Modern Vespa

Hi my MP3 peeps,

July 2008, I bought my 2007 MP3 250 used from the previous owner who had dropped it on both sides at 2 different standstills. I remember thinking she's selling the MP3 because she can't handle it. Wow.

I've read on this forum how numerous people have dropped their MP3s. I've thought to myself how could that happen I'll always pay attention and put my foot down. Well it happened to me yesterday.

I was moving my scooter due to street cleaning and was just going to hop on and move it quickly. Problem #1, I was in quick mode. Then I did what others have described. I was coming down out of a driveway turning right very slowly. The ground was uneven and then it started to happen. The bike was falling right as I was basically stopped. I was pulling on the left handle bar to keep it upright but the gravity and weight were winning. As I realized "oh shit, it is going down"...I quickly hit the kill switch and jumped to the right of the bike. It didn't take a full hard hit on the ground more so it was now leaning on the uneven curb on the driveway. It got scratched in a couple areas on the right. It got scratched on the new bumper sticker that I just put on last week on the right side hiding the previous owner's scratches. I just added a few more wounds. I'm not so concerned with cosmetics but more so with safety and function. So oh well - with more scratches. Bruised my ego though.
I had to squat with my back against the right side and heave it back up. Pretty humiliating. A woman was watching me from across the street as it happened but realized I was ok and stopped watching. I got it back up pretty quick.
Today I rode it to my dealer - Sherman Oaks Vespa and had explained to Dave previously on the phone what had happened. I wanted to bring it in to safety check it to make sure nothing was broken. All is good. Thanks to Dave and fabulous Sherman Oaks Vespa - they are the best and always make sure I'm safe out there. Thanks guys.
Thought I'd share my story since I didn't think I'd ever drop my MP3. Guess I was in "quick and careless mode" or just plain got at "the falling angle" or otherwise it was just my turn. My time came up.
One other note. I know there is much debate about turning off with the kill switch at all times versus using the kill switch only in an emergency. Someone commented that using it daily will help them use it in an emergency by being familiar with where the switch is. Well I use my key to turn off daily and never the kill switch daily. I use the kill switch only in emergencies and I hit that sucker off without hesitation and had no problem finding it. Just offering up my experience for the information. Not trying to start a debate here, just relaying my experience.
Ride safe out there peeps especially when turning at super slow speeds and watch for uneven ground in those situations.

Sorry to hear you dropped it Pam, but good info. Thanks for thinking of others and posting helpful info.

Glad you are ok and that you hit the kill switch. SO and TO Vespa are the best!! See you on the streets!

Hope the scoot faired as well as you did.

Thanks for the report, Gopam.

Must of been drop yer MP3 day. I dropped mine right in my driveway today. Was fixing my switches that were sticking and was testing the turn signals, I could swear I turned off the ignition,,,,,,, didnt I?,,,, anyways,,, I went to test the tilt lock switch and hear beep beep and thought OOPSY as the bike fell over. Luckily one of my wife's plant pot's took most of the impact and was no real damage,, just hurt me pride too.

First, thanks for the detailed report, gopam. A humbling experience, to be sure, but all such can be educational, and sharing it with the rest of us might just make a big difference should we get in the same position. Glad its only cosmetic damage (Mp3 and ego...). Smart move having it checked.

Second, I think this is still the one of the hardest things to get used to with this ride, the little tilt lock switch and all that beeping and flashing. Chaos101 suffered something similar to what I have experienced, but without dropping, and that is inadvertantly bumping that switch... I think we get so used to the beep and flash that its just expected at a subconscious level when on the bike and the brain doesn't always right off make the connection to what's happening. Training and experience, yup, but still, the best of us are stil going to have an 'oh, crap' moment now and then.

You have earned yourself a "Badge of Experience". I got 2 myself so I am still ahead of you by 1. My first drop happened a week after I got my MP3 400, and my second drop was driving off the drive way a couple of month ago. No big deal, only minor scratches. Nonetheless, it was my EGO that was really injured.

