Category:  how to

I came across these sheets while cleaning out my garage and thought I'd share the wealth. If you are in need of the diagrams and directions for the installation of the full chrome kit for your P-series Vespa or Stella, here you go. The directions include the front rack, rear rack, fender guard, crash bars and cowl protectors. You can click the images to view a larger version, or download the chrome accessories installation directions in 400dpi PDF format for easy printing. It's a poorly-translated, scantily illustrated document, but hey -- the price is right.

accessories installation PDF

I picked up my finished Stella cowls on Saturday at long last. I strapped them to the Vespa to bring them home and I was slightly nervous transporting them, fearing the curse of the Frankenstella extended even beyond the garage. I briefly entertained the thought of how darkly apropos it would be to crash right then, totaling the GTS and the freshly-minted Stella cowls in one fell swoop.

Alas, I weathered the 3 miles without incident.

When I first brought home my Vespa GTS, I was having problems with the battery. Despite 200 miles of riding in one weekend, the battery failed to charge. The shop replaced the battery with a new one, but it would still quit unexpectedly. It would hold a full charge for a few days, and then randomly stop.

The shop guy suggested that because I had a short commute, the battery did not have time to replenish the amount of power required to electrically start the scooter. I didn't buy it; a scooter of Vespa's pedigree should be able to handle five days of short trips on a brand-spankin-new battery without konking out. From a purely consumer view, his explanation didn't fly.

Here's some New Math for you:
Seattle=rain
rain=rust
rust=unhappy Stella

I wasn't fortunate enough to have a garage until five months ago. My scooters wintered outdoors. I rode them in the rain, so I wasn't terribly concerned about parking them in the rain.

The Northwest doesn't employ salt on the roads like they do back East. Boston was heavy-handed with the sodium chloride application, so metal parts start to rust after awhile. It's common and expected. You can minimize the damage by washing the vehicle regularly to rinse the salt accumulation off, but if you drive in the snow, it's a losing battle. Luckily, almost everything's made out of plastic now!!