Want to learn all our deep dark secrets?
Tune-in to Scooter Affair Podcast episode #24 for a deep dive into our shop history; past, present, and future.
https://www.scooteraffair.com/vespa-motorsports-scooterwest/
BUY A NEW VESPA OR PIAGGIO SCOOTER AND GET A ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP TO THE VCOA
We have partnered with the Vespa Club of America to bring you Roadside Assistance!
With every NEW Vespa purchased at Vespa Motorsport we will include a FREE one year membership to the VCOA which NOW includes roadside assistance. Not only do you get to enjoy all the perks of being a member to the Vespa Club of America, you also get Peace Of Mind which is Priceless!
Only available on the purchase of a new Vespa or Piaggio Scooter at Vespa Motorsport.
VCOA Basic 25 Roadside Plan Covers:
With your VCOA membership, you receive a 24/7 roadside assistance for scootererists. Roadside Assistance Protection provides 25 miles of free towing, free flat service, battery service, and fluid service. The plan even provides for trip interruption coverage in the event of damage or an accident.
Services are provided by Nation Motor Club, LLC dba Nation Safe Drivers, In California, benefits and services are provided by Nation Motor Club, LLC, 800 Yamato Rd, Suite 100, Boca Raton, FL 33431. California Motor Club Permit Number: 5157-3. In Alabama, Alaska, Utah, and Virginia, benefits and services are provided by Nation Safe Drivers Services Inc.
Expanded coverage options are also available. Restrictions apply, so be sure to check out the full list of terms and conditions HERE.
For further questions about the VCOA Roadside Assistance program, please see https://vcoa.moaroadside.com/
Membership perks and roadside assistance details are available from the VCOA.
Allow at least 30 days for activation of the Roadside assistance from the VCOA.
In the past 25 years, Vespa Motorsport has worked hard to be the premier supplier of scooter parts in the United States. We’ve cultivated a knowledgeable staff, produced helpful videos, hired an incredible research, and development team, and put together the most comprehensive US-based scooter-parts website on the internet.
In addition, because of our position within the US scooter industry, for many customers and scooter dealers we have become the sole authority on performance upgrades and scooter engine components. Because of this, we stand in the unique position of being intimately familiar with most performance product lines.
In fact, we have sold performance components ever since this business began. Very early on, we came to rely on the quality and durability of Malossi products (our primary performance manufacturer), and are also proud purveyors of Polini, Leo Vince, Dr Pulley, PM Tuning, BiTubo, and Akrapovic to name a few.
So why add performance components to your scooter? Performance items are not only designed to add power to your machine, but can also be more durable and work better than original parts. Some performance parts can even improve efficiency and ride, but for most people it’s all about the power gain. Scooters are mostly tuned on the lower end of the power spectrum, so a few well placed components can really wake up the sleeping dragon in any scooter. Besides increasing your power, reliability, and efficiency, some performance items can also enhance your scooters style. Trick add-ons like Shocks, exhaust systems, and carbon fiber bits really take your scooter from ordinary to extraordinary.
We have a large assortment of performance items available at our shop, check out scooterwest.com for more information or stop by and have a chat with our service department about what’s available for your scooter to make it scream.
While you’re on-line take a peek at some of our awesome performance videos that are sure to wake your sleeping dragon.
http://www.youtube.com/user/motorsportscooters
We’re joined by long time customer and friend Beau Hufford. Beau is a talented multimedia artist that has recently joined our team as creative director for our new campaign “Vespa. Everywhere.”
We discuss Beau’s fascination with scooters and how he ended up in San Diego, buying a Vespa from our shop. We then get into the “Vespa. Everywhere.” campaign and how you can participate in this exciting new adventure!
Raven Fischer is another local scooter and powersports enthusiast. She has been a friend and customer of the shop for many years and shares our love of all things with two wheels (and sometimes 4 wheels in her case). Raven runs the successful blog, Raventurous, that chronicles her journey to push the limits of her comfort zone.
We also talk about our upcoming 24th anniversary shop party happening on September 10th, 2016.
Our guest this episode is Conrad Macy. Conrad has been involved in the San Diego scooter scene since the early 80’s and operated his own independent scooter repair service in town. Conrad talks about everything from his first scooter, to building a water piston engine, to working on monkey space missions in Russia! You heard us right, “monkey space missions in Russia”!
People often come to us because they want a really fun scooter to ride around town. You’ll get no argument from us that scooters are fun and practical, but they’re also really affordable to own and owning one makes a lot of economic sense. This article examines the economics of owning a scooter.
Most of the scooters in our shop have fuel economies of 70 to 90 miles per gallon. At the lower end, a Vespa GTS 300 will still get around 60 mpg while on the other side a Piaggio Fly 150 will get around 100 mpg. It’s true that scooters can help you save money on gas, because you’re going three to four times the distance per gallon. In other words, someone with an average car and a gas bill of $250 per month can end up spending around $50 per month on a scooter.
Scooters do not come with the high insurance premiums that cars and motorcycles do, so you can usually get full coverage for a scooter in California for around $200 to $250 per year. Compare that with around $600 to $1000 per year for a car and that’s a significant difference as well.
Maintenance costs of any vehicle are dependent on the model, annual mileage, and age. In comparison to modern cars and motorcycles, scooters are relatively simple machines built from affordable components. Labor time for repairs are much less than similar repairs on a motorcycle or car. Please call our Service Department at 619-280-1718 xt. 605 with any specific questions you might have.
Parking a scooter is pretty easy and scooters can be parked in a variety of locations, which means that you can drive somewhere on a scooter and not have to worry about where you’re going to park! For local college students in San Diego, we’ve heard that parking a scooter versus a car at their local campus ended up saving them around $2,000 per year.
With all of these facts in mind, one can see that a scooter is a cost-effective and practical way to get around. They’re also really fun too!
In California, any scooter with 150cc of displacement or more is legally classified as a “motorcycle” and all motorcycles are freeway legal (see California vehicle code section 400). Any scooter with less than 150cc of displacement is not freeway legal, therefore, even though you still need a motorcycle license to ride a scooter in this class.
At Vespa Motorsport, we have a variety of scooters that have 150cc or more of displacement, many freeway legal scooters in other words. However, just because a 150cc scooter is freeway legal does not mean it would be wise to ride one on the freeway, so while the law is one thing smart practice is another.
In truth, most 150cc scooters are too small for serious freeway riding for the following reasons:
For these reasons, we recommend a scooter in the 300cc class or more for serious freeway riding, including the following models: GTS 300 Super, GTS 300, GTV 300, GTS 300 Super Special Edition, Piaggio BV350, MP3. (links to freeway class bikes). You’ll have less to worry about and you’ll be comfortable if you do decide to take your bike on the freeway. Your scooter will thank you too.
Our good Buddy Robot recently installed a brake light modulator on a brand new Vespa GTS 300 and in this video he shows how you can do it too. Check out the video for the complete install.
Sheffield Financial and Genuine Scooter Company just announced some great rates for the upcoming summer scooter season. Right now, Sheffield is offering the following promotional rates*:
These deals are available on all Genuine products, including the Buddy 125, Buddy 170, Stella 4T, and Blur 200. Rates are good through the summer of 2013.
*Rates available on approved credit. Pre-approval application available at Sheffield Financial.
These rates expire 12/31/2013