Modern Vespa

The T5 I mentioned on Mark's thread, is in my hands. I'm literally flying!!! The day was long and tiring, to get through our Greek bureaucracy monster, but all paperwork and license plate, are in my hands. Tomorrow I have to pass an MOT test and finalize the paperwork (transfer the license to my name).

The scooter was unused since 2012. Brought it home an hour ago and it took two kicks to come to life. I didn't even pour new gasoline inside the tank. Everything works fine and it even has the original "idiot" warning buzzer. Inside the glovebox, I also found the original mirror, tools and a set of cables. It even has the original side cowl insulation and original but worn out key. Only thing missing is the engine cover but no big deal. It's condition is truly amazing and I am only planning to have the body professionally polished and the cowls straightened & painted because they're in terrible shape. I believe the correct color code is 806??

The engine will be overhauled of course...

First photos and 2 Videos (videos don't work with Chrome)...

Sweet!

Brilliant!! What u going to do to it?

As already mentioned, I'll just have it polished, respray the cowls, front mudguard and headset top. I'll overhaul the engine (stock), put new tires, cables, shocks, etc. I don't want to mess with it cause it's in great original condition...

Congrats man, great addition to your herd.

Grrr, I am just so jealous! Kalo riziko!!!!!

(This one should be fun to watch unfold, this guy knows shit and takes lots of nice pics )

Thanks mate. What's left for the herd, is a Rally 200 and I'm done. Still seeking for a decent one...

Thanks a lot Terry!!! Don't be jealous

You're always welcome to ride all of my scooters..

the amount of T5’s on NSM is to dammn high!!

~looks in shop~

....never mind, carry on...

-g

Congratulations Safis.

Great looking T5

I’m also really jealous of the working tacho.

I didn't get one on my LML T5.

Oh man, that's awesome! I'm going to enjoy watching and learning!

Looks like a great project Safis! What is the plan?

Awesome score. Looks mint. Such a cool, scoot and sweet to see a couple of posts featuring them. Love your plans and look forward to the result!

Congrats - looking forward to seeing it 'polished'

Thanks a lot guys!!

Minor update:

On Friday the T5 passed the MOT with flying colors. I then submitted all the paperwork to our local DMV and on Monday I received the final license, registered to my name. I also insured it, so now it's road legal. Now, surfing the "interwebs" and preparing parts lists

At the MOT center...



Vehicle's License...



Stay tuned...

Very nice Safis

wow i wasnt around and look what lovely gift u have for new year its a great T5 Brother C

Congrats SaFis! What's the performance difference in a T5 versus a "standard" Vespa of the same displacement and era? Ignorant of all things T5 here.

fire up your google-fu hombre, you're in for a wild ride.

(but seriously use the search here as well)

xo
-g
eta: start here- why is T5 engine knows as the best p-series engine??

Thanks greasy. That thread pretty much says it all.

Although the thread pretty much, sums it all, it lacks the photos due to the a-holes of photobucket and imageshack. Main difference as you've probably read, is the 5 port engine compared to the 3 port on the normal PXs. Then there's the different stroke, the aluminum cylinder, the different carb with a venturi within the air-filter, the redesigned exhaust (Sito Plus for the PX was based on the T5 exhaust), the lighter flywheel, the better flywheel side bearing, etc.

So basically, it was a highly tuned engine, straight from the factory and only 125cc. I wish Piaggio had developed a similar 200cc engine. I mean, they already had an aluminum 200cc cylinder on the COSA. They could have gone really big with it...

And the cases. Normal 3 port vs 5 port (couldn't find a photo from an original engine but Pinasco's will do)...

Thanks SaFis. Looks like that 5-port T5 engine can really breathe.

T5's are pretty zippy around town, but, as with all 2 strokes that operate in the higher RPM range, they suffer hills, head winds and pillions. That's when you need the grunt of a P2.

As SaFiS said, Piaggio teased us with the T5, but what a great shame it never developed it further. A larger displacement 5 port factory motor would have been amazing. Needless to say, in any country where there was a 125cc limit for learners (17 years old in the UK), the T5 was a god sent over the anaemic PX125.....although I preferred the P125 ETS.

Never mind the original color code: after 30+ years under the sun, you're going to be shades away if you try to mix'n'match old and new paint jobs. Piaggio's original lead-based red paint is probably THE one that yields the most spectacular results during a restoration (rubbing with acetone), but it also changes a lot over time.
If you want to just touch up the mismatched parts, go see an automotive paint specialist and compare a metal body part with the paint chips they should have available. I rebuilt a red T5 4 years ago, and went to a spray paint shop that happened to carry the complete Multona line of colors. It took 2 tries to get the right color, but the difference between original paint and new is minimal.

The lighting isn't great, but this pic is to show that the repainted cowl is pretty much in line with the rest of the original paint job:

...or a 172 cylinder, which erases a lot of the strain in the low rev range, and makes the power band much more fun! I find the Malossi's piston rings to be more durable than the original ones as well, which makes for a more reliable ride at the end.

Frank N. Stein: Thanks for the info. Is the T5's body the original color or resprayed?? It looks so new...

