Modern Vespa

I may be a little spoiled as my first experience with scooting is my 2009 Genuine Motors Buddy 125cc. It has a standard Stebel horn (loud!), loud blinkers that help me remember to turn them off, and I can store a lot of 'stuff' under the seat and in the open compartment under the handles that easily stores large water bottles so they won't swing and hit my legs.

Now I have a 2007 GTS 250ie and while it's a marvelous, wonderful piece of machinery, and I really do LOVE it a LOT; I'm almost scared to use the underseat as it gets very hot. What do some of you put in there and not worry about? I'm getting a top case, but hate to lose out by not using the underseat area too. My makeup melted, my rainclothes get very hot, and they can melt, can't put my lunch in there as I don't want it hot. Am I just freaking out over nothing? what should really go in there?

I'm now getting a Stebel horn, and am seriously considering noisy blinkers. At the cost of Vespa's, I'm quite surprised that they didn't at least put a loud horn in. ? Do they think since we afforded a Vespa, we'd better be prepared for a bunch of other expenses? Will I have a lot of expenses, even if everything goes well in riding?

? Over the winter, if I start it once a week and ride maybe once a month when it's dry outside, is that enough to make it through an Oregon winter?

I realize I must sound like a little dummy; I guess in a way I am. I want to be the best Vespa owner possible, and it's all up to me to take care of this. What I read from so many of you is thorough, full of experience, and I welcome and hope you'll be kind in your remarks. I grew up changing my own oil in all my cars; so I now have a Vespa manual, and maybe I could do that with the Vespa too, though I have no problem letting the Vespa people do that and all other maintenance.

Thanks for reading and replying,
Sign me, a comfortable 'freshman' scooterist - jumping up to Senior year and wondering if I can make it through. :javascript:emoticon(''))

Well, that is what the "no pets" symbol is all about. It gets warm over the engine in any scooter (including my Buddy). You don't want to be putting anything in there that you don't want to get warm. It won't melt your rain gear but it will certainly get your lunch or your beer warm. Just recognize that you need to use a topcase, or some other container, for stuff that you don't want to be warmed by the engine.

Yes, a Stebel horn is a good idea. For winter, you want to get a battery tender and use Stabil (or other fuel stabilizer) in your gas tank if you don't expect to ride too much.

If you remove the "underseat", AKA the "Pet carrier" (tongue in cheek), you'll see how close to the engine it is - hence the heat.

Welcome to the world of GTS250ie

Nope - my guess is that they think, "Since they (the public) have demonstrated they will pay this (high MSRP compared to other similarly-sized scooters), we can maximize our profit margins by NOT installing that (Stebel, etc).

FWIW, the Stebels coming from the factory in the Buddy are a relatively recent development. I think it started in '08, and you can bet that it didn't have a thing to do with the fine folks at the Genuine Scooter Company caring about your safety - it's a marketing thing to set them apart from Vespa.

The underseat area is hot because the engine is under there and there really isn't much air circulation. Now that sounds pissy, but it isn't meant to be. If you want a cool storage area, get a topcase or one of the soft bags. You can also add a front rack.

I know my LX gets hot too. I carried a dozen eggs home from the store and had chicks when I lifted the seat.

Right, My Vino 125 underseat bucket got warm -the engine had a electric cooling fan so it didn't feel as hot as the 250 Vespa. I used to utilize the heat to keep take out warm. Rotisiere Chicken, the like. Haven't put much under seat yet in rain gear mode. My Yamaha 400 has a molded felt insert and heat doen't seem to be an issue. Maybe you could line the pet carrier with something that would insulate plastic from plastic. I don't think we are looking at spontaneous combustion- but one never knows-
Not alot of horn use in my area as a rule, by the time I'd use it it might be too late so evasive manuvers come first or I have a slow thumb
Enjoy your new high end scoot and learn to live with the qwerks and irks of the legend.

a big loud air-horn in a vespa !!! - I think the people at Piaggio prefer the peace and quiet - imagine how crap/noisy European cities would be if they stuck an loud-ass air-horn in every 2 wheeler.

