Vespa 300 GTS HPE

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Deleted User 18446

Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by Deleted User 18446 »

I think rev limiter is speed related the new ring is more accurate so you go a bit faster before limiter kicks in.Thats what I've read anyway

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spdtwn
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by spdtwn »

There seems to be a bit of a theme going on here. My T-Max Mk2,which gave me 85,000km of pleasurable riding, has gone to a new owner and I too have been stung by the Vespa. Data's enthusiastic posts kept me looking in this direction. I went for the new Sei Giorni HPE as the appeal of the traditional analogue instruments , naked chrome handlebars and cheeky number 6 were a bit of a turn on.
After putting my order in and awaiting shipment I broke my foot by dropping my MP3 on it...yes it can happen when you think you have locked-up the front prior to stepping off. So my new Vespa sat in my shed for eight weeks without turning a wheel. It wasn't all lost time though. I ordered and fitted a nice Leo Vince exhaust, which reduces the unsprung weight...isn't that why we do this? Max had the same exhaust so I knew it was a quality item. It does sound good too.
We've now done 500km , and as was said, it is no T -Max ( no other scoot is) but what a lovely little torquey motor. And it does corner. The ride is on the bumpy side over our rough chip roads. I'm thinking this may even out a bit as the shocks et al get bedded in .



My daughter took this pic and pasted it on Facebook. I don.t know if it will reproduce here but it's worth a try. One pic I'd like to post-when I find out how to do it-is of the wasp that flattened itself dead center right above the little Vespa badge.

Image

Image

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Data
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Current Ride: 2016 Vespa GTS300ie abs asr
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by Data »

Fantastic spdtwn. Looks the part eh! Nice one. You will find the ride softens a bit once you have a couple of thousand miles on the clock. Tyre walls too become a bit more flexible, and in fact you also just don't notice the tiny bumps the more you ride it. Have fun!
Probably not ugly enough for the 'Ugly Bunch'! :lol:

Been riding for 54 years & owned too many bikes to list here...

abitmad
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by abitmad »

smeghead wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 1:55 pm Re. the rev limiter. There’s a device on the market which enables the hpe gts to go faster. I can’t get my head around how it works. Lots of folk have fitted these, others are worried about the warranty becoming invalid if it’s fitted. Data will be able to explain more.
https://www.rondaleyscooters.co.uk/scoo ... dring.html
I'm aware of this, it replaces the ABS ring to fool the system. However it will certainly void the warranty as you say so I won't be using it.

Just to be clear, this is technically not a rev limiter as fitted to most other bikes. Although the effect and the purpose is to limit revs, the information to activate it is is based on the bike's road speed from the ABS, not on the engine revs. I'd describe it then as a speed limiter. The effect in practice is weird, the engine cuts out at the design speed (indicated over 80 but Vespa speedos are notoriously over optimistic) and as the speed drops it restarts. As I said, it felt initially like there's something wrong with the bike, maybe an electrical fault or fuel starvation, until I realised what was happening. I was looking forward to kicking dealer arse about it but the truth deprived me of that pleasure. :)

It can be a little risky because, for example, if you are engaged on a fast overtake on a fast non dual carriageway road, as I was when I first felt it, and it cuts out, you are left exposed and possibly unable to follow through with the overtake and have to fall back, or even if you are able to go ahead, it will be at a slower speed than you wanted and therefore placing you for a longer time in the danger zone. The answer of course is to avoid such moves when you know you are very near the speed limiter and once you understand that, you take it into account when riding. It's just that I didn't realise it at first.

As for handling, the Ves is an absolute star. I've been pleasantly surprised at just how well you can take this bike round the curves.

MrGrumpy
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by MrGrumpy »

abitmad wrote: Fri May 07, 2021 6:43 am

As for handling, the Ves is an absolute star. I've been pleasantly surprised at just how well you can take this bike round the curves.
You can't say that!!!! A hundred idiot bike journalists will be spluttering over their coffee as they've been telling us for years that as Scooters have small wheels, they can't handle properly!!!

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Data
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by Data »

Funnily enough, MCN decided they quite liked the GTS300 when it came out and described it as a serious motorcycle with good handling! In fact, it shocked the hell out of them that a scooter would perform as it does. They gave it a good write up and high marks for just about everything. Totally unexpected from a bunch of hoons who normally only have respect for bikes with 150hp or above!! :o :lol:
Probably not ugly enough for the 'Ugly Bunch'! :lol:

Been riding for 54 years & owned too many bikes to list here...

