amerivespa and back through NV, was better but we could still bottom out, sometimes. Have to say besides being 2-up we were probably over loaded with gear. Was interesting to hear that the Jettin rear suspension bushings could help, will order a pair today.

Have tried the Bitubo shocks front & rear, they were to stiff for me, but did make the scooter feel more planted on the road and I could set the rear so there was no bottoming out (not even 2-up).
I don't honestly think that the Jettin bushings will make a difference to bottoming out. They do not make the rear suspension any more firm while riding in my experience with them since the spring. They decrease the lateral play in the rear suspension but do not make the ride any firmer.
I won't disagree, it is my experience. It may be just the lack of hinging making it "feel" more firm and less likely to bottom out. Definitely more responsive and more "connected" to the ground. Handles much better at all times.
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If I could turn back to the "shocks" for a moment.
I have begun to look around for possible replacement shocks for my GTS 300. I don't bottom out much, and in day-to-day riding along it is pretty good. However, I suspect that as with many scooters and motorcycles (maybe not top-line sportbikes), the aftermarket shocks might be a bit better than the basic shocks that come standard. I have found before, and would again be looking for more tune-ability, perhaps more travel, or at least a progressive action that give more energy absorbing capacity. It is pretty surprising how much a modest shock upgrade can do for your riding.

I have heard that the Bi-Tubo shocks are quite stiff, so that might not be the way to go. Are there levels of performance in the Bi-Tubo or is it just one way? I have also seen another shock on one of the Vespa-related sites in the "performance" area, which I vaguely remember to be made by YSS or something like that. Does anyone have any info on that one?

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