Modern Vespa

Hello All, I just wondering what your thoughts on crash bars. Are they worth it or are they just for looks?

I've got 'em and I accept the fact that they will provide protection better than having none at all.

From a drop you'll end up with the cowl protectors being damaged but will allow you to get away with minimal damage to farings / cowls.

In a crash...the protective qualities may not be as beneficial...hence, I call them cowl protectors versus crash bars....that's just my opinion.

These will not be simple plug and play install...you'll probably need to bend the mounting brackets to insure the cowl protectors will cant outward and not flush against your faring / cowl. You also need to be very careful that the bracket does not chaft any hoses (i.e. coolant hose).

Note: These are Prima cowl protectors.

See pics.

Hope this helps!

My scoot has been dropped 3 times, since I have owned it. Twice by me, once by my husband.

1) The first drop was in the garage; I was pushing the bike. It involved some throttle. No crash bars and $2000 worth of damage, including repainting on the cowl Not to mention the 6 weeks+ time it took to get it fixed, and not even right. That may not be typical though.

2) Second drop, my boot was wet and slipped off the center stand in the parking garage at work. Scoot fell away from me. I managed to grab it before it fell; however, I couldn't pull it up and had to let go slowly. It dropped a few inches to a foot from the ground. I had to slide it a bit to get it back up. I had crash bars, so no damage to the cowl. I didn't get anything repaired. Minor scratches to the mirror, leg shield trim, crash bars, and body under foot boards.

3) Third drop, my husband was practicing. His glove got stuck on the throttle. He went up a driveway and dropped it in the driveway/grass. No cowl damage. Very minor scratches on the front of the leg shield; I can see them, but probably no one else. Mirror and leg shield trim were scratched pretty good and replaced.

I feel they have paid for themselves, especially since we seem to be klutzes. Worth every penny. I am not a huge fan of chrome, but I think they look decent.

$150 for bars is lunch money compared to what you will spend to have a Vespa with dented and scratched bubble/s repaired.

Crash bars protect our scoots from ourselves. In my case they have paid for themselves several times over.

These are the Vespa bars. With me, it's mainly the "look", but if they give a measure of protection too (depending on the circumstances of a drop) that's a plus.

I believe that crash bars are worth every penny. I have had my last scooter pushed by a car when it was parked. Without the crash bars, there would have been damage to the cowls. I have crashed in a turn in the rain while going over railway tracks on my last scooter. The GTS landed on its side and me on top of the GTS. The front of the scooter was a mess of damage, but amazingly there was not a scratch on the rear cowls. Again, I believe that the rear crash bars saved my scooter's ass in that situation. I have the Piaggio rear crash bars which seem to be getting harder to find.

Yeaah, tell me all about it...

This is how my GTS looked like 1 year ago, when i drive down a pedestrian
and hit the street !

They won't protect the bodywork from every sort of drop, but they will in a very significant proportion of the cases. And considering the cost and hassle-factor of Vespa body repair, I agree with the others who say they are worth every penny.

As someone who parks between parallel parked cars on a daily basis, I find them most useful in preventing "bumper rash." Parkers hit the protectors instead of the paint.

6 great iPhotos

Mine saved my GTV from most of the potential damage when I hydroplaned earlier this year. The bars took the initial impact from the pavement, resulting in only minor scrapes (rather than a costly dent) on the cowl area when all was said and done. Front fender bar definately prevented some damage too, as it had scrapes instead of my fender. Fender damage is a pretty big deal on a GTV.

Both chrome bits have officially paid for themselves now, in my mind.

Crash bars are useless at speed. But parked and/or under 10 mph, they are are awesome.. Plus they look neat. What else do you need?

Sidenote, you need both leg bars and the cowl crash bars to get the effect..

It looks like I will be buying some crash bars---thanks everyone

It's all a matter of taste, but I think they look really cool. The rear ones probably provide the most protection, but the front ones accentuate the lines of the scooter, really completes the look for me.

first accessories I ordered were crashbars front and rear,wouldn`t be without them.

Great looking bike. I like the backrest.
Here's my Wife on my crash bar equipped LX-150
(I still don't have a picture of me on my own damn scooter! lol)

Let me try that again. Here ya go.

Any thoughts on Cuppini brand for an ET4? or are there other brands available?

Sorry to wake up an old thread, but I have questions re these things:

1. Are crash bars strong enough for a passenger to rest her feet on while travelling?

2. Can they be used as mounting stirrups? I have a top case and she finds it hard to get on and off with the regular foot pegs.

1. yes. my wife uses them.
2. not recommended regardless of make/model.

others will definitely disagree.

Definitely agree

Best money I ever spent.

Got 'em on my GTV and LX 150 FACO brand

They are worth every penny !!! You cant go wrong.

Here are a couple of photos that I took today at Massimo's Vespa Shop.
This is Greg's GTS with the Crashbars installed today.

They R(a) a great way to pertection yer biike...

Nice Greg
Leading the way:

Ever rider I know from scoots to cycle ALL said get front and rear crash bars. I told them I was not planning on crashing ( I know!). They asked if I dropped it in the Garage, of course Not! They said I will and the bars save the paint.

Okay I 'm getting front and rear.

Does the additional weight of the front bars and front rack make the GTS less light headed?

I am looking to even the balance of the vehicle a bit as it has always seemed to be light on the front wheel.

Never thought about it, but thats an interesting question.
The PX bars are light and if your scoot tips over in the garage or at low speeds they will help save the scoot but at high speeds I dont think they will hold out very well, let hope none of us find out.

I love those bars. My main concern however is how they attach to the body, as opposed to anchor points on the frame. I would just be afraid that an impact at speed would cause a gash in the body, which would then be much harder to repair than a routine dent. Piaggio really should make dedicated front bars for the GT/S/V series.

Not sure, hope not to find out.

Piaggio used to make front bars for the P series, they were solid compared to the PX bars (one piece), but these dont line up to the GTS body, I have a set and tried to mach them up.

I'm not a big fan of crash bars on Vespas or Harleys, unless it the stock engine gaurd, but from what it read it will protect the scoot in a crash. I guess I like less chrome then most.

That's why you carry insurance, correct?
Without the crashbars you are unprotected
and guarenteed to fuck up you scooter.