Modern Vespa

Hi, Just some advice. My new !! Vespa 250 GT arrived today and a few hours later, rolling it to a safe place I successfully managed to drop it and the right wing mirror broke clean !!!! the thread snaped inside the handlebar !! I am not happy with myself. How easy is it to replace myself in terms of buying the new part and fixing it. Is it worth just buying the arm, is this easy detachable from the mirror itself and the mirror is still perfect . A very upset Vespa owner :0( Lesson to self, dont drop vespa !!!!!

Welcome to MV goonerkatie ... and sorry to hear about your wee accident!

Yes, you can replace the mirror yourself, but how easily you will get the post of the mirror out is another question. Anyone handy with tools can do it provided you have the right tools. Somebody better suited to guide you will come along soon I am sure.

Chalk it up to experience and move on. Better than dropping it while on it and moving, I suppose!

Hi Katie,
Sorry to hear about your shiney new Vespa.

I did something very similar. I managed to get the broken piece out very simply with some patience and a pair of pliers. I bought a new mirror (with stem) from vespaspares.co.uk about £30-ish. Arrived within 3 days went on in seconds.

Good luck.

Marc

First of all, welcome to MV.

I'm glad your little mishap wasn't worse and you weren't hurt.

If your GT headset is anything like my LX the part left in the handlebars shouldn't be tight. The nut on top is what tightens it (locks it) in place. If anything at all is left sticking out you should be able to ease it out with a pair of needle nose pliers or even big tweezers. If it is broken too far down you may have to use an awl or punch to try to turn it. As a last resort, it could be drilled and removed with a screw extractor, or you may be able to find a reverse flute drill bit and run the drill in reverse and back it out, but I hope you don't have do to anything that drastic.

Putting the new one on is a breeze. Just screw it in most of the way, position it where you want it, tighten the locknut, and slide the rubber grommet down.

Like Liane said, someone more knowledgeable will probably come along soon with more advice.

I cant say how grateful I am for the advice. I will certainly order it and use some patience and see how it goes. Any advice for very small scratches on the bodywork also ??

Post a pic of the scratches, I am sure some one here can give some good advice. Re. Polishing etc.

Failing that stickers work well 8)

I've had good luck using reverse twist drills to remove broken bolts - exhaust manifold, water pump, etc. when there is no shaft left to grab with a vise grip. You'll need a reversing drill. Start a hole with a center punch. Find the drill bit that just clears the threads and start with the next smaller one. Go slow and use lots of oil. After drilling with the smaller one, move up to the larger. Usually the bolt will back out while drilling. The one time it didn't I was able to get the threads out with a pick and needle nose. Chase the threads with a tap and you'll be all set.

Two days after I brought my S home, I woke up to find it on its side. The 110 degree Texas weather melted the asphalt and she just fell over. Cracked a mirror and left minor scratches and a broken reflector. To cover the scratches I got the "Italia" decals, spent about $90 and they cover it perfectly! This photo was taken before I replaced the reflector. I'm super happy with the way it looks and it was way cheaper than taking into the shop.