Modern Vespa

My partner's GT200 has had the Piaggio rear crash guards installed since January 2007. However, we haven't really been able to ride much because of weather until recently. Today he noticed that when he went over even relatively minor bumps that he was hearing quite a loud noise. Once back home he looked his scooter over and noticed that the brackets for the left side rear crash guard was eating into a black plastic intake cover of some type (sorry I don't know the name/term for it) in front of the oil dip stick.

Has anyone else had this problem from the installation of this rear crash guard on their GT? The crash guard is solid as a rock and not rattling at all.

What do you think we need to do to stop the noise and the damage? Do you think we need to be worried about the other side where there is a hose near the bracket there. So far there isn't any sign of contact with the hose on the right. Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

Sadly, this is common. I hesitate to say "normal", because Piaggio-branded stuff shouldn't break your Vespa, but it does. It happened to me on my GT200: It's Not A Rally Till Something Falls Off Your Bike

I've heard that the latest version of the Piaggio bars have been redesigned so that this doesn't happen anymore.

BTW, If you flip that bolt around, the head will probably clear the air horn. You might also need to use a lower-profile button-head cap screw, as seen in my picture (facing the wrong direction).

Hey! That's my bike!!

We were extra careful when putting rear bars on my LX because there were a few spots it looked like it might "rub" on the bike over time. I check them periodically to make sure they don't vibrate over one way or another.



Mel

I have the same crashbars installed on my GTS - I have a love bite on the same plastic part too. Not worried about it, will take a dremel to it some day to make it look better.

Thanks to Jess, I knew of this problem before I installed mine but I still forgot and now mine looks just like the ones above

Do the FACO bars have this issue too?

So it sounds like we should change the nut and bolt to something smoother, shorter and flatter. Also I guess we would need to remove the Air Intake thingy and dremel it smooth. I wonder if the rear crash guard I have on order will be the same as my partners. We just got his in Jan07 and I would have thought that it would be the new design already. I might need to do the same thing for my GTS if I want to avoid this damage.

I think the redesign might only be for the GTS, now that I think about it. The new design mounts the forward end of the crash bar through the screw hole in the body-colored plastic fascia that's just in front of that air inlet.

I hope this is true and that I have ordered the right set for my GTS. I'd rather not have the same problem as my partner's GT. Thanks guys for the info.

I've got a new one and it screws in underneath, with a brace bar that runs under the scooter. It also sits a little further away from the cowls.

Photo is blurry. I'm a crap photog.

Oh okay that is the new one. My dealer actually already has those in his shop. Perhaps I need to look at those ones as well. I kinda like the ones that wrap around the brake light though, but I guess that one avoids damage to the scooter. Have you had any issues with it since installation?

Your scooter looks awesome by the way, love the seat.

The crash bars look great - they sit wide so you can feel them with your calves occasionally when you stop at the lights, but not in a disturbing way!

And thanks for the compliment. I am quite in love with the seat myself. Inspired by our beloved Scoots, I spoke with upholsterer about piping or not and he came up with the most excellent concept of chrome piping. Isn't it gorgeous!!!!!

As a follow up to this thread I started a while back, I got the Piaggio rear crash bars for my GTS installed today. The mount at the front of the bars is completely different than what is still being shipped for the GT. The front of the bars do not mount from underneath the cowls at all therefore there is not risk of damage to the air intake or the tubes. I can post a photo if anyone is interested.

Yes, please!

Here are a couple of shots of the mounting of the front of the crash bars.

Is drilling involved in this install?

Absolutely not, thank god. The plastic trim has to be removed and then a bracket is installed with the plastic trim being replaced. Then basically a spacer then the bar. So it screws in thru the plastic trim utilizing the existing hole in the trim.

Thanks so much for posting these pictures. I received the crash bars today and spent most of my evening trying to work out how to install them. The included instructions are impressively not matching reality...

I gave up when it got too dark but after seeing these pictures I'm ready to give it a new try this weekend.

What's the idea of the bracket behind the plastic trim? Just to give more support to the extra weight of the crash bar?

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the bracket is, but that would be a good guess. I'm glad someone found the photos helpful. I should have taken photos of the install....duh!

I freely admit to not being the most mechanically inclined around here.

Good idea, I'll make some photos of my second attempt.

For what it is worth, I'm born with two left hands and it's only because of all the helpful posts on MV that I've decided to try some things myself instead of asking the Vespa shop. Cuppini front guard and Faco mid-screen are done, now I need these crash bars on and then I have the brake light modulator (I thought I'd save the most challenging mod as the last )

BTW, I had those on my Granturismo. I actually thought they were too big but I admit they do look great on a black Vespa. Note that this model is more expensive (I think around 170 euri here) and the one I bought now is around 100 euri.

Mol your mod. list is sounding a lot like what I have on my GTS, such good taste. My front crash guard is also the Cuppini.

I just installed them this week. I put all the brackets on first and then put the right side on in 20 minutes. It looked like Piaggio fixed the earlier problems of the bracket hitting the hose on the right side and the air cleaner cover on the left by attaching the front of the bars to the lower front bolt.....or so I thought.

When I went to put on the left side I noticed the bracket on the bar didn't match the bracket I just put on the bike which was meant to attach the bar to the lower bolt next to the foot peg. In fact the bracket on the crash bar was completely backwords, as in your situation.

I improvised a solution that works well and doesn't come close to the air cleaner cover.

First I cut off the section of the bracket on the crash bar with the bolt slot in it leaving only the 3/4 inch tab on the bar. I drilled a hole in this remaining piece of the bracket for a 1/4" bolt.

Then I fashioned an "L" shaped bracket running from this new bracket hole to the lower bolt on the scooter (next to the foot peg). (I used 1/8" thick steel that I cut out of an old cheap router wrench)

It took a bit of work to make this new bracket fit precisely. It isn't a straight "L". You have to bend it to make it work.

When it all went together perfectly I took the bracket off and painted it black (to match the bike color).

The complete installation is very solid and looks like it was meant to be that way. It is over and inch away from the air cleaner cover.

Sorry I don't have pictures.

I did the whole thing with pictures, step by step instructions. I guess it wasn't good enough for the tech section. But it's out there, I put it in general discussion a couple of months ago.

Said it before and will say it again, that is the most beautiful scoot....The black is so deep you just want to dive into it. I envy you that every morning when you walk out your front door you get to see that magnificent sight. Surely there's no better way to start the day. You really need to hone them photographic skills and post some Cicc-action in the gallery hon.

It's here and it rulez! Absolutely formidable, with your instructions even I can install them.

If it isn't good enough for the Projects board then I don't know what would be good enough for that board.

It's there now. You do know you can post directly in projects right? It's been there since Nov06. Not sure why we didn't catch and move it for you though.

Tom

Grazie Tikka!

how about the rinky dink cuppini bars? anyone had experience with those? i've searched threads and haven't heard anything on them (except that they exist). i'm a cheap skate and want something to prevent cowl scratches.

many thanks!
djo