Sorry for the delay in responding Jake. I get lazy in the summer…

Regarding your LX150. $2500 is a good price, especially now with used machines of all shapes and stripes seeing big price jumps. But I suspect you’ll be facing some additional costs considering the low mileage and the fact that they quit making the LX150 in 2014. New inventory stuck around for a few years but even so you may need to consider the following:

Oil and Hub oil change
Filter change
Brake fluid flush and replacement
New tires
Maybe a battery — I replace mine every two to three years. The Battery Tender will keep them charged but if you don’t monitor the fluid level closely it can evaporate and damage the plates. Once part of them get dry that part effectively doesn’t store power anymore even if you add fluid.

Unless you know when that service was last done I would do that. And you can check the DOT stamp on the tires to see when they were manufactured. Regardless of what they look like, if they get to be 5 years old I suggest you get new ones. Considering all that’s between you and the road are those tires I feel it’s a good investment to have fresh ones.

Crash guards look cool. I never put any on my LX150 or my GTS, in part because of the cost, but mostly the additional weight. On a 150 more weight would show up sooner in performance. And other than a slow or stopped drop, they aren’t going to do much to save the scooter in a crash.

Using air at gas stations is a hit of miss thing for exactly the reason you state. They are intended for cars and scooters and motorcycles sometimes can’t accommodate the ends. I use a bicycle pump at home and always check the air before I ride. And I have a little electric pump in my topcase to add air if I need it. I’ve never needed it. It plugs into the outlet that the Battery Tender does.

I’ve quit doing most to all of the mechanical and maintenance work on my scooters and motorcycle. I’ve lost the desire and satisfaction. I want to ride not wrench. But that comes with a cost. And it will affect your thoughts on whether you got a good deal on the scooter. If it runs reliably as it is I think $2500 is ok. I’ve seen them go for $1500 but that was a couple years ago. And if you have to drop another $500 to $700 on service it will make you wonder. But my feeling is the fun and pure joy I get riding my scooter is well worth the price. It’s not an investment or a way to save money. My scooter and motorcycle are doorways to a brighter, more joyful life!

Hope this helps Jake. And it would be worth joining the ModernVespa.com forum. Excellent advice and information there. I’ve broken down at night, posted from my phone, and had someone call me in a few minutes with an answer to my problem. And it’s free!

Congratulations on your acquisition of the 2009 LX. Is it a 150 or 50? Both are pretty cool machines.

Riding below the freezing mark is a challenge for exactly the reason you describe. The only way to manage that risk that I’ve found is to sharpen my sense of where ice would be a problem and slow down. Any sort of aggressive riding is just off the table. Not that I ride that way but when things are below freezing my whole approach changes. It also changes in situations that seem ripe for deer crossings in any weather. Slowing down is the only solution I’ve found.

Hope you have a fine 2020. Be well and be safe!

I’ll keep posting and congratulations on the LX150 in the family. Ride safe!

Freedom. And joy. The kind of joy I felt as a kid — pure fun.

No matter how hectic or chaotic a day at work might be a ride home on the Vespa drains that energy away and I’m just having fun. Fun that infects my spirit and the world gets a little lighter.

And freedom, for me, there is nothing more uplifting than turning the throttle and watching the road sweep past as I ride forward without destination or expectation. On the Vespa I’m able to distill my focus to the scooter and road, be alone with my thoughts, and find the world.

And I should add I love how well the scooter performs. Well made, reliable, and utterly transparent. On all the motorcycles I ride I always feel like I am on a machine. On the Vespa I’m just flying….

Hope this helps.