Got the Vespa running this afternoon and had to go for a ride. That was sweet and in the weather I love.
The sad news — I think the fuel pump died miles from home. Tomorrow the GTS gets trucked to Kissell Motorsports in State College, PA. I’ve had enough — I just want to ride.
Steve
I hope your scoot gets fixed pdq! There are dys I go for a ride and never want it to end. Hope you get back out there soon!
Awww man! Maybe its just a clogged up carburetor from all that sitting…..hopefully its a quick fix.
dom
Redleg’s Rides
To say that sucks is a massive understatement. Not surprising behaviour from an Italian mistress though. With a spa day at Kissel’s things should be rolling smoothly in no time.
Dar: The Vespa will be trucked to the dealer today. Hopefully it will be something simple in the under $1000 range.
Charlie6: (Dom) I thought of you and having your BMW die on me coming down from Lookout Mountain. I was hoping it was something just as simple to fix. Unfortunately not.
It will head to the dealer today.
David Masse: It did (and does) suck. It was so nice to be on the road and then it dies. Talk about a tease…
Steve, Sorry it’s acting up. I rode over to the Vermont Law School, yesterday, on my scoot. Hope it doesn’t cost you up to $1,000 to fix yours. I have to go to the Concord NH area to prep my former landlady’s Yamaha Vino-so she can ride…
Hope you will get it back soon!!
Ethanol sucks. That’s probably what got’cha. BTW you could call me for trailering anytime.
Bob Olcott: I’ve given up trying to predict what any repair will cost. I hope it isn’t a thousand bucks though!
Sergei Belski: Can’t be long now. I check in with your blog every now and again. You still have the best Vespa photos going. I guess it helps you aren’t shooting with an iPhone. And you have a red scooter!
Poppawheelie: Not sure what went wrong. Used to be there was no ethanol in premium fuel. Is that still the case?
I’ll make a note about the trailer.
I was wondering the same thing about winter fuel additives possibly causing deterioration of fuel system parts.
Re: ethanol. I think in PA that stinking stuff is in all gas. The last gas station (on Atherton) to hold out and refuse ethanol additive is now out of business.
Perhaps not entirely related, but as a BMW / Guzzi rider, I was taken aback by a recent page in Consumer Reports, of all places, that shared data showing that the Japanese brands, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda had far few repairs (10, 11 and 14%) than Harley (25%) and [gasp!] BMW (30%).
I most certainly love my Beemer and adore the Guzzi – and keep thinking a Vespa is in my future especially since I’ve been reading this blog, but that data certainly gives me pause and makes me wonder about the intersection of mojo and dependability.
That said, good luck with the scoot. There is something about ’em that is simply unmatched.
Mr. Brilliant: The question of reliability is always sticky, especially with statistics. I’ve seen repair reports but not correlated to mileage, etc, stuff like that.
My feeling with modern motorcycles and scooters, the big brands — everything is pretty well made.
My Vespa has been pretty much bombproof. I’m really hard on machines in general and don’t spend a lot of time caring for them. I keep the oil, filters and stuff clean and current but otherwise I tend to run things into the ground. Cameras, tools, cars, scooters. Spend one winter riding through salt and you learn to detach from things…
That said, the Vespa has been reliable with only a couple minor hiccups that I chalk up to normal wear and tear.
Complaints I’ve heard from other Vespa owners have more to do with distance from service providers, technicians who aren’t really trained, trouble getting parts, etc. Not with the machine itself. I remember one fellow who had his machine in and out of a dealership for a long time and the problem persisted. Only when he went somewhere else was it easily diagnosed by a more experience mechanic. But by then he was convinced the Vespa was junk.
Myself — I would ride it anywhere (except water crossings) and but another in a heartbeat. I expect to have a Vespa until I leave this mortal coil.