does any one know why my gilera runner keeps eating brake pads, head light bulbs, speedo cables and does any one know were the factory is im gonna go and wee on the receptionist
Well what you have to think about is how much do you ride the bike…
Brake Pads - they are only waffer thin so if you are on it all day, everyday they will want changing often. When I had my Speedfight I had to do pads every month.
Bulbs…if I remember right they are a common fault with runners, I believe that you can put a higher fuse in the fusebox that will fix this.
No idea about the speedo…maybe worth checking the speedo drive isn’t faulty - what do you mean by it keeps going??
Hope it helps! 
Your brake pads are not defective, but it sounds like either your caliper is seized (If the brake drags when you try to spin the wheel, get that freed off or replaced) your Disc is badly scored, and lunching the pads prematurely, or you are using the brakes too much. You must use coppa slip to ensure the pads are free within their moving area. No comprende? Get them checked by a dealer.
The headlamp bulb problem sounds like either a voltage regulator, not at all uncommon on this model, or you’re doing wheelies and smashing the front down too hard.
The speedo cable is possibly due to the same reason…but only you know if you’re doing Evel Kneivel impressions…
There are two different speedo cables for the Runner 125/180 by the way. The USD fork model version is shorter than the new RWU forked version. The wrong cable will always fail, assuming you can get it fitted in the first place!
You could get a Vespa- trouble free!
Good, but not trouble free!
PX models eat speedo drives and cables, while the ET4’s were fairly heavy on them. LX’s and GT/S’s seem better, although the LX is a mystery as it’s essentially the same front end as the ET…
The main reason Vespa’s are less troublesome than the Gilera 50 and 125 versions is that the owners don’t thrash them to death. Normally…
Mine’s an LX 125- maybe I’ve been lucky or haven’t thrashed it :w00t:
I’ve had 2 pxs now (125 and 200). Do about 3000 miles/year and have never had any trouble with the speedo. I had a clutch cable snap once but that was because I was an idiot not knowing what I was doing, over-tightening it when I really should have been replacing the cable. I had a front brake cable snap too, it was old too and due a replacement.
Bulbs go occasionally, but given the amount of hammering they get on London roads, that’s no surprise.
Bare in mind with PXs that you have a 1970s bike, so if you look after it you won’t have any trouble.
spot on i rekon, its you!
scooters are so easy to ride,that you can go nuts on them, i too used to have a speedfight, i found i had to change pads just as often too, as a few times they went down to almost nothing:w00t:, my caliper wasnt sticking tho, yours could be sticking, you will know if it is ,as said you will hear or feel it when you push the bike.
The pads on mine are not a problem. Do at least 6k miles without needing to be replaced. I wouldn’t assume all scooters are the same.
I hesitate to say anything but…
…a friend with a Burgman 650 was somewhat annoyed to get only 3,500 miles from his last set of pads - he has the bike serviced in WGC - instead of the usual high-mileage.
It transpired that the under-mechanic had fitted non-Suzuki soft pads instead of the proper ones.
Mystery solved.
Worthwhile checking, perhaps.
BB,
maybe you dont go fast enough! (no offence mate 
) seriously tho when i had scoots specially two strokes with no engine braking at all, i used to go through pads alot, mainly it is from going along at a fiar pace and braking hard to often and too much! its that simple really.
Mr chips does have a point. worth checking out what material your pads are.
Well, I hope I have learned enough road sense/machine control so that I’m not constantly “braking hard to often and too much”, but I don’t think I’m particularly slow. I overtook three big sports bikes on the way to work this morning, which is fairly typical, and it’s very rare that any other scoot I meet makes any more progress than me, so I’d still be inclined to put it down to the model and the rider if anyone’s getting though pads so quickly, rather than a general thing about scoots. I have linked brakes (so two sets of pads on the front and one on the back), which will share the load around between the pads, but I wouldn’t have thought that would have an enormous difference. It’s also not a common complaint on the X9 forum that people go through pads quickly, so I think my experience is fairly typical (for my type of scoot).
when i say too hard too often i mean hacking around at 50mph, having to brake hard to slow or stop, like most kids on peds:
yours is a four stroke? you have engine braking, this makes a difrence, as would linked brakes,.
th eoriginal poster doesnt have a maxi scoot, he has a gilera, so most of what is relivent to your x9 isnt to his gilera.
Unless he’s got one of the old runner 50’s, then he’s got a 4 stroke, Ratty. (Besides, and I may be showing my ignorance here, there’s no noticeable engine braking on my scoot even if it is a 4 stroke. It’s like an automatic car. Any slowing effect the engine gives is not noticeable). Plus, aren’t I more likely to go through pads sooner given that I’m riding a bigger (heavier and bigger engined) scoot than a lighter and slower Runner (albeit that Runners are fast for what they are)?
I’d really think it’s more likely that it’s either something particular to that model, or to that individual scoot (or the way it’s being ridden).
personally i think its the way its being ridden, the engine braking issue is noticeable not massive amounts, but its there, on my old zip if i took both hands off the bars it would slow and you could feel the engine braking, not so on any two stroke scoot i have ridden.
i agree on teh size and weight issue tho. but yeah runners are very quick when de-restricted the 50’s can get over 50mph!:w00t:
I had a 2 stroke runner and it was a 180…:w00t:
Agree with most of the above comments, engine braking (lack of) makes a big difference and I went through quite a few pads on mine. Also (as pointed out) the pistons had seized slightly and caused brake drag, scoring the discs. Took them apart and added new seals etc…perfect.
Electrics on the runners are always a problem and need constant checking and attention, especially when riding in rain…(my entire loom caught fire once!)
HTH
OMG! I assume you were riding it at the time. Hope you had brown trousers on to begin with. Were we talking visible flames, or did you just notice the smell of burning?
I’ve now got a mental picture of a Runner, with those grilles down by your legs for the hot air to come through, except with flames coming through them instead of hot air!
i see your post on the thread in bike talk (tongas thread about scoots), 180s are bonkers:w00t: id love one but it would go missing in 5 mins round where i live…
my cousin had beautifull example of one, a fila ducati rep paintwork by dream machine, skorpion race pipe, oh it was the mutts! said on teh log book it was a 125, but it wasnt! it was a bloody 180, he found out when he rode it foer the first time! what a shock!:w00t:
and he isnt a kid! hes over 30! and he has a full bike licence;)