I put a towel in the bottom of the pet carrier of my GTV and that seems to insulate it quite well. It still gets warm, but doesn't seem to get really hot. I keep a chain lock, spare gloves and wet weather gear there all the time. There is still room for more. Perfect for takeaway curries.

It does suck that the underseat gets so hot on the Vespas. My 300 does too. They could have made the same setup and insulated it like a cooler or something. Seems like a no-brainer to me.


And as far as Buddy's coming with a Stebel horn ...... The 2010 models will not have Stebel's in an effort to save $$. Genuine found a new supplier and is paying $3 a horn for the new model. It's not a Stebel but it is loud. I tried it out at the shop.

Bigger motor = more power = more heat.

The fact is, while you're moving there is enough air circulation to keep the carrier from baking. It's when you stop that the temperature rises in there, and does so pretty quickly.

P.

Perhaps you could invite a bunch of friends over for dinner and just slow cook a casserole in the PET carrier. Just flash fry all the ingredients before adding them to the carrier, chuck in a bottle of wine then leave for a couple of hours on idle. The result will be a fully charged battery and a great meal for 20. Cooking times will have to be adjusted if you're riding around the city rather than idling.

PS remember to clean out the carrier thoroughly otherwise your Vespa will smell funny.

Thanks everyone. All GREAT ideas, and I do love to cook! How funny you are. It's now my supply carrier; tire gauge, whatever little other tools I might find I need (do you know of any I should carry?); wet weather gear, and the towel is a much better idea than the 3/8" thick whatever-it-is (backpack lining) as it's more flexible and I can even use the towel!

This is a great site.

Love the Vespa dealer in Portland when we visited a couple of summers ago. Really neat space. You might even try Army MRE's for those second-tier friends. Meals Ready to Eat would easily heat up in the Pet carrier, but I wouldn't spend much on a good wine.

Another option for carrying extra stuff on your scoot are these "stretch nets" that are cheap and amazing at how much you can hook onto the extra seat area. Check them out at <http>. I have one in each bike and they get used all the time. Enjoy that nice bike. You have a great city for a scooter.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/3/13/130/4125/ITEM/Bikemaster-Stretch-Net.aspx

Not sure why the website didn't come up in the above post. Here it is again. Sorry.

As to what to put in the pet box!! I can load up a large bottle of Vodka, a

jar of pickles, two recycleable bags for saddle bags, and two bungee

cords. That seems to fill my bill.

Paul

I would strongly recommend the use of a battery tender for periods of inactivity. I leave my bikes plugged in all the time and have no battery related problems.

Has anyone tried to insulate the pet carrier on the engine side? Maybe something with a foil barrier?

I was going to try this idea myself. I just have too many other projects going on now.

I love having the heated food compartment on the MP3. Ride a few hours stop, get some hot food and it's still hot an hour later when you stop to eat. Where is the problem here??

Wayne B

I like pulling a warm jacket out of the carrier when the temperture drops in the evening. Warm gloves, too.

Hmmm, Aluminum foil insulation? That might work great - it would sure cool easy.
I've been leaving the seat up - to cool off when not riding; hopefully no "pet-spiders" will get in there-yuk!

tomorror morning I"ll have to put milk and cocoa together and let it shake into hot chocolate! And don't forget, I'll bring the rolls to dinner - heated.

I do have a stretch net, and that great idea has crossed my mind for the back-seat area too. thanks for the confirmation.

I have a battery tender - still in box/new.

I just might make it through the winter! Thanks - love reading your thoughts and funnies.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
NightWing is correct, you need to add a crate to the back and then add a
chair, the front FACO rack works well after you modify it to sit lower from
your headlight. I put extra gloves and caps inside my cat carrier along
with the registration and proof of insurance. You can put most anything in
there, let's say you are hungry- then you go to In-and-Out and grab a #1
with onions, put in inside the pet carrier and go to your destination and
your burger and frys will still be warm by the time you arrive.

sorry it doubled

Do the side vents in the 300 Super make the pet carrier cooler? More air flow etc..