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smeghead
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by smeghead »

Data wrote: Fri May 07, 2021 10:28 am Funnily enough, MCN decided they quite liked the GTS300 when it came out and described it as a serious motorcycle with good handling! In fact, it shocked the hell out of them that a scooter would perform as it does. They gave it a good write up and high marks for just about everything. Totally unexpected from a bunch of hoons who normally only have respect for bikes with 150hp or above!! :o :lol:
Generally I reckon motorcyclists like the GTS, I seem to get more nods off them than I did with my Majesty and Silverwing. I’ve even had the odd nod from the notoriously incestuous Harley mob!

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Data
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by Data »

Yeah, I've noticed that too smeghead. I think the Harleys don't feel threatened by us! :lol: But yes, I too get plenty of nods from "proper" bikers. The GTS has pretty good presence on the road.
Probably not ugly enough for the 'Ugly Bunch'! :lol:

Been riding for 54 years & owned too many bikes to list here...

wightegi
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by wightegi »

It would be interesting to see the 2 abs rings side by side , and could a dealer spot the difference .

abitmad
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Re: Vespa 300 GTS HPE

Post by abitmad »

Data wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 11:23 am Congrats for buying one of the best (and most popular) midrange scooters on the market. You won't regret it. I suspect you will grow to love the Vespa more and more. Most folks do after they get one. I got rid of all my big bikes and my 400 Burgman in favour of just owning and riding the Vespa. It's pure joy to ride on short or very long trips and has more than adequate performance. It far out performs my GSX1400's and 1000cc Vstroms, not in outright performance of course, but in lots of other ways and returns 87mpg plus overall. If I don't go over 60mph I can rely on 90-92mpg. But it's real performance is in the way it goes. I repeat...it's a pure joy to ride!

Regarding your toollkit. My GTS 300 is a 2016 70th anniversary model. Even then, they only supplied a very basic toolkit and no seat protector. However, it did come with the rear folding rack, and special paint and badges, with a slightly different finish to the wheels. It also came with the much sought after genuine leather Vespa topcase. These are incredibly expensive to buy at over £350 each, so getting it as part of the new bike deal was quite something. I added the genuine Vespa mid-size screen which the dealer sold me (and fitted for free) at a very special rate since I bought it at the time of buying the new bike. It's a looker alright, but all the GTS bikes are and the HPE's are no exception.

Other things I've added are heated grips and a good front fender extender from ScooterLabs. I also took the precaution of 'rust proofing' the whole bike with Waxoyl. However, I wouild add that this is not a necessity as all the Vespas come with electrophoretic primer which prevents rusting in places you cannot see. Got to say that the finish is really good on the bike and everywhere I checked before rustproofing was fully treated at the factory with the electrophoretic primer.

I expect you'll make up your mind on extra fitments as time goes by. But heated grips can be a really useful addition if you are going to use it in the winter, or even on long rides on a summers evening. The GTS has a 450w alternator so you can fit the heavier duty bike grips if you want, rather than the sometimes feeble scooter grips. But don't get anything that goes over 3.9amps at maximum draw. Scooter grips usually go to 3.2amps and bike grips normally upto 3.9.

Ok so going on a bit too much here. But nice to see another GTS on the site. Well done and don't be a stranger.
Thanks for these details.

Which heated grips did you fit? I do like hgs and always have them fitted to all bikes I've bought if they don't come as standard.

Strangely perhaps, Piaggio don't offer them for Vespas - wish they did - so the only possibility is an aftermarket job. Far as I've found there are two makes that people install on a Ves, Oxford and Koso. Apart from a natural loathing I have for anything Oxford, after having bad experiences of their products in the past, the Koso from what I've seen on YouTube etc. looks a nicer installation as it does not have the unsightly control unit of the Oxford grips. My dealer offered only Oxford when I bought the bike so I declined. Have a pair of battery powered heated gloves but they're not the same. Hgs are a nice feature to have when you don't have the heated gloves with you or the batteries are flat and the weather turns chilly.

Only thing I've fitted so far is a permanent battery flylead for my CTEK smart charger so as to make it easy to connect as I always keep my bikes on charge all the time at home.

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