Modern Vespa

Putting 300lbs on the center stand was not easy for me when I first got my (like new) gt200, but I got the hang of it after a couple tries and I worked on practicing on uphills (easier) and downhills (harder). I generally park her on the flat garage floor so I don't worry about it too much anymore.

Unfortunately, I forgot my garage door opener this morning and on my way back in I had to put her up on the stand so I could go around and open the garage from the inside. My street is a decent slope, but I've parked her sideways on the incline a number of times (each time checking that she's pretty stable) and this time I must have not been paying attention to keeping both those stand sides on the ground as I put her up because she just slipped away from me as I was standing on the opposite side.

It's finals week and I'm definitely feeling the stress so I don't doubt that it contributed in a way. I was surely not feeling as focused as I usually do on my way to and from school today.

I put her right back up (parked pointing uphill this time) and she started back up. It was a very soft landing and I imagine everything is functionally fine, but here's the damage:



Not much, honestly. I think it could have been a lot worse. Most of it is contained on the plastic and the scratches on the body are really shallow. Although I'm not sure I'll be able to fix it right away, where do I get a new plastic side piece? I've looked through the (many) scratch fixing posts and I'm sure I could find a good non-expensive fix for the body scrapes, but am I at risk for rust even with really shallow scrapes?[/img]

Ouch, sorry about the scrapes and scratches. Do well on your exams though, they are far more important in the long run.

The plastic part can be purchased through your dealership. As for the scratches in the metal, it will rust so even if you just sand it and paint it with primer, it will help for the time being.

Bummer. Something similar happened to me. My wet foot slipped off the center stand, and the scoot fell away from me. I managed to hold on and slowly drop it to the ground. Because of the slow speed and my crash bars, I only had minor scratches on the bars, the mirror, the vinyl strip, and the under body. Picking it up was not as bad as I thought it would be.

As Benito said, you can get the plastic from the dealer. I have not done the bodywork/paint myself. Good luck. Wish I could be more help.

There is hardly a flat spot in SF, so it was probably going to happen someday. I'm just sorry it happened on your new scoot before you could add crash bars

Good luck on your finals!

Fuuuuck.

I have some GT touch up paint in that color...

And yes, it'll rust.

Argh! Been there (several times)

The plastic piece is no big deal...
It can be replaced as soon as Piaggio gets around to sending the right part
or you can paint it or you can put car door molding over the damaged area

(The molding also protects the scooter, should you have similar future incidents)

The scratches on the cowl will be expensive unless you have painting skills
My short-term solution was to clean the area, keep it waxed
and put distracting decals in the area of the scratches

I am wondering if someone has come up with a U shaped piece of steel that can be welded onto the right side of the center stand? A piece that would not hit the exhaust but would stick out like the left side for safety. I always park my GTS with the extended portion on the lower side so my GTS doesn't fall over. Anna's GTS fell over bec when she put it on the center stand the wind knocked it over on it's right side, and no she did not have a windshield.

Well, that totally SUCKS!

I am dreading the day my LX goes over. It almost seems as though having your Vespa go over is a right of passage on here. That has to be the most sickening feeling to come out and find your scoot on its side. I will take your experience with me as I try to prevent this from happening as best as I can.

I hope the repair goes well for you!

That sucks. Actually it could have been a lot worse. Shit happens. Learn and move on.

If you don't paint it right away at least apply a good coat of wax over the scratches to prevent them from rusting. Another reason to have the crash bars.

Really feel for you...it could have been worst and I'm not saying that to make you feel better.

As for myself, I'll make every effort to avoid parking on an incline (easier said than done in some locations). My "Threat Indicators go on High Alert" if parking on any incline. Aside from the incline...loose asphalt / gravel...bad combination!

As another MV'er commented.."Flat is Friendly!"

Me too, they were in the works beforehand and will probably make a speedy appearance now.

Thanks for all the kind words, I'm feeling better about it already.

Well, if you are parking in SF, you have less than 50% chace of finding a flat spot witin a mile of where you need to be.

Good luck and while touch-up paint may not always be invisible it is always better than rust. Stickers and magnets can cover a world of sins.

Should have had crash bars What you need now is some stickers