Modern Vespa

I picked up a GL frame this morning. It doesn’t have a motor, (or a title!) but it’s in pretty good shape, no rust or dents. It’s missing the front fender, the fork and the headset are there though. But it’s an awful color. It actually looks like someone had it painted and never put it back together. Looks like it used to be white.
So I’m in the market for a motor, if anyone has something decent, I’d be interested!
I have a line on an LML motor from a Stella for $400, I’d have to rebuild it, but I enjoy doing that.
Also not sure whether to try to remove the red paint back to the original white or have it painted or just leave it.
Pretty stoked to get back to work on another project!

Nice pick up! keep posting

Sweet score. I love the GL. I think you should roll with the red for at least a couple seasons and see how you like it. I bet it will shine up really nicely. Is it just spray paint?

Finding an original fender for a GL is gonna be tough, though Mercado has a repro:

http://www.scootermercato.com/Scooter-Parts/Fenders/94731_2

Making a list of parts, I’ve got a p200 carb laying around. Gas tank looks good, the seat is okay. I know I’ll be putting tubeless rims and tires on. Brakes, front suspension, shocks. There’s no speedo, the headset is still white. There’s no headlight. Center stand looks okay. Front fender. The floor rails look good, I’m curious about the rear light, or what’s left of it. Is it usable. There’s also a plastic repop rear light.

Tank and headset

No rust, I think this scooter was stored indoors. Rear shock looks newer.

Wow, nice find.

I’d see if I could get the red off. It’s going to be a lot of work, but if the paint underneath is good, it’ll be worth it. Don’t forget the swing arm and hub ... both were painted white on GLs.

Nice that you have the trap headset and cowls!

Decent quality repop headlights are available.

It looks like you’re missing part of the original tail light. Not sure that’s usable.

Good luck, it’ll be a fun project.

All the makings of a great find.
So much more enjoyable watching fellow scooterist find an old scoot and bring it back to life rather than doom scrolling no the internet.
Count me in.

Question on the paint, did the painter remove the trim before painting or can you see tape.lines.around everything? If you can see tape lines fix it before assembly, if not do what you want.

The trim must have been removed before paint. There are no tape lines. Whoever painted it knew what they were doing. Legshield trim and floor rails look really good, although the rubber has popped out on one of them. No paint on the wiring harness.
I’m going to remove the spare tire and clean up the frame tomorrow. I’ll try removing some of the red paint behind the engine side cowl just to see how hard it is to remove and what the white paint underneath looks like.

cool score!
Looking forward to your work.

I took off the cowls and the floor rails today, and cleaned things up a bit so I can see what I’m dealing with. There is some rust on the floorboards, just in a few spots, not too bad. I think I can reuse the floor rails. The floor rail caps were held on with small screws and nuts. I used a sharpened chisel to knock off the ends of the rivets, in the middle of the floor rails, which worked well and was a lot easier than drilling them out.
Did GLs have a battery? There’s no tray.
I may have a line on a P200 lump, I’ll find out tomorrow.










Tunnel looks good

Looks great! Nice find.

Some GLs had a battery. Looks like yours may have had one and it looks to have been cut/ground off. I can see the outline of it on the picture of the left side.

Super clean. It's straight enough to powder coat.

Picked up a p200 motor this morning, time to make a parts list!

and now it's on for real

going to be fun to watch!

Looks like a perfect candidate for an electric conversion!
First Scooter, not my first project. (Now going electric!)

[quote="JimVonBaden"]Looks like a perfect candidate for an electric conversion!
First Scooter, not my first project. (Now going electric!)[/quote
I’ve been following your thread, and I think “electric conversion “ is a great idea, maybe next time!

Damn. That was quick!

Wow, they have them in the back room at AutoZone? Very nice!

The body looks fantastic, and I'm surprised how good the tunnel looks. Looking forward to watching you get this on the road VP!

All righty then... let’s get busy

I know it's not perfect, but the color tone is nice. It's similar to the original red v90 frame that's awaiting my attention... Good find vpfalcon!

