Opinion? 2007 Vespa GTS 250ie - 6,000 miles & sat for 7 months

[lucarog923]

Newer rider here, owned a 150cc for about a year but haven't jumped on a scoot for a number of years & looking to buy a daily commuter. Non highway urban well paved streets about 30minutes a day. Southwest USA.

I'm looking at name brands (Vespa, Aprilia, Piaggio, Honda, Kymco, Yamaha, Suzuki) at 150cc & up though ideally 250cc+ solely for the rare highway jump. Would consider a maxi-scooter but 250-300cc would do just as well for me.

Arriving at the budget is a tough question. It's all in what I want from the bike. Reliable, cheap to operate & maintain (parts & labor as I'm not mechanically inclined), good resale & in demand, high build quality. But I don't want to tie up money in a vehicle so I'm working on the low end for budget.

I've set my price point at $2500, I could go up from that if it really warrants it. What I want is a cheap to own & operate daily commuter, hence why I'm buying a scooter over a car. My research & experience both tell me a scooter is cheaper.

I am not mechanically inclined & don't have much knowledge of bikes or maintenance. I expect to own the bike for at least 3-6 months at which time I will have a better grasp on where I want to go from there (might upgrade to a higher CC motorcycle, might even buy a *gasp* car). Or I may very well fall in love with the bike & do just fine keeping her for years.


Looking at a:


2007 Vespa GTS 250ie - 6,000 miles

Spoken with the seller over the phone & planning to see the bike in person in a few days.

• Great condition, had some front fender damage during a tow that was welded & fixed, still need to see in person
• 2nd owner, bought from dealership which sold it on behalf of the buyer, says it was dealership maintained & that they have all the service records - he will get back to me regarding seeing those records
• Seller has only put 15 miles on it, older retired guy & found the bike too heavy for him, wants to downgrade to 150cc (I believe him, even lists the trade in the ad though don't see how a 150 will be much lighter for him)
• And so it sat for 7 months, but he is a motorcycle guy going way back, though he always took to be serviced & never serviced himself, he did say he kept it started up each week for those 7 months
• Windshield & matching trunk mount, front rack
• New tires & battery
• Clean title
• Priced at $2900, Kelly Blue Book is at $3000

On the phone he sounds honest, kept bringing up things he didn't have to, like the fender damage he said we welded & a few other small things so I suspect everything he told me is true to his knowledge.

After speaking with him the only concern is that it sat for so long, 7 months. Has the gas turned to varnish? Weird that being a moto guy he just let it sit there. Couldn't ride it due to age & health saying that it's too heavy for him at 400pds, he wants to drop down to a 150cc (how much lighter is he thinking he can find at 150? maybe a 50cc like a Honda Metro at 180pds).

Regarding Vespas in general, in another forum a user said this to me:

if you don't have any particular desire to own a Vespa, I would go with something else. Vespas are not a good value proposition, in performance per dollar or in parts cost.

is that pretty accurate? I don't have a desire specific for a Vespa, but their GTS line looks really appealing given their quality & higher CC. The Honda PCX, for instance (which seems to be regarded as cheap to maintain), I would jump on a 2013-2015 150cc, but feel like after riding it awhile I'm going to wish I held out for a 250cc.

How much $xx can I expect in maintenance per 1000 miles? Parts are more pricey & routine maintenance costs going up by how much compared to the other brands? And for someone going to a service shop, Vespa dealers have higher labor costs by about how much? Is it relatively easy for someone to learn to change oil, air filter, on a Vespa, easy access etc?

Anything I should have prepared before meeting the seller?

Anything noteworthy about the 2007 line of GTS 250s I should check on?

Any & all help appreciate, thanks!

[cheapeto]

I will say this, all the brands you listed are builders of fine machines.
I once wanted a Vespa, but price and high costs of labor and the waiting times for service when talking with owners,was the major bitch I heard about them.

For me, the scooter picked me out, it ran over and humped my leg, and I just had to have it.
It turned out to be a Honda Big Ruckus.
I had ZERO scooter mechanical ability, but the fine folks on Total Ruckus, in the BR section, strongly suggested I get a full service manual for the BR, best $60.00 I ever spent.
I've owned my first one since 2008, and in 2009 found one with lots of upgrades and the guy was fire selling it for $2400.00 and I walked away with it for $2200.00.
In 15,000 miles, it's never been to the shop, except to swap out tires...and now I take them off, take the tires to a shop, where change them way cheaper than if they have to remove and remount.
Again they all have their pluses and minuses, I heard Suzuki can be a bit of a pain due to the tupperware and getting to fasteners to do the work of roller changes, basic clutch maintenance, filling the final drive with oil, belt changes.
However Honda tech's are expensive as Vespa techs are, so anyone taking a scooter to a shop for everything better have deep pockets, and ride for the fun of it, not the economy of it.
I would steer your scooter looking eyes towards older used models Honda,Yamaha,Suzuki.
Keep looking man there are some golden buys out there, and if you can get a friend with a pick up truck, to agree to a couple of hundred miles of travel to get one you find, it opens the amount of scooters to look at.
Hell the last Scooter Cannoball winner was a 30 year old Honda Helix, the guy bought for like a $1000.00 and only swapped out rollers and a belt, and strapped a big assed gas can to the front of it.
My advice would be offer $2000.00 for the Vespa, knowing you will not get it, then search every motorcycle sales outlet you can find and start searching, for that 150-250cc machine and get a service manual, and teach yourself basic scooter tinkering skills.
It to me is the only way scooter/motorcycle ownership is cheap transportation.
When something is bigger then you can handle, you saved a bit of money before hand, so the repair by tech's is tolerable.
This is just my bullshit theory, there are many much more smart folks in here, and they will offer to help you out also.
Good luck in your search.
Also remember, your scooter purchase is one thing, tags,title insurence, and some decent falling down clothes is a must buy also man, boots, some rain gear, maybe a cover for it. Just sayin!

[kz1000st]

The Vespa 250 is a mixed bag. It has many known flaws. The fuel pump was a subject of a recall, it tends to burn out the voltage regulator at some point and some have had the high tension connections under the seat burn of melt. A used Honda Reflex would be a much better choice.

If you plan on commuting every day a Honda Rebel, Suzuki GN-250 or Yamaha V Star 250 would be better. Each is bullet proof, cheap to work on and a good way to break in to a larger displacement bike.

[artfull dodger]

I commute during the summer months on a 1985 Honda Elite 250. Shorter wheel base than a Helix(which I used to have) or a Reflex. She is dead nuts reliable. I need to do some needed maintance this spring like rear suspension pivot bushings, a fresh belt and rollers. Got mine used on Craigslist and rode it home. Its a deluxe version with factory stereo and matching truck case on the back. My wife and I both ride nothing but Hondas as I feel the reliablity on them is second to none. We both went thru the cheaper Asian 150cc scoots and it was a constant battle to keep them running and parts coming loose. Watch facebook marketplace and Craigslist for good buys on Honda or whichever brand you choose. Mike the Aspie