Considering seats. Is there a repro seat / cover with the "PIAGGIO" lettering at the sides?? Is the "Corsa" seat worth it, quality wise??

x2 on the 172 kit for the T5! I even took it one step further and installed a full DRT close ratio transmission (and clutch). All the bike wants to do now is accelerate...whether on flat roads, head winds, or up hills into head winds. It's pretty amazing what optimal gearing will do for a tuned 2 stroke!

double post

Last edited by whodatschrome on Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:35 pm; edited 2 times in total

Parts have started arriving / gathering up. Today, DHL brought me an order from SCK (I had won two 20€ gift cards on their December calendar lottery, so it was time to use them). I bought a set of PTFE lined cables, a BGM Faster Flow v2.0 fuel tap, a 20/67-68 teeth clutch sprocket (I'll install a COSA clutch with CR plates), black F.A. levers, a set of Newfren AntiAqua brake shoes and a few bits and pieces. Crank bearings and Honda CR plates were bought from a local supplier. I am waiting for 2 more "big" orders, one from a friend's local scooter shop and one directly from Piaggio at wholesale prices (the most expensive parts will come from Piaggio)...

Bad news with the color. My guy has seen the T5 and advised me that it's better to respray the whole scooter, because as Frank N. Stein already mentioned, it will never get to match as much as I want it. I am really torn on this. This will be a decision, when I'll start stripping it down...

A few photos...

The body is its original color, cleaned and "refreshed" with acetone. T5 seats are one of the most difficult items to find in good quality. The original ones are usually worn out/cracked, the repros (mostly out of SEA) are basically all crap: no "Piaggio" on the side, wrong slant in the back that doesn't match that of the body, wrong vinyl, poor manufacturing.... I was lucky to find a basically brand new foam model off a Motovespa T5. Plastic base, all foam, quality vinyl with Motovespa instead of Piaggio on the side. Much lighter than the steel and springs Piaggio models, and the foam just doesn't slump.

I personally find the original gearbox too short for the 172. I put a 21-tooth sprocket on my clutch, and yet 1st gear remains painfully short. Next step is to likely swap 3 first gears of a PX200 secondary drive to lengthen the gears, and to keep the T5 4th for grunt at freeway speeds.

Safis any idea what the V2 fuel tap does over the V1? Besides give the appearance of keeping pace with the SIP tap of course!
My V1 was very slow to change over to reserve, so I only use it on reserve now.

It's supposedly "faster" than SIP's v2. And compared to their own v1, the rotating tap is now metal instead the black plastic they had on the v1. I will also use it in reserve only, cause the T5 has an Open/Close function on the original fuel tap...

Cheers. That's good news as I've broken one of the plastic ones!

Update time. All parts are here (except the spoiler and the headlight that are back ordered at Piaggio). Some parts from Piaggio have a minimum order quantity so I'll have them stocked. Will start disassembling the T5 in Saturday and decide what to do with the frame (respray it or not)...

Few photos...

Spare rim and cover...


Legshield trim, stand and glovebox tray...


Stand springs, flasher, "PIAGGIO" horncover badge


Engine mounts, front shock top rubber mounts, selector cover...


Steering column bearings (a part of Vietnam will go in the T5 )...


Piston rings, cruciform, kickstart gear...


Glovebox lock, lock body, cylinder locks...


Found me some NOS cylinder locks with the old style Piaggio keys...


Rear mudflap, cylinder cowl, horn grille, badges...


Glovebox rubber trim, stand spring plates, mirror...


SIP tubeless rims...


Carbone shocks...


Sip premium gasket set...


Engine parts, etc...


Engine parts, etc...


More updates to come...

Having me some serious T5 envy...




Saw an unloved red one not far away & was tempted to inquire. Maybe if I lose a few more of the too big herd.

How many do you have now Holmes?

Any particular reason, other than safety, for the SIP rims?

The T5 never looks right to me without the wheel discs but they seem to be missing from most of the Spanish etc. ones I've seen. Were they on the Greek market versions as standard or omitted?

@Terry: As I said before, you're always welcome to ride my scooters

@Birdsnest: If you're referring to me, 4 so far, all P range...

@Juan Kerr: Main reason is safety, due to long distances when commuting. As for the wheel discs, most T5s I've seen don't have them. Probably came at an extra cost like autolube, etc. on most of the Ps / PXs sold around Greece. Wish I could mount those discs with the tubeless rims...

I had free time, Wednesday and Thursday, so I took it apart. I decided to go for a full respray and do a proper restoration. I've already threw in 1200€ in parts so it would be a shame not to go for it. Frame is solid and rot free. Only a few surface rust spots and some dings here and there. Thankfully, having the original rubber plugs at the rear, helped the tail from rotting out. The fork was a bitch to come apart. The top bearing was disintegrated and the nut was frozen solid. I had to grind it down. On to the engine. I just took the cylinder off and the bad news is it needs a new conrod and a piston. Conrod has 2mm vertical play and the piston had a soft seize at the exhaust port. Bottom ring was frozen. Thankfully the nikasil lining is unharmed. More to come...

And a few photos...