Modern Vespa

Tools required - large ratchet and socket set. Screwdriver
Time - approx 15 minutes

How:
Remove pet carrier
Remove access panel near the HT Coil
Remove Spark plug cap
Place appropriate size socket over spark plug
Attach large ratchet to socket (The large ratchet sticks out of the access panel so you can get your hand on it properly).
Ratchet away.

The only issue is that if you unscrew it too far, there is not enough room to remove the ratchet, socket and spark plug all in one go. So simply unscrew the spark plug enough so it's pretty loose, disengage the ratchet (this is the hardest part, but I just use a screwdriver to press the ratchet release instead of trying to get my finger in between the cowl and the ratchet head.) and turn the socket by hand and there you have it. Reverse order for fitting. I am 6ft 4in and 250 pounds and so do not have little hands, am also a total novice but I managed a complete change in about 15 minutes.
Absolutely no need to drop the engine or spend hours on it.
Large Ratchets are about £15-£20 on ebay.

Just did this yesterday and did just about the exact same method. I used the supplied spark plug tool and a spanner to do the job. It's a tight fit but only took me about 10 or 15 minutes to do also. One more heads up to add, though. When you remove the plastic cover it makes it possible to drop your spark plug tool into the abyss behind that cover (which I did) so be careful of that and have either a long piece of wire or a magnet you can fish it out with. Still, it's a pretty easy job and no reason to drop the engine.

To date, I've never been able to change the spark plug without dropping the engine.

Oh, I've tried, and tried, and swore, and tried. Bbut in the end I always spent more time failing the easy way than I would have by dropping the engine in the first place. I have no problem removing the old plug, but getting the right angle when installing the new one has been frustratingly elusive.

And I dropped the tool in there once, too.

I thought it was my big hands, but I guess not...others have manged.

The next time (coming up soon), I'll probably still try to do it the easy way first again, and we'll see what happens.

I have my magnet and string ready.

You'd think they would have considered that in the design. Didn't anyone at Vespa happen to notice how close the plug was to the body?

I don't know if ANY vehicle designers give serious thought to 'easy access for maintenance' or, if it's just done deliberately in order to discourage DIYers enough that they give up and instead take the scooters to a Vespa dealer ($$$) for maintenance work.

For example, re: my 2009 Vespa GTS-250, Vespa should have designed COMPLETELY REMOVABLE ENGINE COWLS (like on earlier 'vintage' models) for easier maintenance. No one -- EVEN AT A DEALERSHIP -- should have to drop (or rotate) the engine just to do basic maintenance...that's just plain stupid, deliberate or not. Why make maintenance HARDER for ANYONE doing it?

But lots of other vehicles are designed poorly that way too: My 2005 Honda VTX1300R motorcycle was very difficult to adjust the valves on due to the VERY tight access. And as for my 2006 Honda CRV, reaching the transmission fluid level stick behind and below the battery is almost impossible! And the stupid horizontal oil filters on many vehicles nowadays that gush oil everywhere when you remove them (during an oil change) -- and making pre-filling it with new oil impossible -- is also stupid.

So I don't know if design engineers are practicing inadvertent stupidity or just deliberate "malice" directed towards the end user!

Must have used the same engineers who designed the Ford Escort GT motor. Oil filter was located at the rear of the engine, sort of mid-way up. You pretty much needed to put the car on a hoist just to change the filter.

I think (correct me if I am wrong) that a similar problem occurred with the Chevy Monza...a small car produced when the US auto industry finally started coming to terms with the fact that yes, some American citizens really did want a small car rather than a battleship.

It turns out you had to lift the engine to complete a spark plug change...I remember the news stories.

It seems to me that engineering has sometimes become compartmentalized to the point where one hand does not know what the other hand is doing, or that ease (and cost) of manufacturing trumps ease of maintenance.

It is frustrating.

I had forgotten about the Monza, but I believe that you are correct. My friend drove a bee-ugly yellow/black one and was always commenting about it.

My Mom bought a Monza as soon as they came out. Don't see many of those still on the road.