Ugly.
The toll of too many winters of salt and slush? Whatever happened I need to replace the center stand on the Vespa GTS and there will be no further riding until I do. For now I’ll let WD40 perform its magic.
The scooter seemed a little wobbly when I pushed it off the center stand this morning but it wasn’t until I arrived at work and pulled the scooter onto the stand that I realized something was terribly wrong. A quick look and I saw the break.
Checked the damage more closely this evening with a flashlight — reminds me of some of the old copper pipes in the house when they break — rotten from the inside out. I’ll make a closer evaluation when I remove it.
Vespa maintenance suddenly has moved to the top of the to do list and it contains a lot of stuff. Now is the chance to expand my mechanical prowess:
1. Replace center stand
2. Replace drivebelt, rollers and sliders
3. Service clutch assembly
4. Replace brake fluid
5. Replace coolant
6. Change engine oil, filter and screen
7. Replace hub oil
That should consume 30 minutes or so.
I’m hesitating to add one more thing — check the valve lash. We’ll see…
I suppose if I want to be the complete rider I should have a little understanding of how the things works right?
“30 minutes or so..” Right. Oooh, that stand looks ugly. Seems like a low priority compared to other things, but man, if you can’t stand it up, no point of riding.
I’ve got long list of things to accomplish with my LX150, but as the miles aren’t there, I still have time to soak up some vicarious experience first.
By the way, I LOVE your banner photo!….What inspired me to comment in the first place….
Dave (MC fledermaus): That estimate may be a bit optimistic. But it all does need done. And I don’t want to be leaning the Vespa against light poles!
Thanks for the kind words about the banner picture — it was taken a couple hundred yards from my front door.
Sounds like one thing is just leading to another…but it also looks like the stand might be a priority. Good luck with the repairs.
I’ve always been envious of your winter season riding but wondered at the same time about road conditions as in salt with accompanying spray.
Good luck with your maintenance project!
The Vespa didn’t come with a sidestand too? I don’t envy you this job. I’ve yet to see a centerstand replacement that was easy. Replacing the 10,000 pound spring usually requires 15 or 20 people.
VStar Lady: Well, aside from the broken center stand the other stuff is routine maintenance. It just all came due at once….
Coop: I decided this morning after some gentle nudging from a follower that I should ride and not repair. So I called the dealer and will drop off the scooter tomorrow.
As far as winter goes I would have thought I would see body rust before the center stand going…
kz1000st: No sidestand in the US for some reason. For reasons you outlined and others I will NOT being doing this work. I barely have time to mow the grass. What was I thinking about doing these repairs??
I was wondering what got into you when you posted the list of repair and maintenance items. But, it may be more fulfilling to do those than mowing the grass. After all, the grass will need mowing again in a couple of weeks.
Steve, truly is 30 minutes a tad optimistic…..however, once you complete all that, you’ll be well on the way to the nirvana that all URAL riders feel, every 2500 KM or so…..
No sidestand? weird, Martha’s Buddy has one and a centerstand.
dom