Customer Reviews

Vespa Scooters, 1958-78 (Owners' Workshop Manual)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got my first Haynes manual in 1995 for a 1974 Vespa 90. The book may as well have been written in Chinese because nothing made any sense to me. If you are expecting a step by step guide with photos that explain every single step, this is NOT the book for you. The writer of this assumed the scooterist already has SOME wrenching skills and SOME knowledge of the inner workings of a Vespa Scooter.

Fourteen years, six Vespas and several major repairs later, I can now say this book makes sense to me.

The difference? In that time, I've taken a few scooters apart, have installed larger carbs, Sito + exhausts, Buzz Scooter Stereos, drilled holes for chrome accesories, and have spent hours online talking to fellow scooterists. With good technical advice, [...] and a bit of guts, this book is a vital tool.

So, if you can already replace a brake cable on your own, know what a stator plate is and feel confident enough to take apart your scooter, this book is extremely helpful. Especially when combined with the "how to restore and maintain your Vespa Scooter", the online tech support sites and assistance from your fellow scooterist friends.

On the other hand, if your technical knowledge is limited, this book is basically a lot of confusing blurbs and photos that seem to "skip a step or two". This can be frustrating for a first time mechanic, as reading through these pages will make it seem as if scooter repair is a difficult thing to do. It's not.

The book is also written by a Brit, so a lot of the slang and terminology will not match up with what you may know an item to be.

To recap, I recommend this manual for those who have some mechanical knowledge of a scooter, or who know how to fix and tune up motor vehicles.

On the other hand, if you have no idea what a "carb rebuild" is, this book is NOT for you.

If you own a vinatge Vespa from 1959-1978 you should own this service manual even if you don't plan on working on your scooter. It helps with routine maintence, trouble shooting, and just basic knowledge of your machine. Take care of you scooter and it will take care of you. Tons of pictures, parts and wire diagrams. A MUST HAVE!!!!

This is a great book for minor OR major repair to Vespa scooters. It covers vintage models of different styles. For the Sprint 150cc, I found the wiring diagram easy and helpful. It appears the diagrams for others were as complete. All were color coded as well. The book is well illustrated for most any job necessary.

Good overall review of the many Vespas made. For specific info on a particular model one would have to look elsewhere. Since I knew nothing about them before reading this publication, it did give me an overall understanding of the Vespa. To try to cover all the models from 1959 to 1978 , they do a decent job.

I am not sure of the content of the this manual since this was a gift for my father for his 1966 Vespa 90. I assume that is contains sufficient info to totally rebuild this with him.

I own MANY Haynes manuals for cars and trucks so I expect that this will be as detailed. (Although, I must say that is is REALLY thin. Maybe there is not much to them nor much difference in the models...)

Very helpful book for any vintage Vespa owner. Lots of pictures and detailed, step by step instructions for basic maintenance and more advanced work.

Useful comprehensive guide with easy to follow photos.
A must have if you own an older scoot.

A very thin book and little actual technical information. Do not bother buying this manual. With a little patience you can find all this information and more on the internet at sites such as scooterhelp for free.

Perfect book to read and help you understand your vespa. I feel its a good book.

There arent very many Vespa scooter repair manuals out there that are in english. So why not get this one?