And congrats on the P200 motor -- those things are fast compared to the old 150s. Especially with a good top end

I spent 2 days cleaning up the scooter and attempted to remove some of the red paint under the glovebox cowl. The red paint is adhering to the white, so I don’t think that’s going to work. The white paint was probably sanded before it was painted red.
So I may leave the red as is, and try to color match and paint the new mudguard, (when I get it) and also the headset, which is still white.
The other option is to have it stripped and repainted, and I don’t know how to paint!
I’m planning to open the motor up in the next few days to look at the piston, the cylinder, and the crank.
Parts list..so far.
Tubeless tires and rims
Shocks
Bearings, and parts for the front suspension
Headlight, grips, and other parts for the handlebars
Speedometer
Wiring loom
Cables
Brake shoes
Rear light
Exhaust
Motor bushes
Bearings and seals for the motor
Mudguard and trim
Clutch rebuild kit
Floormat and floor rail rubber


There’s a weld.

Nice Project!
Consider the up-rated spring and damper for the front end, they made a big difference on my rally.(reducing front end dive under braking)
You may also want dry fit the motor, I'm not sure on a GL, but that tall carb cover may need some fettling.
Looking forward to your progress!

Cool scoot and paint.

I took the p200 motor apart today and it looks good so far. The crank is a Mazzucchelli and it seems like new.
I was told that this motor came out of a wrecked Vespa and that it was rebuilt by a guy in Cleveland. I don’t think the motor got a whole lot of miles since the rebuild.
The cylinder looks stock, it has some marks but feels smooth, piston and rings look okay. Cush drive doesn’t make any sounds when I shake it.
So I think I’ll order the bearings/seals, clutch rebuild and hope it has good compression!










My helpers!







Only one spacer and it’s a thick one.

why not go ahead and measure ring gap and piston to bore? easy to get a poor man's check in while it is apart. for that matter, why not put in new rings just to do it? cheap insurance.

Ring gap is 0.25 mm for top ring, and 0.33 mm for bottom ring. I will check on ordering new rings.

...wait wait wait...who are the little dudes? Interns? Hooligans?

Too damn cute.

Last edited by Birdsnest on Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

The ball hones for these are pretty cheap too if you feel adventurous. I covered doing that in my un building the p200 thread.

Tulip and Tinker, our little 8 year old Yorkie mix. Tulip goes for scooter rides!
That’s the closest I’ll ever get to 2 up.

I dismantled the the front suspension last night and this morning. I will clean everything up and replace the bearings and paint. The lower bearing race was mangled pretty badly by the previous owner. I guess I’ll try to hit with a chisel of some kind to get it off.
In the video I used as a how-to, the guy drilled out the rivets and removed the dust cover on the suspension arm. I think I’m going to leave mine in place and try to clean it.
Also sent in the paperwork to Vermont DMV.

Me too on the 2 up...

Nice find and finding the motor that quick.

Thanks Lynnb!
I’ve been working on cleaning up parts for paint the past two days. So far I’ve done the headset and the front fork. I used a wire wheel on a drill for the headset, snagged my shirt at one point!
I’ve ordered parts too.
I’m not sure what color to paint headset and the mudguard. I guess I’ll leave the scooter body red, but I can’t find a place that will make a matching color paint in a rattle can.
I’m considering painting them off white, which is the GL color.

Try Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes. They will put a single stage paint in a spray can and match. Looks like there are a couple in your neck of the woods.

I called them and they hooked me up with 2 cans of matching paint! Thanks gmontag.
I took the glove side cowl with me to the paint supplier and noticed 3 holes that have been drilled through the cowl. (Probably for a battery). I want to fill them.
Any advice on how to fill them?

I do not understand why you would drill the cowl and attach a battery like that. That makes no sense!



Nice to know about Sherwin Williams though I got one near by I could grab some touch up paint

I believe those holes might have been for a foot rest for rear-passenger side saddle riding.

+1