Project difficulty: Easy
Required time: 1 hour

With your battery on charge and fuel stabilizer in the gas tank, short of a good clean, wax and protective cover you’ve dealt with the two key concerns of winterizing your scoot.

Many scooterists however also recommend taking a couple of additional actions to ensure your wheels will be in tip top shape come spring. First among them, a gear oil change.

Remember, on a two-stroke scooter, there’s no oil change per se, as the oil is mixed with the gas and burns off during riding. So when it comes to oil changes on these bikes, it’s the gear oil we’re talking about.

The benefit of changing the gear oil prior to the winter is to remove any sheared metal, gunk and other detritus that forms as part of normal wear and tear before it has a chance to hunker down and really take hold over the winter. By changing out the oil prior to the winter you’re effectively leaving the gears in a clean bath of oil while the bike sits stationary. Doesn’t that sound nice?

Some scooterists with vintage bikes also go the extra mile changing their gear oil again come spring prior to the first riding to clear out any gunk that’s settled in the gear oil over the winter, but given my PX is no family heirloom, I’m not going to join for that extra mile.

Finally, remember that you should replace your gear oil every 4 months of normal riding, so winterization should be one of 3 or 4 changes you make throughout the year depending on how long your bike is in hibernation during the off season.

In the example below I changed the oil on my 84 PX150elestart but any Vespa PX series scooter, Stella or Bajaj should follow similarly.

Gathering the materials
First thing you need to know is that the oil you need is not the same as the regular two-stroke oil you add to the gas. For a two stoke gearbox, you need to look out for 10w/30, and ideally oil that has been specially formulated as gear oil. It’s easily available at a number of local dealers or your trusted scooter spares website store. A one-liter bottle should be good for about two changes.

Motul Transoil is an oil specially formulated for 2-stroke gearboxes.

Next, get yourself a small plastic container like a Tupperware sandwich box or take-out tray from your local favorite restaurant. You’re going to use this to drain the old oil into. It needs to be low enough to sit under your scoot, but large enough to contain about 500ml of oil.

Tool-wise, you’ll need a large flat bladed screwdriver to remove the filler bolt/cap. You’ll also need a 13mm wrench or socket wrench to remove the drain bolt. If you’ve changed a tire on these scoots you’ll have a faithful 13mm lying around.

Finally, the secret sauce of gear oil change is literally sauce. Given the awkwardness of the location of the filler hole, unless you have a small nosed funnel handy, the best way to get fresh oil into the gearbox is by using a squeeze bottle. A restaurant style plastic ketchup or mustard bottle works great for this. I bought a set of two from the local 99-cent store for a buck fifty.

Every scooterist's secret weapon.

Draining the existing oil
The drain bolt is located under the lowest part of the scoot directly under the gear shifter box below the engine. You’ll need to get on your back to see it unless you have the luxury of being able to raise your scoot off the ground. It’ll be marked either OIL or OILIO depending on your scoot’s country of origin. It’ll probably also need a good wipe down with an old rag. Everything should be accessible without removing the engine side cowl.

Locating the filler and drain bolts.

Ideally it’s best to run your engine for a couple of minutes to heat up the oil to operating temperature so that it drains quickly but if you can’t it’s not a problem, you just need to give your scoot a little longer to drain. The longer you can leave it the better.

Position your drip tray under the bolt and remove the drain bolt with your 13mm wrench. Once the bolt comes loose, the oil should immediately begin to drain. Set the bolt aside and make sure that a washer came loose with it. If the washer is badly damaged and doesn’t look capable of holding a seal you may want to replace it.

While the oil is draining, go ahead and release the filler bolt, which is above the gear shifter to the left and to the back as you look at it with the engine in front of you. This should be a slotted bolt like a large screw. Removing this will aid in the expulsion of the old oil. You’ll need a large flat bladed screwdriver for this and expect the bolt to be tight. In my case I found I could get better leverage on the slot using a small chisel that had a wider blade than my largest screwdriver.

Draining the old oil. Note the filler cap has also been removed.

Cleaning up
Once the oil has fully drained, use an old rag or paper towel to clean the drain hole as much as possible. Pay careful attention to cleaning inside the thread. Typically this will be gritty with the detritus that has drained. If when you try replacing the bolt it doesn’t turn freely, remove it and clean it and the threaded hole again until you can no longer feel any resistance on the turn. If you turn the bolt while there is grit in the thread you’ll risk damaging the thread and bolt and the closure may not remain oil-tight for long. In my case I needed to rinse and repeat about five times before the hole felt grit free.

Adding fresh oil
With the oil drain bolt back in place and hand-tight but not over-torqued, it’s time to top up with new oil.

Fill your squeeze bottle full of new gear oil and with the spout of the bottle inside the filler hole squeeze until you’ve emptied the bottle. In my case it took about two squeeze bottles of oil before the oil was full.

Adding fresh oil with a squeeze bottle.

You’ll know that the gearbox is full when any new oil added begins to leak out of the filler hole. Let any excess fresh oil leak until the leaking stops and then you’re ready to give the filler plug a quick clean with a rag or paper towel and screw it back down into position, again being careful to make sure the thread is clean.

New oil draining out of the filler hole indicates the oil is full. Don't plug it until the overflow stops.

Your job is now done and your scooter will thank you later. Replacing your oil like this prior to sitting stationary for the winter or for any period of time will decrease the wear and tear on your engine and lead to everything running smoothly for longer.

Disposing of the old oil
Being the good world citizen that you are, you’ll know that it’s important to dispose of used oil properly. Your best bet in NYC is to put it in an old milk carton or similar sealable plastic bottle and take it to your local gas station. In New York City, gas stations are required by law to take back your used oil without charge.

You can look up the local law regulating oil here. Oh, and one last thing, while you’re spending some time on your back under your scoot, why not take a wire-brush to her underside and give her a clean for the winter. Looking back on my photos, it’ll be next on my list.

’til next time.

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