When scooter news breaks, we put it under a tarp in the garage.
We got a great email the other day from Victor Voris regarding the GTS exhaust gasket and some of the other issues we’ve been talking about. Victor’s been running Big People Scooters in Seattle since 1989, and was one of America’s most respected Vespa experts during Piaggio’s absence. When Piaggio returned to the U.S., Victor’s … Continue reading “GTS exhaust gasket: A dealer’s view”
In September 2006, we reported on a potential safety hazard involving the GTS250’s exhaust gasket. At the time, the issue got a lot of attention on the scooter forums, and many Vespa owners have been surprised by Piaggio’s lack of a public response. Today, 2strokebuzz received an email from “Paolo Timoni” (clearly not the real … Continue reading “GTS exhaust gasket: Technical Bulletin No 18/06”
Jana, a ModernVespa.com user from Calgary, reports she’s heard firsthand from Vespa Canada that a GTS 250 Exhaust Recall is about to be announced. Here’s some backstory on the situation, if you’re not familiar with the problem. While Piaggio HQ has issued a Technical Bulletin that outlines potential dangers, solutions, and maintenance (without acknowledging possible … Continue reading “Canadian GTS 250 Exhaust Recall”
When owners of Piaggio scooters with computerized engine control systems bring their steeds in for service the attendant hooks up a ‘code reader’ to help diagnose any issues. These codes give advice on how to proceed with repairs. Now, for the first time, the secret codes are revealed. Formerly only known to those with a … Continue reading “Secret Vespa GTS Brain Box Codes Revealed”
Two new developments in the Vespa GT/GTS exhaust gasket recall story: VespaUSA CEO Paolo Timoni vaguely addressed the exhaust problem in a story naming him “Powersports Business’ 2007 Executive of the Year”: “‘We have made some really good improvements in parts availability and our capability to serve dealers,’ he said, ‘although we cannot claim the … Continue reading “Vespa exhaust gasket update”
Greek and German scooterists in the Modern Vespa forum have reported local rumors of a recall program for the Vespa GTS exhaust gasket “problem.” It’s unclear whether an official recall is underway, or if dealers in those countries are responding to concerns regarding “Technical Bulletin No 18/06” (September 18, 2006) and checking previously-serviced pipes. GTS … Continue reading “Vespa exhaust gasket recall?”
an uncredited-but-frightening photo, posted on ScooterScene The UK Scooter-Scene forum is reporting a possible safety issue regarding a Vespa GTS250 exhaust gasket. According to the post, some GTS250 riders are reporting the gasket degrades over time and can fail, releasing excessive heat that can damage the rear brake hydraulic pipe, throttle cable, or gas line, … Continue reading “Vespa GTS250 safety alert?”
2864 Rather than manufacturing replacement GTS exhaust manifold gaskets, or telling us more about the Vespa S they’ve teased us with, Piaggio and Vespa have put their combined energy into a new fall line of accessories and clothing. Since it’ll be months before PiaggioUSA posts this on their site — or tells Vespaway about it … Continue reading “New Piaggio/Vespa accessories and clothing”
From our spies at Piaggio’s fall dealer meeting: 7916 Dinner meeting features Jay Leno: 45 minutes of stand up, closing with “when Piaggio called me they said, ‘we don’t have much money,’ and I said ‘I’ll do it free, I’m Italian, I want to support an Italian product, I like Italian bikes,’ then I get … Continue reading “PiaggioUSA 2008 Fall Dealer Meeting”
Our old friend and contributor Phil Waters of Pride of Cleveland Scooters sent this informative and funny dispatch with much insight about Piaggio’s dealer training, and some dirt on their upcoming scooters… including photos of the Piaggio MP3-badged Gilera Fuoco 500! Last week The Rabid Badger (Renae) and I attended Piaggio Dealer Training in lovely … Continue reading “POC: Piaggio dealer training and the 500cc MP3”
3845 Since a week has passed and I still haven’t been able to collect my thoughts on the ginormous mindblowing extravaganza in Indianapolis, here’s POCphil‘s writeup. I’ll add my comments in italics where appropriate. -2SB We were so excited to get to the Indianapolis Dealer Expo this year, we were running about 2 hours early. … Continue reading “2007 Dealer Expo: POCphil’s review”