Reinforced front luggage rack for Vespa PX/PE

The Vespa’s preparation for a long journey must be done very carefully, especially for a series of external elements and the bodywork, first of all the front and rear luggage racks. The heavy stresses on bad roads and the sometimes overweight weight of the luggage are often the cause of roof racks sagging and broken. This is why the choice of a suitable reinforced front luggage rack for Vespa is important.

The other important elements are certainly the front windshield, the saddle, the housing of the additional tanks for petrol, oil and water, reinforced stand, rear-view mirrors, side protection bars and the headlight.

For each of these elements, different solutions were analyzed and then I chose the one that best suited my travel needs. For each of these elements, a dedicated post illustrates the critical issues and the choices made for my Vespa World Tour.

Vespa PX / PE front luggage rack features

The Vespa PX / PE front luggage rack in addition to fulfilling its luggage loading functions, is also useful because it helps to improve the weight balance between the front and rear of the Vespa.

Obviously the maximum applicable load is not high, because in any case the front rack is fixed to the shield plate which has not been designed to support significant weights. The other reason is that of the bulk of the luggage which must necessarily be contained as it does not have to obscure the light beam of the Vespa headlight.

Normally the front luggage racks for Vespa PX / PE are designed to support from 6 to 10 kg depending on the model, values which are also considered for normal road use. If it is intended to be used on uneven roads or in particularly heavy situations, the risk of failure, even though it is within the expected weights, is very high. Therefore, in order to have a reinforced front luggage rack for Vespa , sturdy and able to withstand strong stresses, it is necessary to carry out an artisan reinforcement of the structure in its critical parts, including the spring system that allows the movement of the floor of the roof rack.

Finally, the last element of evaluation is the aesthetic one since many of the Vespa PX / PE front rack models are available in both chrome and glossy black or matt black versions. There is only one Vespa Ulma Nanucci front luggage rack model available with a natural iron finish, intended only for historic Vespas with wide shields, but perhaps also adaptable with some modifications to the Vespa PX / PE. I had evaluated it, not so much for the natural finish, among other things also available in a chromed version, but because this interesting model has a very wide loading surface and a particularly low center of gravity.

The best Vespa PX / PE front luggage racks

Having made these premises on the characteristics of the front luggage rack for Vespa PX / PE most suitable for a long journey or even, as in my case, for a Vespa World Tour , here are some models which, for different reasons, seemed to me more interesting than others:

– FA Italia adherent luggage rack with reinforced support base : Particularly interesting because it has a very limited overhang as the distance between the shield and the structure is minimal. Another interesting element is the support base of the mobile part which is double in size compared to those seen in the other models and therefore more resistant. Also available in black version.

– Reinforced front luggage rack CUPPINI declared capacity 10 kg : It is the only model that declares, even with adhesive placed on the luggage rack itself, the capacity of 10 kg, compared to the 6 kg normally foreseen.

– Vespa PX / PE front luggage rack with canister holder : This is the only model I have found, designed to house the metal canister for petrol, sold separately. In practice, the roof rack has a first fixed part, very adherent to the shield, with dedicated slots to fix the petrol tank in a stable way and then there are the springs of the articulation of the reclining loading platform.

Reinforced front luggage rack for Vespa PX / PE handmade

Realizing that there is no commercially available reinforced front luggage rack for Vespa suitable for a long journey such as around the world, I decided to start from the most suitable base, that is the version with built-in canister holder, on which to make a series of modifications to make it suitable for intended purpose. The interventions carried out were the following:

– Lower it by 5 cm, extending the two main vertical posts. This modification made it possible to lower the center of gravity of the load and to keep the headlight beam free.

– The tank holder base has been modified to accommodate a high-strength plastic fuel tank (5 liters of capacity), as well as two tanks for the oil of the mixture , of the same material and with a capacity of 1.5 liters each. For the petrol tank, the fixing bracket has also been provided in the central part which allows it to be locked with a key lock. Two perforated bars were attached to the side to allow the three tanks to be blocked together and with the roof rack. The locking system of the tanks using rubber bands that you see in the photos is temporary, waiting for the most correct solution to be found.

– Welded and fixed the loading platform, originally foldable by means of springs. This solution is the best one to ensure maximum strength of the luggage rack, even if you lose the ability to close the luggage rack, reducing its bulk, if not in use.

– Adjustment of the lateral fastening system to the shield, since, having lowered the luggage rack, the lateral hooks no longer pulled downwards, as they should have done.

– Finally, under the base of the luggage rack, two brackets have been set up for positioning the additional LED headlights, with the possibility of orientation and adjustment, both vertically and horizontally.

At the end of all these operations, I opted for the chrome plating of the luggage rack as more than 60% of the structure had undergone welding.

All the products used for setting up the Vespa are also visible in the Vespup Shop Online and can be purchased in the main marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon .