Modern Vespa

I'm a new Vespa owner. One of the many things that attracted me to the GTS 250 is the availability of under-seat storage for my brain bucket. That was short lived, however, when I realized that the bin under the seat is not large enough to accommodate a full face helmet.

For much of my daily commute to work, I'll just bring the helmet into my office with me. But there are days that I'm on foot carrying my belongings and I'd rather not have to lug a big helmet around the city with me.

How do you store your full face helmet when you cannot or do not want to carry it with you? Is it safe to clip it to the helmet clip or bungee it to the rear rack?

I see people do this all the time in New York city but wonder if this is just begging for someone to steal it.

Thanks in advance
Bob

If you have a topcase that would be the safest place to store your helmet if it doesn't fit under the seat. The next best place would be to clip it onto the helmet clip which resides near the hinge in the front end of the seat. It is relatively safe there unless some idiot decides to cut your helmet off.

Steal it, kick it, smash it, rain on it... In London kids will do anything and everything to your scoot or lid (crash helmet,) if left out in the open... I would never leave my lid out of sight in public place. Even at work somebody could knock your helmet on the floor and not tell you. While I (just me) thinks one little drop is not the end of a lid, 2, 3, 4 times?? and how will you ever know!!

Try a lid bag, like a rucksac for your lid. Or a top box.
My lid fits inside the bucket on my ET4, but I only use it when I'm close to home as l know one day some little toe-rags going to nick it from under the seat.
OR does a half face fit in the under seat?
Good luck with whatever method you go with...

hey bobonli, i store my helmet using the tiny pegs you find under the opened seat way up front. there's one on each side used to hook onto the D loop of your helmet strap. it's worked fine here in so cal so far for me for quick trips to the store. If you lock your seat then the only way that you can take it off is via scissors, which would render the helmet useless.

for some, this is not secure enough. but i think if you're willing to leave your scoot uncovered, then leaving the locked helmet should be fine. it seems to be nice and snug with my shoei helmet so it can't be kicked around. i hope that my 2 cents helped.

I live near San Jose and go many places, like the mall, etc up the Peninsula to Palo Alto. I have always hung my helmet on the seat peg (which locks down when the seat is locked). Then again, my helmet was a <$200 Scorpion EXO 400 and not some $400 and up Shoei or Arai with funky graphics. If someone wants the helmet they can cut the D-ring, I suppose, but then they can't wear it unless they replace the straps.

Never had helmet or scoot stolen or messed with (except for mirrors, when someone obviously had sat on it).

New York City is a whole different kettle of fish. And some neighborhoods are fine, others not so much.
You don't mention if you are scooting around the city for errands, or you live close by in an exburb of the Apple.

I use a U-lock that is made for bicycles and I lock the helmet through the visor to the rear rack for short jaunts into the store.

I don't find it necessary to use this on my helmet but it might make it more convenient.

Helmet hook extender

Best
Miguel

I run a cable lock through my fullface and then through the front shock and leave the helmet on the ground.

That way I don't have to lock it to anything because it's kind of hard to steal a scooter with a full-face helmet dragging along the ground beside it and I don't have to carry my helmet around with me anywhere.

Thanks everyone. I'll give the pegs a try, I guess and perhaps get a half face for under the seat for short commutes where storage under the seat is necessary.

Don't know how you feel about top cases but I put my FF helmet in my top case no problem. You're better off wearing the FF all the time. THere are lots of posts on top cases.
Miguel

Miguel,
I think your extender wrench is a great idea. i don't think it would work with they way the GTS pegs are setup however. It looks like on your bike you have a nice hook, which would make it easier.

No dont use this multi wrench....But use a normal crome spanner....like a 13mm or something poss of use to your scooter, as the crome spanner as a bent end....which will fit under the gts seat , etc..and it locks still also..and you can put one on each side , if use 2 helmets..etc, not got pics at min, but i always do it...also putting the helmet into a helmet bag + if cloudy put a plastic bag over it too.....keeps it dry, and people dont know which type of helmet you have....... 8)

hey funky, can you take a pic? i'm definitely interested! thank you!

yep watch this space, were of on a meet up , ride out sunday morn, so ill do a couple , cheers.....

I originally did this because my helmet fit too tight on the helmet peg on my Vino (the one in the picture above). The helmet extender also works fine on my GTV (I tried it) but its not needed because the peg configuration on the GTV (and GTS and GT as well I think) is not as tight as the Vino.
Miguel

here it is ..

I'd recommend turning the helmet around the other way so that the bucket is down rather than up to help keep dirt out of it.
Best
Miguel

Not easy to do that, but we put them in helmet bags aswell.....also in a plastic bag if looking like rain , etc 8) ..

Reading this discussion only reinforces my bias that I'd never own a scooter that couldn't carry the helmet of my choice in underseat storage. It rains far too much around here to rely solely on the helmet hook (and waterproof bags are a pain), and I don't want to have a topcase permanently mounted.