I doubt that it is the hot air under there, as some have said. With riding the GTS at any normal speed, there is so much turbulence that the hot air is kicked out.

What does, indeed, cause our pet carrier to be heated up is the radiant heat from the engine. And that can be reflected by a simple reflective film, like an emergency blanket.

Read more about it in this relevant thread .

I too just started doing this with the battery tender...it's great...no worries.

You have to think Italian!!! Put in some water, add salt, throw in the pasta and head home. By the time you get through traffic all you have to do is add a little sauce and cheese and you have supper ready!!!

You are being ridiculous. The water would spill.
But it would be great for lasagna.

Obtain a loaf of Italian bread and slice lengthwise. Combine small amount of extra virgin olive oil, large amount softened butter and fresh minced garlic. Mix until soft. Spread liberally on bread and add a generous amount of pecorino romano and asiago cheese. Reassemble loaf, buttered side together and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in pet carrier at beginning of ride and be prepared to enjoy at the end of ride. Should plan on several hours of riding and inverting loaf at least once. Mangiare!!

The cheese and sauce go inside the bread?

Are you making this up or have you tried it? It really sounds delicious!

I actually might try the bread with sauce and of course garlic & butter, wrapped up in foil and in the seat. 'not a bad idea.

For the battery tender - how long is "periods of non riding", a week, a month?

Love everything here friends,

Ciao
Cecijinetta

I was surprised to discover that the glove box also gets pretty hot due to the radiators... I was carrying around a patch kit with C02 canisters and when I went to get something out they were pretty warm! Not sure if it's safe to carry them around in there any more!

Cara Mia and I rode down the Tasty-Freeze the other evening for a single dip cone. On the way back home I took a bit of a chill and remembered that I had a light jacket rolled up in the pet carrier. I stopped, took it out and put it on, and ooh baby, it felt so good. Just like when Kramer put on his shirt and jacket, right out of the pizza oven.

UkuleleGenie,

As a Portlander, you might consider joining the Oregon Scooter Club. Lots of good connections with scooterists generally, but especially in Portland. I live south of you (in Salem) and recently joined up. I've been on two rides that require larger scoots (250cc) in the past month. Both have been great scenic tours and good because of the company of fellow touring scooters. The club also does a lot of local rides in the Portland area, but as a non-Portlander, can't say I've participated in any of them (yet).


There is also a pretty good Portland Vespa-specific club that you can learn more about through the Portland Vespa dealer. As a fellow Oregon Scooterist (nto far away, in Salem, I hope our trails cross soon.

Oregon Scooter Club link: http://oregonscooterclub.ning.com/
Portland Vespa dealers (frequent organized rides): http://vespaportland.com/index.htm

Good scooting! Hope to see you in the area.

I keep my Frogg Togs rain gear in the very bottom of the pet carrier. Does two good things; keeps my mind at ease about sudden showers, and it insulates so well I'm never disturbed at all by any underseat heat!

Could this be the next Jamie Oliver series? Oliver's Twist: Slice of Italy in the Twisties.

My tiny 50cc oven wouldn't bake great bread however.

FYI:
I have carried a cell phone and a couple of different digital cameras on rides lasting several hours, during the hot Texas summer, and neither has suffered any damage.

There was a thread about insulating the compartment a couple of months ago. It got my curiosity up, so I bought a thermometer that records highest/lowest temperature reached. 123 degrees was as hot as it ever got inside the pet carrier.

Made it up on the fly. Should work though. Keep an eye open for my cookbook thread.

I plug it in as soon as the engine cools down and leave it. If I'm riding it the next day, I don't. If I know it's going to be idle for a couple days, I plug it in.