Running in tips

[bogey]

What kind of mileage do people reccomend for running in on a PX?

[Spence]

If it's a brand new one, run it at three quarters top speed (about 45mph max) for the first 800 miles, then book it in for its first service. The service needs to be done by 1000 miles at the latest.

Stick to that and you shouldn't have any problems at all.

[bogey]

Thanks for that, do the dalers usually offer the 1st service FOC?

[Devo McDuff]

Nope, pretty sure you'll have to pay for it.

Is a bit annoying as to keep the warranty valid you have to have the service at a Piaggio approved garage when you could maybe get it done cheaper and probably more thoroughly at an independent place. That was certainly the case for me anyway.

[Spence]

No mate you will have to pay for it, but it's worth getting it done at an official dealer so you have a FSH and maintain the warranty.

I have to say I don't necessarily agree with Devo here (unusually); if you can find a smaller dealer that specialises in Piaggio models, rather than a plastic crap dealer that just happens to have a couple of Vespas for sale, they'll do a thorough job for you. What you need to do is show your face there quite a bit so they get to know you, but don't become a pain in their arse, because that can have the reverse effect!

Let us know what part of the country you're in and we might be able to recommend somewhere.

[Devo McDuff]

Yes, to be fair .... it does obviously differ from garage to garage so it depends on your luck of what's available in your region.

In my case the Piaggio dealer is more motor-bike centric and I paid the best part of a ton for a service recently and it seemed to me that they didn't check everything they were supposed to, things that even I noticed in my very limited knowledge! .... if I'd have been able to take it to the independent option available to me it would have been cheaper and I'd have had good whack more faith in the quality of the service.

I understand the reasons for it ... I know they can't just have any cowboy servicing it as shoddy work would end up costing Piaggio more in the long run in terms of covering costs of parts replacements and all the rest of it. My point is basically that as soon as my scoot is out of warranty, it's very unlikely that I'll use the official dealers for maintenance.

Unusually eh, ha .... Spence old chap, are you suggesting we differ regularly in opinion? Sarcasm doesn't always filter through the virtual highway so I'm not sure

[joey]

The service depends on what warranty you've got, 12 months or 3 years??
If it's 12 months then you can do the service yourself with very little expertise. Even the "OFFICIAL" Piaggio dealers do very little on the service even though they tell you they have.
The actual running in is done by 500 miles, barrel and piston will be well scrubbed and everything should have loosened off nicely.
If you have a vague idea what to do once you have a spanner in your hand then you can sevice a Vespa within 2 hours a damn sight more thoroughly than you can expect from most dealers. Give us a shout if you need any advice.

[satchmo]

Just out of interest, what will the 1st service check? Any well known and usual problems?

[Devo McDuff]

If you take a butchers in your manual, it lists everything that is supposed to be checked on each recommend (and necessary to maintain the warranty) service. i.e. what should be checked/changed on the 1st service, 2nd service and so on.

Or at least my manual does, can't imagine it's changed in a year.