Modern Vespa

I suppose it had to happen sooner or later to my GTS - it's happened to every other bike I've owned

It had just started raining this morning after a bit of a dry spell - yeh I know all the oil deposits come to the surface and indeed there were large slicks of oil laying everywhere but I was actually riding quite carefully because of them and taking my corners quite gingerly. I came up to a longish queue waiting at a traffic light and so I moved up to the front. I always give a wide berth just in case pedestrians run across etc. There was also a motorbike and scooter filtering very slowly to the front alongside the cars so I passed them as well but gave them loads of room (1/2 the road width) - I usually find it easier getting past everything at the lights rather than having to pass people when they're moving.

All going to plan until the scooter I'm passing suddenly turns across me and into an alley by the shops. Must admit I wasn't expecting that and he didn't make it any easier by indicating. I was only doing around 25mph and applied the brakes firmly, it certainly wasn't an emergency stop, but I guess it was the suddenness with which I applied them and the fact that the roads were so slippery meant that the next moment I'm bouncing down the road after my GTS.

I felt fine but when I tried to stand I just fell over backwards. I repeated this a few times (which was probably quite funny to watch) until I eventually caught hold of a street post. I guess something had been upset in the inner ear. A couple of very concerned Indian guys came running out to see if I was OK, they turned off the scoot and even offered me a cup of coffee which was very kind. I waited a minute or two just to check my self out - there was a hospital just up the road but I didn't need any major repairs - just minor scuffs.

The scooter rear cowl on the scoot was all scratched up but there didn't appear to be any real damage so I carried on my way. I thought I noticed the headlamp wasn't pointing straight ahead but this might of been all in my mind. I'll try and enclose a pic of the scratches and see if anyone can come up with a suggestion. Any ideas how to test the headlamp alignment? On the positive side at least my GTS scooter now perfectly matches my GT scooter

Oh well

Mike, gutted for ya.
I've only been scootering since May and done two days in the rain. My ET on Zippy's feels good on the straights and bends, but the rear went sideways on the white lines going round a slow righthander. Lucky I counter steered in time to keep it upright. Maybe you got on the white lines? Either way it's cool to hear you're OK.
I don't mind some slight scars on older scoots, but with a brand new one... Like I said gutted for ya.

Man, that's rough. I'm afraid I'm a fair weather scooter rider! I've been caught in the rain a few times, but it's hard to make myself get on it if it's raining when I'm ready to leave the house. I'm petrified of the slick roads, and slow to granny speed around the curves. I need more experience on the wet pavement, but I had rather get it on some scooter other than mine. Glad to hear you're ok!

Glad to hear that you're okay Mike but I keep having images of you standing and then falling backwards - I've never seen someone do that before - that must have been weird - I can't quite get an image for you bouncing down the road after the GTS - Again naturally I'm happy to hear that you're okay and that the scoot hasn't been scarred to badly

Sorry to hear it Mike, but glad you are basically okay(ish). Did the hospital give you the okay and few painkillers?

The London Scooter Body Shop is probably good for the scratches if you care about the cosmetics. Depending on what you want to spend, they can advise.

Sorry to hear that! I've been caught out by a sudden stop on a wet road myself.

Thanks for the sympathy - luckily it was all my own fault so there's no one to blame but myself. Oddly enough I didn't hit the other scooterist as he turned across me so perhaps I could of got away without braking but it certainly seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn't bother going to the hospital as I wasn't really hurt apart from a few scratches - I'm always felt it odd that I never bruise - maybe I should sell myself to medical science.

The scoot has scratches only with no dents - not sure whether to leave alone, to try spraying myself, or to just stick a big sticker over the top. I don't mind having a few battle scars on my rides but if there's a cheap solution then I'll go with it. The front fender also has a small scrape on the front corner.

Anybody have any ideas about testing headlight alignment?

Sorry to hear that. I know exactly how you feel, sadly.

Having twisted the front end on my scoot, I noticed that the front wheel didn't align exactly with the mudguard, and that the front end made a squeaking noise under braking.

I think if it looks straight, and nothing new happens during braking, it's probably fine, but I am far from an expert.

Headlight allignment, right. There is a method described in the manuel for my BV500. I'll check the details and post late if someone else doesn't respond.

Oh man Mike, sorry to hear about your crash. Thank goodness it wasn't worse, no broken bones is always a good thing. Sorry about the scratches on your GTS too.

Glad to hear your alright and you or the scooter didn't sustain any major injuries. I wonder if your steering column is out of alignment? Some people use counter resistance gently to realign it. I would have a shop do it tho. Wouldn't hurt to take some motrin for a few days to ease the aches a bit. Hope you get everything straightened out.

Mike,
Glad to hear your injuries were very minor. If you don't want to use your insurance or try repainting it yourself I would suggest magnets rather than stickers. If the lower trim is plastic and removable like my LX150 you can probably buy that part already painted and just change it out.

Stop crashing your bikes mike!!

Glad to hear you are not hurt though.

it's crash tuesday. that rain brought up loads of oil, it was like a slalom course out there, PTWs falling all over the place. i stopped to help a bloke who had been tipped over by a taxi in swiss cottage.

glad you're okay - well, sort of okay - falling over backwards more than once is, um, not a good thing... perhaps a quick visit to the doctor just to be sure?

if the headlight isn't pointing straight ahead i'd check the front wheel alignment. it's common for the headset to get knocked out by a few degrees in a drop, and very simple to sort it out.

Everyone needs a hobby I'm guessing I just put the wheel between my legs and give it a big heave ho on the bars? I won't be using my insurance but I like the idea of the magnetic stickers - anyone know of any uk sources? I'm not sure about the lower trim - it does appear to be separate so guess it might be plastic - it's not broken but if it's cheap to replace and easy to install then that sounds like a great idea. The pain is just a dull ache now and the falling over thing was very temporary but I think I'll be limping for a while. I tend to avoid telling the wife about my little escapades as I can't stand the lectures (especially so if she's right). Problem was I was actually picking her up when I went down (if that makes sense) but I think I did a great job hiding the damage when I picked her up and I made sure I didn't put any weight on my right leg. If we're all quiet I might actually get away with this one.

I guess most Vespa accidents follow the same pattern - scratched cowl, scratches to front fender, the side trim and perhaps indicators. Maybe we should have an easy to find Wiki item about what to do/check after your crash.

the 'proper' way to do it is to disassemble the entire headset to access the pinchbolt securing the handlebars to the fork, loosen it, realign the bars, re-tighten the pinchbolt being careful not to over-tighten it, then put the whole works back together again.

so yeah, just brace the front wheel and give it a good heave