WELCOME TO BLOG LX !

The LX for the Indian market has a drum brake instaed of a disc brake in front and it looks to me that the tyre sizes front and rear are the same. 10 inch ?

Mirrors are different to.

The lower rear fairing looks like that of an "S".

The engine of the 125 is the newer 3-valve version as used in the new "46"

The new Vespa 46 gets a evolution of the LEADER engine.

VESPA Quarantasei

Vespa draws the future.

Only those who have made mobility history can imagine its future.

Since 1946 Vespa has been established as a unique case of style and technology, meeting the demand for freedom of entire generations and pointing the way for the world where individual mobility is concerned, synonymous with emancipation.

For sixty five years Vespa has continuously renewed its legend, tirelessly evolving its concept of form - function.

Essence of style

Today, after more than seventeen million vehicles on roads all over the world, and just like what happened in the post war era, Vespa unveils a possible future. 

It does it with a homage to its patriarch, the MP6 prototype, which gave origin to the most famous scooter in the world, an insuperable example of Italian style and creativity.

Distilling the purest essence of those traits which marked the aesthetics of individual mobility forever, and enhancing the lines which made it famous, the Pontedera Style Centre projects the Vespa to a possible future where citations and projections, tradition and innovation, come together without solutions of continuity. Once again, Vespa manages to be ahead of the times, projecting itself into a future marked by creativity and unique styles.

Techno(eco)logical milestones

Vespa Quarantasei (forty-six, the name refers to the year in which the first Vespa was manufactured) opens a window to the future in technology as well.

The beating heart of the Vespa Quarantasei is an extremely modern engine which unveils the development lines of motoring in the new future, characterised by low fuel consumption and decreased gas and sound emissions.

The single cylinder 125 cc 4 stroke, 3 valve, air cooled engine with electronic injection represents Piaggio Group's state of the art technology in scooter engines.

The new engine has been designed, developed and manufactured entirely in Pontedera, Piaggio's largest plant, which is one of the most advanced engine development and production centres in the world. This engine is born from the challenge that the Piaggio Group has taken on: to provide an increasingly more evolved customer with a product that guarantees performance, reliability and safety while also leading the field in respect for the environment.

An extremely modern engine

The innovative 3 valve timing which characterises the Vespa Quarantasei engine allows optimisation of the load motion in the cylinder both in terms of tumble and swirl as well as optimal positioning of the spark plug, increasing combustion performance and at the same time guaranteeing optimum cooling of the parts inside the head.

For all of the bodies in motion bearings have been used in order to keep internal friction to a minimum: the timing rockers have a roller, all to the advantage of reducing noise and increasing mechanical efficiency, the camshaft is on bearings as well as the entire final drive.

The cooling system was carefully analysed, even through thermal fluid-dynamic simulations, in order to further improve performance, thereby obtaining significant reduction in terms of absorbed power and acoustics. 

The injection system is state of the art for functionality and rideability, with automatic idle control and closed-loop titre management with a lambda probe. The three dimensional maps of advance, titre and injection timing are managed by a new generation control unit. Together with the trivalent catalytic converter, compliance with the Euro3 standard is more than guaranteed, even in anticipation of future standards which will be increasingly restrictive in terms of containment of polluting emissions.

Performance, with a maximum power at crankshaft of 8.7 kW at 8,250 rpm and maximum torque of 10.3 Nm at 7,000 rpm (for the 125) and 9.7 kW at 8,000 rpm and maximum torque of 12.6 Nm at 6,500 rpm (for the 150) place the new engine at the top of these respective categories.

Designed and manufactured in California as a secure and durable replacement clamp for the rear rack of the GTS. Unlike the stock plastic clamp, this one will hold the rack securely down without falling off the first time you hit a bump. Fits the factory GTS rear rack as well as Vespa accessory folding rear rack for the Super, S, and LX.

Click on the picture.

Our Dogleg Levers for the GTS and LX are now shipping. Made from 6061-T6 aluminum, they provide the same range of motion as the stock levers while reducing the reach by about 5mm. Sold as a pair and available in a silver brushed aluminum or powder coated black finish.

For more info, click on the picture.

 Click on the picture for a link.

