Older scooters use a cable operated drum brake for both the front and rear wheels. The basic principle is to expand two semi-circular pads on the inside of the wheel hub, which results in friction that stops the bike. Lambrettas are the only bikes that started using an inboard cable operated disk brake on the higher cc bikes like the TV175, SX200, and GP200.

The new Vespas now come with a hydraulic disk brake which clamps brake pads on either side of a spinning disk mounted to the outside of the wheel hub.

The front brake is the most important as it provides about 70 percent of the stopping power.