Modern Vespa

I'm still shopping for a scooter after 2-3 years :\

I thought i hated the Vespa S50 because of its seat but now that i've done a bit more research, it seems Malossi provides a lot of tune up parts for it and Piaggio claims it is faster than other 4T scooters.

I've searched the forums here for a while but i still need a bit more information.

So, a few questions.

Does the S50 goes faster than the LX50 in stock form ?

What speed can i expect from a kitted S50 ? I'll most likely end up adding everything from Malossi after a little while...

Is it possible to fit an LX50 seat on an S50 ? Or is there any manufacturer of 2 place seats for the S50 ? I might want to change this after a little while.

And for those who want to suggest going with a 150, i can't. It requires a motorcycle license and fees are incredibly high around here for insurance / plates / license related to motorcycles. 50cc on the other hand is quite cheap to own.

Thanks!

All seats are interchangeable between LX models and S models.

I wouls get the Touring Seat available for the S that will sit 2 people.
It will look like your stock seat, but flater and will still have teh white pipping.

As for Speed, the S50 is a 4 Valve engine versus 2 Valve for the LX.
Both bikes will have about the same top speed, however the S50 will have more get up and go than the LX...
The take off is quite noticeable!!!

Small capacity 4 strokes don't really react as well to tuning goodies as 2 strokes do. As such, there aren't really many available for them.The fact that the S50 has 4 valves already makes it a little more punchy than the basic LX50. Probably the best you could do right now would be to change out the variator, or even just play around with the roller weights in the stock one. There's not going to be a kit available now as they need to design one for a four valve head; and tuned exhausts don't exist for small 4 strokes since they really don't have any effect.

There are no kits for the S50 as far as I know.

The S50 is a lot better bang for your buck, it is faster in acceleration and has a higher top speed. You can get the touring (2-person) seat for about $200.

A kitted LX50 will be faster than a stock S50, but if you're gonna spend the money... why not just get the 150 to start with? Which will blow either of those away.

just going for a 150 would have been my suggestion, however this doesn't seem feasible... ... but thinking on it again, i'm not so sure. modifying the 50 is going to be expensive, and even then, i suspect you'll find it unsatisfying and want to upgrade sooner rather than later... what about a used 150 - should be cheaper to insure, and getting a motorcycle license is a good investment anyway...

Thanks a lot to all the kind people taking the time to answer my questions.

Malossi does indicate they have a cylinder kit for the S50. It seems this kit is new for the S50 4valve engine as no other scooters are listed in the compatibility list.

I expected to be recommended to go to an 150...

However, a scooter or motorcycle can't be used more than 8 months per year around here, and i'm stretching this (quite) a bit. It's more like 5 months...

I've asked a few shops around here about the cost of upgrading an LX50 last year and it wasn't so bad. I've also double checked the cost of a motorcycle license, plates and stuff for a 150...

I could provide detailed explanations why but i'll keep it short. It would cost me much more money every year to drive a 150cc. The 50cc costs way less to own, every year.

And 200$ ain't bad for the seat, if i ever decide i need space for a passenger.

I've just looked at the Scooter-Center Köln website and, you're right, Malossi have made a kit already. Quick work! Do the police / authorities ever do random checks on bikes in Canada. I don't know what the law is like there, but over here, if you kit a 50cc it ceases to be a moped and requires you to have a basic motorcycle qualification anyway.

I don't think the police do random checks on scooters around here. I've seen some fairly modified BWs (Yamaha Zuma elsewhere, i think) and they didn't seem to get bugged at all. The people driving them were not old enough for a motorcycle license, i think...

It is more of a matter of being able to go with the traffic since speed limits are seen as suggestions by most drivers.

having lived in montreal for 10 years and seen how drivers behave there i'd want something that could do at least 50mph easily, with some to spare at the top end for getting out of silly situations... and i don't think i'd want to take a 50cc on any of the major roads, kitted or not.

I went through the 50 vs 150 dilema 3 years ago, and was very wisely counseled by MV members to get my license and go with a 150. But, impatient, I went with a 50, vowing to get my motorcycle license and then trade up to 150. Still haven't started my classes...and still dream of an LXV. Qu'est-ce qu'un gars peu faire...

So, if you must ride now, get the 50 and keep dreaming. If you can wait 'til next year, take your classes now and you could, just possibly, have your learners by next summer.

Finally, about Montreal: Genie is correct that drivers are...em... not predictable and major roads can be an issue. However, I've been commuting NDG, downtown, Plateau for 3 years. Aside from major arteries outside rush hours (esp wee hours of the morning) and taking a bridge off-island, riding is ok with a 50, as traffic is generally 50kph.

i lived at the corner of Duluth and St-Urbain for about 7 years it would actually be pretty nice riding around Plateau, NDG, etc. .... but riding over the bridges off the island??? or the autoroute decarie? eek

I just bought the S150 and the dealer threw in the touring seat for free. Never hurts to ask.

Rumour has it that these fellas are on their way out of being in regular production...