 ...O.K. it's not so new, I just forgot to post it here..

Vespa Scooters Haynes Repair Manual covering GTS125/250 and 300ie (2005-2010), GTV250/300ie ( 2007-2010), LX125/150ie (2009-2010) and S125/150ie (2009-2010):

--Routine Maintenance and servicing
--Tune-up procedures
--Engine, clutch and transmission repair
--Cooling system
--Fuel and exhaust
--Ignition and electrical systems
--Brakes, wheels and tires
--Steering, suspension and final drive
--Frame and bodywork
--Reference Section

Click on the picture to go to the Haynes site.

Henk from the Netherlands mailed me a picture and a little story of his scooter life.

It’s my fifth Vespa. I started in 1993 with a yound second hand Vespa Sfera (metallic silver gray), than 2 years later I handed it over to my wife (who only drove only when absolutely necessary – we didn’t own a car than) and bought a brand new Sfera (I ordered a silver gray one, but a got a metal light gray/blue one instead, which I accepted). The first Sfera was traded in against my first Vespa ET2 (green metallic) and later the second Sfera was traded in against my second ET2 ( cobalt blue metallic).

Each time my old one was handed over to my wife, and later it was traded in.

After 17.5 years of only driving mopeds (Zundapp, Puch) and scooters (before the Vespa’s we owned Honda Visions) we could afford to buy a car and my wife stopped driving scooters. First I kept the green ET2 for a while, but when when my regular bikeshop (not a real Vespa dealer) messed up a maintance, causing severe starting problems, never solved the problem and I so went to another new bikeshop closeby (a Vespa dealer). They repaired it (taking months !!), but than dropped something heavy on it, causing a dent I decided to sell it (to the bikeshop who dented it and who by the way went bust a few months later).

In total I drove my cobalt blue Vespa ET2 for 10 years and just over 30000 km – to work and in summer for recreation/photography trips. All maintenance was done according to the book and I looked after it well and I got a fair trade-in price. You will understand I went out to find another dealer after the problems with the green ET2.

I want to make a hobby out of this new scooter and I have the intention to optically tune it in the coming years.

One experience I have with the ET2’s  I’d like to share: the underside of the body tends to get “sandblasted” by dirst  coming of the roads. I found that eventually this will cause rust. If it has got that far Hammerite paint will stop the rusting. Prevention is better however. I have now “painted” the underside and  with Motip bitumen undercoating and hope this will keep the dirt from reaching the metal. The hollow parts under the footrest were sprayed with Tectyle (I did that with the green ET2 and it kept the rust out). This is because when washing the scooter or after heavy rain water seems to be passing that part of the scooter (drips from a drain hole).

I have new LX50 for just over a week now an already drove over 500 km, making use of the excellent weather the past week. The valve noise is a bit dissapointing  - in fact it’s deafening on longer trips )and I hope it will dissappear after a while. When accelerating around 35-40 km some ticking can be heard as will, which goes away above that speed. I’m told this is the sound of the self-adjusting valves. I hope this is true and not some other bad news. Anyway: there’s a two-year guarantee, so no need to worry.

With kind regards,

Henk

New rear rack & backrest combo from ScootRS :

http://scootrs.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=2438 or click on the picture.

http://www.buzzetti.com/

Here're some pictures of Remo Miola' s excellent GULF LX 50.

The attention for detail is superb !!!

I found this picture on the net :

http://www.greggilowey.com/design.htm

Stickul vinyl wall art is a UK based design company specialising in large vinyl wall art. All our products are designed and manufactured in the UK and can be shipped anywhere worldwide.

So what is vinyl wall art? Well to put it simply vinyl wall art is design work made from self-adhesive vinyl which can be applied to anything with a porous surfaces for example painted walls, glass, treated wood and metal.

How to use vinyl wall art? Vinyl wall art is a great way to transform your boring plain walls into exciting show pieces. If you're looking to spice up your walls at home, office or maybe you're renting or need to brighten up some dodgy student dorm then Stickul vinyl wall art is your answer as it's easy to apply and can be removed without marking or damaging the wall or surface it is placed on.

http://www.stickul.com/userimages/Vespa(2174391).htm

Lovely "chromisch" silver paintwork !