Modern Vespa

How often do vespas get stolen or vandalized? Seems like they're an easy target and a few posts on here even talk about it. So is it pretty common for these things to get stolen?

Why must people take advantage of beauty? It's a cruel world sometimes.

I'm sure it depends upon where you live and park it. In my neck of the woods, it's pretty rare if you are careful. Is El Paso a high crime area?

I think the larger/heavier model you get, the less likely it will be to get stolen. Mine is parked close to the front door at work, and lives in my garage at night. I also use a disk lock with an alarm when I am worried about where I've parked.

Well, El Paso KIND of is, depending on the type of crime in question.

For example, two years ago I used to live in El Paso (for a LONG time) and there were an average of 500 cars a month being stolen and immediately driven across the Border to ""our good friends to the South" (as the El Paso Chamber of Commerce liked to BS unsuspecting/naive tourists with), some of which were then proudly driven by Mexican police (local) and Federales. In plain sight.

So, is 500 cars a month a high crime rate? I'd say so.

Motorcycles? Occasionally there would be a rash of thefts (people going around in trucks -- the 'gone in 60 seconds' scenario -- so it was wise to CHAIN your bike to something immovable if parked outdoors at your home or apartment. Although these were mostly the lighter-weight sportsbikes (similar to Vespa weights), heavy cruiser MCs were sometimes stolen, too. Harley owners beware!

Scooters? I don't know...but something expensive (and RARE) like a Vespa would be nice to have in sorry Mexico (they could park it next to their stolen Ferraris)...so again, I'd CHAIN it to something solid.

Even though my Honda VTX1300R weighed about 700 pounds, it could be lifted by these 'teams' in trucks (they had a system: 4 guys and two pipes. Simple) so it was CHAINED to some masonry right outside my front door. I am using the same serious ($$$) chain and my 2 Abus ($$$) locks NOW here for my Vespa when it is parked at home (brought the chain & locks with me when I left El Paso). Got a grip or brake rotor disk lock on your bike/scooter so it won't roll? Doesn't matter, they use skateboards to move them. Again, it's low-tech simple so wise up.

If I STILL lived in El Paso with my Vespa, THAT would be chained up while parked at home, too (since most apartments don't have garages). Even here in the Big G it's chained up (to a concrete piling holding up my building)...and I'm in a gated community. Don't underestimate criminals getting to your stuff. It's not being paranoid, it's being prudent.

As for being 'out-and-about' with my Vespa (or when I was riding the VTX) I definitely park where I can see it from inside (like when I'm at a Starbucks, Dennys, Village Inn or IHOP, so I can sit at the wndow and keep an eye on it...but if I'm going to a store where I can NOT see it from inside (like a supermarket) I carry a small but tough chain to secure it to a lightpost or grocery-cart-return railing...whatever.

I must admit, however, that even if you park it where you CAN see it things can happen: I was at a Starbucks on the Eastside (near George Dieter and Esther Lama, in El Paso) and someone apparently walked up to the bike and removed a hand-grip end cap -- I GUESS that's what happened to it as I don't think it FELL off -- but who really knows? So even if you park where you can SEE it, it's just not possible to be watching it ALL the time. Still, you do the best you can to secure your stuff. Right?

Please, don't say something ignorant like "Well, it's insured, so I don't care." Well, you SHOULD care! MY stuff is insured, too, but the more that stuff is stolen, the higher insurance RATES go up for ALL of us. So be responsible and lock up your stuff! Do what YOU can, and THEN you still have insurance as a backup.

But you know, whether the scooter you own is an expensive Piaggio/Vespa or an in-the-crate Chinese cheapo you got on the Internet, one thing I learned living in El Paso is people will steal ANYTHING...but that's probably true anywhere nowadays.

So the bottom line is -- WHEREVER you live -- if you own something and want to keep it, secure it! It's that simple. Let the thief move on to the NEXT scooter that is NOT secured -- there are MANY of those to choose from...unfortunately. Even though expensive, a quality chain & lock is an investment, and once purchased you can use it indefinitely for your future bikes/scooters (my 'investment' is 13 feet of 5/8" link stainless-steel (for corrosion resistance) chain and 2 top-drawer large Abus locks cost around $560...plus shipping about 60 lbs of chain). And yes, it's sometimes a hassle locking it up just to go inside a store, but the alternative -- for being lazy and NOT doing it -- is coming out to an empty parking spot.

[Note: the heavy 5/8" link chain is for 'permanent' parking at home...it's too heavy to carry, so I take a smaller-link (9mm) but TOUGH chain with me as my 'portable' out-and-about security]

Even if your area doesn't have much crime NOW, don't be smug or complacent, just wait...it's coming. Criminals are doing the best they can to get to you...please be patient as they work their way to YOUR neighborhood.

It very much depends on the area.

One thing to consider as an addition to locking it up: All new Vespa scooters come pre-wired for a plug-in alarm module. it costs $150-$250 depending on model, and honks the horn and flashes the lights if the scooter is disturbed. It even comes with a remote.

My youngest son used to be stationed in El Paso when he was in the Army. He said that a motorcycle or scooter that wasn't locked down in a secure garage had a very high probability of being stolen and taken into Mexico.

I would venture to guess that if the economy continues to get worse crime will rise. I used to live in NYC and there you need to tie everything down and not just with cheap chain, you need something bolt cutters cant get through and or even a portable power tool. So you have to use these Kryptonite chains, you can take a grinder to this for an hour before you get anywhere.


I now live in Charlotte, North Carolina, but still have to be very carefull. These things are easy to steal, I'm 5'7 and if I had a buddy and a truck we could simply drive around and steal these things all day. Don't chain to anything too short. My buddy had his scoot stolen when chained to a short parking sign. The thieves simply lifted the bike 3 feet off the ground, pulled the chain over the top and wheeled it into their van.

If you love your scoot like I do, don't get lazy when parking it, spend the $100 and get the Kryptonite long noose chain (the picture is a short one)and chain up to anything that won't budge.

Get comprehensive insurance.

We weren't talking about insurance. That's a given.

Max Slaine,

Or, if there is nothing to chain it to nearby, but there are TWO scooters (or bikes), then chain them together...lifting TWO bikes/scooters is a whole lot more challenging.

Don't give thieves any help, HOWEVER you choose to secure your scooter...