Say it isn't so Joe, Say it isn't so....... No more LXV

xonon, having the S50 work right for you depends on a lot of factors, but if you are small and weigh less than 150lbs, then the S50 will do well on flat roads if you pick your routes with care (don't get into a situation where you are stuck on a bridge going 40 with cagers going 50). The S50 was my first scooter and the main reason I upgraded so quickly was because of our hills and the length of my commute (about 10-15 miles each way) and because I am tall, heavy and tend to carry 20-30lbs of stuff to work every day.

I would highly recommend doing the safety course, getting your endorsement and getting a used 125-150cc scooter such as an S150, LX150 ET4, etc. Your TCO will be similar to a new S50 unless you can find one used...

S50 has much better acceleration then the lx50.
Absolute top speed of the s50 is 75 kph (rev limiter kicks in).
Kitted lx50 is about 85 kph.

The s50 seat sucks, I've had butt pain for the last 2 months but I think I finally found a comfortable position to ride. The lack of the front glove compartment is a real plus; you can ride with your feet up high.

I ride from Laval to downtown Montreal every day. The s50 gets the job done. Surprisingly the cagers are not too bad just watch out for the crazy taxi drivers.

The kit should cost around 1000$ parts/installation. I may install it next spring just for the hell of it.

Get the S50, if it's too slow get the kit, if it's too slow get the 300 GTS, if it's too slow get a Ducati

I'm a 100% happy customer on my 2t S50 8)

Lots of interesting replies! I'm amazed

To be honest, i don't intend to go outside the island too much. It's just that i can't afford a car and public transportation is such a pain.

Highways are out of question. I intend to stay mostly on roads with a 60km/h or less limit. But as no one respects the speed limits, i wanted to have some more speed.

With your advices, i think i'll go with an S50 and see how it goes. I might wait a year or two before going with a kit, especially if it goes at 70km/h stock.

Now, just for kicks... I wonder how quick it can go once you remove the rev limit (doing the CDI cut thingie, according to the piaggio bulletins i've read). And going with a completed upgrade with everything Malossi.

Anyone think it would reach 90km/h before exploding in the most magnificient firework ever ?

Hopefully, someday i'll be able to post here about my S50 upgrades

Oh, if winter wasn't coming now. Oh well, winter will give more time to save up!

A more serious question i have since many people from Montreal are around the forum is : which dealers are good, which suck ?

Is Vespa Laval a good place ? They seemed very knowledgeable when i visited them. What about Vespa St-Laurent ? Other places ?

I think you're making a good decision. Unless you can get your hands on a 2 stroke LX 50 or a ET2, the S 50 is the next best 50 cc modern Vespa that you can get. Get it first and see how you feel about the performance before you decide on any upgrades. You might be surprised at how good it is and if it isn't, then see what upgrades are available at that time, there maybe more then since it is still a relatively new engine.

Oh hell yeah, I'm interested to hear how an S50 kitted will perform. I think for most people, the S50 is an ideal around town scoot - a kitted one would be even sweeter. I wasn't aware that they had released a kit yet.

I can't wait for the rest of the Vespa line to get the 4V engine, hopefully.

The new engine definitely sold me to the Vespa S50. And i like the look of the rear light. Not so keen on the seat, but it can be changed so it's all good!

Just a few thoughts from a ex-Montrealer:

I ride eight months a year, if you're a skier you probably have everything you need to do the same.

With the motorcycle licensing laws in Quebec 50cc bikes are a more viable option than elsewhere, & with Quebec gas prices, 50cc scooters are common, so drivers are familiar with them. Don't be too sure you won't be stopped & checked by the police! I know that in Quebec city this happened in the summer- too many kitted scooters going faster than legal (70 kph). If you're stopped you're dinged for driving without a proper licence.

Good luck with it!


Harvey

I can't tell you which dealer sucks because of the forum rules.

But the most recommended place in montreal is Vespa Lasalle.

ScootArt is also very good for service after warranty is expired ( they don't sell new vespa but they restore from scratch old vespas ) Owners are cool, they sometimes ride with our scooter club. Good place to go if you want to get your scoot kitted.

Checkout the old vespas they restored... sweet!
http://www.scootart.com/entreprise.html

Sorry about this, didn't know about this forum rule.

Thanks for the information. I went to ScootArt before, they were very nice. Good to know they are good at fixing modern Vespas too

Here's a thought. Buy a 150S and rebadge it as a 50S. If the cops question it, tell 'em it's a typo.

St-Laurent doesn't service on site, it's a division of Berthiaume whose garage is on de la Roche. I've been satisfied with their work, including some reconstruction work after an...um "incident" (in fact, they did better work on my vespa than the emrgency ward team did on me)

lilscoot: i) which bridge to you cross from Laval? and ii) which club do you ride with?

i) which bridge to you cross from Laval?

>>I take the pont viau and ride st-denis street all the way to avenue des pins

ii) which club do you ride with?

>> scooter montreal.

http://cf.groups.yahoo.com/group/Club-Scooter-Montreal/

We meet every sunday at 11 am at parc Lafontaine. Nice bunch of peps.