Glad you are OK. Will tell you a short dropping story to make you feel better about dropping yours.
My wife and I, on our 500s, pulled into a little coffee shop in the mountains here where bike riders are always present ( the curvy roads are fantastic).
I went in first, and note there are a dozen sportbike guys in full racing gear all standing and curiously watching our entrance into the rutted dirt parking lot.
Then in my intercom I hear "Oh...sh*t!!" and before I can park my bike, I note all the sportbike guys are running to help her. She had somehow dropped the bike! Humiliation in heaps! Confirming what the sportbike guys were probably thinking anyway.
She looked on the bright side however, saying it was quite nice having all these good looking young guys rush to her aid-"like in a dream!". So I guess it wasn't all bad.
She dropped it again a few months ago ( again at a near stop). And now she is on a 250 vespa gts super--much better fit, and she LOVES this scoot ( so do I!).
For the record, I have dropped mine too, practicing low speed turns. It happens.

i almost dropped my MP3 at a stop sign last week on the group ride... with my wife on the back!

i flicked the turn signal switch on the left instead of the tilt lock on the right and didn't realize for a second that i wasn't locked until we started to tilt to the right. instinctively i put my foot down and was able to lift the whole getup back to upright without any damage to my wife or the scooter. i don't know exactly how far over we got but it was probably a good 25 or 30 degrees, i'm guessing.

i'm glad we all escaped unscathed, and i'm also glad to know now that i can catch a falling MP3 even when my wife is perched on the pillion seat. i'll try to avoid testing this ability in the future...

I like that..."Badge of Experience", heh heh. Thanks for the posts my peeps. A lot of us have been there or close.

Thanks for sharing "the dreaded drop" with us. Been there too gopam, in front of my house shortly after owning it. Layed down in sand...in slow motion.... luckily no damage. Me? Bruises from trying to hold her up! Dumb!...and embarressed. A wake up call to pay more attention to what I'm doing, not hurry to get on/off or to move it without thinking (?....is that the right word?)
Hope your bruises are few and heal quickly/nicely.....we women are vain whether we admit it or not, right? Tattoo's Okay?
Ride safe

Glad you're ok and the MP3 only suffered cosmetic damage!

Just to add to your observations about the kill switch - I too never use it to shut down the scoot, but when I was in an accident recently and thrown from the bike, I was amazed at how quickly instinct/training kicked in and how fast I got to the kill switch.

Ride safe everyone!

An injured ego, a few scratches and an otherwise unfortunate but harmless lesson learned.

Mine came at the Rock Shop when I guy I was trailing stopped short in a narrow lane off the roadway in the middle of literally dozens of bikes. I tried to engage the tilt lock, but it didn't cooperate and my 500 started to go down. All I could think about was one of those motorcycle domino scenes from the movies, with me on a glorified scooter. A herculean effort was called for and I was able to catch mine w/o grand incident. My wrists haven't been the same since, though.

Word to the wise: When in doubt, get your legs out. Even on low speed maneuvering.

I dropped my MP3 right out of the dealers parking lot.
Spent so much time trying to figure out the wheel lock that it was already on the way down.

Yeah... then I dropped it trying to do a "tight" U turn (practicing in a parking lot) so nobody saw that one but still sucked.

I can't get both my feet down because of seat height so I'm sure I'll drop it again someday.

Oh dear, hope this thread didn't jinx you all

Question on Dropping MP3s

I think we should ban threads on dropping Vespa's, just in case...

In several ways riding an MP3 is like skiing -- one is the one is the feeling when weaving, another is "if you aren't falling, you aren't learning." Glad you weren't hurt. In the same length of time I've been down several times but, the way I figure it, it's all mine so I'm entitled.

I wonder if those 2 wheelers have the same problems with dropping like us? I seem to only tip over when at or near a complete stop.

Dropped mine the second day I had it...dead stop. My driveway is slanted quite a bit, I was cross angled on it, and I have no clue what I actually did to fall. Could have been anything from hitting the lock release, to just losing my balance.

The worse part was that it was 0630 in the morning, and there was no one to help me get it back up. I had to consider just leaving it there and taking the ET4, knocking on a neighbor's door, or sitting in the driveway until someone came out and being late to work. Then I remembered that my brother who lives 2 blocks away leaves for work about the same time, and he turned around and helped me lift it. Since it was on an angle on a slanted driveway, I couldn't even budge it, and I know I would never have gotten it up.

I would be really curious about how you did get it up. And when you did, since you don't have a kick stand on the other side to catch it, how did you keep it from going over?

Thanks, Dee

Hi Dee. You have to lock the front wheels first. Lifting ich on a slant is still a major undertaking, though.

Greets from Germany, Raven

Lifting a downed bike is no mystery if you look for that subject on youtube Basically put your butt on the seat, grab the bars and the back rails and lift with the pressure from your butt. Once you know how to do it you'll fear it much much less!

Oh pam you are such an idiot. jk...

I did something similar when I was in "quick mode". I was actually able to get off and stand before i heard her go crunch behind me...didn't check to make sure the suspension lock actuated.

Glad it didn't fall on you.

College parking lot. Many cars looking for spaces. Making a slow semi-hairpin turn. Unseen car pops up to left front. Hit brakes too hard. Over she goes at zero MPH.

Now I have some light scratches on the cowls I'd like to get rid of.

Live and learn?