True mate..but i like the vespa scooters......and open face helmets.. 8) .not much help for me then,, .....to be honest if weather was not good, we would carry the helmets with us in a bag......mart

Well, my LX150 is most certainly a Vespa, and my pet carrier easily holds my XL Piaggio Copter helmet, gloves, a rain jacket, a pocket organizer with LED flashlight, digital tire gauge, a mini socket set, and a small laminated map book, a few bungee cords,a terrycloth wiping towel, and there is room for a bit more.

When it comes down to the trade-offs necessary to make a scooter practical for everyday use, good helmet stowage ranks near the top in priorities for me.

I snapped a couple pics to show how easily it all fits:


Here is the rest of the stuff with the helmet removed:


That's a 3-LED, self-contained "dome light" I added in the lid where the useless factory tool kit used to be. You can see that there is still a fair amount of room left.

Why can't all scooters have at least this much practical stowage?

Ha Ha! I'm so new to Vespa, never heard it called that.

You're not carrying a full face helmet, are you? At least it doesn't look that way in the picture.

There's more room under the GTS seat (two helmet sections) but there's no way to get a full face helmet under there.

I tried the helmet peg yesterday and I can just barely capture the helmet D-ring on it. Now I just need to figure out a water proof bag thingy--I'm thinking stuff sack from the camping store might be more elegant than a plastic bag.

You won't be able to fit a full face helmet in the pet carrier of any modern Vespa that I am aware of, only 3/4 ones will fit although a very small full face might almost fit in the ET/LX/S series. I can almost ram my size small full face Shoei into the pet carrier of the LX 150.

so dissappointed to hear that the gts 250 wont hold a full face helmet in the pet carrier, my 2001 et4 fits any full face helmet barring flip ups and this has been so handy for me that i wouldnt get another bike without this storage option as i think back boxes are sort of uncool. shocking news, i was all set for an upgrade next week but will now rethink it.

Just get a smaller head and it'll be fine

No, as I said, it's a Piaggio Copter helmet. I don't wear FFs, so that's not an issue for me. I've never tried putting a FF in there, but I would think some of the more compact designs would fit.

When it comes time to get a new scooter, if the helmet I like to wear doesn't fit under the seat, I'm not buying the scooter.

The idea of having to carry a helmet around, or relying on a top case, or fiddling around with a waterproof bag on a helmet hook seems to me like a problem only motorcyclists should have to deal with, not scooterists. Scooters are supposed to be more practical vehicles.

Silver Streak....to be honest i dont really mind about not getting any of my open face helmets into the box...its not a problem for me at all......As i carry loads of stuff , just like you do also in it.....inc, a flask, and i pop my coat in it , if its a warm day , etc....its much bigger than your one , but not deeper......maybe its something to do with the engine ?......or is it that vespa want you to but there helmets, which do fit in it..... 8) ....the end of the day i like the , gts range....

When in the entire history of the scooter has there ever been a secure weatherproof place for a helmet?

Corsa...True mate..... ..except for the top box, which i dont want or like... ...mart

I keep hearing the gripe about the GTS/GTV not being able to carry a full face helmet under the seat. It's even worse!!! I can't carry my 3/4 open face helmet under the seat either. My wife has a medium and I have a large "copter" helmet and neither fit under the seat. It's too narrow and to shallow. I havent tried the kid sizes....

Umm... like maybe with the decade-long history of the ET/LX series?

Back in the vintage days, most riders didn't even bother with helmets, so it wasn't an issue.

The ET/LX can hold a full-face helmet? I wasn't aware of that.

As I said I run a cable lock through the front fork and run the cable through my fullface and leave it on the ground. Some of ya'll treat them like they're made of Platinum or something.

This is why you'll notice that the Vespa/Piaggio helmets are very low profile, with leather and pads filling out the rest of the coverage. This allows them to be stashed in a GT/S/V compartment.

This is getting ridiculous. Please read back through the thread. What I said is that I wouldn't own a scooter that couldn't stow THE HELMET OF MY CHOICE under the seat. I also clearly stated that I use a copter helmet. I've never tried to stow a FF there because I've never owned one, but I'm told that some compact FFs may fit, particularly in an ET... but that is totally irrelevant for me.

You can wear a soggy helmet if you like after a thunderstorm, but it's not for me.

What is ridiculous is your involvement in this thread at all. You would choose a scooter based solely on whether it could hold your choice of helmet, even though for 50+ years scooters couldn't hold helmets at all and you feel that they should?

You are the one making the silly assertion that a vehicle that is designed to be small and nimble and have limited storage should somehow accomodate a huge inflexible styrofoam dome.

What in the fuck is a "copter" helmet anyway?
You don't want a soggy helmet but you're ok with a soggy face because you don't wear full-face?

Have you looked at Pacsafe helmet safe? Waterproof, secure and easy to carry.
Check it out!
http://www.pac-safe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=27

I love mine!

I attach my full face helmet to the clip as mentioned in this post. However, I also put a cover on my scooter (S 150) which protects the helmet and scoot during the day since I leave the sccot at park n' ride.